Layer a bagel with cream cheese, cranberry sauce, and turkey. Eat over a plate to minimize the mess. Or, if you don't like that idea, use stuffing instead of cream cheese and make it into a sandwich.
Cranberry sauce also goes well on pancakes or waffles, with a little whipped cream to make it extra special, or eat it by itself for breakfast.
Shred turkey over a salad of spinach (or regular greens), bell peppers, carrots, cucumber, celery, green onions, tomatoes, and jack or cheddar cheese. In fact, if you had a veggie plate, this is the place for the leftovers.
Bake some biscuits to go with the turkey; layer the meat with gravy over them or over mashed potatoes.
You're welcome.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Ambrosia Salad
This is obviously a kid-oriented recipe, and one that the kids will heap onto their plate at Thanksgiving (in lieu of the more traditional turkey and stuffing.) It's surprisingly healthy.
You will need:
A big bowl
Fresh fruit (use any or all of the following)
-bananas
-apples
-seedless grapes
-raspberries
Canned fruit (use any or all of the following)
-blueberries
-mandarin oranges
-peaches
Shredded coconut (optional)
Cool Whip (or hand whipped cream if you're feeling ambitious)
Drain off the canned fruit into a pitcher; add water as needed to make a fruit juice blend. Chop any of the fruit that requires it into small pieces. Mix the fruit and the coconut in the bowl; refrigerate until needed. Add Cool Whip just before serving.
You will need:
A big bowl
Fresh fruit (use any or all of the following)
-bananas
-apples
-seedless grapes
-raspberries
Canned fruit (use any or all of the following)
-blueberries
-mandarin oranges
-peaches
Shredded coconut (optional)
Cool Whip (or hand whipped cream if you're feeling ambitious)
Drain off the canned fruit into a pitcher; add water as needed to make a fruit juice blend. Chop any of the fruit that requires it into small pieces. Mix the fruit and the coconut in the bowl; refrigerate until needed. Add Cool Whip just before serving.
Monday, September 12, 2005
Thanksgiving Appetizers
When you are planning your Thanksgiving meal, be sure to provide some appetizers. To start with, most families will skip breakfast (and lunch) in preparation for the big meal. This leaves plenty of room but is not the best idea in a family of hypoglycemics - mine, for example. Appetizers serve a twofold purpose:
1. They keep people's hands occupied and their blood sugar from crashing.
2. They keep the kids occupied and THEIR blood sugar from crashing.
Thanksgiving appetizers are in a different category from most formal dinners; the idea is to keep people from getting full. Therefore it is a good idea to avoid the cheese and crackers; they are very filling. Likewise, spinach dip is not a good idea as the bread used to dip also swells and fills the stomach. The best appetizers entertain the small fry and provide a task for older children.
A veggie platter is not a bad idea, though many vegetables are no longer in season, so this can be expensive. However, there's the typical Thanksgiving platter, which consists of:
Black olives (perfect for sticking on the ends of little fingers)
Green olives (which are almost exclusively eaten by adults)
Sweet mini pickles (dill are acceptible)
Mini corn (this really fascinates yard apes)
Sugar snap peas in the pod
Baby carrots
Bell peppers (if they're not too expensive)
Broccoli heads
Cauliflower heads
Celery
Ranch dip
When you have a child who is old enough to help and willing to do so, the following recipes are suitable.
Olive Cream Cheese Balls
You will need:
Green olives with pimentos
Softened cream cheese (you can hand whip regular cream cheese with a little milk)
Finely ground nuts
A bowl of water and a towel for washing hands frequently
Roll the olives in the cream cheese and then coat with the nuts. Wash and dry hands every few olives to keep fingers from getting sticky.
Celery Sticks
You will need:
Celery cut into proper lengths (have an adult do this)
Cream cheese
Peanut butter and raisins
Spread cream cheese in the center of half of the celery sticks; spread peanut butter in the other half and sprinkle raisins on top.
Heart Attack Salami and Cream Cheese Treats
You will need:
Sliced salami
Cream cheese
Sliced black olives
Toothpicks
Spread some cream cheese in the center of the salami; put some black olives on top. Roll up the salami and secure with a toothpick.
