Cranberry

For OBVIOUS reasons, Thanksgiving is hands-down my favorite holiday. It is during the heart of my favorite season (autumn), close to my birthday (November 30), and includes my three favorite things in this world - family, football and food! Of course everyone has their traditional spread of Thanksgiving regulars, but one vegetarian side that cannot be skipped is cranberry sauce.

Cranberries are an incredible power-packed berry that we sadly only see during the holiday season. Cranberries provide anti-oxidants that help reduce the aging process and fight bad bacteria. It is a versatile berry that can be used in sauces, gravy and, of course, desserts. Here are some perfect ideas for the Thanksgiving week for the use of cranberry and leftover sauces.

Whole Cranberry Sauce

I will admit that I loved canned cranberry sauce. I know it is a foodie sin to indulge in something so canned and processed, but Thanksgiving is only once and year. However, in 2005 my roommate and I were having a Thanksgiving 2 for our friends in Raleigh and I tried my hand at Martha's homemade cranberry sauce - I will never go back.

This is a savory sauce without a lot of sugar or tart. In fact, homemade cranberry sauce contains 40% less sugar than canned. I generally use fresh berries, but since fresh is such a rarity outside November and December, I recommend freezing them or buying frozen if you attempt to work this into your menu during the year.

1 large shallot

1 tbsp olive oil

fresh ginger root

12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

coarse salt and pepper

Mince shallot and saute in olive oil over medium heat. Add cranberries, sugar, vinegar and 1 cup filtered water. I shave frozen ginger root, about 1 tbsp, into the sauce. Or peel fresh ginger root and grate 1 tbsp for the sauce. It is more typical to have fresh ginger in the house around the holidays, but otherwise I will freeze the root to make it useful for more meals. Simmer sauce until thickened, mashing berries all the while - sauce should be done in 10-15 minutes. Season with coarse salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cranberry leftovers

I'll be honest, it is difficult to find uses for leftover cranberry sauce without using turkey as well. But here are some ideas.

Cranberry pancakes:

thin leftover cranberry sauce with red currant jelly, or other tart jelly, until you get a smooth sauce that can be used over pancakes. You can also stir in whole cranberry sauce into pancake batter for an after-Thanksgiving festive creation.

Cranberry Spread:

Use cranberry sauce as a spread on sandwiches. Because this recipe is more savory and less sweet, it can be used with a variety of sandwiches.

Mulled Cranberry Cider:

In a large pot, boil 1 quart apple juice or cranberry juice, 1/2 cup cranberry sauce, cinnamon stick plus 1/4 tsp each ground cinnamon and ground cloves. Heat on simmer until mixture is warm and cranberry sauce is diluted. Filter mixture through a mesh strainer and serve warm.

Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

Hot and Sour Soup

I am really branching out now: I made tasty tofu! My primary frustration came from the draining process - place tofu between two plates and sit a heavy frying pan (cast iron skillet) on top until tofu is drained. But I found that if you press the tofu while you prep your vegetables, it doesn't take as long as I imagined. Always purchase extra firm tofu.

Another vegetarian foodie of mine offered a suggestion for how to cook tofu. She marinates the tofu in soy sauce and grills it. You can visually see when the tofu starts to firm and when to flip it. Unfortunately my husband was MIA the evening I made tofu - big surprise - so I cooked it on a traditional skillet. I sliced the tofu horizontally into quarters, and then into cubes. I found a great product at the grocery store - universal marinade in a spray bottle. The primary ingredient is soy sauce and it seems to pair well with everything. It provides a savory seasoning to tofu as well.

And slowly but surely, I am learning less is more. I have tried to up this soup with broccolini and sweet peppers, but it is such a distracting taste and texture to the hot and sour. I have seen some varieties that add bamboo shoots and Chinese egg noodles that I am willing to try, but you cannot go wrong with this simple recipe.

Hot and Sour Soup

4 cups vegetable broth, preferably Organic Hearty

2-4 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

2 tbsp grated fresh ginger

8oz., at least, fresh shiitake mushrooms

1 bunch green onions

4 tbsp rice vinegar, separated

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 large egg beaten, plus egg whites

3.5oz. (half a package) extra firm tofu

I am very lucky that my father grows shiitake mushrooms as big as your face, and he is generous about giving them away. Hot and sour soup is not worth the effort without a large bunch of shittake mushrooms, although they are not cheap to come by. Make sure mushrooms are cleaned thoroughly (I highly recommend a mushroom brush), as I learned the hard way.

