The traditional spread of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and bread is delicious year after year to be sure, but have you considered putting a spin on the holiday classics?
Refresh your table this year with a variety of recipes from around the world. Not only can trying something new be tasty, but you may even find a healthier dish to share with your family and friends and create new holiday traditions of your own.
Main Meals
Turkey is a staple at many American holiday celebrations, but odds are it isn’t your favorite dish of the day. If you are finding the flavor of turkey to be stale year after year, you might love the spices and flavors of Cuban turkey criollo.
Cuba is known for its mojo criollo marinade, which is a popular Cuban mixture prepared with citrus, garlic and spices. Cuban cuisine and sauces represent the mixture of Cuba’s cultural influences, ranging from Spanish to African. The mojo criollo sauce swaps out the use of salt for flavoring with fruit and fresh herbs, providing a juicy, flavorful turkey without the extra sodium.
Olive oil can also provide excellent health benefits. It promotes cardiovascular health, supports memory health and brain function, improves mental health and mood, and helps combat pain and inflammation.
Not a big turkey person? The mojo criollo marinade can add an explosion of flavor to any meat, so try chicken, shrimp or pork. Personalize your holiday dish and use the marinade on your favorite main dish.
Seasonal Sides
Falafel dishes are a traditional Mediterranean delicacy and can be prepared many different ways. The dish likely originated in Egypt, and is now a staple in Israel, Jordan and across the Mediterranean. The dish is traditionally made from chickpeas, which have a high nutritional
value. They’re rich in protein, calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc, and they add a healthy bite-sized option to your table. Fava beans, which are also loaded with nutrients, can be used in place of chickpeas.
Swap out mashed potatoes or cornbread for Middle Eastern baked red lentil falafel with lemon-herb tahini dipping sauce and watch your family fall in love with this vitamin-rich and gluten-free dish. This recipe combines red lentils, carrots, onions and almond flour with a robust mixture of spices like cumin, paprika, garlic, lemon and fresh herbs. Serve them as a side, over a salad or with roasted vegetables to bring new flavors to your holiday menu.
Delicious Desserts
It’s easy during the holiday months to indulge in sweets. From chocolate to cake and cookies, there is no shortage of sugar throughout the season. If you don’t want the holidays to be an all-you-can-eat sweets buffet, consider making a dessert recipe that isn’t loaded with processed sugar.
Kutia is a traditional wheat berry pudding served at Christmas time in Ukraine. The dish symbolizes the unity of generations. Fairly simple in terms of the ingredient list, the pudding is made with wheat berries, milk, poppy seeds, honey, almonds and a variety of dried fruits including raisins and apricots.
Not only will this pudding satisfy your taste buds, but it has amazing health benefits. Wheat grains and poppy seeds provide fiber, vitamins, minerals and protein. The high fiber content promotes healthy digestion.
Ava Huelskamp is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
Recipes
Cuban Turkey Criollo: A Cuban-American way to cook a turkey. The turkey is marinated overnight in a traditional Cuban marinade called mojo.
Marinade ingredients:
½ cup melted butter
½ cup olive oil
8 garlic cloves
Grated rind of 1 orange
1 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. black peppercorns
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. rosemary
1 tsp. thyme
½ tsp. cumin
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
½ cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
Turkey Ingredients:
10- to 12-pound turkey
1 cinnamon stick
Rind of ½ orange
1 bay leaf
1 small onion spiked with 2 cloves
Slices of bacon to cover turkey (optional)
Instructions:
Combine all marinade ingredients in a food processor or blender and mix until smooth. Separate the turkey skin from the flesh by running your hands between the layers gently. Season the outside, beneath the skin and inside the cavity with the seasoning mixture.
Stuff turkey with a cheesecloth packet of cinnamon, orange rind and bay leaf in cavity. Add onion. Cover and refrigerate the turkey overnight.
Remove turkey from the refrigerator one hour before cooking and let it sit. Place the turkey breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan and cover the breast with aluminum foil. Remove foil for the last hour of roasting.
