Holiday Rice Pilaf

 Ingredients:

2 cups wild rice blend

vegetable or chicken broth to make rice, according to package directions

1/4 cup butter

1 large sweet onion, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup chopped carrot (or thinly sliced baby carrots)

2 cups shaved brussel sprouts

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp dry Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp pepper

1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves

1-2 sweet potato

1 cup dried cranberries or cherries (chop cherries roughly)

1 cup pecans, chopped

1/3 cup parsley, chopped

Cook rice, using broth instead of water. When cook time is up, do not lift lid but keep covered for 10 minutes with heat off. If rice isn't done enough, mix in a little broth and cook a little longer. When done, place in dutch oven.

peel and chop sweet potato into small chunks. drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast  about 20 minutes at 425 till tender and browned at the edges.  Add to dutch oven

Add butter to skillet. Cook onion and carrots with salt about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add Brussel sprouts, Italian seasoning, and black pepper, stir and cook 2 more minutes.  Add to dutch oven. 

Add toasted pecans, parsley, thyme and cranberries or cherries to pot. Combine everything. If making a few hours ahead, add a little more broth when reheating so it isn't dry. 

Butternut linguine

 

Ingredients

• 1 small butternut squash weighing about a pound

• 1/2 pound pasta

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 1/3 cup chopped shallots or onions

• 1/8 cup packed, freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• 1/4 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt

  Pinch red pepper flakes

• Pinch grated nutmeg

• Fried fresh sage leaves , for garnish

  Crumbled bacon for garnish

• Pepper, to taste

• Water as needed to thin the sauce, about 1 cup

Method

Bake the butternut squash:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut the butternut squash lengthwise in half and scoop out the guts and seeds and discard them Pour 1/4 cup of water into a baking dish and place the butternut squash halves cut side down.Bake for 40 minutes or until a fork easily pierces the squash. Allow to cool for 10 minutes

1. Meanwhile, fry bacon  pour off most of the fat when bacon is done   Fry sage leaves in same pan  Sprinkle sage with a little salt

   Scoop out the squash flesh from the skins and put into medium saucepan.  Discard the skins.

   Sauté the onion in some of the bacon grease  with a pinch of salt until just beginning to brown, about 2-3 minutes

   Purée onion and squash with stick blender

   Add the shallots to the pot. Add 1/2 cup water, the parmesan, pinch salt and  nutmeg and blend until smooth. Taste and add more salt if needed. If the sauce is too thick, thin it with a little more water

   Add sour cream and heat until warm: Do not let the sauce boil

2. Cook pasta in boiling salted water

   Mix cooked pasta with sauce: 

3. When the pasta is ready, drain and put it into a bowl. Mix with a little of the sauce and serve. Top with crumbled bacon and fried salted sage 

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
427	Calories

potato cabbage soup

Cook chopped bacon in pan till crispy. Remove bacon and excess fat. Chop and saute one onion in bacon fat. Add chopped carrots and celery.  Saute 5 minutes. Add 2-3 cloves chopped garlic and 2 tsp Herbs de Provence. Stir one minute. Add chicken broth, diced potatoes, and chopped 1/2 head or less of cabbage. Add can of white beans, salt and pepper. Cook till cabbage and potatoes are soft. Use immersion blender to make soup thicker but leave most of it in chunks. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with bacon bits

Carrot Cake (adapted from from Inspired Taste)

2 c flour (250 grams) 

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/4 c canola oil

1 c sugar (200 grams)

1 c brown sugar (200 grams)

1 tsp vanilla

4 eggs

3 c grated carrot (300 grams)

1 c coarsely chopped pecans (100 g)

1/2 c raisins (65 g)

Frosting

8 oz cream cheese

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar (225 g)

1/3 whipping cream

heat oven to 350.  Grease 9-13" pan. Sift together flour, soda, salt, and cinnamon. in another bowl, sift brown sugar. Whisk in sugar and vanilla.  Add eggs one at a time. Add dry ingredients in 3 parts, stirring with a spatula until smooth. Add carrots, nuts, and raisins. bake 45-55 minutes, till toothpick comes out clean. 

Using electric hand mixer, beat cream cheese one minute till creamy. Add sugar 1/4 c at a time.  add cream and beat 1 more minute.

Garlic Herb Roasted Shrimp (from joyful healthy eats)

 2 lbs shrimp

3-4 minced garlic cloves

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp dried basil

salt and pepper

toss together. Bake at 400 8-10 min

cocktail sauce

1/2 cup ketchup and 2 heaping Tbsp horseradish

Zucchini Bread

 3 eggs, beaten 

1 cup oil

2 cups sugar

2 cups grated zucchini with skins

2 tsp vanilla

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 325. Mix together eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla, and zucchini. Sift together dry ingredients. Add dry to wet ingredients. Add nuts if using. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake at 325 for one hour. 

Pesto Shrimp Pasta for 2

 6-8 oz raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 oz pasta

Olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 oz grape tomatoes, halved

1 zucchini (optional), cut into slices lengthwise and then into short strips, like matchsticks but a little wider

1/4 cup pesto

 Grated parmesan for garnish

Cook pasta in salted water. Save 1/2 cup pasta water. While pasta cooks, saute zucchini if using, place in bowl.

Saute shrimp in 1 tsp olive oil and place in bowl.

Add 1 tsp olive oil, tomatoes and garlic to pan and saute till tomatoes start to break down 

 Add pasta and pesto to pan and stir. Add pasta water a little at a time so pesto coats everything. 

Return shrimp and zucchini to pan and stir to combine. Serve topped with a little parmesan.