Earlier this month, Gifford’s Chef Ed Striebe prepared delicious and nutritious alternatives to our favorite Thanksgiving dishes during a live cooking demonstration in our cafeteria. If you missed this fun event, don’t despair! Chef Ed sent us the recipes to share with you here. Please find below his takes on Mashed Cauliflower, Sugarless Cranberry Sauce and Green Bean Casserole, as well as a few other holiday favorites.
Mashed Cauliflower
Servings: 6
Ingredients
1-2 heads fresh cauliflower, roughly chopped into uniform, large pieces
¼ cup unsalted butter or extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons cream cheese or sour cream (optional)
2 tablespoons or more Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
salt, pepper, roasted garlic, and other herbs and spices to taste
Instructions
1. In a large pot, bring a few quarts of water to a boil.
2. Add cauliflower and cook until tender.
3. Drain well.
4. Transfer cooked cauliflower to a large bowl and add butter and optional cream cheese or sour cream and Parmesan.
5. Use immersion blender or hand mixer to blend until smooth and creamy. This is the most important step—chunks of cauliflower are a giveaway!
6. Sprinkle with extra cheese if desired.
7. Serve warm, and top with fresh chopped parsley or chives for a nice garnish.
Sugarless Cranberry Sauce
Makes 4 cups
Ingredients
4 ounces fresh cranberries
¾ cup orange juice
½ cup no-sugar-added applesauce
½ cup water
juice and zest of one orange
3-4 tablespoons honey, or to taste (optional)
Instructions
1. Put cranberries, pineapple juice, applesauce and water in a saucepan and and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce to medium heat and stir constantly until the cranberries start to explode (about 10-15 minutes).
3. Reduce to a simmer and add the juice and zest to the cranberry mixture.
4. Simmer 10-15 minutes and remove from heat.
5. Cool completely and store in fridge at least 4 hours but preferably overnight before serving.
Green Bean Casserole
Servings: 8-10
Ingredients – Onion Topping
3 medium onions
2 eggs
3 tablespoons heavy cream or coconut milk
2-3 tablespoons coconut flour
½ cup coconut oil or tallow, for frying
Ingredients – Healthy Cream of Mushroom Sauce
½ cup butter
8-10 mushrooms, finely diced
½ cup cream or coconut milk (unsweetened)
4-5 egg yolks (you should have these leftover if you are making Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole, recipe below)
coconut milk or water, to thin
2 tablespoons mashed, roasted garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 of onion topping from above
Other
2 pounds fresh green beans, steamed to remove extra liquid, or 2-3 bags of frozen
Instructions
For Onion Topping
1. Thinly slice all the onions, separate, and put into a medium bowl.
2. Add the eggs and the heavy cream and mix well until evenly incorporated.
3. Add coconut flour and mix by hand until evenly coated.
4. Put tallow in large skillet and turn on medium high heat.
5. When hot, add the coated onions and evenly brown, turning occasionally.
6. When browned, remove from heat and set aside.
For Mushroom Sauce
1. In medium saucepan, melt butter.
2. Add the diced mushrooms and sauté until starting to brown.
3. Add cream or coconut milk.
4. Whisk in egg yolks and spices and about 1/3 of the onion topping mixture and continue stirring until the yolks begin to cook and the mixture thickens.
5. Add extra milk or water if needed, to thin.
Assembly
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Put green beans into a 9×13 baking dish.
3. Pour the cream mixture over and mix until incorporated.
4. Top with the remaining onion mixture and heat in oven until topping starts to crisp (but not burn!) and green beans are heated.
Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
Servings: 8
Ingredients
6-8 sweet potatoes, baked until soft
¼ cup butter or coconut oil
½ teaspoon salt
Topping (optional)
5 egg whites
2/3 cup honey
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
1. Bake the sweet potatoes until soft.
2. Once slightly cooled; mash the sweet potatoes with butter or coconut oil and salt.
3. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter or coconut oil and fill with mashed sweet potatoes.
4. In a double boiler or small pan with water and a glass bowl on top, whip the egg whites with a hand blender until fluffy.
5. Add honey to the egg whites and place the double boiler on the stove, turning on heat to medium.
6. Use a whisk to whip the egg white and honey mix as it heats. Whisk for about 20 minutes (or less) until it thickens.
7. It will start to take on the consistency of melted marshmallows. When mixture is thick enough, spread over the sweet potatoes and broil in the oven for 1 to 2 minutes, to brown.
8. Serve plain or top with toasted pecans.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Servings: 6
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and yellow leaves removed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place trimmed Brussels sprouts, olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper in a large bowl and toss to coat. Pour onto a baking sheet, and place on center oven rack.
3. Roast in the preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes, shaking pan every 5 to 7 minutes for even browning. Reduce heat when necessary to prevent burning. Brussels sprouts should have a good deal of caramelization (browning).
Squash and Celeriac Quinoa Stuffing (from The New York Times)
Servings: 8
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 cup celeriac (celery root), diced
1 cup butternut squash, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup hazelnuts (or other nuts), chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
1. Rinse quinoa. Pour in a saucepan with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Avoid stirring and let boil until the quinoa absorbs all the remaining water, about 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside in a large mixing bowl.
2. Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a pan. Add the garlic, onions, butternut squash and celeriac to the oil. Cook on medium, stirring frequently, until veggies are fork tender, about 20 minutes. Once the veggies are softened, add the thyme, sage, salt and pepper and stir coat evenly.
3. Add the veggies to the quinoa in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Mix in chopped parsley, hazelnuts and olive oil and toss until everything is evenly distributed.
###