Bon appetít.
1. They keep people's hands occupied and their blood sugar from crashing.
2. They keep the kids occupied and THEIR blood sugar from crashing.
Thanksgiving appetizers are in a different category from most formal dinners; the idea is to keep people from getting full. Therefore it is a good idea to avoid the cheese and crackers; they are very filling. Likewise, spinach dip is not a good idea as the bread used to dip also swells and fills the stomach. The best appetizers entertain the small fry and provide a task for older children.
A veggie platter is not a bad idea, though many vegetables are no longer in season, so this can be expensive. However, there's the typical Thanksgiving platter, which consists of:
Black olives (perfect for sticking on the ends of little fingers)
Green olives (which are almost exclusively eaten by adults)
Sweet mini pickles (dill are acceptible)
Mini corn (this really fascinates yard apes)
Sugar snap peas in the pod
Baby carrots
Bell peppers (if they're not too expensive)
Broccoli heads
Cauliflower heads
Celery
Ranch dip
When you have a child who is old enough to help and willing to do so, the following recipes are suitable.
Olive Cream Cheese Balls
You will need:
Green olives with pimentos
Softened cream cheese (you can hand whip regular cream cheese with a little milk)
Finely ground nuts
A bowl of water and a towel for washing hands frequently
Roll the olives in the cream cheese and then coat with the nuts. Wash and dry hands every few olives to keep fingers from getting sticky.
Celery Sticks
You will need:
Celery cut into proper lengths (have an adult do this)
Cream cheese
Peanut butter and raisins
Spread cream cheese in the center of half of the celery sticks; spread peanut butter in the other half and sprinkle raisins on top.
You will need:
Sliced salami
Cream cheese
Sliced black olives
Toothpicks
Spread some cream cheese in the center of the salami; put some black olives on top. Roll up the salami and secure with a toothpick.
Bon appetít.
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Indian Cashew Chicken
You will need:
2 medium onions
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/3 cup cashews (2 oz)
1 1/2 tsp garam masala*
1 tsp garlic pulp (like through a garlic press)
1 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp plain yogurt
2 tbsp corn oil (canola oil okay)
1 tbsp fresh cilantro
1 tbsp golden raisins
3 1/4 cups chicken, skinned, boned, and cubed
2 1/2 cups button mushrooms
1 1/4 cups water
Extra cilantro to sprinkle on top
Cut the onions into quarters and run them through a food processor or blender. (If you're a glutton for punishment, dice them by hand.) Add the tomato paste, cashews, garam masala, garlic, chili powder, lemon juice, turmeric, salt and yogurt; blend.
In a saucepan, heat the oil, lower the heat to medium, and put in the blended mix. Fry for about 2 minutes. Add the cilantro, golden raisins, and chicken and cook for another minute. Add the mushrooms and water; stir and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes. Check to see that the chicken is cooked; the sauce should thicken, but if it doesn't, it's still very very tasty. Sprinkle with the extra cilantro and serve with saffron rice or potato cakes. Serves four with sides.
*This is a spice mix available at Indian markets and many large supermarkets, Cost Plus, and Trader Joe's. If yours doesn't have it, you can make your own by grinding 4 inch-long cinnamon sticks, 3 cloves, 3 black peppercorns, 2 black cardamon pods with husks removed, and 2 tsp black cumin seeds together in a mortar.
2 medium onions
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/3 cup cashews (2 oz)
1 1/2 tsp garam masala*
1 tsp garlic pulp (like through a garlic press)
1 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp plain yogurt
2 tbsp corn oil (canola oil okay)
1 tbsp fresh cilantro
1 tbsp golden raisins
3 1/4 cups chicken, skinned, boned, and cubed
2 1/2 cups button mushrooms
1 1/4 cups water
Extra cilantro to sprinkle on top
Cut the onions into quarters and run them through a food processor or blender. (If you're a glutton for punishment, dice them by hand.) Add the tomato paste, cashews, garam masala, garlic, chili powder, lemon juice, turmeric, salt and yogurt; blend.
