Sweet Potato Casserole

I'm on cloud nine having just had a small helping of my sweet potato casserole. It's perfect and I'm making a second batch on Wednesday to bring to Thanksgiving dinner. I'm sure to get lots of complements with this one!

I began my quest for the perfect sweet potato casserole last weekend when I saw a picture of a sweet potato casserole recipe in one of the many magazines I subscribe to. I was dying to make it. The picture was mouth-watering and how could any sweet potato casserole be bad?

I remember that I was surprised that the recipe called for cream, but no butter. There were no eggs to give it structure. I should have trusted my instincts - it was a clunker! There simply must be butter! Also, the sugar just has to be brown sugar. So I tossed the batch and I started over this weekend on my pursuit of an acceptable sweet potato casserole to share with you.

Now, there are sweet potato casseroles with pecan crunchy toppings (struesels), and there are those with the mini marshmallows. I am combining them here and using a special little twist that came from the recipe I tried last weekend: the pecans are toasted in butter and sugar, and they have a little zing and smokey flavor from our spice rack friend, Mr. Chipotle Chili Powder.


And you can make the pecans days ahead of time. In fact, you may like the pecans so much that you make them and keep them for snacks! I have been picking at the ones that broke and weren't photogenic.

I baked my sweet potatoes days ahead of time. Bake them at 350 degrees. Mine were large, so they took over an hour. If you aren't familiar with baking them, just make sure you poke them with forks and I recommend putting them on tin foil. As they become good and cooked, the sugars will escape through those holes. So if you don't have the tin foil underneath them, the sugars will clump up and stick to the oven grate and drop to the bottom. Then, every time you turn the oven on, they will re-burn and stink up your house.

After I made my sweet potatoes, I stored them in the fridge for a number of days. So as I began preparing the casserole this morning, I took off the skins, and I reheated the sweet potatoes in the microwave.

By the way, I won't feel guilty eating this entire batch throughout the week because I cut back on the typical amount of butter and sugar that most other recipes have. Sweet potatoes are a wonderful thing, and they don't need that much sweetening. The butter is great, but let's not overdo it! Baked sweet potatoes are creamy enough with less butter.

Without further ado, here's the recipe. Enjoy, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Sweet Potato Casserole

For The Sweet Potatoes:
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes (from baked sweet potatoes)
½ stick butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
½ cup brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten


For The Topping:
1 (6-oz) bag of pecan halves
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup honey (I used chestnut honey)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
salt

Let's begin with the topping.

Melt the butter in a pan. Add the pecans, sugar, honey, and chile powder. Toss them around for about 8-10 minutes so that the sugar and honey caramelize around the pecans. Empty out the mixture onto parchment paper so it can cool. Store the pecans in an airtight container till you are either ready to eat them or put them on this special casserole!

The only utensil you will need to mash the sweet potatoes is a fork. In fact, you won't need to even mash them, just cut them into large chunks with the fork and ass you mix in the butter, vanilla, and brown sugar, they will fall apart into the perfect consistency.

Add the eggs once everything else is mixed.

If your sweet potatoes are especially hot, you should temper the eggs. That means, that you take a hunk of the hot sweet potato and mix it into the eggs separately. That evens out the temperature before you add it to the rest of the sweet potatoes. By doing this, you prevent cooking the eggs before they are mixed in. If that were to happen, you'd have scrambled egg hunks in your casserole, and that wouldn't be pleasant.

Coat a 9 x 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray and spread the sweet potato mixture evenly throughout the dish. Top with the marshmallows. Personally, I think I had too many marshmallows on mine (just a bit too may). I would have one layer of marshmallows - no extra. Place the pecans on top with plenty of space between them.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 40-35 minutes. Check toward the end so that the marshmallows brown, but do not burn.

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Celery, Date & Walnut Salad ♥ Recipe

Today's Thanksgiving salad idea: A simple yet festive salad made with celery, dates and toasted walnuts.

The first year in my own home, I signed up to host Thanksgiving dinner for a fair-sized crowd, fourteen. Like all good guests, people offered to bring a dish, my sister the salad. But when she arrived, the salad had been completely forgotten, not left behind, mind you, forgotten -- we've laughed about it ever since. (Trust me, there's little that escapes my sister, so it's useful to have 'something' to hold over her. For. Life. 80K. For Life.) Ever since, salad rarely finds its way to Thanksgiving dinner, there are just sooo many other foods, we'll be back to lettuce soon enough.

