Thanksgiving Recipe Successes
Made these dishes over the Thanksgiving holiday, and they were both quite the yum! This first one jazzed up green beans to make them seem more holiday-worthy. I'll be making this again.
Green Beans with Caramelized Onions and Toasted Almonds
3 lbs green beans, ends trimmed
2 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 very large onions, halved and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 cup sliced almonds, lightly dry toasted in a pan
Boil green beans in lightly salted water for 6-8 minutes or until tender-crunchy. Drain and rinse under cold water to halt the cooking process. Set aside to drain.
Heat butter and olive oil in a large pot or deep skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and a pinch of salt and pepper and let cook very slowly until onions begin to color. Add garlic and continue to cook until onions are a deep golden brown and meltingly soft; this should take a total of 30-35 minutes. Be sure to stir once in a while, and adjust heat to prevent onions from burning.
Once onions are caramelized, add thyme and let cook another 5 minutes. Stir in green beans and toasted almonds, tossing to coat with onion mixture, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
This second recipe is for Pumpkin Pie - a vegan version which I think is tons better than the regular pumpkin custard pie that was served at our T-Day feast. I'd never know it was vegan if served this on the sly. This may be my new go-to pumpkin pie receipe!
(Vegan) Pumpkin Pie
1 (9") pie crust, chilled (I use Oronoque Orchards frozen crusts - easy, vegan, and not bad for commercially prepared)
16oz package extra-firm lite silken tofu, drained
15oz pumpkin puree
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup + 1 Tbsp.
1 tsp. vanilla extract + 1/8 tsp.
1/2 tsp. salt
1 (generous) tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 (scant) ground cloves
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Puree tofu in food processor until smooth. Add pumpkin, sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, salt and spices and puree until smooth, scraping down the bowl a few times.
Mix 1 Tbsp. maple syrup with 1/8 tsp. vanilla extract, and drizzle over bottom of pie shell. Pour pumpkin mixture into shell, smoothing the top with a spatula. Place pie on top of a baking sheet and place in oven. Bake for 40 minutes, then cover the edges of the pie crust with strips of aluminum foil to prevent overbrowning. Return to oven and continue to bake until pie is just set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean - about 10 minutes more. Let pie cool to room temperature, wrap well with plastic wrap, and chill overnight.
Pie tastes best if allowed to mellow at least overnight - and it tastes even better on the second day! Definitely a make-in-advancer.
Green Beans with Caramelized Onions and Toasted Almonds
3 lbs green beans, ends trimmed
2 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 very large onions, halved and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 cup sliced almonds, lightly dry toasted in a pan
Boil green beans in lightly salted water for 6-8 minutes or until tender-crunchy. Drain and rinse under cold water to halt the cooking process. Set aside to drain.
Heat butter and olive oil in a large pot or deep skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and a pinch of salt and pepper and let cook very slowly until onions begin to color. Add garlic and continue to cook until onions are a deep golden brown and meltingly soft; this should take a total of 30-35 minutes. Be sure to stir once in a while, and adjust heat to prevent onions from burning.
Once onions are caramelized, add thyme and let cook another 5 minutes. Stir in green beans and toasted almonds, tossing to coat with onion mixture, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
This second recipe is for Pumpkin Pie - a vegan version which I think is tons better than the regular pumpkin custard pie that was served at our T-Day feast. I'd never know it was vegan if served this on the sly. This may be my new go-to pumpkin pie receipe!
(Vegan) Pumpkin Pie
1 (9") pie crust, chilled (I use Oronoque Orchards frozen crusts - easy, vegan, and not bad for commercially prepared)
16oz package extra-firm lite silken tofu, drained
15oz pumpkin puree
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup + 1 Tbsp.
1 tsp. vanilla extract + 1/8 tsp.
1/2 tsp. salt
1 (generous) tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 (scant) ground cloves
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Puree tofu in food processor until smooth. Add pumpkin, sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, salt and spices and puree until smooth, scraping down the bowl a few times.
Mix 1 Tbsp. maple syrup with 1/8 tsp. vanilla extract, and drizzle over bottom of pie shell. Pour pumpkin mixture into shell, smoothing the top with a spatula. Place pie on top of a baking sheet and place in oven. Bake for 40 minutes, then cover the edges of the pie crust with strips of aluminum foil to prevent overbrowning. Return to oven and continue to bake until pie is just set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean - about 10 minutes more. Let pie cool to room temperature, wrap well with plastic wrap, and chill overnight.
Pie tastes best if allowed to mellow at least overnight - and it tastes even better on the second day! Definitely a make-in-advancer.