In a saucepan, heat the oil, lower the heat to medium, and put in the blended mix. Fry for about 2 minutes. Add the cilantro, golden raisins, and chicken and cook for another minute. Add the mushrooms and water; stir and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes. Check to see that the chicken is cooked; the sauce should thicken, but if it doesn't, it's still very very tasty. Sprinkle with the extra cilantro and serve with saffron rice or potato cakes. Serves four with sides.
*This is a spice mix available at Indian markets and many large supermarkets, Cost Plus, and Trader Joe's. If yours doesn't have it, you can make your own by grinding 4 inch-long cinnamon sticks, 3 cloves, 3 black peppercorns, 2 black cardamon pods with husks removed, and 2 tsp black cumin seeds together in a mortar.
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Fruit Lassi
You will need:
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1 tsp sugar
1 1/4 cups water
3 tbsp puréed fruit (mango or strawberry, usually)
crushed pistachio nuts (optional)
Place the yogurt in a jug and whisk it until it is frothy, about two minutes. Add the sugar. Mix in the water and fruit and whisk until blended. Serve chilled with pistachio nut garnish.
Frozen fruits are really good for this drink; find them in the dessert section of the freezer department.
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1 tsp sugar
1 1/4 cups water
3 tbsp puréed fruit (mango or strawberry, usually)
crushed pistachio nuts (optional)
Place the yogurt in a jug and whisk it until it is frothy, about two minutes. Add the sugar. Mix in the water and fruit and whisk until blended. Serve chilled with pistachio nut garnish.
Frozen fruits are really good for this drink; find them in the dessert section of the freezer department.
Friday, September 09, 2005
Cranberry-Apple Pancakes
You will need:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg, beaten (1/4 cup Egg Beaters)
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 cup milk
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and finely chopped (approximately 1 cup)
1/2 cup cranberries*
cinnamon
Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon. Mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, butter, and milk; mix well. Stir in the apple and cranberries, then add to the flour mixture until just combined - the batter will be lumpy. Heat a non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat; it is ready when drops of water "dance" over the surface. Pour batter in three-inch rounds; cook until the tops start looking waxy (instead of liquid), about three minutes. Flip and cook the other sides, another minute or two, then repeat with remaining batter. Serves about four.
The real beauty of this recipe is its durability: you can stick leftover pancakes in the fridge or freezer and simply pop them in the toaster to heat them up. Yes, they don't flop over like buttermilk pancakes.
*The cranberries can be very tart; if that's not to your liking, cut them in half and dust them with sugar or honey prior to using. It's time-consuming but takes the bite off.
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg, beaten (1/4 cup Egg Beaters)
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 cup milk
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and finely chopped (approximately 1 cup)
1/2 cup cranberries*
cinnamon
Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon. Mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, butter, and milk; mix well. Stir in the apple and cranberries, then add to the flour mixture until just combined - the batter will be lumpy. Heat a non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat; it is ready when drops of water "dance" over the surface. Pour batter in three-inch rounds; cook until the tops start looking waxy (instead of liquid), about three minutes. Flip and cook the other sides, another minute or two, then repeat with remaining batter. Serves about four.
The real beauty of this recipe is its durability: you can stick leftover pancakes in the fridge or freezer and simply pop them in the toaster to heat them up. Yes, they don't flop over like buttermilk pancakes.
*The cranberries can be very tart; if that's not to your liking, cut them in half and dust them with sugar or honey prior to using. It's time-consuming but takes the bite off.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Pomegranates!
It's hard for those of us blessed with a pomegranate tree to understand how magical this fruit is to others. Admittedly, the fruit is wonderful, but a tree typically creates far more fruit than is practical for one family to eat, a lá zucchini. Plus it is a fact that the seeds are fragile and notoriously difficult to get out, as well as being primarily crunch with little juice.
I've seen recipes that use large amounts of pomegranate juice. Don't bother unless you own a tree; the amount of work you'd have to do for such little reward is extreme.
If you do have a tree, then the pomegranate is fair game. Pomegranate-fig-ginger juice. Pomegranate pie. Pomegranate-cream cheese balls.
