Happy Canadian Thanksgiving

Yes, it's that time of year again!  Canadian Thanksgiving is celebrated in October so officially, the 2nd Monday of the month is Thanksgiving Day... it's a long weekend in Canada and the holiday takes many forms.  Some people have their celebrations on Sunday while others wait till Monday.... the latter has always been my preference.

I do love to roast a turkey... it is such an easy meal to prepare.  I no longer stuff the bird so it only takes a few hours to cook in the oven.  And without stuffing, the meat is so moist and tender.

I make a stove-top bread stuffing for anyone who wants it and we always have lots of vegetables... including white potatoes and sweet potatoes, too.

If you are interested in a gluten-free traditional turkey dinner, check out this post... with recipes for all the items on the menu:

Roasted turkey and potatoes

Turkey gravy

Quinoa dressing

Homemade cranberry sauce

Steamed carrots

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

What's your favorite part of Thanksgiving Dinner?

Cranberry Pulled Pork in the Crockpot

When the outside temperatures get nippy, I love to get out my crockpot. I am not sure why I equate slow cooking with cooler weather, but I sure do.  I not only used it one day this last week to prepare this Cranberry Pulled Pork, but also the next… to cook up a turkey carcass that was in the freezer for Homemade Turkey Broth to make soups and sauces over the next few weeks.  I should actually have made that broth first, then I could have used it in this recipe!

I have always loved pork with fruit… apples, peaches, and yes, cranberries.  The flavors just go so well together.  This Pork Medallions with Apples and Cranberries is an old favorite. 

This time I decided to leave out the apples and just go with cranberries.  It is lovely and the balsamic vinegar gives just enough sweetness to the dish.  I was tempted to add garlic, but am glad I didn’t.

I used a lean pork loin roast that weighed just over 2 pounds. If you find a nice tenderloin, just reduce the amount of the other ingredients. It’s not rocket science, and you can’t really go wrong here.

I like to make a dish like this and then freeze it in individual or family-size portions so that I can put dinner together quickly on days I am working, or when I just don’t really feel like cooking much.  If you like, add some potatoes or rice, or just a vegetable or a salad, and you have a hearty and delicious meal.

Cranberry Pulled Pork in the Crock Pot
Makes 14 four-ounce servings

• 2-lb pork loin roast, trimmed of all fat
• 1 cup onion slices
• 1 cup chicken or turkey broth
• 12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/4 cup dark balsamic vinegar
• 2 or 3 tsp dried oregano

1. Lightly coat the inside of your crockpot with a non-stick spray or oil spray to make cleaning up easier.
2. Brown all the outer edges of the pork roast in a saute pan over MEDIUM-HIGH heat for a few seconds. This is to seal in the juices so don’t skip doing this step.
3. Spread the onion slices over the bottom of the crock pot, followed by the cranberries.
4. Place the browned pork roast on top. and then sprinkle with the dried oregano.
5. Pour the broth over the top of the roast, followed by the balsamic vinegar.
6. Cover and let simmer on LOW for up to 8 hours.
7. Remove the lid, and turn the heat OFF.
8. With 2 forks, slowly pull the roast apart, mixing in the broth and the cranberries as you do.
9. Measure out 4 ounces of the mixture for each serving.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 3.
Calories 121; Protein 16g; Carbohydrate 4g; Fat 4g; Fibre 1g.

Printable Recipe

What’s your favorite crockpot meal?

Happy Gluten-Free Thanksgiving

Yes, a gluten-free Thanksgiving Dinner can be done and in a very HAPPY way that the whole family will enjoy…

We celebrated our first gluten-free Thanksgiving a couple of years ago… just the thought of it was very daunting. But with a bit of research and some planning, it all came together in a very easy and DELICIOUS manner. 

Here is what is on the menu:

Roasted turkey and potatoes

Turkey gravy

Quinoa dressing

Homemade cranberry sauce

Steamed carrots

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

Pinot Grigio/ice water

 

Check out the pictures and the recipes on my original blog post… and get cooking!

 

Is this your first gluten-free Thanksgiving?  What are you preparing?

