Thanksgiving Sides…Cooking Easy & Delicious Sides

Some great sides I cooked up with Lauren McDonald, FOX21 Morning News, a couple of years ago…

 

Lots of fun planned for today as FOX21 Morning News Reporter, Lauren McDonald, joins me in the kitchen as we whip up easy, affordable, and delicious Thanksgiving side dishes. Whether this is your first turkey dinner to cook or you’re on a seriously tight budget, you’ll be able to find something here guaranteed to be a hit. 

According to Agweb.com, the average cost of a traditional Thanksgiving meal feeding 10, runs about $49.41. If you buy a traditional Thanksgiving meal prepared by your local grocery store, you’ll pay anywhere from $50 to $60 to feed 6 to 8 people. 

There are some great sales going on right now at grocery stores, which are the prices I used for these recipes. Safeway has 5 pound bags of potatoes on sale for 69 cent, King Soopers fresh green beans are $1.79 a pound, and Sprouts has fresh cranberries priced at 98 cents for 12 ounces. 

All of these recipes can be easily prepared as gluten-free, a few are great vegan options, and everything is made fresh. Most are healthy but one does contain lots of butter, bacon, and cheese. But hey, it’s okay to indulge sometimes. 

My most important tip to those of you hosting this year…don’t stress! Ask for help if you need it. Ask others to bring a dish so you’re not responsible for the entire meal. Plan a few dishes that can be made in advance and remember, not every single recipe has to be super-complicated or fancy. This is a day of thanks which you should be able to enjoy with your family and friends instead of working your buns off in the kitchen.

Here’s what Lauren and I whipped up today…

Before we began cooking, I thought it would be fun to start off the morning with a Spicy Bloody Mary, some homemade Vegetable Cream Cheese on bagels, and easy-to-make Sweet & Spicy Oven-Baked Bacon, Yum!

SPICY BLOODY MARY 

Makes: 1 Serving

Ingredients: 

ice cubes

3/4 cup spicy Bloody Mary mix or spicy tomato-vegetable juice like V-8

1 jigger vodka (3 tablespoons)

couple dashes Worcestershire sauce 

salt & pepper to taste

dash hot pepper sauce like Tabasco

1 stalk celery

2 or 3 stuffed green olives

Other garnish ideas – lime wedges, dill pickle, bacon strip, lemon wedge, fresh grated horseradish, pickled green beans or asparagus

DIRECTIONS: 

Over ice cubes in 10-ounce highball glass, measure all ingredients except celery and olives, and stir well. Garnish with celery, olives, and any other garnish items of choice. 

**You can easily make this gluten-free by making sure your vodka, Worcestershire sauce, and hot pepper sauce are gluten-free. If you have Celiac Disease double-check the labels because there are quite a few sauces that are not safe for you. 

My personal favorite gluten-free products I use in this recipe are Tito’s or Smirnoff vodka, Lea & Perrins Original Worcestershire Sauce, and Tabasco hot pepper sauce.

Most Worcestershire sauce brands are NOT vegan because they contain anchovies. Check the labels.

VEGETABLE CREAM CHEESE 

Vegetable Cream Cheese…Easy & Cheap, Tastes Great On Fresh Vegetables, Crackers & Of Course, Bagels

SWEET & SPICY OVEN-BAKED BACON

INGREDIENTS: 

1 pound bacon (12 slices)

1 1/2 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar

1 to 2 teaspoons black pepper

DIRECTIONS: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange bacon on broiler pan or rimmed cookie sheet with wire rack set on top. In middle or upper-third of oven, cook bacon 20 minutes. Flip bacon and sprinkle sugar/pepper mixture evenly over bacon. (Lightly pat mixture into bacon.) Continue cooking till bacon is crispy and browned, about 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to plate lined with paper towel and drain.

ROASTED VEGGIES!! SO EASY! 

Roasting is my very favorite way to cook vegetables. You can literally create delicious veggies using only olive oil, your vegetable of choice and a bit of kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Simple, affordable, and a great gluten-free/vegan/vegetarian option. When you roast vegetables, the high temperature caramelizes the outside while leaving the inside moist and tender. 

SIMPLE ROASTED CARROTS

 Prep Time: 10 minutes           Cook Time: 25 minutes         Serves: 8

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut diagonally, or peeled, halved crosswise and then crosswise

2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS: 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

On a rimmed baking sheet, toss carrots with olive oil. Add about 1/2 teaspoon each of Kosher salt and black pepper. 

Roast carrots until golden brown and tender, about 25 minutes.