Slice whites of the greens onions and saute in olive oil over medium heat in a stew pot - keep some thin chives from green onions. Season onions with crushed red pepper and grated ginger. De glaze the pan with vegetable broth. As you can tell, I have been carefree about using chicken broth in my vegetarian recipes, but since I have found Organic Hearty vegetable broth (sold at Trader Joes and other grocers), I do not substitute broths as often. Organic Hearty is very hearty and rich with vegetable flavor. It resembles the color of carrot juice, but it tastes much more savory.

Add sliced mushrooms and cover pot. The mushrooms will cook down so use as many mushrooms as you like. Since there is not much to this soup, I used A LOT of mushrooms. They absorb the flavors so well in the soup and have a meaty texture. Simmer soup until mushrooms are soft and tender.

While soup simmers, cook tofu. I sauted two slabs of tofu until brown on both sides. Spray or season generously. Once brown, cut tofu into cubes; roughly 1/4 inch cubes. I cooked the entire block of tofu but only used half. Depending on how much you like tofu, use as much as you prefer. And help me think of something else to do with my tofu.

Stir together cornstarch in 3 tbsp vinegar. Mix into soup and stir. Once soup thickens (10 minutes), add tofu. Add beaten egg to soup and stir until egg ribbons form. I love the egg ribbons so I add some more egg whites from the carton - two eggs is just above too much for me.

Stir in soy sauce and vinegar just before serving. I used lots of soy sauce - I think I underestimated how salty the broth is so I didn't add salt. Soy sauce adds the flavor with sodium, so additional salt is unnecessary. The vinegar provides the "sour" in the soup. Although I am not a huge vinegar fan, I added a quarter cup to intensify the sour.

Serve with chives and cilantro, if desired.

Fancy Endive Salad

If you are anywhere near Valle Crucis, NC and want to spoil yourself to a night of divine, gourmet food and a relaxing atmosphere, you must visit The Inn at Little Pond. Gay and Frank host a beautiful bed and breakfast as well as sponsor cooking classes for their guests and send you away with your own glorious recipes to make the same dinner at home.

The last time I went there, I learned I liked endive. Endive looks like a tasteless heart of iceburg lettuce, but in fact it is quite nutritious and tender. On the ultimate vegetable list, it scores a 307, above green leaf lettuce. The most appealing part of the salad was the vinegar and walnut oil salad dressing.

I like using the word "fancy" because it makes me feel like I can show up overpriced restaurants and still make a presentation worthy of my husband and important guests. This salad is a great, light appetizer for a fancy meal or even as a large side dish to a simple main course. This is also a great recipe to getting rid of the last of your lettuce, specialty cheese or apple sitting in your fruit basket.

Fancy Endive Salad

Salad:

1/4 cup hazelnuts, raw and unsalted

2 heads endive, chopped

1 apple, cored and sliced

2 oz. gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Dressing:

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp dijon mustard

coarse salt and pepper

7 tbsp walnut oil

Roast hazelnuts at 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes. As soon as you smell them, take them out of the oven. Again, Trader Joes has the best selection of raw, unroasted nuts in bulk amounts at a discounted rate compared to other grocery stores. Once cool, chop nuts with a large knife.

Fill a bowl with water. Add sea salt. Sink chopped endive into bowl and let leaves rise to the top. This lets the dirt sink to the bottom. Pull leaves out of water, don't squeeze, and completely dry.

Whisk together salad dressing ingredients.

Combine endive and chopped apple. Slowly stir in dressing until produce is modestly coated. Serve salad topped with hazelnuts and cheese. You can use alternatives such as pear, romaine lettuce, baby spinach, blue cheese, walnuts, etc.

Pasta Ghosts with Pumpkin Sauce

The perfect Halloween meal.

