Thanksgiving Planning

Posts Tagged ‘appetizers’

Please. I’m cooking for me and my dad and it’s ok if we have leftovers. I just need some good recipe ideas that are healthy. (I’m makeing sure my dad won’t gain too much weight, he’s trying to loose it.) and we are both just trying to stay healthy. So please give us recipes that you have tried and are delicious. It can be anything. Thank you!
Please it can be anything. I just need help with this.

Perfect Roast Turkey

1 fresh turkey (12 pounds)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch of fresh thyme
1 lemon, halved
3 Spanish onions
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick), melted
1/2 cup good olive oil
8 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
10 red new potatoes, halved
3 heads fennel, fronds removed, cut into wedges through the core

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Take the giblets out of the turkey and wash the turkey inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the turkey cavity. Stuff the cavity with the thyme, lemon, one of the onions (quartered), and the garlic. Brush the outside of the turkey with the butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the turkey. Peel and slice the remaining onions, toss them with 1/4 cup olive oil, and scatter them around the turkey.

Roast the turkey for 1 hour. Toss the carrots, potatoes, and fennel with 1/4 cup olive oil and add to the roasting pan. Continue to roast for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Remove the turkey to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil; let rest for 20 minutes.

Stir the vegetables and return the pan to the oven. Continue to cook the vegetables while the turkey rests. Slice the turkey and serve on a platter with the roasted vegetables. Serves 8.

–Ina Garten
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Green Beans with Bacon-Balsamic Vinaigrette

2 pounds green beans
2 bacon slices
1/4 cup minced shallots
3 Tbsp. coarsely chopped almonds
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

Cook green beans in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain well; set aside.
Cook bacon in a small skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet. Crumble; set aside. Add shallots to bacon fat in skillet; sauté 1 minute. Add almonds; sauté 1 minute. Remove and let cool. Add sugar and vinegar; stir until sugar dissolves. Add crumbled bacon.
Pour vinaigrette over beans, tossing gently to coat.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup)

CALORIES 75(31% from fat); FAT 2.6g (sat 0.5g,mono 1.4g,poly 0.5g); PROTEIN 3.4g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 54mg; SODIUM 50mg; FIBER 2.8g; IRON 1.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 11.8g

–Cooking Light, November 1996.
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Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan
Serves 4

2 bunches asparagus (1½ lbs.), washed and ends snapped off
1½ Tbsp. olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450ºF. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss asparagus with olive oil. Season with S&P to taste. Arrange in an even layer on pan, and sprinkle w/ parmesan cheese. Roast until asparagus is tender and cheese is melted, 10-15 minutes. Serve immediately.

–Everyday FOOD
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Zucchini Gratin (I’d suggest using margarine and cutting volume of “butter” in half to cut fat)

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for topping
1 pound yellow onions, cut in 1/2 and sliced (3 large)
2 pounds zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick (4 zucchini)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup hot milk
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
3/4 cup grated Gruyere

Preheat the oven to 400º F. Melt the butter in a very large (12-inch) saute pan and cook the onions over low heat for 20 minutes, or until tender but not browned. Add the zucchini and cook, covered, for 10 minutes, or until tender. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes. Stir in the flour. Add the hot milk and cook over low heat for a few minutes, until it makes a sauce. Pour the mixture into an 8 by 10-inch baking dish.
Combine the bread crumbs and Gruyere and sprinkle on top of the zucchini mixture. Dot with 1 tablespoon of butter cut into small bits and bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and browned.

–Ina Garten, FoodTV
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Butter Pecan Sweet Potatoes

8 med. sweet potatoes (5 lbs.)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Kosher salt
2 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into small pieces
2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
1/3 cup pecans
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Peel potatoes. Halve lengthwise, slice crosswise into ½” thick slices. On a baking sheet, toss potatoes w/ olive oil and salt. Transfer half the potatoes to a 2nd baking sheet. Bake until tender about 25-35 min., tossing occasionally. Toss potatoes with butter, brown sugar, pecans, and cayenne pepper, dividing evenly between both baking sheets. Bake again until sugar is caramelized and hard, about 10 minutes. Gently toss and serve. Serves 8.

–Everyday FOOD