(10 seconds each to read and are almost that quick to prepare)
By Lisa Messinger
Food and Cooking at Creators Syndicate
(originally published 11/20/2010)Have you ever surprised your Thanksgiving guests with a carrot casserole that's been candied with a dreamy light white chocolate sauce or stuffing that's been puffed up with apricot nectar and dollops of melting seasoned cream cheese? Sound gourmet? That's what they'll rave, but only you will know these are not much more than 10-second fixes to already easy dishes. It doesn't take longer than a moment to jazz up holiday fare, as the snazzy selections for appetizers, entrees, side dishes and desserts that follow prove. You can be just as lazy about leftovers with dazzling results. How does turkey quesadillas with pine nuts and tomato pesto cream sauce or pumpkin pie-topped fudge brownies sound?
Cooking can be easy, nutritious, inexpensive, fun - and fast - as these split-second family-friendly sensations prove. They take just
10 seconds each to read and are almost that quick to prepare . The dishes are delicious proof everyone has time for tasty home cooking and, more importantly, the healthy family time around the kitchen table that goes along with it! Another benefit: You effortlessly become a better cook, since there are
no right or wrong amounts. These are virtually-can't-go-wrong combinations, so whatever you - or your kidlet helpers - choose to use can't help but draw "wows" at the family dinner table.
APPETIZERS Berry Good Cranberry Sauce Dip Add orange zest, finely minced fresh rosemary and thyme, mashed fresh blueberries, nonfat sour cream and pistachios that have been ground in a food processor or blender to prepared cranberry sauce. Serve with slices of pumpkin bread as dippers.
Devilishly Delicious Prepare mashed potatoes with garlic and a hint of maple syrup, combine well with deviled egg filling and freshly ground black pepper, stuff into deviled eggs and serve warm enough (cover while gently heating) that filling is hot but egg white texture has not changed.
Pumpkin Puffs Press store-bought phyllo dough into mini muffin tray that has been well covered with nonstick cooking spray, spoon in pumpkin pie filling only from a store-bought pie, top with paprika, ground cinnamon and dash of curry powder. Bake, covered, according to phyllo dough instructions and serve warm.
ENTREES A Side of Cider's Best Baste Peel and core McIntosh or other sweet apples, pulverize in food processor or blender until juicy, but not fully a liquid (consistency of applesauce) and combine with small amount of apple cider, as well as melted butter, dried thyme, sage, basil and poultry seasoning. Baste on turkey every 45 minutes after first hour of cooking.
Rubbed the Right Way Combine real bacon bits, plum jam or grape jelly, tomato paste, freshly ground black pepper and seasoned salt until it is a thick paste. Use the wet rub under the skin of poultry before cooking and baste with a melted butter-based baste as usual after the first hour of cooking.
Stunning Southwest Stuffed Turkey| Use a store-bought Southwestern-spiced dry rub on turkey and during last hour of cooking carefully stuff with already cooked ground turkey chili that, just before stuffing, has had bite-sized chunks of McIntosh or other sweet apple and orange lightly folded in.
SIDE DISHES Candied Carrot Casserole Mix cooked coin-shaped carrots with cooked parsnip, sliced almonds, freshly ground black pepper, salt substitute and ground cardamom, marjoram, fennel and parsley. Microwave until almost completely heated, and then carefully top with enough white chocolate pieces to cover only about one half surface area of vegetable casserole (or else dish will be too sweet), drizzle lightly with maple syrup and microwave for a few seconds more until chocolate melts into a light sauce. Gently stir.
Stuffing with Seasoned Cream Cheese SurpriseSubstitute one-quarter of the liquid called for on package of seasoned stuffing mix with canned peach or apricot nectar and add diced onion, diced dried apricots and diced dates. During last five minutes of cooking according to package instructions, add a few dollops of whipped cream cheese that?s been mixed with ground cinnamon and coriander. Gently stir melted whipped cream cheese mixture to blend into stuffing before serving.