More Sweet Potato and Quinoa Burgers from The Lean Green Bean

I found this recipe for Sweet Potato Quinoa Black Bean Burgers with Cranberries on a blog I like to read called The Lean Green Bean. I have used lots of Lindsay's recipes over the past several months and have never been disappointed.  You may recall her Tuna Quinoa Cakes.

This one is marvelous!  It is a combination of some of my very favorite gluten-free ingredients and is basically a very tasty veggie burger... but with a real flavor twist in the cranberries.

We actually first tried these burgers some time ago.

I had The Captain mix up the ingredients and form the burgers...

And then we baked them for 20 minutes before turning them over...

 and popping them back into the oven to cook for 10 minutes more.  They get crsipy on the edges and I love that crunch!

We decided that one each would make a great dinner... I had mine on a bed of mixed Spring greens and sliced cherry tomatoes, topped with feta cheese....

and The Captain chose to have his real burger style on a whole wheat roll with mustard and processed cheese.

I enjoyed another one, cold from the fridge, for lunch the next day, also on a green salad and it was just as good.

Check out the recipe and instructions at The Lean Green Bean, and please be sure to tell Linday I sent you!  I bet you already have the ingredients on hand, just as I did, and can make these right away for yourself and your family, too.

Here is the Nutritional Information for the burgers:

Per serving of one burger.

Weight Watchers P+ = 4.

Calories 176; Protein 8g; Carbohydrate 32g; Fat 2g; Fibre 7g.

Have you made veggie burgers? 

Do you have a link to a favorite veggie burger recipe you would like to share?





Tangy Orange Cranberry Sauce

For some reason, I cannot imagine a roast turkey dinner, without cranberry sauce.  When I was a kid I would only eat cranberry jelly; no lumpy berries for me!  But since I discovered fresh cranberries a few years ago, I have come to love the tart taste and meaty texture of the whole berry.

In the past, I have made cranberry sauce a couple of different ways.  And at Christmas this past year, I tried a lovely Cranberry-Apple Sauce… a bit different and really good.  I wanted to use less sugar and the apples helped sweeten the sauce considerably.

But for Easter this year, I wanted something a little more unusual.. .but again without too much sugar.

We have been really enjoying the small navel oranges that are available here lately. They are very sweet and very juicy and flavor-full so I decided to make an Orange Cranberry Sauce to go with our Easter turkey.

Now I did already know that cranberries and oranges go together. In the past I have shaved some orange zest into my cranberry sauce as it cooks… and I love the dried cranberries lightly flavored with orange that I was able to purchase from Trader Joes.

So the addition of a whole orange to my cranberry sauce was not a huge stretch… and it turned out so well and is so tasty, I wonder why I never thought of it before.
I started cooking the cranberries in some water and added my spices and a bit of sugar, then whizzed up a whole orange in the food processor.  When it was broken down into small bits, I added it to the berries, which were just starting to pop, and let it all simmer for about 10 minutes.

The Captain wandered into the kitchen, wondering what I was making cause he could smell a lovely citrus scent wafting out the doors onto on the balcony…

Next time you want to surprise your dinner guests with something a bit different, try this lovely Orange Cranberry Sauce. I think it will be really nice with some roast pork too.

Orange Cranberry Sauce
Makes 2 cups

• 1 bag fresh cranberries, 12 oz.
• 1 small whole orange, cut into chunks and seeded
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 cup white sugar

1. Mix cranberries with water, spices and sugar in a medium sauce pan and set over Medium-High heat.
2. Put chunks of orange into a food processor and whizz till pieces are quite small.
3. Add the orange to the saucepan.
4. Allow mixture to boil lightly  for about 10 minutes.  The berries will pop as they cook.
5. Remove from heat and allow to cool.  The mixture will become quite thick as it cools.
6. Store in refrigerator till needed. Leftovers can be frozen.

Per 1/4 cup serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 1.
Calories 51; Protein 0g; Carbohydrate 13g; Fat 0g; Fibre 2g.

Bubbling away on the stove, steam rising and spices smelling lovely!

The Captain's dinner plate. 