Still, especially for small Thanksgiving gatherings, a salad can be a welcome respite from all the rich, plenteous food. I loved this salad and think it would be perfect for Thanksgiving. Think Crunch. Think Color. Think 'autumn flair'. Perhaps a Thanksgiving salad isn't optional after all.

CELERY, DATE & WALNUT SALAD

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Time to table: 15 minutes

DRESSING (enough for 4)
1/2 a shallot, minced very fine
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or any good vinegar
1 tablespoon good olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

SALAD (per SERVING)
1 - 2 ribs celery, sliced thin on the diagonal
1/4 - 1/2 of a date, sliced thin
2 - 3 toasted walnuts, chopped
2 - 3 shavings from good Parmesan

Whisk together the dressing ingredients. Toss with the salad ingredients. Serve alone or atop a bed of fresh arugula or other salad greens.

TO PREP AHEAD
DAY BEFORE Assemble dressing. Toast the walnuts.
MORNING OF Prep the celery and dates.
BEFORE DINNER Assemble salad ingredients, toss with dressing.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Serving: 181Cal; 13g Tot Fat; 2g Sat Fat; 2mg Cholesterol; 97mg Sodium; 13g Carb; 3g Fiber; 10NetCarb; 9g Sugar; 4g Protein; Weight Watchers 4 points

TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION
Food & Wine, November 2008

KITCHEN NOTES
Use any good vinegar but sherry vinegar is definitely one of my favorites because it's smooth and sweet, while still completely vinegar.
No dates? Substitute golden raisins or another dried fruit. The dates do add sweetness so if you elect to skip the fruit entirely (or use one that's not so sweet), you might stir a teaspoon or two of maple syrup into the dressing.
For 12 servings, Food & Wine uses 2 tablespoons of sherry vinegar, 2 tablespoons walnut oil and 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, a 1:2 vinegar:oil mix. It may be the classic proportion but is rich-rich mixture for my taste. Do, of course, mix the dressing to your own taste.

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MORE THANKSGIVING SALAD IDEAS
~ Celery & Apple Salad ~
~ Classic Seven-Layer Salad ~
~ Festive Celery, Cauliflower & Apple Salad ~
~ Festive Holiday Salad from Kitchen Parade ~

~ more green salad recipes ~
~ Thanksgiving Vegetable Recipes 2008 ~

PRINT JUST A RECIPE! Now you can print a recipe without wasting ink and paper on the header and sidebar. Here's how.

NEVER MISS A RECIPE! For 'home delivery' of new recipes from A Veggie Venture, sign up here. Once you do, new recipes will be delivered, automatically, straight to your e-mail In Box.

Here at A Veggie Venture, vegetables are the real stars of the Thanksgiving table. So watch for new Thanksgiving recipes all November long, new additions to my collection of Thanksgiving vegetable recipes. Whether it's 2006's famous World's Best Green Bean Casserole or 2007's favorite Cauliflower Cream or a brand-new recipe which catches your fancy, this year, move vegetables to your center stage.
© Copyright 2008

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Green Beans with Browned Butter & Pine Nuts ♥ Recipe

Today's Thanksgiving recipe idea: Fresh green beans tossed in browned butter and toasted pine nuts. Simple and sumptuous at the same time.

Has anyone else noticed that many Thanksgiving vegetable recipes seem to be for the toothless? The recipes all start with 'creamy' and 'cheesy' and end with 'mash' and 'purée'. Where's the crunch in Thanksgiving? I love these as much as the next Thanksgiving turkey but still, think that every Thanksgiving menu should include a vegetable that retains its farm form.

Now, before anyone gets the idea that these beans are, say, diet food, think butter, think browned butter, think browned butter with golden niblets of pine nuts. Think celebration, think feast. These beans are an ultimate Thanksgiving vegetable.

GREEN BEANS WITH BROWNED BUTTER & PINE NUTS

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 30 minutes
Serves 4 - 8

1 quart water
1 tablespoon table salt
1 pound fresh green beans, tails topped

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (yes, more salt)
Freshly ground black pepper

Bring the water and salt to a boil. Add the beans, cover and let cook at fast simmer for about 5 - 7 minutes until nearly done. Drain.

Return the hot pot to the stove. Melt the butter on MEDIUM heat. Add the pine nuts and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring constantly until the butter browns and the pine nuts turn mostly golden or brown. Remove the pot from the heat. Add the green beans and the 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine. Add the lemon juice and stir to combine. Add the pepper and additional salt if needed.

