First Ever Thanksgiving Quantity Cooking Recipe Contest!
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Alice Alexander
Here are the entries for the 2015 Thanksgiving Quantity Cooking Recipe Contest! The submissions were all delicious. The judges debated a long time ...
And the winner for 2015 is:
Sweet Potato Ginger -- Submitted by: Alice Alexander
Durham Central Park Cohousing, Durham, NC
http://www.durhamcoho.com/
alicecohous@gmail.com
Alice is co-founder of Durham Central Park Cohousing Community, based in a 24-unit building self-developed in downtown Durham, NC. Originally from Northern Virginia, with some time in Ohio, Alice moved to Durham in 2001 and immediately felt at home. Alice is a baby boomer with a need to make an impact and can think of no better investment than to serve CohoUS as its Executive Director.
SERVES: 10-12
5-6 pounds sweet potatoes
olive oil for covering potato skins while cooking
4-6 tablespoons of butter, melted (or mashed into warm potatoes)
1/4 cup of minced fresh ginger
1 large or two small juice oranges, squeezed of juice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup of chopped walnuts, toasted or not
Wash the sweet potatoes. Cover lightly with olive oil by pouring oil on your hands and wiping over the potatoes. Put the potatoes in a baking dish (lined with parchment paper or olive oil) and cook at 375 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour and a quarter, depending on the size. They are done when a fork easily pierces.
After cooling, peel the potatoes. Put in a large bowl, and add all the other ingredients, except the walnuts. Puree with a masher or blender, or your hands.
Turn potato mixture into a casserole dish. Cover with walnuts. Heat before serving (at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour if dish is cold).
Here is what the judges, Robbin Phelps and Bruce Jones, Takoma Village Cohousing in Washington, DC, said about this recipe:
Delicious! Authentic Thanksgiving flavors of sweet potatoes and toasted walnuts, with the zing from ginger that awakens the taste buds. It is gluten free and vegetarian, and we guess that you could make it vegan by eliminating the butter and using either olive oil or coconut oil. Nice and easy: just bake the potatoes, and mash everything together. Fun, too – you can mash with your hands. We do not anticipate that there would be leftovers. But, if you want to set some aside ahead of time just for that, the dish would heat up well in the microwave, on the stovetop, or in the oven.
And the winner for 2015 is:
Sweet Potato Ginger -- Submitted by: Alice Alexander
Durham Central Park Cohousing, Durham, NC
http://www.durhamcoho.com/
alicecohous@gmail.com
Alice is co-founder of Durham Central Park Cohousing Community, based in a 24-unit building self-developed in downtown Durham, NC. Originally from Northern Virginia, with some time in Ohio, Alice moved to Durham in 2001 and immediately felt at home. Alice is a baby boomer with a need to make an impact and can think of no better investment than to serve CohoUS as its Executive Director.
SERVES: 10-12
5-6 pounds sweet potatoes
olive oil for covering potato skins while cooking
4-6 tablespoons of butter, melted (or mashed into warm potatoes)
1/4 cup of minced fresh ginger
1 large or two small juice oranges, squeezed of juice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup of chopped walnuts, toasted or not
Wash the sweet potatoes. Cover lightly with olive oil by pouring oil on your hands and wiping over the potatoes. Put the potatoes in a baking dish (lined with parchment paper or olive oil) and cook at 375 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour and a quarter, depending on the size. They are done when a fork easily pierces.
After cooling, peel the potatoes. Put in a large bowl, and add all the other ingredients, except the walnuts. Puree with a masher or blender, or your hands.
Turn potato mixture into a casserole dish. Cover with walnuts. Heat before serving (at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour if dish is cold).
Here is what the judges, Robbin Phelps and Bruce Jones, Takoma Village Cohousing in Washington, DC, said about this recipe:
Delicious! Authentic Thanksgiving flavors of sweet potatoes and toasted walnuts, with the zing from ginger that awakens the taste buds. It is gluten free and vegetarian, and we guess that you could make it vegan by eliminating the butter and using either olive oil or coconut oil. Nice and easy: just bake the potatoes, and mash everything together. Fun, too – you can mash with your hands. We do not anticipate that there would be leftovers. But, if you want to set some aside ahead of time just for that, the dish would heat up well in the microwave, on the stovetop, or in the oven.