Bread Dough that Saves Dough Wrap into the individual rolls of refrigerated crescent roll dough, a small amount of candied fruit that would usually go in a holiday fruitcake or a mixture of finely chopped dried fruits, like raisins, cranberries, cherries and blueberries. Drizzle with a dash of honey, cinnamon and allspice before rolling up and baking according to package directions.
DESSERTS Pumped Up Pumpkin Pie When preparing pumpkin pie, for one half of the pumpkin, substitute baked peeled sweet potatoes that have been mashed with sugar substitute suitable for baking, ground cinnamon, cloves and packaged dried banana chips that have been ground to a powder in a blender or food processor.
Macho Muffin Scoop out the insides of large pumpkin or apple muffins; set aside. Fill with a mixture of vanilla-flavored yogurt, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and orange marmalade. Top with crumbles of reserved muffin and finely chopped pecans and microwave for 15 seconds, or until slightly warm. Drizzle with sugar-free chocolate syrup.
Kryptonite Chocolate-Cranberry Cocktail Place no-sugar-added cranberry juice, pomegranate juice, prepared sugar-free hot chocolate and dark chocolate candy bar pieces in a saucepan. Heat until hot, but not boiling, stirring often. Top with no-sugar-added whipped cream and a dash of orange zest.
LEFTOVERS The Creamy Case of the Turkey Quesadillas In a saucepan, combine canned tomato bisque soup, half and half and sundried tomatoes and heat according to soup instructions. On flour tortilla, spread store-bought pesto, place slices of leftover cooked turkey and top with pine nuts and pepper jack or mozzarella cheese and another flour tortilla. Broil evenly on both sides until cheese melts. Top with heated bisque mixture as a sauce.
One Smooth Move In a blender container, place a few teaspoons each of water, orange juice and soy milk or any type of milk, the flesh of a peeled seedless orange and that of a cored, unpeeled sweet apple, such as McIntosh, a heaping serving of leftover green bean casserole (especially if it includes nuts; if not, toss in some sliced almonds or chopped walnuts) and sugar-free sweetener, to taste. Blend until just creamy and add ice while it's blending to reach desired thickness. (This is the type of "green" smoothie in which many health enthusiasts "hide" vegetables.)
There is a Pumpkin Pie on Top of Your Fudge Brownie Buy a tray of fudge brownies at bakery or supermarket. "Frost" with the leftover filling of pumpkin pie topped with crumbled pieces of the pie's emptied crust. Crown with whipped topping that's been enhanced by gently whisking in ground cinnamon and sugar-free hot chocolate powder.
QUICK TIP OF THE WEEK: Pumpkin pie spice is not just a convenience product for baking the famous pie. The prepared spice mixture, that usually includes ground cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ginger, can be a staple that makes many dishes special throughout the holiday season. Sprinkle on top of toast that's been spread with margarine or orange marmalade or plum jam. Include with sugar substitute in pancake batters or egg dips for French toast. Along with a dash of cayenne, sprinkle atop green beans or other vegetable side dishes. Include in stuffings, or in meat, poultry or seafood rubs.
Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food and nutrition writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the National Council Against Health Fraud and author of seven food books, including the best-selling
The Tofu Book: The New American Cuisine with 150 Recipes (Avery/Penguin Putnam) and Turn Your Supermarket into a Health Food Store: The Brand-Name Guide to Shopping for a Better Diet (Pharos/Scripps Howard). She writes two nationally syndicated food and nutrition columns for Creators Syndicate and had been a longtime newspaper food and health section managing editor, as well as managing editor of Gayot/Gault Millau dining review company. Lisa traveled the globe writing about top chefs for Pulitzer Prize-winning Copley News Service and has written about health and nutrition for the Los Angeles Times Syndicate, Reader's Digest, Woman's World and Prevention Magazine Health Books. Permission Granted for use on Dr.Laura.com.
