If there’s something you really need to make from scratch this Thanksgiving, it’s cranberry sauce. If you’re not already convinced, read on…

One: You can make it many, many days in advance since cranberry sauce is like a fruitcake…it never spoils

Two: You can monitor the amount of sugar so that the fresh, tart flavor of the cranberries is preserved.

Three: It’s ridiculously easy.

Four: It will impress your guests… For some reason, this one really strikes the non-cook as a feat of greatness. I have no idea why, since it literally takes 20 minutes and for most of that time, you are twiddling your thumbs!

I hope I convinced you to try something different, like this recipe? Even if your turkey comes out a big disaster, at least you can say the cranberry sauce is homemade.

For the Recipe, click here:

Framboise Cranberry Sauce

Though I look forward to it, Thanksgiving scares me a bit in terms of nutritional value. I mean… potatoes are fine, but when combined with butter and cream, they are no longer saints. Somewhere amongst the buttery delicacies, the veggies get lost. I mean, seriously, who wants green beans when you can stuff your face with stuffing? 

But maybe, if the greens were more interesting than steamed and salted, you would be more apt to put them on your plate? Give greens the chance to add some health to your meal with this complex and flavorful side dish that takes no time at all to prepare.

For the Recipe, click here:

Lemon Ginger Collard Greens with Golden Raisins

One of my co-workers surprised me with an impressive stalk of brussels sprouts the other day and since they are by far my favorite fall treat, I thought I would share this side dish with you. Are you hosting Thanksgiving? Might I suggest this as a perfect best friend to your turkey?

I’m getting pretty excited about preparing my first “bird” (as my dad likes to say) this year… I am thinking salt-brined. How are you planning on dressing up your turkey?

For the Recipe, click here:

Spiced Brussels Sprouts with Pecans and Cranberries

Yesterday at the Farmer’s Market, I found some amazingly gooey, ripe dates which are almost too smushy to pack and eat on their own. Immediately, I thought of making some truffle sized date balls. I love this no-bake, easy snack that you could serve at your upcoming Halloween bash!

How about putting a whole almond in the middle of them to make them look like eyeballs? Or you can just leave them as is…creepy or not, these are no doubt, delicious. Ivan and I snacked on them while carving pumpkins at the park. Pretty awesome date I must say…

For the Recipe, click here:

Crunchy Date Balls with Coconut Crust

Fall is here! Apple cider and gingerbread and Pumpkin Spice Lattes (probably the only time I go to Starbucks) and lots of hearty food. I am in love with the flavors of autumn… everything is warm and spicy and tastes like it came from heaven.

So here’s the easiest thing in the world. Spaghetti squash. Probably the most difficult thing about preparing this honker is slicing it in half. Thanks to the scarily sharp knives we just received from Ivan’s parents, I had no problem, but just be careful to cut only the squash and not your fingers!

This is a basic way of roasting a spaghetti squash. From there, you can use the shredded “meat” in so many ways, you will surprise yourself. Here are a few of my favorites…

1. Parmesan and Pea Squash Toss

2. Apple Sausage “Spaghetti”

3. Greek Inspired Squash Salad

4. Spaghetti Squash Carbonara

5. Lemon Shrimp with Herbed Spaghetti Squash

For the Recipes, click here:

Roasted Spaghetti Squash and 5 Ways to Eat It

We are leaving for Bulgaria in less than two weeks and I gotta say, I am pretty much only interested in daydreaming and anticipating. In turn, my kitchen time has been downsized to make room for these valuable and time consuming activities.

But let’s be honest, my appetite certainly has not decreased, so I am really digging recipes that take minimal effort but still taste delicious. If you have kids, I can imagine trying to convince them that these are the new chic form of chicken fingers. Just serve them with some familiar condiments and they won’t even notice they’re baked, not fried!

For the Recipe, click here:

Baked Pistachio Crusted Buttermilk Chicken

Another episode in the slow cooker diaries! I know that a couple of you actually purchased a slow cooker when I posted my recipe for Slow Cooked Pork so I’m trying to make the appliance useful and not a dusty fixture in your kitchen cabinets.

Here’s the thing… I had an allergy test a few weeks ago and to my utter shock, I found out that I am allergic to soy! For someone that adores tofu and drinks organic soy milk like it’s life’s sustaining power, this was a very sad revelation. By no means am I cutting it from my diet (good news is that I don’t turn into a swollen pumpkin when I eat it) but I suppose I should limit my intake a tad to avoid the small irritations it does cause.

So, there might be a wee more meat in my diet to fill my reduced tofu gap. But as a disclaimer, I try very hard to buy meat that is farmed responsibly, partly because I can’t bear to think of a caged, unhappy animal and partly just because it tastes better! Enjoy this easy, work free recipe!

For the Recipe, click here:

Hoisin and Apricot Slow Cooked Beef with Lemon Basmati Rice

This has to be one of the easiest ways to prepare fish. You would have to be armless, legless and eyeless to have trouble preparing this. In other words, if you are a human, this shouldn’t be trouble.

I think fish, if it’s fresh, requires very little doctoring, especially when it’s meaty, flaky sea bass. The bright, clean flavors in this easy preparation make a great summer to fall transition lunch or beefed up with some jasmine rice, dinner. I served it with some French bread right out of the tinfoil for a light lunch. And I just had it again with some steamed carrots, so really, endless possibilities.

For the Recipe, click here:

Ginger and Garlic Soy Sea Bass with Wilted Greens

Here’s the truth. I have never been one to eat just breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Eating three times a day just seems like cruel punishment. Instead, I prefer to eat 5 meals per day! Breakfast, “second” breakfast (as the hobbits call it), lunch, afternoon crash meal, pre-dinner crazy meal, and lastly, supper. I do this because a) I think about food 24 hours a day, so stretches of even an hour without eating are torturous and b) because, why not?

Ok, ok… so no, I do not eat five monstrous meals because I tend to be pretty active (thank goodness or I would probably be a giant beached porpoise) and I hate feeling weighed down on a run. In compensation, I eat little meals that satisfy the entire palate and hold me over until the next food celebration! This is an extremely easy recipe I use for “second” breakfast or lunch and just so you know… this pesto? It goes on anything. I think you will find many uses for it.

For the Recipe, click here:

Soft Boiled Egg Salad with Fresh Herb and Tomato Pesto