Toast to the Turkeys 2015 Recipes

Following are the recipes for this year’s Toast to the Turkeys celebration!

Minestrone:

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup minced white onion (about 1 small onion)
  • 1⁄2 cup chopped zucchini
  • ½ cup chopped cabbage/carrot mix
  • 4 teaspoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans small white beans or 2 (15 ounce) cans great northern beans, drained
  • 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • Italian spice mix
  • Salt and pepper
  • 4 cups spinach or kale
  • 1⁄2 cup small shell pasta

Sauté garlic and onions. Add other ingredients, except for pasta. Cook. Add pasta and cook til desired thickness.

Autumn Panzanella Salad:

  • 12 oz. French bread or ciabatta, torn into 1½” pieces
  • ¾ cup olive oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 shallots, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • 1½ tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp. finely chopped thyme
  • ½ tbsp. finely chopped rosemary
  • 1 tbsp. sugar
  • 5 cups baby arugula
  • ½ cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
  • ½ cup dried cranberries

Heat oven to 400°. Toss bread with 1⁄4 cup olive oil, plus salt, and pepper on a baking sheet; spread into an even layer. Bake, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp, 12–15 minutes; transfer to a large bowl and let cool. Add shallots to pan; cook until soft, about 4 minutes; transfer to bowl with bread. Whisk vinegar, lemon juice, thyme, rosemary, sugar, salt, and pepper in another bowl. While whisking, slowly drizzle in oil until dressing is emulsified. Add arugula, pine nuts, cranberries, salt, and pepper to bowl with bread. Drizzle dressing over the top; toss to combine.

Autumn Chopped Salad:

  • 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
  • 1 pear, chopped
  • 1 apple, chopped
  • 1/4 cup pecans
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup Poppy Seed Salad Dressing
  • 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, pear, apple, dried cranberries, grapes, pecans. Mix the poppy seed dressing. Drizzle the dressing onto the salad and gently toss.

Poppy seed salad dressing:

  • 1/4 cup white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 small shallot
  • 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
  • 2 teaspoons JustMayo
  • 1/2 cup olive oil

Whisk the white wine vinegar and sugar until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Peel the shallot and grate it on a microplane or the smallest holes on a box grater directly into the bowl. Add the poppy seeds, salt, and ground mustard, and whisk to combine. Whisking the dressing steadily, pour the olive oil into the dressing in a slow stream. Continue whisking until completely combined.

Cranberry Sauce:

  • 2  12 oz. bags of fresh cranberries
  • ¾ cup pineapple juice or orange juice
  • ½ cup of applesauce (no sugar added)
  • ½ cup of water
  • juice and zest of one orange
  • 3-4 Tablespoons of sugar or to taste

Put cranberries, pineapple juice, applesauce and water in a sauce pan and and bring to a boil. Keep on medium heat, stirring constantly until the cranberries start to explode (about 10-15 minutes). Add last couple of bags after there is room for them. Reduce to a simmer and pour the juice and zest over the cranberry mixture. Simmer 10-15 minutes and remove from heat. Cool completely and store in fridge at least 4 hours but preferably overnight before serving. Taste at the end of cooking. It is naturally sweet from the fruit juice and applesauce but you can add more sweetener to taste if needed.

Gravy:

  • 2 Tbsp. (1/4 stick) margarine
  • 1 medium-sized onion, diced
  • 2 Tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. garlic salt
  • 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 cups water or vegetable broth
  • 1-2 Tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
  • Pepper, to taste

Put margarine in a pot and saute the onions and garlic over med-high heat. Reduce heat back to medium after onions and garlic have become golden brown. Make a roux by gradually adding the flour, while continuously stirring to avoid lumps. Still stirring, add soy sauce and water to the mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Once the gravy has reached desired thickness, turn off the stove and you are done!

Hummos:

  • 1 can Cannellini beans
  • 3 cloves Garlic (or to taste)
  • 1 heaping tablespoon Tahini
  • 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Water to thin out as needed
  • ¼ cup Olive oil
  • Dash Cumin

Whirl everything together in food processor.

Mayo Roasted Potatoes

  • 1/2 c Just Mayo
  • 1 Tbsp each dried herbs, garlic powder, onion powder
  • 1 tsp seasoned salt
  • 2 lb small potatoes, quartered

Mix Just Mayo and seasonings in a large bowl or gallon-size plastic bag. Add potatoes; toss to coat. Place potatoes on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring after 15 minutes.

Just Mayo Onion Dip

  • 1 cup Just Mayo
  • ¼ tsp onion powder
  • 1/8 tsp garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together!

Easy Pumpkin Cake

  • 1 box Duncan Hines White Cake Mix
  • 1 15oz can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix – just pure pumpkin)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 x 5 cake pan. In a large mixing bowl, stir the can of pumpkin into the cake mix. To begin with, the batter will be stiff and you’ll be tempted to add more liquid – don’t! Keep mixing the batter with a wooden spoon until both ingredients are thoroughly combined and no large lumps of dry cake mix remain. Spoon the mixture into your greased baking pan and place in the center of your oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely and dust with powdered sugar. This cake is delicious if eaten straight away but even better if you can wait a day or two!

Velvet Chocolate Ganache Tarts

  • 1 12oz bag of non-dairy chocolate chips
  • 1 15oz can full-fat coconut milk
  • 1 8-inch pre-made cookie crumb pie crust OR 10 individual cookie crumb crusts

Unpackage your cookie crumb pie crust and place on a baking sheet. In a saucepan over a gentle heat, bring the coconut milk to an easy simmer. Stir in the chocolate chips and allow to melt slowly. With a ladle, fill the cookie crumb crusts with the melted chocolate-coconut mix and, without tipping, carefully place in the refrigerator to set. If you have any mixture left over, just pour into a ramekin or small bowl – the ganache will set and be equally delicious even without the crust! The tarts will take 3 or 4 hours to set and can be left overnight to set really firmly. To serve, just grate a little chocolate over the top or add a dollop of non-dairy whipped cream. Enjoy!