Martha Stewart is great about creating festive meals for Halloween and other holidays, but I have yet to see this unmistakable ghost-shaped pasta featured in any spooky dishes. I found a wonderful pumpkin pasta sauce last year after I discovered how healthy and nutritious pumpkin is for us, especially canned pumpkin . . . regardless of how much my husband insists we can simply eat pumpkin pie to fulfill our vitamin needs. Canned pumpkin is just short of the nutrients of raw spinach and beats out raved vegetables such as broccoli, carrots and mustard greens.

Canned pumpkin is without a doubt the easiest way to get your pumpkin pure. You can get pumpkin at it's peak ripeness

and even organic pumpkin pure is reasonably priced. Be sure to check the ingredients carefully - do not get pumpkin pie filling, which includes spices. The ingredients should only include pumpkin and perhaps salt or other preservative.

Recently, I was craving pumpkin before the season was ready. Having mid-90 degree temperatures on the first day of fall will do that to you. So I had to buy a sugar pumpkin and make my own. If you also find yourself in this predicament, here is how to pure a whole pumpkin: stab pumpkin and microwave for five minutes or until soft. The pumpkin will "whistle" because it is letting our moisture but don't be alarmed. Once cool, cut pumpkin in half, scoop out seeds, rub with olive oil a

nd sprinkle with salt (be sparing). Place face down on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes, turning half way through. Time will vary depending on size and weight of pumpkin. Scrape pumpkin squash out and mash using a potato masher or food processor. This also works well with all fall squashes to make pure for soups or pasta bakes.

Pasta Ghosts with Pumpkin Sauce

12 ounces perline pasta, cheese or mushroom flavored

1/2 bag baby spinach, stemmed (optional)

1 quart baby bellow mushrooms (optional)

Coarse salt

1 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, ground

1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin puree OR one sugar pumpkin

5 garlic clove, chopped

1/2 cup half-and-half OR soy milk

1/3 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more for garnish

I normally take a recipe and add tons of fresh and nutritious vegetables to get a heartier meal. but what I've found with pumpkin is that it doesn't go with everything, so less is more in this case. Some options are to add spinach and mushrooms, but allow for the pumpkin to be the masking taste of the meal. Using stuffed pasta also adds depth but simple cheese flavors do not compete with the fall aroma of pumpkin.

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 2 cups pasta water; drain pasta, cover and set aside.

In pasta pot, heat oil over medium. A

dd garlic and mushrooms, if using, and stir until brown and soft. Add pumpkin puree, half-and-half (or soy milk), Parmesan, vinegar, red-pepper flakes, and 1 cup reserved pasta water to pot. Season with rosemary, salt and pepper. Stir sauce until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. If using, stir in spinach until wilted. Assuming you don't have to make your own pumpkin pure, this is a fairly fast meal.

Add pasta to sauce, and toss to coat. If sauce is too thick, add some reserved pasta water. I also added a little more soy milk

since I had not saved enough pasta water. Season with salt or garlic salt. Serve pasta sprinkled with grated Parmesan and red-pepper flakes. Enjoy your ghostly treat and have a happy and safe Halloween.

Sweet Potatoes

Guess what Atkins, sweet potatoes are good for us! Sweet potatoes, with skin, score a 485 on the healthiest vegetable list, scoring higher than broccoli and carrots. And the diet-preferred white cousin scores only a 53, just above parsnips and corn. Our problem is that most sweet potatoes are served with fattening and carb-loaded butter and brown sugar. But "sweet" potatoes don't actually have to be served sweet. Like it's orange-color lookalike - pumpkin - sweet potato can be use in a variety of recipes.

Here are a few sweet potato recipes for the fall season that give you the stellar nutrients of the root vegetable without creating a dessert for a main course.

Sweet Potato Quesadillas

My NCSU vegetarian foodie has a great vegetarian blog as well and her latest post are these delightful sweet potato quesadillas. I am not going to reprint the recipe since you should venture to her site anyway. I will say these were a delicious surprise to me. My husband loves sweet potatoes and encouraged me to try this recipe even though I was somewhat skeptical.

I added some CSA sweet peppers and used yellow onion, which seemed to pair nicely with the potato. I didn't push the spices too much since sweet potato was a very different take on Mexican. I used whole wheat tortillas, which held up well, and a low-fat Mexican cheese blend. I added a bit of water and covered the pan to steam the potato.

