A Few Tips from my Kitchen to Yours

First things first, YOU! Get out for a walk on holiday mornings. Do it! Be thankful for all that you are. Get your glow on. It’s okay to stop and look up at the sky. Take a moment. Hello, up there. Thank you, Universe!

Then, do lots of hydrating. Plan all the food in advance to the point where you write it down and schedule it. Make a timeline. Phew. No more pressure. Everything will be great.

Now, let’s get to it. The Meal. There are plenty of ways to make your meal healthy and beautiful. And I’ve got your vegan folks covered too.

Pretty Turkey

Look at my beautiful turkey! If you make a Turkey, get fancy about it and dress it up! Thanksgiving and Christmas are about celebrating a shared bounty. A turkey platter is the perfect way to get an eye pleasing, mouthwatering gasp from your guests.

I’m not a specialized turkey chef, so each year I follow simple per-pound google instructions and it works.

Hot tip:

My turkeys come from local farms, are pasture raised, and I stuff them with herbs and citrus while baking. I chop up a lemon, add rosemary, thyme, garlic and tie it into the cavity for baking.

Vegan Mushroom Wellington

Want a vegan main course? Well, you’re gonna thank me for this. Takes me way back to my wedding day. Yes, a Wellington. This time it’s a vegan mushroom Wellington.

Have at it.

Vegan or not, this is a crowd pleaser every time, delicious and beautiful! Tender mushrooms wrapped up in a home-made vegan puff pastry or easy peasy store bought pastry, your choice.

What you’ll need:

4 large portobello mushrooms stalks trimmed and cleaned
3 large onions peeled and chopped
3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
300 g baby spinach (10 1/2 oz)
4 sprigs of thyme leaves picked
1 puff pastry
1 tbs dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

How to make it:

Place a large frying pan over a low to medium-low heat. Add the 1 /2 tbs of olive oil followed by onion and reduce heat to low. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions are golden brown.
Remove the onions from the pan and return the pan to the heat. Add the baby spinach and cook until wilted. Remove the baby spinach from the pan and let cool.
Increase the heat to medium/high and return the pan to the heat. Add the remaining olive oil and place the mushrooms, top side down. Cook until lightly golden (about 5 minutes) before turning over and cooking for a further 5 minutes or until golden. Remove from the heat, and drain on paper towel top side up as they will release a lot of liquid as they cool. Transfer the onions, spinach and mushrooms to the refrigerator and cool completely.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Place a sheet of baking paper on the baking tray and then place the puff pastry sheet on top. Spread half the caramelized onions over the middle third of the pastry, making sure to leave a 3/4 inch border at the edge of the pastry. Top with half of the baby spinach. Spread the dijon mustard over the mushrooms and season well with salt and pepper. Place the mushrooms on top of the spinach. Top the mushrooms with thyme and the remaining baby spinach and onions.
Very carefully roll the pastry over the top of the mushroom mixture until you have a log. Press down to seal the edges. Roll over the log so that the seam is facing the bottom.
Very lightly coat with the (vegan) egg wash. Place the pastry in the freezer for 10 minutes before repeating with another layer of (vegan) egg wash and freezing the pastry for a further 10 minutes.
Place the pastry back on the baking sheet and tray and place in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden and flakey.

Hot tip:

The mushroom wellington is best eaten as soon as it comes out of the oven as the pastry will start to soften as the mushrooms release their juices as they cool.

Mashed…Not Potatoes!

Okay, okay, okay. I know your mouth is watering. Let’s talk mashed…not potatoes. Sides!

Me? I make cauliflower mash. It’s delish. Steam or roast cauliflower florets. Throw into the blender with rosemary, roasted garlic and maybe a spoonful of ghee. Lots of s&p. That’s it. Yup, that’s it.

Other veggies? I’ll leave that up to you. I’m a fan of asparagus, and always a salad. My mom served peas and pearl onions. Love them too.

Cranberry Sauce - No Refined Sugar!

A longtime family favorite! Here’s a terrific way to make your cranberry sauce without all that added refined sugar. Trust me on this. It’s tart and sweet, and can’t be beat. Yum central and a must.

What you’ll need:

3 cups whole cranberries fresh or frozen
3/4 cup 100% orange juice
3/4 cup organic coconut palm sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg

How to make it:

Add your cranberries, orange juice and coconut sugar to a medium saucepan over medium heat on the stovetop.
Stir and cook, bringing the cranberry mixture to a boil (about 5-10 mins), then lower the heat to a simmer and allow it to cook 5-10 more minutes, stirring and scraping the sides occasionally to prevent the sugar from burning, until most of the cranberries have burst and the sauce has thickened (it will thicken quite a bit while cooling as well)
Turn the heat off and stir in the cinnamon and nutmeg.* Allow the sauce to cool for about 15 minutes in the saucepan. Once it's no longer too hot to handle, transfer to a container or dish, cover, and refrigerate if desired until cooled to your preference, then serve.**
The cranberry sauce can be reheated as you like, served as a side dish or topping for anything, or used for cooking/baking in other recipes. Store leftovers in a lidded container in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

Hot tip:

Add ginger allspice and orange zest for extra flavor

Perhaps my best advice is the morning walk. I promise it’ll set you up for a terrific day. The second best advice is to plan – and write out your timeline. Doing this means that you can have fun with your family and let the plan do the work.