Ruth Hirsch, L, dancing with daughter
Garnet And Amber Thanksgiving Jewels……….aka Cranberry Orange Yum -- Submitted by Ruth Hirsch
Cantine's Island Cohousing, Saugerties, NY
http://www.cantinesislandcohousing.org/
partner-in-healing@earthlink.net
I love living in the Hudson Valley. The Light!
Married late-ish, for love.
Love good food, laughter. Good books. Nature, beauty.
And more good food.
SERVES: starts at 20 … readily expands
Ingredients:
2 bags fresh Cranberries
2 Oranges, Valencia are preferred Because we use the whole fruit, I usually use organic for this.
Optional: honey to taste
Method:
1. Quarter the orange, removing seeds
2. Add to Cuisinart/Food Processor with 's' metal blade in place.**
3. Pulse a few times to chop to pieces a little larger than the cranberries.**
4. Add cranberries, and pulse another few times.
5. Optional: Add 2 T of honey/sugar, or to taste, if you like
We like it both with and without.
It can be made ahead, and left in fridge until you are ready.
It welcome vegetarians, vegans, and omni-eaters alike!
It flexes: can easily be increased if an unexpected bunch of folks pops in.
It can readily be made perfectly yum with honey, sugar, or with no sweetener at all.
If more folks are expected, make two batches. It takes only minutes.
If unexpected folks arrive, just pull out another bag of cranberries and an orange, and in minutes: plenty for your bigger crowd.
** If you do not use Food Processor/are off the grid, grind with hand grinder or chop by hand.
Cantine's Island Cohousing, Saugerties, NY
http://www.cantinesislandcohousing.org/
partner-in-healing@earthlink.net
I love living in the Hudson Valley. The Light!
Married late-ish, for love.
Love good food, laughter. Good books. Nature, beauty.
And more good food.
SERVES: starts at 20 … readily expands
Ingredients:
2 bags fresh Cranberries
2 Oranges, Valencia are preferred Because we use the whole fruit, I usually use organic for this.
Optional: honey to taste
Method:
1. Quarter the orange, removing seeds
2. Add to Cuisinart/Food Processor with 's' metal blade in place.**
3. Pulse a few times to chop to pieces a little larger than the cranberries.**
4. Add cranberries, and pulse another few times.
5. Optional: Add 2 T of honey/sugar, or to taste, if you like
We like it both with and without.
It can be made ahead, and left in fridge until you are ready.
It welcome vegetarians, vegans, and omni-eaters alike!
It flexes: can easily be increased if an unexpected bunch of folks pops in.
It can readily be made perfectly yum with honey, sugar, or with no sweetener at all.
If more folks are expected, make two batches. It takes only minutes.
If unexpected folks arrive, just pull out another bag of cranberries and an orange, and in minutes: plenty for your bigger crowd.
** If you do not use Food Processor/are off the grid, grind with hand grinder or chop by hand.
Betsy Mendelsohn
Wild Rice Salad submitted by Betsy Mendelsohn,
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington, DC
http://www.takomavillage.org
b_mendelsohn@hotmail.com
Betsy offers this as a "crossover dish" that pleases anyone not pursuing the neolithic diet. As her longstanding Thanksgiving dish, its recipe of origin is shrouded in mystery.
SERVES: min. 12
Main dish for vegans; side dish for others.
1. Make Rice
Soak 3 cups wild rice overnight, then cook it in soaking water in a rice cooker - most of it should not be "exploded"
Stir 1/3 cup olive oil into wild rice; this keeps the marinade in the vegetables rather than in the rice.
2. Make marinated vegetables
Slice 5 cups of vegetables: 4 cups celery chunks & 1 cup red onion diced (not minced).
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon wasabi powder (or horseradish from the refrigerator)
1 teaspoon salt (your preference, but it's a lot of rice)
1 teaspoon pepper (or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne)
Let chopped veg sit in the spicy vinegar; mix together really well. It should taste MUCH stronger than you want.
3. Mix it up, let sit, adjust seasonings
Combine rice and marinated vegetables and let it sit on the counter for a couple hours. After that "sit," it should taste good, but kind of salty and spicy and sour. If not, then mix up more marinade or add more chopped onions. If you want a lighter salad, then add more celery. If you want a richer salad, add more olive oil.