TO PREP AHEAD
DAY BEFORE Cook the beans, drain and then let rest for 1 minute in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain again and dry thoroughly. Refrigerate.
BEFORE DINNER Return beans to room temperature. In a large skillet, make the browned butter and proceed.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Serving (assumes 4): 229Cal; 19g Tot Fat; 7g Sat Fat; 22mg Cholesterol; 246mg Sodium; 12g Carb; 6g Fiber; 6NetCarb; 2g Sugar; 4g Protein; Weight Watchers 5 points

TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION
A 2007 publication from Fine Cooking, the side dish issue. If there's another in 2008, I'll definitely pick it up.

KITCHEN NOTES
The inspiring recipe suggested roughly chopping the pine nuts and I think this would be a good idea, it might help give them rough edges that would adhere to the beans, so they don't all fall to the bottom of the serving dish.
Pine nuts will turn/burn in a flash so do keep stirring as specified. It's too easy to get distracted and lose them.
Could we get away with less butter and fewer pine nuts? Yes. Next time I'll use 2 tablespoons butter and 1/4 cup pine nuts.
What's with all the salt? Why not add it at once? First, plenty of salt in the cooking water transforms beans! Second, my instinct says that the salt is added in stages so that the flavors get layered, the butter is extra salty, the beans then get another small burst of saltiness that's not absorbed into the butter. These beans are gorgeous, and not the least bit 'too salty'.

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MORE THANKSGIVING GREEN BEAN RECIPE IDEAS
~ Of course! World's Best Green Bean Casserole ~
~ Green Beans with Onion & Almond ~
~ Slooow Country Green Beans ~

~ more green bean recipes ~
~ Thanksgiving Vegetable Recipes 2008 ~

NEVER MISS A RECIPE! For 'home delivery' of new recipes from A Veggie Venture, sign up here. Once you do, new recipes will be delivered, automatically, straight to your e-mail In Box.

Here at A Veggie Venture, vegetables are the real stars of the Thanksgiving table. So watch for new Thanksgiving recipes all November long, new additions to my collection of Thanksgiving vegetable recipes. Whether it's 2006's famous World's Best Green Bean Casserole or 2007's favorite Cauliflower Cream or a brand-new recipe which catches your fancy, this year, move vegetables to your center stage.
© Copyright 2008

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Roasted Parsnip Soup with Balsamic Syrup

I just love parsnips. I had my first ones just a few years ago. Where had they been all my life?

For those of you who are unfamiliar with parsnips, they look like white carrots. But their flavor is stronger, a bit more bitter, and deeper. I wouldn't eat them raw (though Wikipedia says you can), but when they are roasted, they caramelize and have a fabulous, earthy flavor.

In this soup, parsnips are roasted with pears and onions and the result is beautiful in this flavorful and hardy fall soup. The soup alone is great, but the balsamic syrup knocks it out of the ballpark.

Oh, you can use boxed broth, but why? When I cook, I save the liquids in the freezer. I had enough to use in this soup so that I didn't have to go for the box. But let it be know, if the box were all I had, I'd have used it without thinking.

But I was fortunate, and instead of using boxed broth, I had my own stock on hand along with 1/2 cup of liquids that came from some butternut squash I recently cooked. Using that instead of the boxed stuff really added a level of depth to the soup.

I've been eating it for dinner with a big hunk of crusty wheat bread, and it's great! I also think this soup could be a huge hit at any one's Thanksgiving dinner this year.


Roasted Parsnip Soup With Balsamic Syrup
Adapted from Eating Well Magazine

Makes 7-8 servings, generous 1 cup each

Ingredients
2 pounds parsnips, peeled and chopped into equal-sized pieces*
2 pears, peeled and cut into eighths
1 small yellow or white onion, peeled and cut into eighths
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt, divided
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup balsamic vinegar
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 ¼ cups low-fat milk

Position the rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 450°F.

Toss the parsnips, pears, and onion in the oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Put it in a roasting pan. Roast, stirring every 10 minutes, until very soft and starting to brown, about 50 minutes.



While your fruit and vegetables roast, boil the vinegar in a small saucepan (I used an omelet pan) until syrupy and reduced to about 1/4 cup. It takes 10 to 14 minutes. Watch the syrup carefully, especially at the end, so it doesn't burn. When it is done, you can pull a spoon through it and it see the bottom of the pan without the syrup immediately covering it back up. See my picture below. When you reach this point, remove it from the heat.

