You already know that A Step Ahead makes the best prosthetics around. But we bet you didn’t know we’ve also got some gourmet cooks hiding on our staff! Here are the Thanksgiving recipes that we’ll be enjoying this holiday. Try some for yourself and let us know what you think!
Erik’s Banana Bread
Erik loves banana bread. This recipe is his favorite!
INGREDIENTS
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
5 ripe bananas
2 eggs
1 stick softened butter
2 cups flour
1/2 cup walnuts or chocolate chips (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9” loaf pan. Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl and stir together. Mash the bananas and add to the dry ingredients; they can be a bit chunky. Beat the eggs until frothy and add to the flour mixture. Add the butter and chips or walnuts. Mix, but don’t over mix. Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean.
Dan’s Autumn Vegetable Stew
Dan is A Step Ahead’s resident vegan and doesn’t eat meat or dairy, among other things. However, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t eat well! Try this delicious stew as a first course.
INGREDIENTS
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, cut into 1⁄2-inch slices
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 1⁄2 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
Two 1-inch pieces cinnamon stick
8 cups Vegetable Stock, or low-sodium vegetable broth
1 medium butternut squash (about 1 pound), peeled, halved, seeded, and cut into 3⁄4 -inch pieces
1 turnip, peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
1 russet potato, peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
One 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 cups cooked chickpeas, or one 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed
2 large pinches saffron, soaked for 15 minutes in 1⁄4 cup warm water
2 tablespoons finely chopped mint
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1⁄2 cup finely chopped cilantro
DIRECTIONS
Place the onion, carrots, and celery in a large pot and sauté for 10 minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan. Add the garlic, ginger, paprika, cumin, coriander, and cinnamon sticks and cook for 3 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, squash, turnip, potato, tomatoes, and chickpeas and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Add the mint and the saffron with its soaking water and season the stew with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes more, or until the vegetables are tender. Serve garnished with the cilantro.
Gwyeth’s Yam Mallow Crisp
Is there a better cook out there than Mom? Gwyeth’s mother makes this tasty dish every Thanksgiving.
INGREDIENTS
One 40 oz. can of yams – weight of yams 24oz.
1/2 cup of orange juice
3/4 cup of flour
1/2 cup of white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
DIRECTIONS
Place yams in 10×6 inch shallow baking dish. Pour OJ over yams. Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Cut in margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; sprinkle over yams. Bake at 350, for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with marshmallows. Broil until lightly browned. It is very important that you watch the marshmallows while they broil because they burn in seconds. If they burn, scrape them off and put new marshmallows on and try again. Enjoy!
Bob’s Frozen Cranberry Salad
Cranberries are a staple of any Thanksgiving meal. Bob’s mother jazzes them up by serving them as this frozen cranberry salad!
INGREDIENTS
6 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sugar
1 can whole cranberry sauce (large can)
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup chopped nuts (Mom uses walnuts but pecans work equally well)
1 cup Cool Whip, softened
DIRECTIONS
Mix all ingredients together in large bowl. Pour into mold and freeze at least 6 hours.
Tip: for easy unfolding, dip bottom half of mold into warm water for ten seconds then unfold onto plate.
Renato’s Red Quinoa With Roasted Butternut Squash, Cranberries, and Pecans
Renato’s quinoa recipe has all the flavors of Thanksgiving, but is a very healthy dish in spite of its deliciousness!
INGREDIENTS
1 cup red quinoa
1 smallish butternut squash, peeled and diced
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, halved or chopped as you prefer
1/2 of a medium red onion, diced fine
1 clove of garlic, minced
Olive oil
Pure maple syrup, to taste
Sea salt
A sprinkle of ginger and/or curry, to taste
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a fine sieve. Cook the red quinoa in a rice cooker, using a 1:2 ratio of 1 cup red quinoa to 2 cups water. As mentioned above, if you like it softer, add an additional 1/4 to 1/2 cup water. If you don’t have a rice cooker, cook the quinoa on the stove in a pot, according to package directions.
In a medium roasting pan add the butternut squash, cranberries, onion and garlic. Drizzle with a dash of olive oil, to coat. Add a teaspoon or two of pure maple syrup- not too much. Sprinkle with sea salt, ginger and a dash of curry. Toss everything together. Roast in the top half of the oven until the squash is tender- about 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a skillet and lightly toast the pecans, till fragrant. In a large warmed serving bowl, add in the cooked quinoa and the roasted butternut mixture. Add in the toasted pecans, chopped parsley. Taste test and adjust seasoning. Drizzle with some fruity extra virgin olive oil and toss to coat. Serve warm.
