{"id":587,"date":"2011-11-21T08:54:31","date_gmt":"2011-11-21T16:54:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.loghouseplants.com\/blogs\/greengardening\/?p=587"},"modified":"2011-11-22T11:03:05","modified_gmt":"2011-11-22T19:03:05","slug":"a-home-grown-thanksgiving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.loghouseplants.com\/blogs\/greengardening\/2011\/11\/a-home-grown-thanksgiving\/","title":{"rendered":"A Home Grown Thanksgiving"},"content":{"rendered":"

Super Sides For A Crowd<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Thanks-Giving Square Chapel<\/p><\/div>\n

Thanksgiving is often a time of excess, but this year, it feels more appropriate to focus on thanks and giving. It\u2019s also a fine time to explore new ways to celebrate abundance, such as volunteering at a soup kitchen or offering an informal, family-style Thanksgiving party at a local church for folks who don’t want to be alone on this festive day. Some families will have a houseful even without extending extra invitations, so large-scale recipes are especially welcome for this holiday of gathering.<\/p>\n

The first Thanksgiving featured lots of homegrown produce, an idea that still resonates today.\u00a0 To keep costs down this year, round out the feast with garden-based sides. For example, Savoy Cabbage With Gorgonzola and Walnuts is an easy yet complex tasting dish, beautifully complemented by a green salad splashed with spicy Pumpkin Vinaigrette.
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\nSavoy Cabbage With Gorgonzola And Walnuts<\/strong><\/p>\n

1\/4 cup virgin olive oil
\n1 teaspoon rosemary, minced
\n1\/2 cup walnuts or hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
\n1\/2 teaspoon sea salt
\n1 large red onion, chopped
\n1 large head (about 8 cups) Savoy cabbage, cored and cut in 1\/4 inch ribbons
\n2 Braeburn or Fuji apples, cored and diced
\n2 tablespoons cider vinegar
\n1\/4 cup Gorgonzola, crumbled<\/p>\n

In a wide, shallow pan, heat oil, rosemary, nuts and half the salt over medium high heat until golden (2-3 minutes). Remove nuts to a plate, add onion and remaining salt and cook for 2 minutes. Add cabbage and apples, stir and cook for 3 minutes. Add vinegar, cover pan and cook until barely tender (3-5 minutes). Serve hot or at room temperature, garnished with cheese and nuts. Serves 12-16.
\n
\nPumpkin Pleaser<\/strong><\/p>\n

Try this spunky dressing on a Waldorf or green salad, over mashed sweet potatoes, or spooned over grilled fish or chicken.<\/p>\n

Spicy Pumpkin Vinaigrette<\/strong><\/p>\n

1\/3 cup cider vinegar
\n2\/3 cup canola oil
\n1\/4 cup cooked pumpkin pulp, mashed (canned works fine)
\n2 tablespoons honey
\n1\/2 teaspoon cardamom or coriander
\n1\/4 teaspoon cayenne or smoked paprika
\n1\/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
\n1\/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper<\/p>\n

In a food processor, combine all ingredients and puree until smooth, adding water as needed to preferred consistency. Makes about 1-1\/3 cups. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
\n
\nA Snappy Slaw<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brisk, refreshing flavors mingle in this crunchy, sparkly-fresh salad, which reduces well if you have fewer folks to feed.<\/p>\n

Brussels Slaw<\/strong><\/p>\n

6 cups Brussels sprouts, finely shredded
\n2 large Honeycrisp apples, cored and finely chopped
\n1 cup red onion, finely chopped
\n2 cups celery, finely chopped
\n1\/4 teaspoon shoyu or soy sauce
\n1 organic lime, juiced, rind grated
\n2 cups plain Greek yogurt<\/p>\n

Toss all ingredients in a bowl and serve. Serves 12-16.<\/p>\n

Perfect Vegetarian Gravy <\/strong><\/p>\n

Vegetarians will appreciate a bowl of Creamy Chanterelle Gravy. Spoon it over mashed potatoes or a delicious assortment of Roasted Winter Roots.<\/p>\n

Creamy Chanterelle Gravy <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>2 tablespoons butter
\n2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
\n1 large onion, chopped
\n1\/2 teaspoon sea salt
\n1 pound (about 6 cups) Chanterelle mushrooms, thinly sliced
\n1 tablespoon green peppercorns, drained
\n2 cups organic heavy cream or sour cream<\/p>\n

In a wide, shallow pan, melt butter in oil over medium high heat. Add onion, sprinkle with half the salt and cook until slightly caramelized (5-6 minutes). Add mushrooms, stir to coat, sprinkle with remaining salt, cover pan and cook until barely tender (5-7 minutes). Stir in green peppercorns and cream and serve hot. If smooth gravy is desired, puree in small batches (or use an immersion blender) to preferred consistency. Serves 8-12.<\/p>\n

Roasted Roots For A Crowd<\/strong><\/p>\n

Creamy inside with a delightfully chewy crust, these lightly caramelized root vegetables have a sumptuous flavor. Cut the recipe in half or in a quarter with equally good results.<\/p>\n

Roasted Winter Roots <\/strong><\/p>\n

6 parsnips, cut in half lengthwise
\n6 turnips, cut in half lengthwise
\n12 rainbow carrots, cut in half lengthwise
\n12 Yukon Gem potatoes, cut in half
\n1\/4 cup fruity olive oil
\n1\/2 teaspoon sea salt
\n1 teaspoon celery seed<\/p>\n

Rub vegetables with oil to coat, arrange cut side down in a single layer in a baking dish and sprinkle with salt and celery seed. Bake at 350 degrees F. until tender (45-60 minutes). Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 12-16.
\n
\nAn Old Fashioned Side<\/strong><\/p>\n

Those who love their vegetables sweet will find Caramelized Parsnips a pleasing change from yams. This easy, old fashioned dish is a hit with all ages (this technique works with sweet potatoes, turnips, or carrots as well).<\/p>\n

Caramelized Parsnips<\/strong><\/p>\n

8 large parsnips
\n2 tablespoons fruity olive oil
\n2 tablespoons brown sugar
\n1\/4 teaspoon sea salt<\/p>\n

With a spoon, scrape tender skin off whole parsnips and boil for 20 minutes in salted water. Arrange drained vegetables in a baking dish, toss with oil, sprinkle with sugar and salt and bake at 400 degrees F. until lightly caramelized (25-30 minutes). Serve hot. Serves 8-12.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Super Sides For A Crowd Thanksgiving is often a time of excess, but this year, it feels more appropriate to focus on thanks and giving. It\u2019s also a fine time to explore new ways to celebrate abundance, such as volunteering … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[36,130,182],"tags":[368,366,365,367,362,364,363],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1lB7f-9t","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loghouseplants.com\/blogs\/greengardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loghouseplants.com\/blogs\/greengardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loghouseplants.com\/blogs\/greengardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loghouseplants.com\/blogs\/greengardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loghouseplants.com\/blogs\/greengardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=587"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.loghouseplants.com\/blogs\/greengardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":594,"href":"https:\/\/www.loghouseplants.com\/blogs\/greengardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587\/revisions\/594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loghouseplants.com\/blogs\/greengardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loghouseplants.com\/blogs\/greengardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loghouseplants.com\/blogs\/greengardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}