In this series, I will concentrate on appetizers, salads, root and leafy vegetables. I will also include notes, where possible, if recipes can be prepared ahead of time.

APPETIZER 

A snack before the main meal is usually out of the question with family as they want to save room for the main event. Nevertheless I have been known to make a couple of items especially if we have guests joining us. I like to prepare small bites that will temporary stave off hunger pangs while waiting for the feast. These small bites have to be easy, preferably able to be prepared in advance and if possible eaten at room temperature.

Mango Pomegranate Guacamole

A different take on regular guacamole

4 ripe avocados

1 cup finely chopped red onions

1-2 fresh jalapeno chiles, finely chopped

1 teaspoon finely minced garlic

¼ cup fresh lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste

¾ cup pomegranate seeds from 1 pomegranate

¾ cup peeled and diced ripe mango

½ cup chopped cilantro

Lime wedges for garnish

Accompaniment: Tortilla chips

Method

Halve, pit and peel avocados. Coarsely mash in a bowl. Stir in onions, garlic, chiles, lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Add pinch of sugar. Fold in pomegranate seeds, mango and cilantro. Adjust seasonings if necessary and serve with lime wedges.

Note: Guacamole can be made 4 hours ahead and chilled. Cover surface with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Ring to room temperature and stir before serving.

Peel-and-Eat Shrimp with Barbecue Spice

Recipe by Bobby Flay 

1 ½ tablespoon sweet Pimenton de la Vera (Spanish Smoked Paprika)

1 tablespoon ancho chile powder

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

1 pound large shrimp, deveined but not shelled

½ cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoon unsalted butter

4 scallions, thinly sliced

Method

In a large bowl, mix the paprika with the ancho chile powder, brown sugar, cumin, salt, pepper and garlic. Add the shrimp and toss to coat in the spices. Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in 2 large skillets until shimmering. Add the shrimp to the skillets and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until curled and white throughout, about 4 minutes. Add half of the butter and scallions to each skillet and swirl them in. Transfer the shrimp to a platter and serve.

Serves 6

SIDES

When selecting your side dishes, remember to use your kitchen efficiency to the maximum. Find recipes that enable the use of the oven, stove, and even the microwave. If there are too many dishes that require the use of one appliance, see which dishes can be cooked in advance and reheated later. I think I love the sides more than the turkey, and I do tend to go overboard even when there are just the three of us for dinner. Whatever the case may be, here are a variety of sides that you can prepare in addition to your regular repertoire.

SOUPS AND SALADS

I seldom or never serve soup for Thanksgiving; however, if you plan to have a formal or even informal dinner, a warm bowl of soup makes a great start to the feast. I am apt to serve seasonal salad (as I prefer to have lots of greens to convince myself that I am also serving something light and healthy). For soups I love using root vegetables such as winter squashes that have such a smooth earthy flavor when combine with cream and herbs. Root vegetables are great in salads too, especially roasted, cooled and later tossed with the salad. Fruits such as pomegranate add a refreshing burst of flavor and crunch along with Clementine and apples. Use a variety of ingredients to perk up your salad. There should be a balance of sweet, salty, tangy, and texture from the nuts and greens.

Butternut Squash and Parsnip Soup with Thyme

3 tablespoon butter

1 2-pound butternut squash, unpeeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, cut into 8 pieces

1 pound parsnips, peeled, cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces, cut thick end pieces lengthwise in half

8 whole garlic cloves, unpeeled, lightly smashed.

5 shallots, peeled and left whole

¼ cup water

1 onion, halved, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced or 1 teaspoon dried

4 cups canned low-salt chicken broth

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

½ cup half and half

Method

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Butter large roasting pan with 1 tablespoon butter. Arrange squash pieces skin side up in prepared roasting pan. Add parsnips, garlic cloves, shallots and ¼ cup water to pan. Cover pan with foil; bake until vegetables are very tender, about 50 minuets. Cool vegetables.

Melt remaining butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and thyme. Sauté until onion is tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Scrape squash from pulp into food processor (discard peel). Add parsnips and onions mixture. Puree until smooth. Transfer mixture to heavy large saucepan and mix in broth and cider vinegar. Whisk in half and half and bring mixture to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Note: Soup can be prepared 1 day in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before serving.

Serves 6

Mixed Greens and Apple Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette

Crunchy, refreshing and colorful salad. Can substitute pomegranate juice for the cranberry juice. 

4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoon frozen cranberry juice concentrate, thawed

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

8 ounces Spring Mix

2 heads Belgian endive, sliced thinly crosswise

1 Fuji apple, peeled, cored and chopped

½ cup dried cranberries

¼ cup thinly sliced green onions

¼ cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

Method

Whisk oil, cranberry juice, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper in small bowl to blend. Combine Spring Mix, endive, and apples in large bowl. Pour dressing over; toss to coat. Sprinkle cranberries, green onions, and walnuts on top and serve.

Serves 4

VEGETABLES

Root and winter squashes pair well together. I love the variety of root vegetables, which have a distinct earthiness of their own. Parsnips, which is slightly starchy and sweet, resembles a carrot in shape and texture with a hint of nuttiness. Seasonings used for carrots such as dill, nutmeg, orange are also great for parsnips. Winter squash, albeit its name, is actually a summer vegetable that keeps well into winter. Winter squash belongs to the gourd family. Each variety of squash has a distinct flavor, density, and sweetness that pairs well with other vegetables. Don’t be intimated by its shape and variety. Thanksgiving is a perfect time to showcase these wonderful fall bounty. To learn more about winter squashes, go to: www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t–830/all-about-winter-squash-asp  

Parsnip Puree

This recipe came from Chef Traci Jardins of Jardiniere, San Francisco. I did a little tweaking by cutting down on the amount of butter and added a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg. 

