Recipes for a kosher Thanksgiving

Take a look at these tasty kosher Thanksgiving recipes.

(Illustration photo: Dudu Azoulay)

Creamy butternut squash soup

(From Joy of Kosher )

• 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed or 2 (12 oz.) packages frozen butternut squash, thawed
• 1 cup frozen sliced carrots, thawed
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1/3 cup FRENCH'S® Honey Mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
  

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in large saucepan. Simmer 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Place 2 cups of the soup into blender container. Cover and process on low speed until smooth. Transfer to bowl. Repeat with remaining soup mixture. Return all to saucepan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat through. If desired, serve with a dollop of low-fat sour cream if desired. Note: Caution! Soup mixture will be hot. Place kitchen towel over blender before processing. A hand-held immersion blender may be used instead of the blender. Enjoy!

Parve crock pot stuffing for Thanksgiving

(From Kosher Food )

• 14-16 pieces of toasted bread, cut into cubes
• 3.5 ounces (100 grams) parve margarine
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 2 1/2 cups chopped celery
• 16 ounces (450 grams) canned sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups chicken broth (use 4 tsp. parve chicken soup powder in 4 cups boiling water)
• 2 eggs, beaten
  

Directions:

Lay bread on cookie sheet and toast in the oven until just crisp. Cool and cut into cubes. Place in Crockpot. Melt margarine in a skillet. Saute onion and celery until beginning to soften. Add mushrooms and parsley. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are heated through. Season with salt and pepper. Mix the vegetables with the bread cubes in the Crockpot. Mix in beaten eggs. Pour chicken broth over the bread and vegetables. Cover. Cook in high for 30 minutes. Lower temperature to low, and cook for 3-4 hours.

(Illustration photo: Visual/Photos)

Kosher Thanksgiving turkey recipe

(From The Kosher Channel )

• 6-8 pound (2.5-3.5 kilogram) turkey breast
• 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon dried dill
• 1 shallot, quartered
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon margarine
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 11/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon pepper
  

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). In the work bowl of a food processor, place parsley, basil, dill, shallot, 1 tablespoon of the oil, margarine, lemon juice, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt and the pepper. Process until a paste is formed. Using your fingers, gently loosen the skin from the turkey, try not to tear the skin. Scoop about a tablespoon of the herb paste onto your fingers, and smear between the flesh and the skin. Repeat until all the herb mixture is used and a substantial part of the bird is coated. Place turkey in a roasting pan, breast side up. Brush skin with remaining teaspoon of oil and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Roast 20 minutes per pound. Remove from oven, allow to rest 20 minutes before carving. Serve with pan juices. Enjoy!

Pear, pickled shallots, popped wild rice salad

(From Joy of Kosher )

For the pears:

• 4 pears, I prefer Bosc or very small Forelle pears, peeled
• 1 bottle of dry red wine
• 2 star anises
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 cup of sugar
  

For the shallots:

• 10 medium shallots, peeled
• 1 cup dry red wine or reserved poaching liquid from pears
• 1 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
• Pinch of crushed red chilies
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  

For the popped wild rice:

• 1 cup hand quick-cooking wild rice Olive oil or neutral vegetable oil
• Kosher salt
• For the salad:
• 6 cups baby spinach or favorite salad green
• Poached pears, sliced
• Pickled shallots, sliced
• Popped wild rice
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt
• Cranberry vinaigrette
  

Directions:

For the pears: Place all of the ingredients in a stainless steel saucepan and simmer very gently until the pears are very dark burgundy and can be easily pierced with a paring knife (about 1 hour). Cool down the mixture and store the pears in the poaching liquid for an extra deep color. If serving that day, reserve the poaching liquid for more poached pears and for pickled shallots.

For the shallots: Place all of the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Allow the shallots to cool in the liquid. Store the shallots in the liquid for up to 1 month.

For the popped wild rice: Place a large, heavy-bottom pan over high heat. Add about 1 inch of oil to the pan. When the oil is very hot (400°F/ 205°C), add a small amount of rice (about 3 tablespoons). When the rice has popped, remove the rice with a wire strainer and drain on paper towels. Add more to pop. Continue popping until you have enough. Salt the rice and store in a covered container at room temperature.

Toasted barley salad with pecans

(From The Kosher Channel )

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pearl barley
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup pecans, chopped & toasted
• 2 medium carrots, cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 2 stalks celery, cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
• 1/4 cup finely green onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  

Place barley in heavy large saucepan. Cook over medium heat until pale golden, shaking pan occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add water and salt to pan and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until barley is tender and broth is absorbed, about 35 minutes. Uncover and let barley cool. Drain barley in a colander, rinse under cold water and drain well. Toss barley with remaining ingredients in a large bowl, and season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

(Illustration photo: Jupiter) 

Parve cornbread muffins

(From Kosher Food )

• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup flour
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup soy milk
  

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease muffin pan or line with cupcake paper holders. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, oil and honey. In a separate bowl, mix together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Alternate adding flour mixture and soy milk into the mixing bowl until the batter is blended well. Pour batter into muffin pan, filling each muffin until about 3/4 full. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 8-10 minutes, or a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Enjoy!

Sweet potato tsimmes with pineapple

(From Kosher Delight )

• 4 Sweet potatoes
• 2 tbsp of parve margarine
• One 8-ounce (225-gram) can crushed pineapple, undrained
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• Paprika or marshmallows
  

Boil sweet potatoes in their jackets until cooked. When done, cool, peel, and mash. Stir in the margarine. Fold in the pineapple, salt, and brown sugar. This can be cooked ahead of time. Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). Grease a medium casserole and spoon in mixture. Heat 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Either sprinkle with paprika or, for a sweeter taste, place marshmallows on top, pressing gently into the sweet potatoes, and cook 10 minutes more, or until the marshmallows are golden brown. Enjoy!

Parve sweet potato pie

(From Kosher Food )

• 2 9-inch (23-centimeter) ready-to-bake pie crusts
• 5 medium-size sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups soy milk
• 1/2 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  

Directions:

Place sweet potatoes in a 4-quart pot with enough cold water to cover. Cover pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer potatoes until fork-tender, about 20-30 minutes. Drain potatoes well. Use an electric mixer to mix the potatoes until smooth.

Let the potatoes cool (you can refrigerate for quickly cooling). Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). In a bowl, mix together the soy milk, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add to the potatoes. In a bowl, mix together the flour, cinnamon and salt. Add to the potato mixture. Mix until smooth. Fill the pie crusts with the sweet potato mixture. Bake pies for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted into its center comes out clean. Enjoy!

Reprinted with permission from Shalom Life

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