ASIAN BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND CARROT SLAW

My Thanksgiving is going to be different this year.  My friend and I are hosting our 8th Thanksgiving Day Luncheon for our little community’s senior citizens (with half-hearted participation from our sons’ Boy Scout Troop) for the last time.  We’ve enjoyed it, but it’s time to pass the torch — hopefully someone will accept it and carry on this fine tradition.  Here’s a few photos from a prior luncheon:

My little family is scattered this year — there will just be three of us for dinner later in the day, and that’s OK.  I think we’re looking forward to a relaxed holiday meal, for once.  Although I’m not getting out my collection of turkeys and Thanksgiving decorations, I did make a turkey wreath for my front door:

I know your inboxes are overflowing with Thanksgiving recipes, so forgive me for adding yet  another nontraditional recipe to the noise.  But I love this recipe.  Its seasonal colors will add vibrancy to your Thanksgiving table, and it is deliciously different.  It would also be excellent to bring a some excitement to leftover turkey sandwiches.

 

Gorgeous, right?  Happy Thanksgiving!

5 from 1 reviews
ASIAN BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND CARROT SLAW
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • For dressing:
  • 1 cup water
  • ¼ cup champagne vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup Asian fish sauce
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

  • For slaw:
  • 4 cups julienned butternut squash
  • 2 cups julienned carrot
  • 1 small red jalapeno, very thinly sliced into rings
  • ¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro, plus additional sprigs for garnish
  • ½ cup coarsely chopped glazed pecans, plus additional for garnish
Instructions
  1. To prepare dressing, place water, vinegar, brown sugar, and fish sauce in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in garlic, lime juice, and crushed red pepper. Set aside to cool until ready to use.
  2. Place squash, carrot, jalapeno, cilantro, and pecans in medium bowl and toss to combine . Just before serving, pour ½ cup dressing over slaw, and toss until combined. (Reserve additional dressing in covered container in refrigerator for another use.). Mound slaw on serving dish and garnish as desired with cilantro sprigs and whole pecans.

Knock knock

Who’s there?

Norma Lee

Norma Lee who?

Norma Lee I don’t eat this much!

 

 

 

 

 

 

FRESH CRANBERRY RELISH

We’re finally enjoying some cold weather, and looking forward to the holidays.  This is a great time to hit the farmers market, when there are so many more interesting offerings than during the dry, hot summer months.  Here’s a salad plate I made for my husband (trying to offer him something healthy after one of his bike rides), using some leftover duck confit, espresso-rubbed cheese, and seasonal produce from the farmers market.  Pretty, isn’t it?

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There are watermelon radishes, pomegranate arils, arugula sprouts, and dried figs:

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and persimmons, baby mustard greens with a sweet lemon vinaigrette, and slivers of candy-striped chioggia beets:

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We only recently discovered the fuyu persimmons at the farmers market, and we’re crazy about them.  When they’re first ripe, they’re firm and crunchy, with a taste like a combination of apple and carrot.  As they ripen, they become slightly softer, but develop this wonderful sweet honey-like flavor..

Although I’m not cooking for Thanksgiving this year (hallelujah!), I couldn’t let the holiday pass without making a batch of Fresh Cranberry Relish.  I was introduced to this recipe by my mother-in-law, and I love the freshness of the ingredients and the sweet/tart pop of flavor, not to mention the beautiful color it adds to the Thanksgiving plate.

FRESH CRANBERRY RELISH
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • 1 large honeycrisp apple (or favorite apple), cored and coarsely chopped, including peel
  • I medium orange, seeded and coarsely chopped, including rind
  • ½ pound fresh cranberries
  • ¼ cup pecans
  • ⅓ cup sugar, or to taste
Instructions
  1. Place apple in bowl of food processor and process until coarsely chopped. Transfer apple to a medium bowl. Repeat with orange, cranberries, and pecans, [b]processing each separately[/b] and then transferring to bowl with apple. Add sugar and mix until all ingredients are combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cranberry Relish gets gobbled up fast!