It is best served with guacamole and salsa. I haven't tried it with sour cream or Greek yogurt, but I imagine it is just as tasty. And they are very filling! We each had one and a half quesadillas and it was more than enough to satisfy us.

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Fall Lasagna

I know, how many lasagna recipes do I have already??? This is a Cooking Light recipe that I made using leftover sweet potatoes and butternut squash. This is also convenient for all the fall squash and potatoes I am getting with my CSA. This dish is slightly sweet but still savory and very tasty.

2 lb. butternut squash

1 lb. sweet potatoes

1 onion, chopped

3.5 cups 1% milk (do not substitute soy milk)

pinch nutmeg

pinch cinnamon

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup flour

salt and pepper

1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

no-boil lasagna noodles

1 cup low-fat mozzarella, shredded

Conveniently, there is precut butternut squash and sweet potato sold at Trader Joes, but this recipe is good because it only requires what you would have leftover from another fall menu. I prefer to shred the sweet potato using a food processor - you can keep the skins on as long as they are well washed. I also bake my butternut squash (400 degrees for 45 minutes) and scoop out the pure. This avoids peeling and chopping hard squash and potatoes.

Let no-boil noodles sit in warm water while you prepare lasagna. Sauté onion in olive oil until caramelized. Gradually add shredded sweet potato and cover pan. Repeat until all sweet potato is sautéed and caramelized. Add sweet potato to butternut pure.

Add one tbsp olive oil to a medium pot. Heat to medium and add flour. Whisk flour with oil and gradually add milk. Milk mixture should thicken as you whisk. Add nutmeg, cinnamon and bay leaf to milk. Continue to heat for 10-15 minutes, whisking occasionally; mixture should simmer but never boil. Season with coarse salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Remove bay leaf and stir in parm cheese.

I have a new appreciation for freshly-grated Parmesan. A block of parm is cheaper and lasts longer than pre-grated parm. The cheese is also more savory and melts faster.

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Spoon 1/2 cup cheese sauce into the bottom of a lasagna pan. Layer no-boil noodles. Top with half squash/potato mixture, 1/3 cup mozzarella, and 1 cup cheese sauce and noodles. Repeat. Top noodles with remaining mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 20 minutes.

Side Salads

Alright, fess up, how many vegetables do you actually eat a day? You are supposed to get from 6-9 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. A serving is roughly the size of your fist. I will absolutely admit it. As much as I feel I try to add multiple vegetables to every meal, even breakfast, I still need vitamins to supplement my lack.

One easy solution is side salads and appetizers to help fill you up before you overeat a rich meal. I love salads, LOVE them, and they are primarily made up of mostly fruits and vegetables. The problem? Everyone else's salad tastes better. I love to eat salads when I go out to eat, but making them at home is not the same. Maybe it's the dressing?

Here are a few side salad recipes I have found to be quite rewarding and easy to make. I mostly enjoy salads with baby spinach and romaine, but I have recently found that I like endive and a wide variety of romaine lettuces. Use what you like. Iceberg lettuce is useful for some recipes, but it does not score very high in nutrition for a vegetable. Stick to greens that are, well, green!

Tomato and "Mozzarella" salad

fresh basil leaves, Julianne cut

2 large heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced

sliced cheese e.g. white American, provolone or other low-fat white cheese

hearts of romaine, finely chopped (optional)

balsamic vinaigrette, low-fat (not fat free)

Half the cheese slices into triangles. I have also seen a version using goat cheese slices but my favorite is white American. Trader Joes actually sells mozzarella slices made with goat's milk. It's actually delicious. Do not use fresh mozzarella if you want to avoid expensive and fatty cheeses.

Heirloom tomatoes make this dish because of their beautiful color and few seeds. Layer tomato slices and cheese triangles, alternately, over a bed of finely chopped hearts of romaine. I normally just serve the tomato and cheese slices, but I tried a version over lettuce, and it was very satisfying. Top layers with basil and vinaigrette. Fat free dressings are made with water and very dissatisfying. Low fat varieties still offers some heart-healthy olive oil and filling fats while still cutting calories.