In small batches, puree the roasted fruit and veggies in a blender with the liquids. You may find that you have more liquid than you need. I added 2 cups liquid to the original recipe because it just wasn't enough! And still, my soup was very thick.

Add it all the saucepan and stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Reheat the soup over medium heat, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

Gently reheat the balsamic syrup if it has become thicker than syrup while standing.

Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle with the balsamic syrup (I used a spoon sprayed with PAM so the syrup would drizzle). Garnish with chopped chives, if you like.

* Eating well said to remove the fibrous, woody core of parsnips before using. But I didn't know what they were talking about. There were no woody cores in my parsnips.

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Mashed Butternut Squash & Sweet Potatoes with Citrus ♥ Recipe

Today's vegetable recipe: Butternut squash and sweet potatoes, roasted then mashed. Brightened with citrus zest.

So you know how some times a butternut squash can be a little bit watery? And a sweet potato a little bit stringy or starchy? Aha -- the trick is to blend them! This is a lovely way to get the best of both vegetables, texture-wise. It's a combination that bears repetition, whether using this specific recipe or not.

That said, I was surprised at how good these were, flavor-wise, too. The zest really brings out the squash and sweet potato flavors.

And truly, isn't the color gorgeous? This would be a splendid choice for Thanksgiving.

Thank you, Constancia! Many thanks to a New York reader for sharing this recipe. She wrote, "This recipe is not original, it comes from Lynn Rosetto Kasper’s The Splendid Table, where she calls it Yom Kippur Squash. It is traditional, at least in Italy, to serve golden food on Yom Kippur to welcome in a rich new year. It has become a standard at Thanksgiving and Christmas in my house. These are very similar meals, since they both involve turkey (my daughter’s favorite) and lots — at least 5 — vegetable dishes. Since I am Jewish but my husband is not, I also love the irony of making a traditional Jewish dish for this holiday. And to top it off, it tastes great. To use up leftovers, we add eggs and bake, sometimes separating the eggs and beating the whites."

MASHED BUTTERNUT SQUASH & SWEET POTATOES with CITRUS

Hands-on time: 30 minutes
Time to table: 90 minutes
Makes 3 cups

1 large butternut squash (2 - 3 pounds), washed, sliced in half length-wise, seeds scooped out with a grapefruit spoon
1 pound sweet potatoes, scrubbed, pricked with a knife

3 tablespoons olive oil (less would work just fine)
1 large onion, chopped (next time I'll use two onions)

4 cups water
Zest of 2 oranges and 2 lemons, about 3 tablespoons (see NOTES)

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Salt & pepper to taste

ROAST the VEGETABLES Set oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the squash on the foil cut-side up, add the sweet potatoes. Roast for 1 hour plus the number of minutes left to preheat. (See NOTES.) Scrape the flesh from the skins.

CARAMELIZE THE ONIONS Meanwhile, heat the oil on MEDIUM til shimmery in a large skillet. Add the onion and stir to coat with fat. Slowly cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until the onions turn golden and nearly brown.

BLANCH THE ZEST In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Drop in the zest and let cook for about 3 minutes. Lift out with slotted spoon or strainer. Chop til fine.

ASSEMBLE In a large bowl, mash the cooked squash and sweet potatoes til quite smooth. Mix in the cooked onion, chopped zest, cinnamon and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

TO PREP AHEAD
DAY BEFORE Complete the recipe, refrigerate.
BEFORE DINNER These were really easy to re-warm in a saucepan. I did need to add just a little bit of water so they wouldn't burn.
LEFTOVERS Leftovers can be reheated, or you can separate eggs (the number depends on how much of the squash you have), mix the yolks into the squash, beat the whites until they form soft peaks, and fold into the squash. Spread in a baking dish and bake at 350° for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned and heated through.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per half cup: 226Cal; 7g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 55mg Sodium; 41g Carb; 7g Fiber; 34NetCarb; 9g Sugar; 4g Protein; Weight Watchers 4 points

KITCHEN NOTES
IMPORTANT! The citrus flavor develops only after sitting for a couple of days. So not only can this be made ahead of time, I recommend it.
If the sweet potatoes aren't full roasted, pop them into the microwave for a few minutes to finish off.
A microplane will create too fine a zest, so use a paring knife to cute wide swaths or a lemon zester like this one.