• Don’t crowd the carrots. Depending on your pan size, you might want to use two and split carrots between the two.
• You can use these basic instructions for tons of veggies such as Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, asparagus, squashes, any root vegetables, etc. The thicker and larger the veggie, the longer the roasting time.

4 INGREDIENT CRANBERRY RELISH 

My very favorite cranberry relish and everyone loves it! Five minutes to prepare, only 4 ingredients, no cooking involved and tastes super fresh! 

https://www.719woman.com/2017/11/20/4-ingredient-super-easy-what-i-make-every-year-cranberry-relish/

My favorite “decadent” side dish…

This Twice-Baked Potato Casserole is typically the most expensive side dish I prepare and the least healthy. But everyone loves it! Filled with sour cream, butter, bacon, and two types of cheese, well, what’s not to love? I prepare this the night before and then bring it to room temperature and bake the next day.

TWICE-BAKED POTATO CASSEROLE

Prep Time: 75 minutes        Bake Time: 30 minutes       Makes 12 Servings for approx. $8.50

INGREDIENTS:

8 medium baking potatoes

1 stick butter at room temperature

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup milk

2 teaspoons Kosher salt

2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper

3/4 pound bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar

2 cups shredded mild cheddar

4 green onions, chopped

3 eggs, lightly beaten

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Clean potatoes, pat dry with paper towel, and prick in several places with a fork. Bake for about 1 hour or until tender. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack until cool enough to handle.

Once potatoes have cooled, cut each potato in half and scoop out flesh with a spoon. Place potato flesh in large bowl and add butter, sour cream, milk, salt and pepper. Mash until chunky-smooth. Add bacon, sharp cheddar, half of mild cheddar, green onions, and eggs. Mix thoroughly.

Butter a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish. (Or spray with cooking oil.) Reduce oven to 375 degrees.

Place potato mixture in prepared casserole dish and top with remaining mild cheddar. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until bubbly around the edges and the cheese is melted and lightly golden.

OFFER A LEAFY GREEN SALAD 

I always have a leafy green salad when entertaining. It’s a great gluten-free/vegan/vegetarian option…just don’t add any croutons, cheese, or eggs! And it’s a nice contrast to all the heavier butter and cheese laden dishes. You can create a simple salad, using fresh produce you already have on hand for the big dinner such as carrots, celery, onion, green beans, etc. Or make it chock-full of color and textures with the addition of radishes, olives, tomatoes, nuts, and dried fruit. 

If you do have family or friends who are gluten free or vegan, make sure your salad dressing is also gluten-free or vegan. A simple oil and vinegar dressing is always an option too.

A couple of good vegan store-bought dressings, which my friend JL Fields, Culinary Instructor, Cookbook Author, and Consultant (all things vegan) suggested are JUST Thousand, which I found at our local Wal-Mart and King Soopers ranging from $3 to $4 (gluten-free too.) She also recommends daiya dairy-free dressings and Follow Your Heart Salad Dressings. I just think it’s nice to have options for those with special dietary needs.

If you’re vegan or interested in what being vegan is all about, check out JL at JLgoesVegan.com. And for info on everything vegan happening in our area, check out https://www.facebook.com/ColoradoSpringsVeganVegetarianGroup 

Here are some delicious salad ingredients…add as few or as many as you want.

https://www.719woman.com/2018/07/11/build-salad-optimal-nutrition-and-save-bit-money/

GREEN BEAN GOODNESS

After being diagnosed with celiac disease years ago, I stopped making the “typical” green bean casserole with cream of mushroom soup and french-fried onions. The gluten-free version of some of the ingredients are more expensive, harder to find in my area, and in my opinion, don’t taste that great. Here’s my more-healthy version which I personally think tastes even better. And another great gluten-free/vegan/vegetarian option to offer guests. 

*The Crispy Shallots in this recipe are one of my favorite garnishes. I even toss them on scrambled eggs. 

GREEN BEANS WITH MUSHROOMS & CRISPY SHALLOTS

Makes 8 servings

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds fresh green beans, cleaned and ends snipped

1/2 cup olive oil

3 shallots, sliced and separated into rings

Kosher Salt

8 ounces button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare ice bath – fill large bowl with ice and water.

Cook beans in salted boiling water just until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. 

With slotted spoon transfer green beans to ice bath. Drain and set aside.

To make crispy shallots – Place 1/2 cup olive oil and shallot rings in small saucepan and cook on medium heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towel and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt.

In large skillet, heat shallot oil on medium-high. Sautee sliced mushrooms until golden brown and tender, about 5 minutes. Add cooked beans and heat through. Top with crispy shallots and season as desired with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.