Recipes with the holidays in mind

SaraTN

I posted these on another site for my P90X friends but thought some people here might be interested as well. The first is a cucumber canape which is a great to bring to parties - its pretty tasty, looks fancy but takes little to no skill to make and its inexpensive not to mention you know there will be at least one thing you can eat at various get-togethers!

The second dish works well with turkey left-overs and vegetarians can substitute lentils for the turkey and vegetable stock for the chicken stock.

Last but not least, a low-cal but very rich tasting pumpkin pie.


Cucumber Canapes
Makes about 40

Ingredients

1 long cucumber about 2 inches in diameter sliced ¼ inch thick
Large bunch of mint
Sesame oil, to serve
Pea omelet
1 cup shelled green peas, frozen or fresh
6 eggs
Olive oil for sautee
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

Directions

To make the omelet, microwave peas on high for 2 minutes or steam for 3 minutes until tender. Beat the eggs in a bowl with salt and pepper and a half cup of cold water.

In a large non-stick skillet, heat oil and distribute half the peas evenly over the surface then quickly pour half the egg mixture until all the surface is just covered. Cook until the omelet has set then slide out onto a large flat plate and let cool. Repeat with the remaining peas and egg mixture.

Slice the omelets into squares a little smaller than the cucumber rounds (or cut rounds with a small glass) arrange the cucumber slices on a service tray and top each one with a piece of pea omelet, a mint leaf, and a drop of sesame oil then serve.


Curried Turkey Soup
Perfect for left-over turkey
Vegetarian option: substitute lentils for turkey

Ingredients

1 cup of diced onions
2 tsp curry powder
¾ tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
¾ tsp Old Bay seasoning
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp fresh minced garlic
3 ½ cups of chicken stock
1 ½ cups of diced turkey breast
2 Roma tomatoes peeled and diced
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp currants
¼ cup low fat coconut milk
1 tsp salt

Directions
In a large saucepan, sauté onions and seasonings in olive oil until onions are translucent. Add garlic and sauté about 30 seconds. Add ½ cup of chicken stock and turkey and bring to a simmer. Cook 3 to 5 minutes until turkey is cooked through. Cool

Place mixture in food processor and pulse briefly until turkey is slightly shredded. Return to saucepan and add remaining stock. Cook 1 hour over low heat. Add tomatoes, cilantro, coconut milk, and currants. Bring to a boil. Season with salt.

125 calories/ 11 gm. Carbohydrates/ 5 gm fat/ 23 mg. cholesterol/ 10 gm protein/ 339 mg sodium/ 2 gm fiber


Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Crust

Ingredients

1 Cup graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbsp pecans toasted and ground (can be done in a coffee bean grinder)
1 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
2 whole eggs
1 Cup of canned pumpkin
¾ cup of evaporated skim milk
¼ cup of apple juice concentrate
¼ cup of brown sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of salt
12 pecan halves
1 tsp of maple syrup (get the real stuff its more expensive but otherwise you are just paying for maple flavored HFCS).

Directions
Preheat oven to 350.

In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs with ground pecans and applesauce. Press into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9 inch pie plate coated with a small amount of canola oil. Set aside.

Combine remaining ingredients, except pecan halves and syrup in a large bowl. Mix until blended. Pour mixture into pie crust. Bake 20-30 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Refrigerate pie. When cool, cut into 12 equal pieces.

In a small bowl, coat pecan halves with syrup. Transfer to a lightly oiled baking sheet, reduce heat to 325 and bake 4-5 minutes. Remove from oven. Place one pecan on the outer edge of each slice of pie before serving.

125 calories/ 17 gm carbohydrates/ 5 gm fat/ 10 mg cholesterol/ 4 gm protein/ 81 mg. sodium/ 2 gm fiber.

SaraTN

just bumping for those that might be interested.

lkm111

That cucumber one sounds interesting, but I am not a fan of peas. Maybe I can replace them with something else.

virginiagomes

Oh, these recipes sound delish.
I don't know how to cook, so can you please add a link to the recipe so that I can see a picture?
I would like to see how are the canapes supposed to be built.
Thanks