Strangely enough, peanuts and sweet potatoes make a great pair. Between the warm fall hues of this sweet potato soup and the crisp, bright flavors of the Fennel-Apple Salad accompanying it (get the recipe in the Nourish Weekly Menus archive), this meal is truly a feast for the senses.
[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:144]
I rolled home from our over-the-top Thanksgiving feast with friends last night bearing a hefty supply of planned-for leftovers. Now, we’d never diss a next-day classic like a turkey and cranberry sauce sandwiches with reheated sides, especially if you make that sandwich with hearty artisan bread, arugula and a sprinkling of blue cheese. But there are other things you can do with all that culinary loot. Here are 5 ideas:
Except I’ve already gobbled one of them.
What are your tasty ways with Thanksgiving leftovers? Share ‘em here!
[SlideDeck2 id=7603 iframe=1]
Last winter, I was at a brand new organic market in Denver, CO, stocking up to cook dinner for my friends. I had a nice local pork roast in my cart when I stumbled on their lovely bulk spices. So I sniffed and scooped and soon had the makings of a Spiced Pork Roast that, in my mind, was already sitting beside a caramely, burnished roasted root vegetable medley. So into the cart went a turnip, a couple of parsnips, a rutabaga and a knobby celery root.
I thought nothing of those humble root vegetables, other than how scrumptious they’d be with the pork, yet when I lifted them onto the checkout belt everyone in line–including the checker–looked at me as if I were holding a baby wallaby.
“Wow, you’re making some kind of fancy dinner, eh?” the checkout woman said.
I was stumped. “You mean these?” I pointed to my cart. “These are just root vegetables.”
“Well I’ve never seen them before,” she countered, and was seconded (and thirded and fourthed) by others in line. So I gave them a quick run down on root veggies (and a NOURISH Evolution card … hee hee) and they promised to venture beyond potatoes on their next visit to the market.
The irony is, root vegetables are about the most common, hardy vegetable group out there. Yet they are nutritional powerhouses, mighty tasty and refreshingly inexpensive.
So if you were in line behind me in Denver last year, or if you’re just curious about root vegetables, this roundup is for you:
There’s much to crave on the Thanksgiving table–and a glorious bird like the Miso and Herb Rubbed Applewood Smoked Heritage Turkey would certainly be something to be thankful for. A lot of work goes into cooking a stellar bird, but I have a confession: I only have eyes for the side dishes.
Yep, it’s true. I’d be happy to skip the turkey altogether, though propriety obliges me to sample at least a little, especially if I’m dining at someone else’s house. Instead, I’d load my plate with mashed potatoes, dressing, biscuits, green beans, gravy, and cranberry sauce. And supreme among side dishes is the sweet potato dish. It’s the Judi Dench of supporting players, so good it outshines the star and takes home an Oscar for, oh, five minutes of screen time.
Of course, sweet potatoes labor under an identity crisis. Mistakenly labeled “yams,” they are neither a yam nor a potato. In fact, sweet potatoes aren’t even botanically related to yams; the misnomer has lingered ever since soft varieties, which resemble the yams predominately found in Africa, were first introduced to the market decades ago. But they are sweet, which can confuse people in the kitchen. Sweet potatoes often are laden with butter and brown sugar, and topped with marshmallows in the classic casserole that many find too much like dessert. (Not me–I love the stuff–pass it all down my way, please.)
Despite their sweetness, these tubers play nicely with savory ingredients, as evidenced in this bread pudding recipe. The sweet potatoes themselves have impressive nutritional credentials–they’re low in calories yet high in fiber and vitamins A and C–and we boost the health factor even higher by using multigrain bread and sauteed kale. The indulgence comes from whole milk and egg yolks, which give the custard a luscious quality, and a touch of full-flavored Cheddar cheese. But baking the bread pudding in a muffin tin offers built-in portion control. A half-cup serving (one bread pudding “muffin”), which is plenty on the crowded holiday plate, comes in at just 134 calories and less than 2 grams of saturated fat per serving.
All of that makes me feel just fine about helping myself to seconds.
A longtime editor, writer, and recipe developer, Alison Ashton is a Cordon Bleu-trained chef. She has worked as a features editor for a national wire service and as senior food editor for a top food magazine. Her work has appeared in Cooking Light, Vegetarian Times, and Natural Health.
You can bake these savory little sweet potato bread pudding muffins a few days before Thanksgiving; cool and refrigerate. Reheat them in a low oven while the turkey rests. You also can cook this in a 2-quart baking dish instead of a muffin pan, if you prefer.
1 pound sweet potatoes
2 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (8-ounce) day-old multigrain baguette, cubed
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (8-ounce) bunch kale, trimmed and chopped
2 tablespoons water
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
Nonstick cooking spray
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Pierce sweet potatoes with a fork. Place sweet potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast 30 minutes or until tender. Let stand until cool enough to handle.
While sweet potatoes roast, bring milk to a boil. Combine egg yolks, whole eggs, salt and pepper in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add half of hot milk to egg mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Whisk in remaining hot milk into egg mixture.
Cut roasted sweet potatoes in half, and scoop flesh into a food processor or blender. Add 1/2 cup milk mixture and process until pureed. Whisk pureed sweet potato mixture into milk mixture in bowl. Stir in cubed bread. Set aside, stirring occasionally.
Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat and add oil. Add onion and another pinch of salt; saute 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in kale and water. Cover and cook 3 minutes or until kale is tender. Stir kale mixture into bread mixture. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese. Divide evenly among 16 (1/2-cup) muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until pudding is puffy, set, and lightly browned. Serve warm.
Serves 16
This is an incredibly versatile side dish that shows just how delicious healthy can be. Serve this sweet potato with a Thanksgiving turkey or a simple roast chicken. Or top it with a mushroom sauté for a meatless feast any night.
4 pounds garnet sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup finely chopped shallots
4 tablespoons butter, divided
3/4 cup low-fat milk
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
Bring a large pot of boiling salted water to a boil and drop in potatoes. Return to a gentle boil over medium heat and cook for 12-15 minutes, until tender enough to pierce with a fork. Drain in a colander and transfer half of the potatoes to a food processor.
Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and sauté shallots for 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown (be careful—they go quickly from golden to burnt in the last minute or so). Transfer to a paper towel. Set aside 2 tablespoons shallots.
Add 2 tablespoons butter, milk, honey and soy sauce to the food processor with the sweet potatoes and puree for 30 seconds, until smooth. Scrape into a bowl and repeat with the remaining ingredients. Combine the two batches of puree, season with salt and pepper and stir in all but the reserved 2 tablespoons of the shallots.
Scrape into a serving bowl and top with reserved shallots.
Serves 12
