Thanksgiving! Rosemary-Garlic Turkey, Pumpkin Ravioli, Creamy Mashed Potato Casserole, Cajun Crab Dip, and More!

This post is going to show just how far behind schedule I really am with this blog.. this is my Thanksgiving post. That's right - it's nearly two months late, but I hope it's worth it. It's a long one, full of delicious, healthy recipes that can easily be enjoyed at any time of the year. Or, keep this bookmarked for the fall when next Thanksgiving rolls around.

I did make every single dish below, plus a few others, completely from scratch. The full menu included: pumpkin ravioli in a hazelnut brown butter sauce, butternut squash and cheese gratin, creamy mashed potato casserole, cajun crab dip, sauteed garlic broccoli rabe, rosemary-garlic turkey with pan gravy, green bean and mushroom casserole, apple-cranberry sauce, chestnut stuffing, pear stuffing, apple and cranberry pie, and pumpkin cheesecake on almond cake. I cooked for nearly two days straight, but it was absolutely worth it in the end. If you do go for the full menu, I cannot advise strongly enough that you make up a detailed cooking plan in advance. Without it, nothing would have finished on time or in the right order. So enjoy and let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Difficulty: easy to hard based upon individual recipes
Time: 19 hours (for all of it!)
Cost: $134.57 (for all of it! I fed 6 people with leftovers for the next 2 weeks)

Nutrition and recipe below the jump!





Apple and Cranberry Pie
Time: 3.5 hrs

Ingredients:
2.25 c flour
2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
8 tbsp butter, chilled
6 tbsp vegetable shortening
1.5 c cranberries, fresh
5 tbsp dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
4 c apple, thinly sliced
2 tbsp maple syrup

Combine 2 cups of flour in a bowl with the sugar and salt. Mix to combine. Cut in the butter and shortening - but make sure they are well chilled before doing so. That is the key to making a flaky pie crust! You can use a pastry blender or two knives. Cut them until the mixture is the texture of coarse meal.

Drizzle 6 tbsp of ice water over the dough. Toss with a fork until it's moist. Then, divide the dough in half. Spread out two pieces of heavy duty saran warp. Press each half of the dough into a roughly 6" diameter circle on top of the saran wrap. Place more saran wrap on top. Place both pieces of dough in the fridge and refrigerate at least one hour. However, you can leave them here up to 24 hours if you are preparing the crust in advance.

Next, you'll turn to the filling. Put the cranberries, brown sugar, cinnamon, apple, and the remaining 1/4 c of flour into a bowl. Mix until everything is evenly combined. Drizzle the syrup on top and mix again. You can set this aside for now.

The next step is to start rolling out the dough. You'll note that the recipe below walks you through how to do so without actually touching the dough. This is quite important. Remember how you chilled the butter before you cut it into the flour? Well, you want it to stay chilled here. If you start handling the dough, your hands will actually heat the butter, causing it to begin to melt. Instead, you want it chilled until it goes into the oven so that the butter only melts then, creating an iconic flakiness. So if the instructions appear convoluted or long, just keep that goal in mind and work accordingly!

Lay out a couple sheets of saran wrap, overlapping them. Place one piece of chilled dough on top. Place a few more sheets of saran wrap on top, again overlapping them. Roll out the dough while it's between the sheets of saran wrap so that you aren't directly touching it. You'll want to roll it into roughly an 11" circumference circle, depending on your pie pan. You want it a couple inches larger than the pan.

Chill the dough for 5 minutes in the freezer.

Grease a pie pan. Take the chilled pie dough out of the freezer. Remove the saran wrap from one side of the dough. Place the non-saran wrap side face down into the pan. Fit carefully into the pie pan. Carefully remove the other piece of saran wrap so the dough is free of the wrap. Spoon the apple-cranberry mixture into the pie crust.

Repeat the rolling out and chilling procedure with the other half of the dough. Place this circle on top of the pie. Use your fingers, now at last, to press the edges of the dough together to seal the top to the bottom. You can also use a fork to make marks in the edge if you'd like.

Cut 4-6 slits in the top of the pie crust, moving from the center to the edges. The slits should all be independent and not connect.

Chill the pie for 10 minutes in the fridge as you preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Cover a cookie sheet with foil. Put the pie pan on top. The pan is to catch any drippings that come from the pie. Bake for 25 minutes. Then, without opening the oven or taking the pie out, reduce the heat to 375 degrees. Bake for an additional 45 minutes. The pie should be nicely browned when done. Let it cool for a few minutes before serving.

