Today I'll be cooking on WMUR's Cook's Corner and I've invited my trainer, Beth Civiello from Orange Theory Fitness to join me...hence the orange theme to my Thanksgiving side dish selections. I have been working out at Orange Theory in Nashua, NH for two years now and I absolutely love it! Over the years I have combined walking, running, and weight lifting as part of my workout routine. Two years ago I decided I needed someone to lead me through a routine that would challenge me and move me beyond my comfort zone. Orange Theory trainers and routines do just that. With the workouts and healthy food in mind, I chose these recipes to feature for my Thanksgiving feast. I hope you enjoy my Orange!

Check out the video here:     Cook's Corner

Adapted from a recipe by:
​Ana Sortun "Spice Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean”

Serves 4
 
4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced on the bias, about 3 cups
3 Tbs butter
½ vanilla bean (or ½ tsp vanilla extract)
1 Tbs lemon juice

1. Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan. 
2. Slit the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds with a knife into the melting butter.  If using extract, add it to the butter. 
3. Add the carrots to the pan.
4. Cook the carrots over medium heat until they soften and become lightly glazed, about 10-15 minutes. Add the lemon juice and stir.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

This recipe is a variation of my "Gremolata Stacked Potatoes" from my cookbook "Beautifully Delicious". I simply substituted sweet potatoes. Easy and delicious!

Gremolata is a traditional Italian herb paste that is a simple combination of five ingredients: parsley, garlic, lemon, Parmesan, and extra virgin olive oil. With its bright, citrusy flavor, gremolata transforms ho-hum recipes into amazing dishes! Here I’ve combined gremolata with thinly sliced sweet potatoes and roasted them to create a tasty side dish. It’s simple, delicious, and gorgeous!   
Serves 6
 
½ cup loosely packed chopped flat-leaf parsley
Zest of 1 lemon
2 small minced garlic cloves
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
1 pinch pepper, freshly ground
4 medium sweet potatoes (I try to buy longer, thinner potatoes to fit niceley into the muffin tins when sliced and stacked)
 
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray 12 standard muffin cups generously with nonstick cooking spray or, if you don't have muffin tins, line a baking pan with foil.

To make the gremolata, combine the parsley, lemon zest, garlic, Parmesan, oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl and set aside. 

Peel the potatoes and slice them thinly (about ⅛ of an inch) using a sharp knife or mandolin. Add the potato slices to the gremolata and toss to coat. I use my hands to be sure to coat the potatoes evenly. Stack the potatoes to fill each muffin cup over the rim by about ½ inch (if you are not using a muffin tin, place the stacks on you foil lined baking pan). Press the stacked potatoes down firmly. Bake until the tops and edges of the potatoes are browned and the centers are tender when pierced with a fork, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the oven. Cut around each stack with a sharp knife and remove them with a spoon. Serve hot. These can be made one to two days in advance and reheated, covered, in a 300 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until heated through. Serve two or three stacks per person.

Serves 6

2 pink grapefruit
3 oranges
10 mint leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil-I used a basil infused olive oil I bought at Whole Foods
Freshly ground pepper
Kosher salt

1. Cut the rind off of the grapefruit and oranges being certain to remove all of the white pith from the fruit. Slice each into 1/8" thin, round slices. Place decoratively onto a platter.
2. Sprinkle with the mint and drizzle with the olive oil. Finish with a few grinds of pepper and two pinches of salt. 

This is a great "last minute" veggie that is ease to prepare. A new favorite at our house!

Serves 6

1 poud butternut squash spirals
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 sage leaves, chopped
Freshly ground pepper
Kosher salt

1. Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the chopped sage and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the butternut squash spirals to the pan.
2. Cook, stirring occasionionlly to coat the squash with the sage butter for 5 minutes. The squash should be softened but still have a little "bite" to it when tasted. Season with pepper and salt to taste. Serve immediately.

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​This recipe is perfect for using up Thanksgiving leftovers. Chop up your leftover turkey and use it as the base. Throw in your leftover peas and onions, top it with the last of the mashed potatoes or rutabagas. Even savory sweet potatoes will be tasty and beautiful on this dish. Do you have any stuffing left? Put that on top. The possibilities are endless!

Makes one large pie
1 ½ pounds leftover, cooked turkey, finely chopped(or raw ground turkey)
2 teaspoons thyme, dried (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
½  teaspoon allspice
1 pinch nutmeg
1 large onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 large carrots, diced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup stock (chicken or beef)
3 cups leftover mashed potatoes or 1 rutabaga, peeled and cut into 2 inch cubes
1 cup butter
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated and divided
salt and pepper

If using leftover turkey:
Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, onions, carrots, garlic, thyme, allspice, and nutmeg until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Proceed to #4
           
​ If using raw ground turkey, skip to #2

1. Add the meat and seasonings (reserve ½ teaspoon of thyme), and cook until the meat no longer looks pink.
2. Add the vegetables and cook for 5 to 7 minutes longer.
3. Stir in the tomato paste and stock. Reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes.
4. In another pot, cover the rutabagas with water and 1 teaspoon of salt and boil until they are tender, about 30 minutes. Drain well and put them back into the pot and mash until they are smooth. Add the butter and 2/3 cup of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Spoon the meat mixture into a deep-dish pie pan or a large baking dish.
6. Cover with the rutabaga mixture and sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup cheese over the top.
7. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425°F and bake for 35 minutes.

 I was just chatting with a reporter from The Hippo Press and he asked me for some ideas for Thanksgiving leftovers. Its an interesting idea to design recipes that will help to use up those little bits of leftover sidedishes and turkey. Here is a great idea to use up everyone's favorite mashed sweet potato casserole. If your's is on the sweet side (with or without marshmellos), use the leftovers to create these mini apple pies. 
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Makes 12 mini pies, baked in a mini muffin tin
·       Any basic single-crust pie dough or a single-crust from a premade pie dough from the grocery store.
·       1 large sweet potato
·       3 tablespoons unsalted butter
·       1 Granny Smith apple, diced very small
·       1 Cortland apple, diced very small
·       3 tablespoons brown sugar
·       ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
·       1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
·       ¼ cup dark brown sugar
·       ¼ cup quick oats
·       ¼ cup flour
·       1 teaspoon cinnamon
·       3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1. Roll out the dough and cut into 12 rounds using a 2 ½ inch cookie cutter. Place each round into a mini muffin tin. Refrigerate while preparing filling and topping.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. For mashed sweet potato, roast a large sweet potato in the oven until soft and easily pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes. Discard the skin and mash with 3 tablespoons of butter and ½ teaspoon salt. Set aside.
4. To make the apple filling, combine diced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vinegar. Set aside.
5. To make the crisp topping, combine the brown sugar, oats, flower, cinnamon, and butter in a food processor or by hand until it forms crumbles.
6. Remove the muffin tin from the refrigerator and fill each crust half-way with apples. Top with 1 teaspoon mashed sweet potato.
7. Place in the oven and cook for 12 minutes.
8. Remove minis from oven and top with 1 tsp crumb topping. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and cook for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before serving.