Holiday Favorites with a Twist

The holiday meal table may be all about tradition, but that doesn’t mean your faves have to be the same-old, same-old. Adding a surprising ingredient to a recipe can take a mainstay meal, appetizer, or dessert up a notch while still satisfying the craving for traditional must-haves.

Fall-Flavored Hummus

Add this to a charcuterie board for a quintessential fall flavor—the pumpkin, of course—that’s also a healthful dip ideal for crackers and veggies.

12 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry garbanzo beans, soaked, cooked, and drained
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• ¼ cup sesame tahini
• 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ cup water or saved bean liquid
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon paprika, smoked or regular
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½  to 1 teaspoon sea salt
• Sliced veggies (carrots, celery, peppers, cucumbers, etc.)

INSTRUCTIONS

• Put all the ingredients in a food processor or blender (except the veggies), and puree until there are no chunks and the mixture is smooth and creamy.
• Transfer to a small bowl and chill for at least 1 hour before serving to allow the flavors to combine.
• Chop the veggies of your choice, and place on a platter with the hummus to serve.

Credit: Erin Harner—erinharner.com/pumpkin-hummus

Main Course: Veggie Lasagna—If a ham or turkey doesn’t make it to the holiday table—and maybe even if they do—this butternut squash lasagna could wind up taking center stage. Earthy butternut squash seasoned with mushrooms and sweet spices, leafy greens, pasta, and a creamy plant-based sage walnut sauce has serious depth.  

Butternut Squash Lasagna with Sage Walnut Sauce

8 servings

Ingredients

Butternut Squash Filling:

• 1 small butternut squash
  (about 2 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 5 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
• ¾ cup water
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt (optional)

Sage Walnut Cream Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ cup finely chopped walnuts
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage (or 1 tablespoon dried)
• ½ teaspoon salt (optional)
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups plant-based plain, unsweetened milk 

Vegan Lasagna:

• 9 sheets lasagna
• 1 small head leafy greens (spinach, kale, dandelion greens, turnips greens), chopped (about 3 cups)
• ½ cup shredded plant-based cheese
• 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs

Instructions

• To make the filling: Split the butternut squash in half, remove the seeds, slice into pieces, remove the peels, and dice. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven, and add the squash, onion, and mushrooms, sautéing for 3 minutes over medium heat. Add the water, turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne, and salt (optional) and stir well. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender. Remove from the heat and blend with an immersion blender until smooth.
• For the cream sauce: Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the walnuts, sage, salt, black pepper, and nutmeg and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for an additional minute. Stir in the plant-based milk and cook, mixing with a whisk, until smooth and thickened.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• To prepare the lasagna: Place ½ cup of the cream sauce at the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Arrange three lasagna sheets over the sauce. Add 1 cup of the chopped greens over the pasta. Cover with one-third of the butternut squash filling and one-third of the remaining cream sauce. Repeat the layers two more times (pasta, greens, butternut squash filling, and cream sauce). Sprinkle with the plant-based cheese and breadcrumbs on the final layer.
• Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees F for 35 minutes on the top shelf. Remove the foil and bake for 15–20 minutes, until golden on top and tender.
• Slice into squares and enjoy.

Credit: Sharon Palmer—sharonpalmer.com/butternut-squash-lasagna-with-sage-walnut-sauce

A Sweet Side: Cranberry Sauce—Bellevue resident Debra Borchert, author of Soups of Château de Verzat: A Literary Cookbook & Culinary Tribute to the French Revolution, adds a few tablespoons of orange liqueur to kick regular cranberry sauce up to its proper elevation.

Debra Borchert’s Cranberry Sauce with Orange Liqueur

Makes 3 cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen apple juice concentrate
• 2 cups orange juice
• 6 cups organic cranberries, washed
• 1 orange, skin and pith removed,
  and coarsely chopped
• 1 Granny Smith apple, chopped
• 2–3 tablespoons orange liqueur
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon cloves
• Orange peel, finely grated (optional)

Instructions

• Simmer the apple and orange juices in a large heavy pot.
• Add the cranberries and stir occasionally.
• When the cranberries begin to pop and the mixture begins to foam, add the orange and stir. Cook 10 minutes.
• Add the apple and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• When all the cranberries have popped, the foam has subsided, and the mixture has thickened, add the orange liqueur.
• Cook down on low heat until the mixture is thick and a deep, shiny red.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the spices—and orange peel if using.
• Allow to cool and refrigerate.

Credit: Debra Borchert—costco.ca/connection-recipe-cranberry-sauce-december-2023 

Sweet Potato Surprise—Roasted sweet potatoes never fail, but the cilantro and cashews atop the ginger-lime flavoring in this sweet potato dish sure make it tempting to try.

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Lime and Ginger Dressing

Makes 3 cups

Ingredients

• 3 pounds Jewel or Red Garnet sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into a medium dice (⅜-inch square cubes)
• Dressing
• ¼ cup avocado oil
• 1½ teaspoons coarse sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons ginger, minced
• 2 teaspoons toasted and crushed coriander seed
• 2 teaspoons toasted and crushed cumin seeds

For serving

• 3–4 tablespoons coconut sugar
• ¼ cup fresh lime juice, plus 1 tablespoon lime zest
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 cup toasted and chopped cashews

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Make the dressing.
• On a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, massage the sweet potatoes with the dressing, then roast for 20 minutes. Stir, bringing the potato pieces along the sides to the middle, then roast for another 15–20 minutes, or until done. Sprinkle the sugar over the potatoes, then return to the oven for 2–3 minutes, allowing the sugar to caramelize.
• Toss with the lime, taste for salt and coconut sugar, and correct the flavors as needed. Sprinkle the cilantro and cashews over the top before serving. Taste and add sea salt if needed.
• Notes: Marinate the salad for 1–2 hours before serving if possible.

Credit: Food Co-Op—foodcoop.coop/blog/twist