GreenSunflower Cooks

Saffron Scented Sweet Potatoes

Whether we like it or not, the holidays are upon us.  Halloween will hit on the 31st, Thanksgiving November 22nd, and then we are onto the Christmas rush.  I have already started testing Thanksgiving, or holiday dinner recipes.  Since I am gluten free, Thanksgiving is a little more challenging.  This is an easy one.  I plan on working out some dressing pretty soon.

These are sweet, savory, and tangy, fairly lowfat, and very flavorful, much better than the canned yams my mom used to put out on the Thanksgiving table.

Saffron Scented Sweet Potatoes

3lbs sweet potatoes, peeled, and chopped in to 1.5 inch squarishness
6 cups gluten free chicken broth
4 tbs butter
1/3 cup Greek style yogurt
2 tbs raw cane sugar
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp pepper
4 saffron fronds

Boil the potatoes in the chicken broth until fork tender and drain.  Place in bowl of mixer, add butter and mix with paddle attachment until smooth.  Add yogurt, sugar, spice, pepper, and saffron and mix.  Allow to sit for 2-3 minutes for sugar to dissolve and mix again.  Serve!!!  Would be especially good with something spicy, like a Cinnamon-pepper crusted steak.

Dressed Up Game Hens

Dressed Up Game Hens
Originally uploaded by greensunflower.

A while ago, I made some really simple game hens, but this time I wanted them to have a little more flavor and I dressed them up a bit.

GreenSunflower's Cornish Game Hens and Herbs

• 2 Cornish game hens
• 1 lemon, cut in quarters
• 2 sprigs Rosemary
• 2 sprigs sage
• 2 springs thyme
• 1 bulb garlic cut in half
• kitchen twine
• olive oil
• Salt and coarsely ground pepper

Heat oven to 375. Rinse hens and place them in baking dish.  Squeeze half of each lemon over the chickens and the stuff half the lemon into each cavity. Stuff one sprig of each herb into cavity, as well as half of the bulb of garlic.  Tie the legs together with kitchen twine, and tuck the wings under the body. Liberally brush the hens with olive oil.  Season skin with salt and coarsely ground pepper.  Bake in oven for 75 mins or 1 hour 15 min.

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Potato Pancakes

Potato Pancakes
Originally uploaded by greensunflower.

I get tired of mashed potatoes with gravy, though it is good the first two days.  I am also a firm believer that there should be three things en mass at a TG dinner: turkey, potatoes, and dressing.  I had tons of potatoes left over, so I made quite a few of these, but you can halve the recipe to make less. You can also make mini ones as an appetizer.

I served it with ketchup because we aren't classy, but if I had some chutney, especially cranberry or mango, I might have used that.

GreenSunflower's Potato Pancakes

• 4 cups leftover mashed potatoes, well seasoned
• 2 eggs or 1/2 cup pasteurized egg product
• 4 scallions, green and light green parts sliced
• 0.5 cup jack cheese or 0.25 cup Parmesan (If you have it, I didn't)
• butter

Mix all of the above ingredients in a bowl and stir to blend.  Heat medium sized skillet to medium high.  Add butter and allow to melt.  Take about 1/3 cup potato mixture and form it into a flimsy, thick pancake shape.  Place in skillet. Do two at a time.  Once you can smell browning potato, check pancakes.  If browned, flip carefully.  Brown on other side.  Place on plate and repeat with more butter.

 

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Turkey Enchiladas In Cilantro Sour Cream Sauce

Turkey Enchiladas
Originally uploaded by greensunflower.

I would love to sit around and make turkey sandwiches to my hearts content and gobble them down (pun intended), but alas, I hate gluten free bread and it just isn't the same with the dense logs o' bread, as it is with a nice piece of wonder bread, which is the perfect bread for turkey sandwiches.

So I resort to the wheat free'ers friend, Mexican.  These enchiladas are so good and the filling, according to Babe can be used as a Turkey salad sandwich filling.  I don't know exactly how that would work, but if you figure it out let me know.

GreenSunflower's Turkey Enchiladas with Cilantro Sour Cream Sauce

• 2.5 cups cooked turkey meat
• 10 corn tortillas
• 1 smallish onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 bunch cilantro, leaves only
• 16oz sour cream
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 8oz can salsa verde
• 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
• canola oil

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In blender mix onion, cilantro (reserving a little for garnish), sour cream, salsa verde, and salt.  Blend until smooth and blended throughly.  Add 1/3 of mix to turkey meat and mix.  Add 1 handful of cheese to Turkey mixture and mix.  Heat medium sized skillet over medium high heat  with 1 tb canola oil.  Add corn tortillas one at a time, turning once to cook both sides.  Place on paper towels.  Repeat with all tortillas adding oil as necessary.  Take tortillas and fill each one with equal amount of turkey mixture, roll and place in 8x8 pan until full.  Top pan with the rest of the sauce.  Shake the pan side to side to get sauce down between enchiladas. Top with the rest of the pepper jack.  Bake for 40 min.  At the end turn on broiler and broil until cheese is of desired brownness (optional).  Top with a dollop of sour cream and some cilantro leaves. 