Printable Recipe

Are you a cranberry sauce fan or do you prefer cranberry jelly?

Store bought or home made?

Using Flavored Oils and Vinegars

A couple of weeks ago I received a lovely little gift package in the mail... a sampling of a couple of different olive oils, and a balsamic vinegar, from one of my online Weight Watcher friends who lives in Ontario, Canada.



Persian Lime EVOO, Harissa EVOO, Bluberry Balsamic Vinegar

 

 



I was thrilled that Kate thought to send these beautiful little bottles of exotic oils and vinegar to me, but I admit I have been a bit intimidated by them and was hesitant to try them out... until just recently.

The Captain and I went out for a 2 hour walk in the sunshine on Friday morning.  We kept up a good brisk pace as we trekked along the waterfront pathway above the Strait of Juan de Fuca, then around the point into the Inner Harbour, where we stopped and had a bit of a snack... apples and cashews... then carried on through the Harbour to China Town and then completed the circle back at our front door.

We were both very hungry when we arrived home... The Captain's mouth was watering for some Chinese Food, so I prepared a big saucepan full of udon noodles, cut up onions, shredded cabbage and some slivers of leftover cooked pork roast, all in a nice broth.. then set to work on a big salad for me.

I have been daydreaming about a delicous spinach salad that I had at an Ikea store in Vancouver several months ago, and I had a hunch that I could come up with something similar using the Blueberry Balsamic vinegar.  And I was right!

I mixed 1 tsp of EVOO with 2 tsp of the vinegar in a little bowl and then tasted it.  It was sweet and thick and kinda syrupy and just wonderful!

So I put togther my salad...  I started with a bed of spinach and black kale mixture, then slices of leftover baked chicken breast, some dried cranberries and a couple of tablespoons of almond slivers that I had quickly toasted in a non-stick pan on the stove while prepping the Captain's soup. Then I drizzled that EVOO/vinegar mixture over the top and sat down to thoroughly enjoy the best salad I have had in ages.

Every bite was absolutely delightful and I oohed and aahed all the way through lunch.  The Captain even said he could smell the blueberries from the vinegar across the table!

 

Now I am so excited to try out the oils, too... these little bottles have opened my eyes to a whole new world of flavors.. thanks so much, Kate!

 

 

Have you tried Persian Lime EVOO or Harissa EVOO?

 

Do you use flavored oils and vinegars in your cooking?  What's your favorite?

 





Cranberry-Apple Sauce

I love to be able to cook a traditional turkey dinner at Christmas, with all the fixings... some kind of dressing for The Captain, potatoes, gravy, veggies and cranberry sauce.  It just doesn't seem like a traditional turkey dinner without cranberry sauce... but we are eating less sugar these days, and almost no artificial sweeteners, so I needed to come up with a new recipe to accompany our Christmas turkey dinner this year.

I didn't want to use any Splenda and I sure didn't want to use a whole cup of sugar... both of which I have used in the past.  Cranberries are so tart that they really do need some kind of sweetening to make them edible!

I decided to cut up a couple of apples to add a sweetness to the tart cranberries, and it worked really well.  The natural sugar in the apples allowed me to put just a few tablespoons of added sugar into the mixture, and the natural pectin from the apples helped firm up the sauce when it cooled, too.  If you like it a bit sweeter, then you can certainly add more sugar. 

At first I thought I would use applesauce but opted to go for the cut up apples instead. I think it was a better choice because I like a firm cranberry jelly, and the applesauce may have made it a bit too runny.

This is my plate, without dressing...



Cranberry-Apple Sauce
Makes about 2-1/2 cups

• 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, rinsed
• 2 apples, cored and cut into small pieces
• 3 Tbs sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Dash of nutmeg

1. Place everything in a medium saucepan over HIGH heat.
2. Bring to boil and then turn down to simmer.
3. Stir continuously as the cranberries split open while they cook.
4. After about 8 or 9 minutes, turn off the heat and cover with a lid.
5. Allow to rest and cool for 15 or 20 minutes.
6. Remove to a covered storage container and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Per 1/4 cup serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 1.
Calories 40; Protein 0g; Carbohydrate 10g; Fat 0g; Fibre 2g.

