Thanksgiving Day 2016 traditionally kicks off, and most people will be counting blessings and Happy Thanksgiving wishes from loved ones.
Are you frantically wondering if it is already to late to plan the Thanksgiving menu? Well, you need not worry with these last-minute easy dishes.
Thanksgiving dishes do not need to be elaborate and the food lineup can be simple, and yet still tasty. You won’t need a magic wand! All you will need is some easily available stock-up items and Thanksgiving recipes that can help you prepare some magic in the kitchen.
Get some tips from these quick and easy last-minute Thanksgiving recipes that will help you prepare for your holiday menu and will be enjoyed by your guests.
Last-Minute Easy Thanksgiving Recipes
Start your last-minute home-cooking Thanksgiving experience and enjoy a stress-free delicious holiday meal.
Sweet and Sour Pumpkin Recipe (Serves 4 to 6)
Ingredients:
1 medium-sized cooking pumpkin (about One and half pounds)
6 large sage leaves
1 tsp. fresh rosemary needles
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves (peeled and finely chopped)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour for dusting
Olive oil for shallow frying
Recipe:
Peel the pumpkin. Cut first into four-inch sections, then into thin slices. Dust these with flour. Add enough olive oil to a medium frying pan so it is ¼-inch deep. Heat over medium heat. Fry the pumpkin slices until golden on both sides. Drain on absorbent paper towels.
In a ceramic container, make layers of the pumpkin slices. Intersperse the slices with sage leaves and rosemary needles. Pour vinegar in a small pan along with garlic, and add salt and pepper to taste. Briefly bring to a boil. Pour hot vinegar over the layered pumpkin.
Leave for a few hours for flavors to combine before serving.
Fried Onion and Garlic Green Beans (Serves 2 to 4)
Ingredients:
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups regular green beans, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 cup evenly diced onion
1 clove garlic, grated with a micro plane
2 splashes soy sauce
1-2 lemon wedges
1/2 handful chopped cilantro, for garnish
1 pinch salt
A few tablespoons water
Recipe:
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on a medium heat. Add the beans. Let them cook for about four minutes (or less depending on the type of bean you’re using and the strength of your burner). The heat should be high enough that the beans are sizzling. Cook until brown and a little wrinkled (they should not burn).
Now, add around a tablespoon of water and swish it around. Push the beans all around the edges of the pan and create a space in the middle. Place the onions into the space and sprinkle a little salt on top. Cook the onions for a few minutes. Slowly start to mix everything together. At this point everything should be getting fairly brown. Add the garlic. Mix it in as you stir.
When the onions are nice and brown (which should take five to seven minutes). Add a splash or two of soy sauce and a squeeze of lemon. Cook for two more minutes. Serve garnished with chopped cilantro.
Nothern Spy’s Kale Salad (Serves 2)
Ingredients:
1 bunch kale (preferably lacinato or dinosaur kale), ribs removed and finely sliced (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup almonds (cut roughly in half)
1/4 cup crumbled or finely chopped Cabot cheddar (or any aged cheddar, or use Parmesan if you can’t find any)
Fresh lemon juice
Pecorino or other hard cheese, for shaving (optional)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Recipe:
Heat oven to 425°F. Toss squash cubes in just enough olive oil to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
Spread on a baking sheet (lined with parchment paper for easier cleanup), leaving space between the cubes. Roast in the oven until tender and caramelized (about 40 minutes). Toss with a spatula every 10 to 15 minutes. Toast the almonds on a baking sheet in the same oven until they start to smell nutty, tossing once for about 10 minutes. Let cool.
In a large mixing bowl, toss the kale with the almonds, cheddar, and squash. Season to taste with lemon juice and olive oil (around one tablespoon lemon juice, and two tablespoons olive oil). Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Garnish with shaved pecorino cheese, if desired, and serve.
Spoon Bread With Corn (Serves 4 to 6)
Ingredients:
3 cups milk
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup white cornmeal
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened
3 large eggs, separated
3 ears of corn, kernels removed from cobs, or two and half cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a nine-by-nine-inch casserole with cooking spray.
In large pot, heat milk and salt until milk nearly boils. Slowly whisk in cornmeal. Continue to stir until smooth. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered and stirring often for about 15 minutes until mixture is quite thick.
Remove pan from heat and stir in butter. Beat in egg yolks one at a time, then stir in corn kernels.
Beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Gently fold egg whites into the corn mixture. Pour into prepared casserole. Bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes until the top is golden brown and the center is almost set.
We hope you have a wonderful Happy Thanksgiving 2016 with your loved ones. With these easy last-minute Thanksgiving recipes, you are all sure to enjoy your holiday meal.
Sources:
Jampel, S.,“Here’s a last-minute Thanksgiving menu you can actually pull off,” The Week web site, November 23, 2016; http://theweek.com/articles/663507/heres-lastminute-thanksgiving-menu-actually-pull.
McKay, G., “Last-minute Thanksgiving dishes,” Pittsburg Post-Gazette web site, November 21, 2016; http://www.post-gazette.com/life/food/2016/11/21/Last-minute-Thanksgiving-dishes/stories/201611210002.
