Gobble Gobble!

Hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving and got to spend much needed quality time with friends and family!

I wanted to share some recipes from our table :)

As you may know I have many food allergies/intolerances and my mother has psoriasitic arthritis. I keep corn, milk, wheat, eggs, soy, pistachios and hazelnuts out of my diet. My momma on the other hand, follows an anti-inflammation diet to ease her symptoms. At first glance you would think that our table would be BORING, but it was ANYTHING BUT THAT!

BEETS 'n' SWEETS

6 medium beets, peeled and cut into chunks
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp sugar (agave)
3 medium sweet potatoes cut into chunks
1 large sweet onion chopped

Preheat oven to 400 F

In a bowl, toss the beets with 1/2 TB olive oil to coat. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Mix the remaining 2 TB olive oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and sugar (agave) in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal bag and shake to coat vegetables with the oil mixture.

Bake beets 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Mix sweet potato mixture with the beets on the baking sheet. Continue baking 45 min, stirring after 20 min, until all vegetables are tender.


Stuffed Squash (my version of stuffing )

4 acorn squash, halved lengthwise; seeds and membrane removed ( I used ONE butternut squash)
1 cup of organic brown rice ( I used basmati brown rice)
1/2 cup wild rice
4 cups vegetable broth or water (used water)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 TBSP olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 cup diced celery
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped ( any nut you want)
1/2 cup dried apricots diced (organic)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamom

Preheat oven to 375 F

Cook both varieties of rice together in broth or water with 1/4 tsp of salt (omit salt if broth is already salted)

Meanwhile, place squash halves, cut side down, into a large shallow baking dish or cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes.

In a skillet, saute onion in olive oil until it becomes transparent. Add the celery and saute a couple of min. Remove from heat. Using a large mixing bowl, blend this mixture together with the cooked rice, cranberries, nuts , apricots and remaining seasonings.

When done, remove the partially baked squash from the oven. Spoon out some of the cooked squash and mix it with the rest of the ingredients. Be sure to scrape only a little; you want to leave squash in the shells too.

Press the rice mixture into each squash cavity, mounding rice as much as possible. (Depending on how large the squash are, you may end up with some leftover rice mixture, I DID ;) it makes a great side dish by itself.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 min or until squash flesh is thoroughly tender.

Don't discard the nutritious squash seeds. Instead rinse the seeds and remove the membrane. Pat dry. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil and spread the seeds evenly on the sheet. Spray seeds lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt or any other favorite seasoning. Bake the seeds in a 375 F oven for about 15 min or until your golden brown. Enjoy immediately or store them in the airtight container for up to a week :)

Mashed Sweet Potato with a TWIST

1 1/2 lb sweet potatoes
1/2 olive oil
1/2 cup orange juice
1- 1 1/2 cup low sodium warm chicken broth
1 teaspoon orange rind, very finely chooped
Sea salt to taste

Peel and cut sweet potatoes into large chunks. Place the potatoes in salted water and cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Drain and mash

Add oil and mix well. Add orange juice, stirring to mix well, then add the warmed broth slowly, mixing until you obtain the right consistency. Add orange rind to salt to taste.

If the sweet potatoes are not warm enough, reheat on low heat, mixing constantly with a wooden spoon.

Some raisins and nuts can be added before serving during the holidays!



Red Cabbage with Apples

2 TBSP olive oil
2 large onions chopped
1 red cabbage, finely shredded
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 cloves
2 TBP apple cider vinegar
3 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
sea salt and pepper to taste

Cook onion in oil for a few minutes. Add red cabbage, water cinnamon, cloves, vinegar and a little salt and pepper. Stir well.

Cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If cabbage gets too dry, add a little water from time to time.

Add apples, stir and adjust seasoning with vinegar to taste. Simmer covered until tender.