Servings: 12
Serving size: 1 slice
Nutrition: calories 224; carbs 32g; fat 10g; protein 3g; sodium 1mg; iron 5mg

Pumpkin Cheesecake on Almond Cake
Time: 12 hrs

Ingredients:
6 tbsp almond paste
1/8 tsp salt
1 c and 2 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp butter, softened
3 eggs
1/4 c flour
1 tbsp dark rum
3 oz fat free cream cheese, softened
8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 c egg beaters (equivalent to 2 eggs)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 15 oz can pumpkin
1/3 c plain fat free Greek yogurt
1/8 tsp ground ginger

Get the oven pre-heating to 350 degrees.

Combine the almond paste, salt, 6 tbsp sugar, and 4 tbsp of softened butter in a bowl. Beat at medium speed until it is light and fluffy. Add one egg, beat. Add a second egg, beat. Add the flour and rum and stir with a spatula until evenly mixed.

Coat a springboard cake pan with cooking spray. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean. Remove and cool. Do NOT remove the side of the springboard pan the entire time.

Turn the oven temperature down to 300 degrees.

Now, it's time to make the actual cheesecake. Put the two softened cream cheeses into a bowl. Put in the remaining 1/2 c of sugar. Beat with a mixer at medium speed just until blended. Add the last egg and the egg beaters, just one egg at a time, beating after each one. Add the vanilla, pumpkin, Greek yogurt, and ginger. Beat at a low speed just until the mixture is evenly blended. Pour the cheesecake over the top of the almond cake (once it is cooled.)

Bake for 1 hour. The center of the cheesecake should barely move when the pan is touched. Bake longer if needed. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and cool for about 5 minutes.

Take a knife and carefully run it around the edge of the cheesecake, separating it slightly from the edge of the springboard pan. This will keep cracks from forming as the cheesecake cools.

Cool completely, then cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours but overnight if made in advance. Serve chilled.

Servings: 16
Serving size: 1 slice
Nutrition: calories 171; carbs 19g; fat 8g; protein 5g; sodium 149mg; iron 3mg

Creamy Mashed Potato Casserole
Time: 55 min

Ingredients:
3.25 lbs potatoes (yukon gold or a mix)
5 garlic cloves
6 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 c panko
1/4 c reduced fat parmesan, grated

These are ridiculously creamy mashed potatoes...thank you, cream cheese! I get super creamy while keeping this dish perhaps shockingly healthy.

Wash your potatoes well and slice them into about 1/2" thick slices. Peel your garlic. Put the potatoes and garlic together into a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until tender.

When the potatoes have about 5 minutes left to simmer, you'll also want to get your oven pre-heating to 350 degrees.

Drain the potatoes, but save about 1/2 cup of the water you used to boil them.

Put the drained potatoes and garlic into a large bowl and mash with a potato masher until they achieve a smooth consistency. Add in the remaining liquid, the cream cheese, and black pepper. Stir until evenly combined.

(Note: if you wanted to make ahead, you can stop at this point and put the dish into the fridge. Just bake slightly longer than the time allotted below if you do that to make sure the casserole heats through.)

Put the potato mixture into a 9x13 glass baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and turn your oven to broil. Sprinkle the panko and parmesan evenly over the top of the potato mixture. Broil for 5 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

Serve hot - and you can sprinkle on some diced green onion for extra fun if you'd like.

Servings: 12
Serving size: 3"x2.25" rectangle
Nutrition: calories 96; carbs 21g; fat 4g; protein 3g; sodium 78mg; iron 0mg

Pumpkin Ravioli in a Hazelnut-Brown Butter Sauce
Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients:
2.5 cans pumpkin
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
4 tbsp parmesan, freshly grated
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp sage, dried
1/4 tsp nutmeg, dried
1/4 tsp cardamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp garlic powder
64 wonton wrappers
1/4 c butter, unsalted
1/4 c fake butter
1.5 tbsp fresh sage, torn into little pieces
1/2 c hazelnuts, chopped

Spread several layers of paper towels out onto your counter. Pour the pumpkin puree on top of them, spreading it out to about a 1/2" thickness. Cover with another few paper towels. Let sit for 5-10 minutes. This will take out excess moisture. When it's done sitting, scrape the pumpkin puree into a large bowl with a spatula. Add the breadcrumbs, parmesan, black pepper, sage, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, and garlic powder. Stir until well combined.

Take a single wonton wrapper at a time, covering the remaining ones to keep them from drying out. Put about 2 tsp of filling in the middle. Wet your finger or a pastry brush and brush a bit of water along two connecting sides of the wonton square. Then fold over the wonton wrapper to form a triangle, so the two dry sides meet two wet sides. Push down with your fingers to seal. Place the sealed ravioli on a piece of wax paper dusted with corn starch. Continue until all of the ravioli are completed.