 

 



Printable Recipe
 

 

Do you like cranberry sauce with turkey?  Tart or sweet?

Cranberry Apricot Pork Tenderloin in the Crock Pot

On Friday I shared my favorite Cranberry Sauce recipe.... and today I am giving you a recipe that uses it.  A Weight Watchers buddy gave me this recipe long ago and I had never tried it.  I don't normally have dried apricots on hand. 

I am so glad that I remedied that!  It is absolutely wonderful... the sauce is spicy and a bit sweet, and it really goes nicely with the pork.  It is from the Weight Watchers Slow Good Super Slow-Cooker Cookbook.

I served it with rice and steamed carrots... I am sure potatoes would be nice instead of the rice if you prefer them.

The recipe suggests cutting the cooked pork into 16 slices but we thought they would fall apart if we tried to cut them that thin, so The Captain did 12 thicker slices instead.  I added orange zest to the ingredients that went into the slow cooker, and then more at the end before serving.  And, I had some home made cranberry sauce in the freezer, leftover from Christmas, so I let it thaw and used it in this dish.

I am sharing the recipe as it appears in the book, using the WW nutritional information to calculate P+ values as well.

Cranberry Apricot Pork Tenderloin

Makes 4 servings  

• 1 lb pork tenderloin
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 cup canned cranberry sauce
• 1/2 cup sliced dried apricots
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest

1. Sprinkle the pork with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook, turning frequently, until browned, about 6 minutes.  
2. Transfer the pork to a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker. Combine the cranberry sauce, apricots, cornstarch, cinnamon, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a bowl; pour over the pork, turning to coat. Cover and cook until the pork is fork-tender, 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.  
3. Transfer the pork to a cutting board; cut into 16 slices. Stir the orange zest into the fruit sauce and serve with pork.

Per serving (4 slices pork with about 1/4 cup sauce).

Weight Watchers P+ = 8.

Calories 295;  Protein 23g; Carbohydrate 40g; Fat 5g; Fibre 2g.

Note: 

My own cranberry sauce is sugar free so if you use it instead of a commercial product that containes sugar, the P+ values will be reduced, probably by at least 2.

Add salt and pepper to pork and set in the pan of heated oil.

Turn frequently till browned all over.

Combine sauce ingredients...

and pour over pork in crock pot.

Enjoy with rice and vegetables.

Printable Recipe

Delicious Spicy Cranberry Sauce - 2 Ways

When fresh cranberries appear in our local markets in the Fall, I like to pick up a few bags and toss them into the freezer (when we have one!).  I seldom see frozen cranberries in our grocery stores and sometimes fresh are just not available when I want to have them.

This sauce takes only about 20 minutes to prepare and it is just delicious.  You can certainly adjust the spices to suit your own tastes.  The basic recipe is on the Ocean Spray cranberry bag, but I have added spices and orange zest to give it some additional flavor.

I like to make a sugar free sauce so I am offering you a recipe with sugar and one without, using Splenda.

The Simplest Cranberry Sauce
Makes about 2-1/2 cups

• 12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 to 2 tsps orange zest
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp cloves

1. Rinse the cranberries in cool water, discarding stems and any blemished berries.
2. In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil.
3. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
4. Add the cranberries and simmer.  Stir occasionally until the cranberries pop and the sauce begins to thicken a bit.  This may take about 10 minutes
5. Remove from heat, stir in the zest and spices.
6. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Per 1/4 cup serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 3.
Calories 94; Protein 0g; Carbohydrate 24g; Fat 0g; Fibre 1g.

For the sugar-free version, 1 substitute  8 packets of Splenda for the white sugar.  This makes a lovely tart sauce and the WW P+ = 0.  Nice bonus.

Rinse berries and discard and with blemishes.

Prepare orange zest.

Add berries to pot of boiling water and sugar.

Remove from heat after berries have popped and sauce has thickened a bit.

Sauce will set and thicken as it cools in fridge.

