For Thanksgiving, I did not want to undertake the daunting task of cooking a whole turkey. I have done so in the past, but for this year I made things a little easier on myself and went with a turkey breast. It was cheaper and most of my guests do not eat dark meat anyway, so it was a better choice all around. What is really great about turkey breast is that it thaws and cooks in less time, so there is no need for a 4 am wake-up call.

When cooked breast side down, there is still a cavity that can be “stuffed.” I would not recommend this for actual stuffing, because the cavity is rather small and not as enclosed as a whole turkey, so the stuffing will fall out if the bird is turned. This is, however, a great place to add flavor and keep the breast moist by using onions, lemons, and fresh herbs. Below is my recipe for a quick and easy rub and fixings for a turkey breast.

If you do not have poultry seasoning, use a mixture of rubbed sage, dried thyme, dried rosemary, and a pinch of nutmeg or cloves.

Lemon-Thyme Turkey Breast

1 turkey breast, about 6 lb
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 salt
Cracked black pepper
1 small onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
1 large garlic clove, lightly smashed
4-5 fresh thyme sprigs

Preheat oven to 325F and lightly coat the rack of a roasting pan with cooking spray. Place rack in the roasted pan so that the “V” points down.

Rinse turkey well, including the cavity, and pat dry. Unlike a whole turkey, there are no giblets or neck to remove. Place turkey, breast side up, on the roasting pan.

Combine melted butter, poultry seasoning, and salt in a small bowl. Rub the mixture over the entire turkey breast, reserving a small amount for the underside (because the turkey is still cold, it will cause the butter to solidify slightly). Top the turkey breast with cracked black pepper.

Turn turkey over so the cavity is face up. Place half of the lemon and onion wedges in the turkey cavity, along with the garlic clove and springs of fresh time. Press down slightly and add remaining onion wedges if they will fit. Drizzle the remaining butter mixture over top and top with cracked black pepper. Squeeze 2 of the remaining lemon wedges over top, reserving the last 2 lemon wedges for later.

Cook turkey, breast side down, for 2 1/2 hours. Increase the oven temperature to 350F and turn turkey breast over (some of the lemons or onions may fall out, leave in the pan drippings for flavor if you are making gravy). Squeeze the two reserved lemon wedges over top of the turkey breast and return to oven for 30-45 minutes.

The turkey breast is cooked when a meat thermometer registers 185F when stuck into the breast, but the bird will continue to cook for 15-20 minutes after it has been removed from the oven. When the meat thermometer registers a temperature of 175-180F, this is a good time to remove the turkey breast. Place turkey breast on a large cutting board to “rest” and cover with foil. After 20 minutes, remove foil and begin slicing turkey to serve.

By the time the turkey is sliced and served on the table, it will still be warm but not hot. Solve this problem by serving piping hot gravy and no one will notice.

Here is one of my side dishes from Thanksgiving this year, full of seasonal root vegetables along with the flavors of fresh ginger and maple syrup. The vegetables can be prepped the night before, or during the day while the turkey is cooking.

While the turkey is cooking, prepare the dish and place it in the oven during the last 20 minutes of the turkey cooking time. Once you remove the turkey, increase the heat to 400F and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 20 more minutes. This gives you time to let the turkey rest and get the rest of the food ready, then pull out the vegetables right before serving.

When preparing the vegetables, cut everything to the same relative shape and size. This will ensure that all the vegetables cook at the same rate, and that way you don’t end up with mushy carrots and rock-hard sweet potatoes.

Ginger Roasted Root Vegetables w/ Pecans
adapted from Food & Wine magazine

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut in 1 inch cubes
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1 inch cubes
2 large parsnips, peeled and sliced about 1 inch thick
4 medium to small carrots, peeled and sliced about 1 inch thick
1 container (8 oz) whole baby bella mushrooms, rinsed and halved
1 cup whole pecans
2 tbsp freshly grated ginger (about a 2 inch piece)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 /4 tsp ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup maple syrup
Ground cinnamon, optional

Preheat the oven to 400F and brush a 13×9 inch baking dish with olive oil.

Combine the prepared vegetables in a large bowl along with the mushrooms and pecans. Add ginger, olive oil, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss all of the ingredients, coating the vegetables.

Add vegetables to the prepared baking dish, then drizzle with maple syrup. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork. Sprinkle with a dash of cinnamon just before serving, if desired.

As part of Muffin Madness, I challenged myself to make Blueberry-Orange muffins. I wanted to include candied orange peel tossed with ground cloves, sprinkled on top of the muffins. After doing a little research, I found the website Food Pairings that indicated cardamom was a good match for blueberries and bitter orange peel, so I decided to stir the candied orange peel into the batter along with some ground cardamom.

The candied orange peel I purchased, however, was not high quality and contained a large amount of pith. The candied orange sunk to the bottom of each muffin, and the original recipe I used called for granulated white sugar instead of brown sugar, so the muffins themselves were quite dry and flavorless. It took three attempts to get this recipe right, which included swapping in brown sugar, using fresh orange juice and fresh orange zest to make the muffins moist, and tinkering with the amount of blueberries for maximum impact.

Here is the final result! Use frozen blueberries for best flavor and texture (thaw first).

Blueberry-Orange Muffins
adapted from Cooking Light

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 large egg
1 orange, zested and juiced
1 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 350F and prepare a 12-cup muffin tin by coating it in cooking spray.