If you are making them in advance, you can now put the wax paper on cookie sheets for easy storage and cover well with saran wrap to keep the ravioli from drying out too much. They can be refrigerated overnight and then cooked the next day.

When you are ready to cook the ravioli, bring a large pot of water to a light boil. Put as many ravioli as comfortably fit into the pot. Boil for about 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, letting the water drain back into the pan. Put the ravioli in a colander. Rinse right away with cool water to avoid them sticking. Then place into a large bowl.

To prepare the sauce, heat a pan over medium-low heat. Add the butter and fake butter, stirring to melt. When it just begins to lightly sizzle and turn caramel-colored, add the fresh sage. Saute for 30 seconds. The butter should be nicely browned, but not burned, at this point. Pour the butter sauce over the ravioli.

Sprinkle the hazelnuts over the ravioli. Serve hot.

Servings: 8
Serving size: 8 ravioli
Nutrition: calories 300; carbs 35g; fat 14g; protein 9g; sodium 441mg; iron 13mg

Cajun Crab Dip
Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp olive oil
4 tbsp shallots, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb jumbo lump crab meat
2 tsp cajun seasoning
1/2 c low-fat mayonnaise
3 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp chives, diced
2 tbsp panko

Get your oven pre-heating to 450 degrees.

Heat a small pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil, swirling to coat. Toss in the shallots and garlic. Saute for 3-4 minutes, or until lightly cooked.

Put 1 cup of the crab into a food processor, sorting for any bits of shell and taking them out. Add the shallot mixture from the pan, 1/4 cup of water, and the Cajun seasoning. Process until the mixture is fairly smooth. Put it into a bowl.

Add the rest of the crab, the mayo, cream cheese, lemon juice, and black pepper. Toss until evenly combined. Then put it into a small baking dish coated with cooking spray. I actually used a bread loaf pan since I was short on other small baking dishes.

At this point you can refrigerate the crab dip overnight if you need to or move onto the next step.

Sprinkle the crab dip with chives and panko. Bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbling. Serve with toast points, chips, or pita.

Servings: 6
Serving size: 1/2 c dip
Nutrition: calories 136; carbs 6g; fat 5g; protein 17g; sodium 729mg; iron 4mg

Rosemary-Garlic Turkey with Pan Gravy
Time: 3 hr 15 min

Ingredients:
1 8-lb turkey (free range, of course!)
3 tbsp fake butter, slightly melted
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, diced
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp coriander
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 c carrots, chopped
1 c celery, chopped
1 c sweet onion, chopped
3 c low-sodium organic chicken broth
3 tbsp flour

Get your oven pre-heating to 425 degrees.

First, you need to prep the actual turkey. Remove the giblets and neck from the turkey and set aside for later. Discard the liver. Pat the turkey dry and trim off any excess fat. Gently insert your fingers between the skin and meat at the neck cavity to loosen the skin. Finally, lift the wing tips up and over and tuck under the turkey.

Mix the butter, 2 tsp rosemary, 1/4 tsp black pepper, coriander, and garlic in a small bowl. Combine well. Rub the butter mixture into the cavity where you loosened the skin and over the breast and drumsticks. Tie the legs together with cooking twine.

Get out a large roasting pan and coat it with cooking spray. Put the carrots, celery, onion, neck, giblets, and remaining 1 tsp rosemary in the bottom of the pan. Pour in 1/2 c of the broth. Then, put in the roasting rack and put the turkey on top, breast side up.

Bake the turkey for 30 minutes. Then, without taking the turkey out of the oven, turn the temperature down to 325 degrees and add 1/2 cup of broth to the pan. Bake for 1 hr. Then rotate the pan and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Use a thermometer to check the thick, meaty part of the thigh. You want to cook the turkey to 165 degrees. If it's done, remove from the oven. If not, continue to cook but keep a close eye on the temperature.

When the turkey is done, take it out and put it on a cutting board. Let it sit for 30 minutes and then carve.

As the turkey is sitting, you'll want to prepare the gravy. Get a 4-cup glass measuring glass. Put a plastic bag (such as zip-loc) into the measuring cup. Strain all of the pan drippings into the bag and let it stand for 10 minutes. You can discard all of the solids.

After it has sat for 10 minutes, seal the bag and snip off one corner. Drain the pan drippings into a pot, but stop before the fat level reaches the opening. Discard the fat.