Gobble Gobble

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Pumpkin Pie Pancakes with Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream

Pumpkin Pancakes
Originally uploaded by greensunflower.

Do you have leftover half and half and whipped cream, an extra can of pumpkin, and extra nuts? How about at on of spices you may never use until next year? I did and this is what I made to use it up.  It can be with wheat flour.  Just sub wheat flour for the potato starch flour and rice flour and add milk/half and half a little at a time.  I think it will require less liquid with wheat flour. You can also sub 2-2.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice for spices.

GreenSunflower's Post Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

• 1.5 cups white rice flour
• 0.5 cups potato starch flour
• 0.5 cup pasteurized egg product or 2 whole eggs
• 3 cups milk or half and half or combo (whatever you have)
• 1 15oz can pumpkin
• 6 tb sugar
• 2.5 tsp baking powder
• 1.5 tsp Cinnamon
• 0.5 tsp ground ginger
• 0.25 tsp ground cloves
• 0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cups roasted/toasted pecans or walnuts or combo
• canola oil for bottom of pan

Heat large skillet on medium to medium high heat. Combine flours, spices, baking powder, and sugar.  Whisk a little bit.  Add pumpkin, egg, and 1/2 of milk. Whisk to combine.  Slowly add more milk until it is of the desired consistency.  Thicker batter will make thicker pancakes.  Add nuts and stir.  Place just enough oil in skillet to coat bottom of pan.  Ladle in enough mixture to make the desired sized pancakes.  Do two at a time if it will fit. Flip pancakes once they start to bubble and edges start to dry out. Keep pancakes in a oven on warm or 150-170 degrees while you cook all the pancakes.  Top with Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream and devour!

GreenSunflower's Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream

• 2 cups or 0.5 quart heavy cream
• 1 vanilla bean
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 4 tb sugar (superfine would work wonderfully)

In bowl of mixer or in regular 2-3 quart bowl place all ingredients. To get the seeds out of the vanilla bean, split it down the middle and scrap the inside with edge of knife to get the thick paste which is seeds.  Mix on the highest speed possible without throwing all the liquid out of the bowl until it gets to desired consistency or stiff peaks form.  Top Pumpkin Pie Pancakes. 

Antipasto

Antipasto
Originally uploaded by greensunflower.

For Thanksgiving I put this together as an appetizer for approx ten people.  I felt it would be light and keep tummies satisfied until I got dinner out.  I am just going to tell you the ingredients and here is a pic so you can see how I arranged it.

GreenSunflower's Antipasto Platter

• Cappacola Ham
• Peppered Salami
• Provolone cheese
• Fresh Mozzarella
• Grape tomatoes
• Pepperocini peppers
• Baby carrots
• Marinated artichoke hearts
• Fresh Basil for garnish
• Purple and green pitted olives of your choice

Pumpkin Ice Cream

Pumpkin Ice Cream
Originally uploaded by greensunflower.

I made this to taste like pumpkin pie.  It is sweet, but not too sweet and the spice flavors are subtle.  It is very rich.  Perfect for the gluten oppressed at Thanksgiving.

• 1 16 oz can pure packed pumpkin
• 1.5 cups half and half
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup pasteurized egg product
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

Whisk the egg product until foamy.  Add sugar a little at a time, whisking to keep it foamy.  Add spices and pumpkin.  Whisk until blended.  Add cream and half and half, whisk until blended.  Put in your ice cream freezer and follow your manufacturers directions.

Thanksgiving Menu

I am already thinking about Thanksgiving and have created a menu.  I even have a tablescape in mind. 

Menu:

Antipasto Platter

Roast Turkey

Roast Butternut Squash Puree

Apple Onion Dressing

Fresh Cranberry Orange Relish

Fresh Green Beans with Shallots and Mushrooms

Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes

Turkey Gravy with Sherry

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Ice Cream

Pecan Pie

For my table, I plan to have an assortment of candle holders with fall color candles spread evenly down the center of the table, with length of fall leaves on small branches weaved in between and small pumpkins and squash intermingled.  All on a rusty table cloth.

Dont ask me why pumpkin ice cream is all formatted wierd, typepad is just weird sometimes