Printable Recipe

Apple and Dried Cranberries Sweeten up this Slaw

We eat this sweet coleslaw quite often.  Recently when I posted the recipe for Peanut Butter Pasta, I mentioned that a sweet crunchy coleslaw would be a nice side dish with it, and went to link to my recipe... but was quite surprised to find that I had never posted it!

I am rectifying that now as I did just make it to have with some store-bought gyoza and sauce.  It calls for ingredients that I almost always have on hand.  I guess that is why we have it so often!  That, and we really do like it.

And now I can go back and insert that link!

Sweet Crunchy Coleslaw
Makes 4 servings of 3/4 cup each

• 2 cups of bagged tricolor cabbage slaw or chop your own
• 1 small red apple, pared and chopped into small pieces
• 2 thin slices of white onion, chopped
• 1 Tbs dried cranberries

For the dressing:

• 2 Tbs fat free Miracle Whip or other mayo
• 1 Tbs red wine vinegar
• 1 packet Splenda

1. Place the first 4 ingredients into a medium bowl.
2. Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and mix till creamy and well-blended.
3. Pour the dressing over the salad in the medium bowl and mix well. 
4. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 1.
Calories 42; Protein 1g; Carbohydrate 10g; Fat 0g; Fibre 2g.

Note:
The only ingredients in this recipe that have Points Plus values are the dried cranberries and the fat free Miracle Whip.  But Weight Watchers uses all the ingredients in a recipe to calculate the N.I.

Put the vegetables and fruit into a medium bowl.

Place the dressing ingredients into a small bowl.

Mix till creamy and then pour over the fruit and vegetables.  Stir till all the freggies are coated with dressing.

Printable Recipe

Bring on the Shortbread!

For me it just wouldn’t be Christmas without shortbread!

When I was a child my Mother made beautiful shortbread cookies with a press, and she decorated them with green and red cherries, and green and red sugar crystals. They were melt-in-your-mouth delicious and if I close my eyes I can almost taste them…

I enjoy experimenting and have made several different shortbread cookies and bars over the years.  This year is no different and today I made shortbread squares with dried cranberries and white chocolate chips. It is based on the old standby cornstarch recipe, but with a bit of a twist.

And they turned out very well… just ask The Captain!

 

Cranberry and White Chocolate Chip Shortbread Squares

Makes 32 squares *

• 1-¾ cups white all-purpose flour
• ½ cup cornstarch
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• ¾ cup icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup white chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
2. Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper, leaving about 1 inch of overhang on all sides. This makes it easier to remove the bars from the pan after they are baked, and you don't have to butter the pan either.  Nice easy cleanup!
3. Combine the flour, cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl.
4. In a separate, large bowl, cream the butter and icing sugar. When fluffy, beat in vanilla.
5. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine well. You may want to use your hands for this. It will be crumbly.
6. Then mix in the cranberries and chocolate chips, again using your hands.
7. Place the mixture into the prepared pan and spread it evenly over the bottom by patting it with your finger tips.
8. Prick the surface all over with the tines of a fork.
9. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.
10. Remove from oven and place the pan on a baking rack and let cool for about 30 minutes.
11. Lift edges of parchment paper to remove the baked shortbread from the pan.
12. Cut the shorbread into 32 squares while it is still warm.
13. Allow to cool completely.
14. Store in sealed container or freeze.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 3.
Calories 110; Protein 1g; Carbohydrate 12g; Fat 6g; Fibre 0g.

* If you cut the shortbread into 48 pieces, the N.I. is as follows:
Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 2.　
Calories 73; Protein 1g; Carbohydrate 8g; Fat 4g; Fibre 0g.

Combine flour, cornstarch and salt.

Cream butter and icing sugar.

Add the vanilla and beat again.

After combing the wet and dry ingredients, add cranberries and chocolate chips.

Pour the mixture into a pan lined with parchment paper.

Pat with fingers till evenly spread and then prick the surface all over with a fork.

Bake till edges are golden brown.

After cooling for 30 minutes, lift edges of parchment paper and remove from pan.

Cut while still warm... and enjoy!

Printable Recipe