Add the 1 3/4 cups of broth to the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup of broth in a small bowl with the flour. Whisk until completely combined. Pour the broth-flour roux into the gravy. Stir constantly and boil for another 1-2 minutes or until it has thickened. Add the remaining 1/4 tsp black pepper. Serve with the gravy.

Servings: 8
Serving size: about 1/2 lb turkey plus gravy
Nutrition: calories 283; carbs 16g; fat 6g; protein 40g; sodium 2391; iron 20mg

Green Bean and Mushroom Casserole
Time: 1 hr

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs green beans
1 tbsp olive oil
2 c sweet onion, diced
1/2 tsp Thyme, dried
8 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/3 c white cooking wine
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp flour
1 c organic low-sodium vegetable broth
8 tbsp parmesan, freshly grated

Wash and trim the green beans. Cut them in half lengthwise. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Toss in the green beans and boil for 4 minutes. Then remove, drain, and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. This will keep them brightly green.

Get your oven pre-heating to 425 degrees at this point.

Get a large pan heating over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, swirling to coat. When the oil is hot, add the onion and thyme. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring to keep from burning. Add the mushrooms and saute for another 10 minutes. The mushrooms will release a fair amount of liquid but most of it should evaporate during this process.

Add the wine and pepper. Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the wine nearly evaporates. Add the flour and, stirring constantly, cook for 1 minute. Then pour in the vegetable broth. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it boil 1-2 minutes. It should thicken. Remove from the heat and mix with the green beans.

Coat a 13x9 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Put the green bean-mushroom mixture inside. Sprinkle the parmesan evenly over the top.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese on top is lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Servings: 12
Serving size: 3"x4"
Nutrition: calories 77; carbs 11g; fat 3g; protein 3g; sodium 100mg; iron 4mg

Apple-Cranberry Sauce
Time: 35 min

Ingredients:
1 tbsp canola oil
1/2 c sweet onion, diced
1.25 c sugar
1/4 c port wine
1/2 tsp ginger, ground
12 oz fresh cranberries
2 c apple, diced
1 tsp lemon rind, grated

Heat a pot over medium heat. Add the oil, swirling to coat. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, stirring to keep from burning.

Add in 1/2 c water, sugar, port, ginger, and cranberries. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes. You need to make sure the cranberries crack or pop. The sauce will thicken slightly, but will thicken a lot more upon sitting so don't worry if it doesn't look thick enough yet.

Remove from the heat and add the apples and lemon rind. Stir until combined. Let it thicken and come to room temperature before serving.

Servings: 12
Serving size: 1/3 c
Nutrition: calories 116; carbs 27g; fat 1g; protein 0g; sodium 2mg; iron 1mg

Pear Stuffing
Time: 1 hr 15 min

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
4 c pear, thinly sliced
1 c sweet onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c celery, diced
1/2 c brandy
1/2 c white wine
5 c ciabatta, chopped (1/2" cubes)
1 c low-sodium organic vegetable broth
1/2 c hazelnuts, chopped
1/2 tsp Thyme, dried
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 c egg beaters (equivalent to 2 eggs)

Get your oven pre-heating to 350 degrees.

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil, swirling to coat. Place the pear slices inside and let them cook for 2 minutes. Do not stir while they are cooking. Then, flip the pear slices over and cook for another 2 minutes without stirring. They should be lightly golden at this point.

Add the onion, garlic, and celery to the pan. Saute for about 5 minutes, stirring to keep from burning. Pour in the brandy and white wine. Stir often and cook until the liquid has nearly evaporated. Then remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes.

When the pear mixture has cooled slightly put it in a large bowl with the ciabatta, vegetable broth, hazelnuts, Thyme, black pepper, and egg beaters. Toss until evenly combined.

Coat a 13x9 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Put the stuffing inside, packing it evenly. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Then enjoy.

Servings: 12
Serving size: 3"x4"
Nutrition: calories 186; carbs 25g; fat 4g; protein 5g; sodium 261mg; iron 9mg

Sauteed Garlic Broccoli Rabe
Time: 20 min

Ingredients:
10 c broccoli rabe, trimmed and chopped (1" pieces)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Get a pot of water boiling. Toss in your broccoli rabe and let it cook for 2 minutes. Then drain it and immediately rinse it with cold water to stop the cooking process. This will keep it crisp-tender and bright green.

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, swirling to coat. When the oil is hot, add the red onion. Saute for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for another 2 minutes. Finally, add the prepared broccoli rabe. Saute for another 1-2 minutes and then remove from the heat and serve immediately.

Servings: 8
Serving size: about 1/2 cup
Nutrition: calories 37; carbs 4g; fat 2g; protein 2g; sodium 17mg; iron 7mg