Don't ask.
At any rate, a pomegranate requires care to properly enjoy, and care to keep from staining your clothes. (The stains turn yellow when exposed to soap and blue-gray after washing unless properly treated.) Mostly, however, you need to know what you're looking for, and how to tame the fragile seeds.
A ripe pomegranate is one that splits, or is just about to split. (In wet years, split pomegranates can mold very quickly; exercise caution when choosing one.) Despite what you may think in the grocery store, the pomegranates with visible stress lines are the desireable ones. Moreover, a cracked pomegranate is much easier to pull apart.
If it's not cracked, there are two places where the seeds do not lie just beneath the skin: the stem and the floweret. Use a knife to start carving away shallow slices. With practice, you can learn how to use the knife to score the outer skin without cutting into the seeds themselves. The hardest part about pulling apart a pomegranate is getting a good grip where you are not smashing the seeds underneath; a pomegranate skin is actually more easily torn than that of an orange, but you have to get the angle right.
Once you have the pomegranate apart, get a bowl (for the seeds) and a trash can (for the copious amounts of pith and skin.) Use the tips of your fingers or your thumb - NOT your nails - to gently free the seeds from their bases by pressing sideways. You'll have to break apart the pomegranate at several points as you get further in; be gentle or seeds will go flying everywhere. I have seen it suggested that you do this in a bowl of water to start. Once you have a bowl of the seeds, and hopefully not a bowl of juice, eat them in the same manner as you picked them, with the tips of your fingers.
If you *must* have a recipe, make some grenadine by putting pomegranate juice in a saucepan, adding sugar, and boiling until it becomes a syrup. You can freeze this mixture in ice cube trays and have a ready supply of flavoring to add to drinks one cube at a time.
Pomegranate stains can be removed by hand washing the clothes and leave them to soak with detergent. That usually works, but once you send them through the wash, check them for stains before putting them in the dryer (where they will set.)
I've seen recipes that use large amounts of pomegranate juice. Don't bother unless you own a tree; the amount of work you'd have to do for such little reward is extreme.
If you do have a tree, then the pomegranate is fair game. Pomegranate-fig-ginger juice. Pomegranate pie. Pomegranate-cream cheese balls.
Don't ask.
At any rate, a pomegranate requires care to properly enjoy, and care to keep from staining your clothes. (The stains turn yellow when exposed to soap and blue-gray after washing unless properly treated.) Mostly, however, you need to know what you're looking for, and how to tame the fragile seeds.
A ripe pomegranate is one that splits, or is just about to split. (In wet years, split pomegranates can mold very quickly; exercise caution when choosing one.) Despite what you may think in the grocery store, the pomegranates with visible stress lines are the desireable ones. Moreover, a cracked pomegranate is much easier to pull apart.
If it's not cracked, there are two places where the seeds do not lie just beneath the skin: the stem and the floweret. Use a knife to start carving away shallow slices. With practice, you can learn how to use the knife to score the outer skin without cutting into the seeds themselves. The hardest part about pulling apart a pomegranate is getting a good grip where you are not smashing the seeds underneath; a pomegranate skin is actually more easily torn than that of an orange, but you have to get the angle right.
Once you have the pomegranate apart, get a bowl (for the seeds) and a trash can (for the copious amounts of pith and skin.) Use the tips of your fingers or your thumb - NOT your nails - to gently free the seeds from their bases by pressing sideways. You'll have to break apart the pomegranate at several points as you get further in; be gentle or seeds will go flying everywhere. I have seen it suggested that you do this in a bowl of water to start. Once you have a bowl of the seeds, and hopefully not a bowl of juice, eat them in the same manner as you picked them, with the tips of your fingers.
If you *must* have a recipe, make some grenadine by putting pomegranate juice in a saucepan, adding sugar, and boiling until it becomes a syrup. You can freeze this mixture in ice cube trays and have a ready supply of flavoring to add to drinks one cube at a time.
Pomegranate stains can be removed by hand washing the clothes and leave them to soak with detergent. That usually works, but once you send them through the wash, check them for stains before putting them in the dryer (where they will set.)
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