FoodView: Thanksgiving WISHES

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Thanksgiving is upon us, and it feels as though time is both speeding up and slowing down as the day approaches. It’s like every great holiday (or birthday), when childish excitement drags moments to a crawl but also blurs them to nothing. As you all have guessed by now, I am super amped. Like, inexplicably ready to get my thankful feast on, nap, roll over and do it again. I have been preparing for the moment too, alternating between stuffing my face randomly to stretch my belly, and forcing a few more agonizing minutes at the gym (counter productive, I know).

Also, I have been studying all my favorite food outlets, drooling over pictures, taking in trends, and tasting recipes in my dreams. This too has been counter productive, because my family’s Thanksgiving menu is immutable, resistant and impervious to change. Not because we don’t want to try something new, but there is the fear that it would ruin the perfection that we have maintained for many years. On top of it all, what could we possibly cut out to allow table space for a new imposter? That might be the most difficult decision, like ever. So we refuse to make it.

But what about theeeese options....

 

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You know, just cruising through some of the usual blogs and such, upholding my perpetual hunger, and on Refinery29, a fashion, beauty, lifestyle, everything site, I run into two delicious and time friendly recipes from Food52. One is Suspiciously Delicious Cabbage, including caramelized cabbage, ginger and cream, the other Caramelized Butternut Squash Wedges With a Sage Hazelnut Pesto, with a hazelnut ricotta salata pesto that I can’t really eat but sure want to. These two decadent veggie friendly sides would add nice sweet savory elements to our Thanksgiving fest.

 

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And how about The Tart Tart’s Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Juniper Berries, a mix of good for you things (both Brussels and bacon) and a classic with a twist. Excuse me, but what is not to love about salty bacon with bitter Brussels and a little bit of heat?

 

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We have always stuck to sweet sweet potato casseroles drowned with rum and topped with browned marshmallows for our Thanksgiving, but something deep down inside makes me darkly curious about these Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Coconut and Ginger from Food & Wine. Maybe it is the tropical unsweetened coconut or the spicy ginger, or just another, more savory take on smooth pureed sweet potatoes.

 

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I have never really known any kind of stuffing other than the tried and true spicy corn bread stuffing that emeninates butter and good times (or Stove Top in desperation), so this Prune and Sausage Stuffing from Martha Stewart Living (But I found on The Bitten Word) is quite alluring. White country bread, fatty sausage, sweet prunes and earthy kale, just yum.

 

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And then there is dessert, the category which sees the most shift in my family, from the pumpkin pudding experiments of childhood, to the Minimalist’s Sweet Potato Pie with a coconut graham cracker crust, to faithful standbys like moist pound cake and the super sweet classic pecan pie.

Might I suggest either these Maple Syrup Dumplings or (and) Carrot Rice Pudding from Saveur? I mean, really, maple syrup dumplings—buttery, doughy bits swimming in a sweet and distinct maple syrup sauce, puhlease. I already can predict that the carrot rice pudding will not make an appearance at our Thanksgiving sweets buffet because certain members of my family have a strong aversion to reason raisins, but I am totally down for spicy sweet.

I am dying to try Joy The Baker’s Salted Caramel Cheesecake Pie!!! I repeat, dying! This is the combination daydreams are made of. Enough said.

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You know what I propose? Two Thanksgivings (yeah, I said it, but you all were thinking it)—one with all of our family’s traditional and typical dishes, and another that includes all the delectable treats I have been secretly longing for. What’s on your Thanksgiving menu? Is it oldies but goodies or a merry-go-round of newbies?

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11.22.13

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MangiaMore: Sweet Potato Squash SOUP

RER 1.23.13

It's a few weeks into the new year and everyone is still fighting to maintain those resolutions. You know the drill-- new year, new you. Like for many people around the globe January 1st means war. For some it is a project about getting fit and losing weight, while for others it's about chasing dreams and love and passion, and for some of us it is all of the above. For me, resolutions always tend to be losing battles; I start strong, and them bam, I fall off, and never pick it up again.

And winter weather and plummeting temperatures do not help. The cold does not make me want to take my behind to the gym leaving the comfort of the warm indoors or even eat light and healthy food. My body craves warmth, comfort and satisfaction, not deprivation.

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But who says you have to sacrifice to keep up with your healthy resolutions? Refinery29 (fashion, health, and beauty), revealed some great options for getting the things I long for in the winter months, while keeping balance and working on my health. In a article called "Soup Secret: 3 Recipes for a Healthy Cleanse," they list three soup recipes that can help you maintain your healthy new year resolution, while being satiated and sacrificing nothing. Each of these soups have a low calorie count, but large amounts of nutrients and super foods.

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I recently tried the Sweet Potato Squash soup. Not only was it easy to make, it turned out pretty delicious and hearty. The recipe is moderately low maintenance, considering so many other recipes out there, just some chopping, stirring, waiting and in the end, smashing (my favorite). What first caught my eye about this recipe was the sweet potatoes. I have never really though about sweet potatoes as healthy super foods, because of their innate sweet and delicious nature, so I thought, there was no way that this soup would feel healthy (like bunny food) to me. I was also struck by the combination of ingredients; butternut squash, onion, green apple, sweet potatoes, and a touch of olive oil. Nothing felt sacrificial about these ingredients, or that I was giving up any kind of comfort (just my kind of "healthy" recipe). And in some ways it made me feel skeptical. How could all these goodies create something labeled as a "detox soup," but whatever makes it one, I like it.

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But in the end, after it was all said and done; the skinning, the chopping, the cubing, the dicing, the pouring, the stirring, the waiting and the smashing (I know, sounds excessive), we ended up with a delicious soup. The soup was hearty and erred toward a puree. It was thick with pieces of the squash and sweet potato, and lined with remnants of granny smith apple. The sauteeing the onion and the apple in olive oil gave the soup a buttery feeling, and a sense of luxuriousness, without the less healthy elements of real butter. The butternut squash was not really perceptible in flavor, but the difference between it and the sweet potato in texture, was present and added interest.

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The recipe, however, called for no seasoning whatsoever. That, I found very odd 1. because I am all about seasoning, spices, flavors, add-ons, what have you... and 2. Just a few days later Refinery29 had another article "How To Eat Super- Healthy In The Dead Of Winter" which praises the additions of herbs and spices. So, we added some hot spices, mainly chili powder and hefty amounts of pepper, to our sweet potato squash soup. This gave our soup some kick, and added even more benefits (the benefit of extra deliciousness!). Also, when serving, we added a tiny bit of sour cream to offset the sweetness of the ingredients and add some tang. The creaminess added decadence, but also decreased its "healthy" perspective.

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This is a great soup to make to detox, or even when you are in a winter rut. It is super filling, nutrient and fiber rich, but also delicious and colorful for the colder months. It brings comfort and warmth while making your belly happy.

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1.24.13

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