4. Final bit
An hour before serving, mix in
1-1/2 cups dried, sweetened cranberries
1-1/2 cups toasted pecans OR pepitas
Yes, you can add another vegetable at this point: chopped peapods or frozen petite peas or blanched carrot slices (for color, texture and taste - other veg don't work so well)
These add-ins add sweetness and texture to balance the sour and spicy marinade.
4a. Splitting the work
To do some of the work one day and another part another day, you've got a couple choices:
1 - refrigerate the oiled rice and marinated veg separately; 2 hours before serving, combine them, let sit, adjust seasonings & add in Final bit
2 - refrigerate right after "4. Final bit" and then let it come to room temperature for a couple hours before serving. Keep all veg and surfaces super clean, and this salad will keep for a really long time.
5. Leftovers
The salad gets sweeter the longer it sits; this can be corrected by adding cayenne, salt and a dash of vinegar. Or, really just give it away rather than saving leftovers for more than a couple days.
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington, DC
http://www.takomavillage.org
b_mendelsohn@hotmail.com
Betsy offers this as a "crossover dish" that pleases anyone not pursuing the neolithic diet. As her longstanding Thanksgiving dish, its recipe of origin is shrouded in mystery.
SERVES: min. 12
Main dish for vegans; side dish for others.
1. Make Rice
Soak 3 cups wild rice overnight, then cook it in soaking water in a rice cooker - most of it should not be "exploded"
Stir 1/3 cup olive oil into wild rice; this keeps the marinade in the vegetables rather than in the rice.
2. Make marinated vegetables
Slice 5 cups of vegetables: 4 cups celery chunks & 1 cup red onion diced (not minced).
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon wasabi powder (or horseradish from the refrigerator)
1 teaspoon salt (your preference, but it's a lot of rice)
1 teaspoon pepper (or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne)
Let chopped veg sit in the spicy vinegar; mix together really well. It should taste MUCH stronger than you want.
3. Mix it up, let sit, adjust seasonings
Combine rice and marinated vegetables and let it sit on the counter for a couple hours. After that "sit," it should taste good, but kind of salty and spicy and sour. If not, then mix up more marinade or add more chopped onions. If you want a lighter salad, then add more celery. If you want a richer salad, add more olive oil.
4. Final bit
An hour before serving, mix in
1-1/2 cups dried, sweetened cranberries
1-1/2 cups toasted pecans OR pepitas
Yes, you can add another vegetable at this point: chopped peapods or frozen petite peas or blanched carrot slices (for color, texture and taste - other veg don't work so well)
These add-ins add sweetness and texture to balance the sour and spicy marinade.
4a. Splitting the work
To do some of the work one day and another part another day, you've got a couple choices:
1 - refrigerate the oiled rice and marinated veg separately; 2 hours before serving, combine them, let sit, adjust seasonings & add in Final bit
2 - refrigerate right after "4. Final bit" and then let it come to room temperature for a couple hours before serving. Keep all veg and surfaces super clean, and this salad will keep for a really long time.
5. Leftovers
The salad gets sweeter the longer it sits; this can be corrected by adding cayenne, salt and a dash of vinegar. Or, really just give it away rather than saving leftovers for more than a couple days.
Barbara Buckham
Yam and Squash Casserole with Cranberries submitted by Barbara Buckham
Meadow Wood Cohousing
Bremerton, WA
http://www.mwcondo.com/
barbbuckham@gmail.com
Barbara Buckham and her husband Rich were part of the original group that had the idea to build a cohousing community. They moved in in 2006 and have loved it ever since (for the most part). Barbara has done different kinds of social work and currently cooks dinner every Tues. for the community, a job which she enjoys. They typically have 25 - 30 people attending.
SERVES: 25-30
6 lbs yams
1 squash, any type that’s local and plentiful
1 cup butter
1 tsp. salt
2 c. self-rising flour
2 c. brown sugar
2 c. butter
Mix flour, brown sugar and butter with fingers until crumbly. spread on a cookie sheet and freeze.
Boil yams until soft, pour thru colander and let cool. Microwave squash until very soft (at least 10 minutes)
Peel yams, scoop out squash and mash together with butter and salt. (I use an electric mixer)
Crumble frozen crumb topping on top of yam/squash mash.