In a medium size bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cardamom.

In a large bowl, combine butter, buttermilk, egg, orange juice and orange zest. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Add half of the flour mixture and beat to combine. Add the second half of the flour mixture and beat to combine. Fold in blueberries.

Spoon mixture into prepared muffin tins, filling the cups about 3/4 of the way. Bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center.

Makes about 12 muffins.

Stuffed eggplant sounds pretty sophisticated, but it is actually quite easy to do and not as labor intensive as you might think. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to prepare stuffed eggplant (along with some ideas for the filling). Bits and pieces of the information below have already been posted on various other recipes, but I’ve condensed all the information so it is all in one place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First, when selecting an eggplant, look for one with smooth skin that is a deep purple color. Avoid bruises or dents, and select an eggplant that feels heavy for it’s size (this indicates ripeness). Try not to buy an eggplant over 1 or 1.25 pounds, as heavier eggplants are usually bitter. Eggplant is mostly in season from about June to September, though some gourmet stores may still import good varieties this time of year. The best bet for eggplant slightly past its prime is to peel, cut into chunks, salt the flesh (more on that below), and saute with other seasonal vegetables or bake with tomato sauce.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First, start by cutting the eggplant in half lengthwise. The stem and cap are not edible, but you can leave on for presentation. The leaves can also be peeled back to reveal more edible flesh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, use a small paring knife to score the flesh. Start with diagonal slashes all in the same direction, slicing as deep as possible without piercing the skin. Keep the cuts about 1/2 inch apart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then slice in the opposite direction, creating a cross-hatch pattern. Try to connect the corners as much as possible, leaving complete squares cut out. Then run the paring knife about the edge of the eggplant, leaving less than 1/4 inch of flesh next to the skin. Again, be careful not to pierce the skin, but cut deep enough to loosen the flesh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh. The pieces should pop out rather easily, following the cross-hatch pattern. You may need to scoop out additional seeds at the bottom of the eggplant, if so discard. The seeds are edible but rather bitter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chop any connected flesh into 1/2 inch cubes. Place the eggplant flesh in a colander and sprinkle with salt. This will draw any bitterness to the surface of the eggplant. Let set for about 15-20 minutes, then rinse and gently pat dry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once the eggplant is ready, prepare the “stuffing.” Here is an easy recipe:

Stuffed Italian Eggplant

Olive oil
2 eggplants, about 1 lb each
1/2 lb bulk Italian sausage
1 pkg (8 oz) mushrooms, sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Sea salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried oregano
1 can (15 oz) low-sodium tomato sauce
2 tbsp red wine or apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and brush with olive oil. Arrange the hollowed out eggplant halves in a single layer on the baking sheet.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add sausage, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, and cook 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and bell pepper to pan. Saute 3-5 minutes, until pepper begins to soften. Add onions and garlic, sprinkle with salt and saute until onions are softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add oregano and red pepper flakes and toss.

Add to pan (prepared as described in above instructions). Stir in tomato sauce and red vinegar. Bring liquid to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer  for 5-7 minutes, until sauce is thick. Remove from heat and let set for 5 minutes.

Fill the hollowed out eggplant halves with tomato mixture. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over each stuffed eggplant. Bake 15-20 minutes, until top is lightly browned and bubbly. Drizzle the top of the eggplants with olive oil if it looks like it is beginning to dry out. Use a large spatula or serving spoon to transfer stuffed eggplants to plate.

Leftover “stuffing” can also be tossed with cooked pasta. To make for six, use prepare three eggplant and add 2 cups cooked pasta after tomato sauce is added and brought to a boil. To make vegetarian, omit the Italian sausage and add mushrooms (saute with the onions).

This recipe uses curry powder to add a twist to traditional stir-fry. Of course, I found the original recipe to be a bit lacking. I added some more veggies and tweaked a couple ingredients, then served the stir-fry over couscous. Try it over rice or egg noodles as well. The vegetables can be swapped for whatever is available/in season (or to your preference).

You can look for beef pre-sliced for stir-fry to save time, but slicing it yourself will probably be cheaper. Look for tender cuts like top loin, top sirloin, tenderloin, or even flank. Placing the beef in the freezer for 10-15 minutes will help firm it up, making it easier to slice the beef into thin strips.

Curried Beef Stir-Fry
adapted from Southern Living

1 lb beef, cut into thin strips
Olive oil
Sea salt
Cracked black pepper
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp freshly grated ginger
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 bell pepper (red, yellow, orange), sliced into 1-inch pieces
2 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced into 1/4 inch thick pieces
1 large apple, such as fuji, cored and diced
1/2 cup apple juice
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
hot cooked couscous or rice, for serving

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large skillet. Season beef with sea salt and black pepper. Add the beef, working in batches if needed, and stir-fry over high heat until cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium-high, add additional oil, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Add red onion, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Saute 2-3 minutes, then add bell pepper. Saute 2-3 minutes, adding additional oil if needed, then add zucchini and saute 2-3 minutes. Add diced apple, apple juice, soy sauce, and curry powder. Bring liquid to a boil and return beef to pan along with any accumulated juices on the plate. Toss ingredients, reduce heat to low, and cover. Simmer for 3-5 minutes, adding additional apple juice if needed.

Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Serve over hot cooked couscous or rice.