Roseann’s Broccoli Cheese Noodles
Simple and delicious, who doesn’t like that combination? Roseanne’s noodles don’t require a lot of preparation, but your guests don’t need to know that.
INGREDIENTS
2 bags frozen chopped broccoli florets
1 stick of butter
1 small white onion, or 1/2 large
1 can Campbell’s Cream of Chicken soup
1 15 oz. Velveeta cheddar cheese
1 1 lb. bag Pennsylvania Dutch curly wide egg noodles
DIRECTIONS
Cut onion into small pieces. In large saucepan, cook broccoli according to package directions, then set aside. In separate large saucepan, melt butter, then add onion and sautée until transparent. Add cream of chicken soup, + 3/4 can of water to butter/onion. Cook until it comes to boil, stirring frequently, then lower heat to simmer. While soup mixture simmers, slice Velveeta cheese and stir in each slice until melted in soup mixture. Boil egg noodles according to package directions. Drain noodles, add soup/cheese mixture to large pot (from boiled noodles), then fold in broccoli.
Catherine’s Sausage Apple Stuffing
Catherine’s stuffing is her daughter Kaitlyn’s favorite item on the menu every Thanksgiving!
INGREDIENTS
1 Tablespoon olive oil, plus more for the baking dish
4 links sweet Italian sausage, casings removed (about 1 pound)
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
2 medium onions, chopped
2 tart apples (such as Granny Smith or Pink Lady), cored and chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 large baguette (about 3/4 pound), cut into 3/4 inch pieces (about 7 cups)
3 cups chicken broth
2 large eggs, beaten
DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a 9×13 baking dish. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a large bowl. To the drippings in the skillet, add the celery, onions, apples, sage, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, tossing often, until the vegetables are tender, 7 to 9 minutes. Add the vegetable mixture, baguette, broth, and eggs to the sausage and toss to combine. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and cover with foil. Bake the stuffing for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until browned, 20 to 30 minutes more.
Bernie’s Juicy Thanksgiving Turkey
What would Thanksgiving be without turkey? Bernie’s recipe is easy to make and comes out juicy and delicious every single time.
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 tablespoons ground dried rosemary
2 tablespoons rubbed dried sage
2 tablespoons dried thyme leaves
1 tablespoon lemon pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 (15 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 orange, cut into wedges
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 (750 milliliter) bottle champagne
DIRECTIONS
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a turkey roaster with long sheets of aluminum foil that will be long enough to wrap over the turkey. Stir together the parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, lemon pepper, and salt in a small bowl. Rub the herb mixture into the cavity of the turkey, then stuff with the celery, orange, onion, and carrot. Truss if desired, and place the turkey into the roasting pan. Pour the chicken broth and champagne over the turkey, making sure to get some champagne in the cavity. Bring the aluminum foil over the top of the turkey, and seal. Try to keep the foil from touching the skin of the turkey breast or legs. Bake the turkey in the preheated oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear. Uncover the turkey, and continue baking until the skin turns golden brown, 30 minutes to 1 hour longer. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove the turkey from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.
Mandy’s Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle
Still have room for dessert? Try Mandy’s awesome trifle as an alternative to the standard pumpkin pie.
INGREDIENTS
2 packages gingerbread mix
1 box cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix
1 can (30 oz) pumpkin pie filling
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 teaspoon cinnamon
1-2 containers (12 oz) frozen whipped topping
1/2 cup gingersnaps, optional
DIRECTIONS
Bake the gingerbread mix according to the package directions; cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare the pudding and set aside to cool. Stir the pumpkin pie filling, sugar, and cinnamon into the pudding. Crumble one batch of the cooked gingerbread into the bottom of a large trifle bowl or punch bowl. Pour 1/2 of the pudding mix over the layer of gingerbread and crumble 1/2 of gingersnaps on the pudding if desired. Then add a layer of the whipped topping. Repeat layers: gingerbread, pudding, gingersnaps, then whipped topping. Decorate the top layer with crushed gingersnaps or whole, if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