Sprinkle one entire bag of cranberries on top of the whole thing
Bake at 350 for about 45 min. or 1 hour until cranberries are soft and popping
Meadow Wood Cohousing
Bremerton, WA
http://www.mwcondo.com/
barbbuckham@gmail.com
Barbara Buckham and her husband Rich were part of the original group that had the idea to build a cohousing community. They moved in in 2006 and have loved it ever since (for the most part). Barbara has done different kinds of social work and currently cooks dinner every Tues. for the community, a job which she enjoys. They typically have 25 - 30 people attending.
SERVES: 25-30
6 lbs yams
1 squash, any type that’s local and plentiful
1 cup butter
1 tsp. salt
2 c. self-rising flour
2 c. brown sugar
2 c. butter
Mix flour, brown sugar and butter with fingers until crumbly. spread on a cookie sheet and freeze.
Boil yams until soft, pour thru colander and let cool. Microwave squash until very soft (at least 10 minutes)
Peel yams, scoop out squash and mash together with butter and salt. (I use an electric mixer)
Crumble frozen crumb topping on top of yam/squash mash.
Sprinkle one entire bag of cranberries on top of the whole thing
Bake at 350 for about 45 min. or 1 hour until cranberries are soft and popping
Vegetable Tagine submitted by Jessica Gaitan
Enright Ridge Urban EcoVillage
Cincinnatti, OH
http://www.enrightecovillage.org/
jessicamgaitan@gmail.com
Serves 10-12 people
Ingredients:
3 large Sweet potatoes, cubed
1 Butternut squash, cubed
3 to 5 Carrots, cut thick
2 cans Chick peas, drained
2 Yellow squash or zucchini cut thick
Canned peeled whole tomatoes, two 16 oz cans (keep liquid)
2 cups broccoli, chopped
2 medium onions, diced
Any other vegetables you want to include, such as turnips, eggplant, cauliflower, etc.
1 cup Raisins
Vegetable stock, about 2 to 4 cups.
Spices:
Cumin 1 teaspoon
Coriander 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric 1 teaspoon
Paprika 1/2 teaspoon
Red chili powder 1/2 teaspoon
Cardamom 1/2 teaspoon
Salt 1/4 teaspoon
Black pepper 1/2 teaspoon
Cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions:
Put all powdered spices together in a small bowl.
Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil in bottom of pot until onions are turning clear and add the spices.
Add canned whole tomatoes with their liquid and stir.
Add vegetables, chick peas and raisins. Add vegetable stock as needed until vegetables are covered.
Bring to a boil then cover and cook on low for 45 min to an hour, stirring occasionally.
Serve over couscous, quinoa or rice and with plain yogurt.
Enright Ridge Urban EcoVillage
Cincinnatti, OH
http://www.enrightecovillage.org/
jessicamgaitan@gmail.com
Serves 10-12 people
Ingredients:
3 large Sweet potatoes, cubed
1 Butternut squash, cubed
3 to 5 Carrots, cut thick
2 cans Chick peas, drained
2 Yellow squash or zucchini cut thick
Canned peeled whole tomatoes, two 16 oz cans (keep liquid)
2 cups broccoli, chopped
2 medium onions, diced
Any other vegetables you want to include, such as turnips, eggplant, cauliflower, etc.
1 cup Raisins
Vegetable stock, about 2 to 4 cups.
Spices:
Cumin 1 teaspoon
Coriander 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric 1 teaspoon
Paprika 1/2 teaspoon
Red chili powder 1/2 teaspoon
Cardamom 1/2 teaspoon
Salt 1/4 teaspoon
Black pepper 1/2 teaspoon
Cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions:
Put all powdered spices together in a small bowl.
Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil in bottom of pot until onions are turning clear and add the spices.
Add canned whole tomatoes with their liquid and stir.
Add vegetables, chick peas and raisins. Add vegetable stock as needed until vegetables are covered.
Bring to a boil then cover and cook on low for 45 min to an hour, stirring occasionally.
Serve over couscous, quinoa or rice and with plain yogurt.
A word about how the judging was done: each entry was assigned a number so the judges were "blind" as to the submitter. All submissions were scrubbed of any identifying text. All were highlighted, copied and pasted into a single document with the same typeface.
Download Recipes -- in WORD Document
| thanksgiving_recipe_contest_2015_website_file.docx |