Mediterranean salad

romaine lettuce, chopped

cherry tomatoes, halved

1 pita picket, torn into tiny pieces

feta cheese crumbles, flavored or plain

chickapeas (optional)

Mediterranean dressing e.g. balsamic vinaigrette or black olive with feta

On a medium cooking sheet, layer pieces of pita. Spray with oil and bake on 400 for 5 minutes or until crisp. These light "crutons" give this side salad a little crunch. I like to use the mini pita pockets sold at TJs because the pita is thinner. The black olive with feta dressing is offered by Kraft, and it is one of my absolute favorites. Be sparing, but a little goes a long way on taste.

Baked goat cheese salad

12 oz. goat cheese e.g. plain, lemon citrus, or herbed

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup bread crumbs or Panko

dried fruit e.g. cranberries, currants or raisins

spring greens or baby spinach (stemmed)

sliced almonds

sweet vinaigrette e.g. pomegranate, poppyseed, raspberry (full fat)

The first time I tried this recipe I accidentally bought a citrus-flavored goat cheese log, but it is by far my favorite version. I would not use a peppercorn variety on this dish though. Make sure cheese is cold and cut log into half-inch rounds. Drench rounds in egg and bread crumbs and layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spray rounds with oil and bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes or until cheese starts to brown.

Layer greens with dried fruit (I prefer cran-raisins) and almonds. Top each salad with two or three cheese rounds and serve with a side of dressing. I do not recommend low-fat sweet dressings because of the artificial sugars and colors. Buy organic to avoid artificial ingredients. Or dress your salad with simple olive oil and vinegar.

Savory Manicotti

Since my last low-fat Italian disaster with the vegetarian lasagna, I was skeptical about posting another pasta dish. However, this recipe is fool-proof for tasting good.

This recipe came from a combination of Martha Stewart and William Sonoma, although I cannot find where I got either recipe. I swapped a few hearty ingredients and added roasted pine nuts to give this lighter dish a savory flavor that stands up to any meaty competition.

The only disappointing part of this meal is that its not very plentiful. This recipe makes enough servings for maybe three people and more likely two hungry people. So I do not recommend this recipe for serving company.

Savory Manicotti

1 package manicotti, cooked and cooled (in luke warm water)

1 (15 oz) container of ricotta cheese - as always, I recommend TJs but Sorrento's low-fat is a close second choice

1 egg, beaten

dried thyme

dried oregano

1/2 cup shredded parmesan

minced garlic

1 pint baby bello mushrooms

3 cups favorite tomato sauce

9 oz. baby spinach

3 tbsp. pine nuts

I've never found whole wheat manicotti pasta, but after my lasagna disaster I am going with the safe white flour pasta. Be sure to handle with care when transporting from the grocery store to home - manicotti pasta breaks easily and it's unusable after that. Also be sure to not over boil. Over boiling pasta will cause it to crack and tear and make stuffing manicotti much more difficult than it already is. Let noodles cool in luke-warm water until filling is prepared.

Sauté minced garlic (about a tablespoon or less) in olive oil. Once garlic browns, add mushrooms until softened. Stir in pine nuts. Once nuts have browned slightly and they have a strong aroma, add spinach and stir until spinach wilts. Remove vegetables from heat.

Preheat oven for 375 degrees. In a large bowl, mix ricotta cheese, egg, oregano and thyme. You can substitute Italian seasoning. Stir in 1 tsp salt and pepper. Once vegetables have cooled slightly, stir vegetables into cheese mix. If the cheese is not cool enough, the mixture will melt the plastic bag. Using a rubber spatula, spoon mixture into a one gallon ziplock bag. Cut a small triangle from the bottom of one corner to use as a filler for the manicotti.

Spoon about one cup of pasta sauce into the base of a large baking dish. Cupping the manicotti to ensure the bottom is covered, squeeze the cheese mixture into the open end of the manicotti pasta. Do not overfill or the manicotti will break, or worse, leak cheese all over the place. Layer the manicotti together in the baking dish. Top prepared manicotti with remaining pasta sauce and parm cheese.

Bake manicotti for 20 to 30 minutes or until bubbly. This recipe uses about 1/3 the amount of cheese normally called for in manicotti. I've also adjusted the recipe to bring more vegetables and hearty fillings. I high recommend a side salad since this is such a light meal. The pine nuts make the true difference in taste. If you are short on pine nuts, roast walnut pieces.