Roast turkey 15 minutes per pound, basting every 20 minutes. Remove turkey from the oven when the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees on a meat thermometer.
Remove the seasoning packet from the cavity and serve. If using bacon, add it to the turkey body – no legs – halfway through roasting. Remove bacon before serving.
Recipe courtesy of Alicia Marti-Rodríguez. Copyright 2020. All rights reserved
Middle Eastern Baked Red Lentil Falafel with Lemon-herb Tahini Dipping Sauce: Gluten-free and brightly spiced falafel patties can be used as a side dish, a salad topper or mixed in with roasted vegetables at your Thanksgiving meal.
Ingredients:
1 cup split red lentils
2 cups water
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cups yellow onion diced
2 cups carrots diced
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. ground paprika
1 tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. Himalayan pink salt
½ tsp. black pepper
⅔ cup chopped fresh parsley, cilantro or mix of both
1 cup almond flour
Lemon-herb tahini dipping sauce
⅓ cup tahini
⅓ cup water
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley or cilantro minced
⅛ tsp. pink salt
Instructions:
Fill a large pot with water and lentils and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, cover the pot, reduce heat to low and simmer until water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Sautee onions, carrots and garlic until carrots are soft and onions are translucent; about 10 minutes.
Add onion-carrot mixture, red lentils, lemon juice, paprika, cumin, salt, black pepper and fresh herbs to the food processor or blender. Mix on low until ingredients are fully incorporated and form a paste consistency.
Pour mixture into a large mixing bowl and incorporate almond flour until mixture is damp, but able to hold its shape. Add more almond flour if required.
Form mixture into 1.5- to 2-inch patties and space out evenly on the baking sheet. Bake patties for 25-30 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden brown.
Set out to cool for 15 minutes before serving.
For tahini sauce: Whisk together tahini and water with a fork. Add in lemon juice, herbs and salt. Drizzle tahini over falafel patties.
Recipe courtesy of Maria Marlowe. www.vitacost.com. Copyright 2021. All rights reserved.
Kutia: A traditional wheat berry pudding served at Christmas time in Ukraine symbolizing the unity of generations.
Recipe:
1 1/2 cups wheat berries
4 1/2 cups of milk (or water – preferably milk)
3/4 cups poppy seeds
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup raisins
2/3 cup chopped dry apricots
2/3 cup slivered almonds or chopped walnuts
1/8 tsp. salt
Instructions:
Rinse the wheat berries in cold water until the water is clear. Transfer the berries to a bowl filled with lukewarm water and let sit overnight. The water level should sit about 2 inches above the wheat berries. The next day, drain wheat berry and water mixture and put berries into a medium sized pot. Pour the milk overtop and bring the mixture to a boil on high heat. Once it’s boiling, turn heat level to low, cover and simmer for 3 1/2-4 hours, or until berries are very tender. Stir occasionally. While the berries are simmering, rinse poppy seeds in a strainer and place into a medium saucepan with three cups of water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then turn off the heat and cover with the lid for 30 minutes. Once again return to a simmer, then turn off and cover again for 30 minutes. Drain the seeds well with a strainer. Grind the seeds with a food grinder or clean coffee grinder. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for a few minutes. Remove from the oven and turn the oven temperature down to 325 degrees. Drain the wheat berries once they are done
cooking and reserve ½ cup of the cooked milk. Combine cooked milk with honey and stir well. Combine wheat berries, poppy seeds, raisins, apricots, nuts, honey-milk mixture and salt in a mixing bowl. Once mixed thoroughly, pour into a casserole or pie dish and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, uncovered. Remove from the oven and use foil to cover, then let the dish sit for 15 minutes before serving. This dish can be served warm or cold, and will be more flavorful the longer it sits.
Recipe courtesy of Natasha Kravchuk. www.natashaskitchen.com. Copyright 2015. All rights reserved.
