Tag: thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Essential Recipes
This year I made it my mission to gather some recipes for you that were not only quick and easy but on the healthy side as well. These Thanksgiving essential recipes are some of my tried and true – the ones I turn to year after year that never fail to delight!
Roasted Delicata Squash with Cinnamon Maple Butter
I love Delicata Squash for its cute scalloped edges and its vibrant orange color, but I especially love it roasted in Cinnamon Maple Butter – the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving spread!
Feta Stuffed Marinated Olives (Gluten-Free, Vegetarian)
Let’s all come together and start supporting light, bite sized appetizers, shall we?
I’m all for hearty first courses, don’t get me wrong, but how many holidays have you experienced where everyone fills up on appetizers and then leaves almost no room for the main meal, let alone dessert?
When I’ve been cooking all day, be it Thanksgiving or a dinner party, I want people to come to the table HUNGRY.
These Feta Stuffed Marinated Olives are just the sort of appetizer I love to serve on a holiday because:
- It’s served at room temperature
- It is very easy to make
- It is savory and delicious, going really well with cocktails
- It’s something to nibble on without filling up, leaving plenty of room for the dinner I’ve worked hard on.
“what else can I use?”
- I use these Weck jars for everything in my kitchen, including these. They are great for storage, but also look nice enough to serve right to the table.
- I love Castlevetrano olives for their mild, buttery flavor, but any large, pitted green olive will do.
- Fresh thyme, or even dried Za’atar or Herbs de Provence can be used in place of the rosemary in the marinade.
- If you don’t care for feta, use goat cheese… it’s just a bit messier to handle so be aware of that.
These olives can be marinated for 4 hours, and up to 3 days, making them a perfect make-ahead option for cocktail hour. Just be sure to take the olives out of the fridge a couple of hours before serving to come to room temperature and allow the olive oil to liquify again.
If you make these Feta Stuffed Marinated Olives, and I hope you do, please leave me a comment here or post to Instagram and tag me. I love to hear your feedback and share your creations!
Feta Stuffed Marinated Olives (Gluten-Free, Vegetarian)
A no-cook, one-bite appetizer for Thanksgiving or any dinner party that takes minutes to make and is packed with flavor.
Equipment
- Vegetable Peeler
- Medium storage jar, glass or reusable plastic
Ingredients
- 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 oz. block feta cheese, cut into 30 sticks (1 x 1/4 inches)
- 30 large Castelvetrano olives, pitted
Instructions
- Use a vegetable peeler to remove lemon peel from the lemon in thin strips. Chop roughly, so you have thin slices about 1 inch long. Reserve the lemon for another use.
- In the storage jar you plan to use for the olives to marinate, stir together the lemon peel, olive oil, red pepper flakes, rosemary, salt and black pepper.
- To stuff the olives, insert one piece of feta cheese into each olive. You can use your fingers, or do as I do, and use a chopstick to pick the feta up and stuff the olives.
- Add stuffed olives to the olive oil mixture and toss to coat.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours and up to 3 days.
- Bring olives to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 4olivesCalories: 132kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 1gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 312mgPotassium: 30mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 145IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 39mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Everyday Apple Tart (Gluten-Free)
Whether you’re looking for a simple, impressive dessert for Thanksgiving or an after-work treat, this is the apple tart for the non-bakers in the bunch. Actually, it’s the apple tart for everyone, because whether you are a skilled pie baker or not, we all appreciate…
Make-Ahead Gravy (Gluten Free)
The day I found out I could make my Thanksgiving gravy ahead of time was the day my whole holiday life changed. Where had I been?! For many of us, myself included, making gravy the day of Thanksgiving always felt a bit stressful. Will there…
Hasselback Butternut Squash with Maple Sage Butter, Red Chile, + Pumpkin Seeds (Vegan, Gluten Free)
If you’ve been here for a while, you know that I don’t tend to go heavy on the Thanksgiving food posts. This is not because I don’t love Thanksgiving, I do.
It is because, of all the holidays, I find Thanksgiving to be the one where most of us like to stick to tradition. Therefore, I post recipes like this Hasselback Butternut Squash with Maple Sage Butter, Red Chile, and Pumpkin Seeds where I show you how to think of classic foods in a new way.
Most of us are familiar with butternut squash, particularly in soup or mashed into a puree. Here are some reasons why I love this take on butternut squash for Thanksgiving, or any fall dinner.
- It’s quite beautiful. The hasselback cuts make for a lovely presentation that looks more impressive than it is complicated to make.
- It is so flavorful, and I find many butternut squash sides to be a bit bland. The maple syrup, butter, sage, and chile add a lot of depth and a bit of crunch to the humble squash.
- It’s easy! The most intimidating part for some is making the cuts, but I have a tip to use chopsticks or spoons on the outsides of the squash when cutting to keep your knife from going all the way through. I promise, it’s easy once you get the hang of it!
what else can i use?
- This method can also be used for acorn squash, just lower the cooking time a bit.
- The chiles don’t add a ton of spice, just a subtle hint, but feel free to leave them out.
- Feel free to swap in honey or brown sugar for the maple syrup in the butter.
- No fresh sage? You can use 1/2 teaspoon of dried sage, or fresh rosemary or thyme
If you want more inspiration for delicious Thanksgiving sides, make sure to check out these recipes here as well!
If you make this Hasselback Butternut Squash, and I hope you do, please leave me a comment here or post to Instagram and tag me. I love to hear your feedback and share your creations!
Hasselback Butternut Squash with Maple Sage Butter, Red Chile, + Pumpkin Seeds
An updated take on a classic Thanksgiving side, this Hasselback Butternut Squash is easy to prepare and a beautiful addition to your holiday table.
Equipment
- roasting pan
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp fresh sage, chopped
- 2 red chiles, seeds removed and sliced thin
- 1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
- 1 Tbsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp Fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 Degrees F.
- Halve the squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a large spoon.
- Using a peeler, remove the skin and rub with 2 Tbsp of the olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Place in a baking dish, cut side down, and roast for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the butter by combining butter, maple syrup, sage, vinegar, and one red chile in a small saucepan.
- Simmer for 5 minutes until it thickens a bit, and remove from heat.
- When squash is out of the oven, lay the halves on a cutting board, cut side down, and make inch wide cuts all the way down the squash, cutting almost all the way through but not completely. You can lay chopsticks on the outside of each squash half to help stop the knife from cutting to the board.
- Return squash to the baking dish and brush with the reserved maple butter, making sure to get it in the slices.
- Roast for 30 minutes.
- Remove squash, brush with maple butter in the roasting pan, and nestle the chiles under the squash if they are starting to get too dark.
- Roast for another 15-20 minutes under tender throughout.
- When cool enough to handle, transfer to a serving plate, brush any remaining maple butter on the squash and top with remaining red chile and pumpkin seeds.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 286kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 3gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 20mgPotassium: 498mgFiber: 3gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 13638IUVitamin C: 26mgCalcium: 73mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Sweet Potato Agrodolce
Sweet potatoes have my heart. I love them prepared so many ways, and this is one of, if not my absolute favorite. The tender, creamy flesh of the sweet potato make it ideal for roasting and lends a mellow sweetness on its own, but pair it…
Fall Roasted Vegetable Salad
Thanksgiving may look a little different this year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still get excited about (arguably) the most important part… the food! I’ve teamed up with four other talented bloggers to put together a selection of five easy, tried and true Thanksgiving…