10 medium parsnips (about 4 pound total) peeled, chopped into ½ inch thick slices

1 stick (8 tablespoon) unsalted butter

½ cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon fine sea salt or kosher salt

2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Pinch freshly ground nutmeg

Method

Combine parsnips and enough cold water to cover in a heavy large pot over medium high heat; cover, bring to a boil.  Continue to boil until tender; about 30-45 minutes. Drain parsnips. Working in 2 batches, puree hot parsnips, butter and chicken broth until smooth. Transfer to a large serving dish, stir in salt, pepper, and pinch of nutmeg. Serve immediately.

Serves 10

Sweet Potato with Crunchy Streusel Topping 

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces

6 tablespoon (3/4) stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1 large egg

4 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon allspice

Pinch of salt

Topping

1 ½ cups cornflakes, crushed

½ cup brown sugar, packed

½ cup chopped pecans

6 tablespoon (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Method

Sweet potatoes: Preheat oven to 400ºF. Cook sweet potatoes in large pot of boiling water until tender, about 15 minutes and drain. Transfer potatoes to a large bowl and add butter. Using electric mixer beat until smooth. Next add egg, sugar, spice, and salt and beat to blend. Transfer mixture to 8×8 inch baking dish (can be made 1 day ahead). Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before continuing. Bake potato until beginning to brown around the edges and slightly puffed, about 25 minutes.

Topping: Mix together all ingredients in medium bowl. Spoon topping evenly over potatoes. Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 10 minutes more.

Serves 6

Roasted Autumn Vegetables

1 ½ pounds butternut squash, peeled, cut into 3-inch wedges

1 ½ pounds rutabagas, peeled, cut into ½-inch thick wedges

1 ¼ pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes, cut into 3-inch wedges

3 tablespoon olive oil

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¾ cup finely chopped red onion

½ cup chopped fresh chives

2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Method

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray large baking sheet with nonstick spray. Combine squash, rutabagas, and sweet potatoes in large bowl. Next add oil and cayenne; toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Spread vegetable mixture in single layer on prepared baking sheet. Roast until vegetables are tender, stirring and turning occasionally for about 1 hour. (Vegetables can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Let stand on baking sheet at room temperature. Rewarm in 350ºF oven until heated through, about 15-20 minuets). Transfer vegetable mixture to bowl. Add red onion, chives, vinegar; toss to blend. Season with salt, pepper and pinch of sugar.

Serves 10

Fall’s leafy greens such as cabbages, kale, turnip greens, broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts are a welcome sight during Thanksgiving. My sentiment is not often shared by everyone due to these vegetables’ nature to be somewhat bitter tasting and even having gaseous odors when cooked. Beside its obvious health benefits, leafy greens are a welcome break to the other rich and heavy dishes. Unless of course if you live in the South, like I do, it is not uncommon to see these vegetables hidden under globs of cream, butter, gravy, and topped with some kind of crunchy streusel or crackers to make it more appetizing. Nevertheless, there are many other healthy and delicious ways of cooking them  that everyone will be asking for seconds.

Roasted Brussels sprouts with Cranberry Brown ButterRecipe by Dean Fearing  Even Brussels sprouts haters will ask for seconds. 4 pounds Brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise6 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oilSalt and pepper to taste

½ pound fresh or thawed frozen cranberries

3 tablespoon pure maple syrup

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger

1 ½ teaspoon finely grated orange zest

2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter

1 large shallot, minced

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme 

Method

Preheat oven to 400ºF. On 2 large rimmed baking sheets, toss Brussels sprouts with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 40 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the sprouts are tender and brown in spots.   Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the cranberries, maple syrup, ginger and orange zest. Cook over moderately low heat, stirring until the cranberries break down and thicken, about 10 minutes.  In a medium skillet, cook the butter over moderately high heat until golden, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and add shallot and thyme; stir into the cranberry sauce. Transfer the butter to a bowl, add the Brussels sprouts and toss. Season with salt and serve.  

Note: The cranberry butter can be refrigerated up to 3 day. Gently reheat the butter before tossing with the Brussels sprouts.  Serves 12 Spicy Kale and Green Beans with Parmesan

 4 tablespoon olive oil1 yellow onion, sliced

½ pound button mushrooms, trimmed and sliced

1 ½ pound green beans, trimmed, sliced into 1-inch pieces½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper½ cup white wine¾ teaspoon (or less) red pepper flakes

½ pound kale, rinsed, stemmed and roughly chopped

½ of a lemon, juiced

4 tablespoon parmesan cheese 

Method Blanch kale in hot boiling water with a little salt and 1 teaspoon vinegar for 3 minutes; shock in bowl of ice water; drain, dry, and set aside. Warm olive oil in a large, heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms in single layer. Do not stir until mushrooms are lightly brown and exude some of its liquid, 2-3 minutes; stir and add onions. Sauté until onions are translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Next add the green beans, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and cook until green beans are almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, lemon juice and kale; continue to cook until all vegetables are tender. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Toss to coat and serve.  Serves 6