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MORE UNUSUAL VEGETABLES PAIRS for THANKSGIVING
~ Mashed Potatoes & Carrots from Kitchen Parade ~
~ Those Pink Potatoes from Kitchen Parade ~
~ Scalloped Swedes & Finns ~

~ more sweet potato recipes ~
~ more butternut squash recipes ~
~ more purées & mashes ~
~ Thanksgiving Vegetable Recipes 2008 ~

NEVER MISS A RECIPE! For 'home delivery' of new recipes from A Veggie Venture, sign up here. Once you do, new recipes will be delivered, automatically, straight to your e-mail In Box.

FAITHFUL READERS Are you afraid that A Veggie Venture has become butter-cream-n-cheese blog? No doubt, Thanksgiving vegetables are rich. But don't worry, A Veggie Venture will soon return to its usual vegetable recipes, fast, low-calorie and easy to put on the table. After testing all these Thanksgiving recipes? I have to!

Here at A Veggie Venture, vegetables are the real stars of the Thanksgiving table. So watch for new Thanksgiving recipes all November long, new additions to my collection of Thanksgiving vegetable recipes. Whether it's 2006's famous World's Best Green Bean Casserole or 2007's favorite Cauliflower Cream or a brand-new recipe which catches your fancy, this year, move vegetables to your center stage.
© Copyright 2008

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I'm Back, People!

Dear Readers,

I totally apologize for my absence. I have been so incredibly bogged-down with a class I was taking that I had no time left for the good things in life: cooking, blogging, keeping in touch with my online blogger community.

The good news is that my class ended - and I got an A. God, do I love an A. I simply must have it!

What class did I take, you ask? I took a class in Web design, and learned how to make a Web page using Dreamweaver. I also learned a lot about Photoshop. I'd like to now learn flash.

For the most part, though, I was completely overwhelmed with class and work. I didn't think the workload was going to be as big as it was. So, I'm left glad that I took the class, but glad that it's over!

During my absence, I did get to do a few things, but I was unable to post the good ones, and unwilling to post the experiments that had gone wrong.

For the Days of the Dead I made sugar skulls for my students and they decorated them after school one day. Oh, and I kept one for me.

But since I was running behind, I didn't even think of getting a chance to post about it until now. The holiday was two weeks ago. So I'll save the recipe and such till next year.

Lets see, I also made my first tamales ever. They were based on a recipe for butternut squash and goat cheese tamales. I made it a bit more Mexican. I added sweet potato, poblano peppers, and replaced the goat cheese with queso fresco:


But you know what? I wasn't so pleased with them and I didn't want to post the recipe I used. I do want to make them again, but I think I need to make them more fattening. It was sort of a light recipe and I didn't like the dough. But I will chalk it off to being a great learning experience and I'll make better tamales next time.

Then there was the day that I was going to make a gateau de crepe. I made a stack of crepes (they were good) and a pastry cream:

But I turned my eyes away from the pastry cream to take a picture of something else, and the cream curdled. I tried to save it, but I wasn't happy with it, and had to toss it with the hopes of having more success next time.

Oh, and there was the ganache I made.



It was a pumpkin ganache - actually had pumpkin in it. And some pumpkin-type spices too. I was going to make truffles with it. But it seemed a little too delicate. I think the cream to chocolate ratio was too high in the cream department. It was okay in the fridge, but less okay in the room temperature. So I ate it, little by little with a spoon. But ultimately, I threw most of it away and vowed to try again another time.

A few weeks ago my husband took a business trip to San Francisco. Lucky him! I would totally LOVE to go to San Francisco. But during the school year a trip like that is out of the question.

What did I want from San Franciso? Chocolate, of course. So I chose a chocolatier on line, and sent Joe on a mission. He visited Christopher Elbow chocolates for me, and they were wonderful. I will post about them within a few days or so.

I also had recipe success with a roasted parsnip soup. That was just a few days ago, and I still have a little left over. I will be posting the recipe very soon. I just don't like the pictures I have of it, and it's rainy now, so the light doesn't make for a good picture.

Oh, and I want chives for the picture. So when Joe left for the grocery store about an hour ago, I put chives on my list. Can't wait to get them on top of that soup!

Today, though, I'm dealing with some severe back and neck pain - probably from the stress of finishing my class. I'm taking some very strong meds. I hope my writing doesn't show that I'm really out of it! But as soon as I'm able to chop some vegetables, I'm going to make a moussaka - a lamb moussaka. I just know it's going to be good. I'll post that too, now that my dance card is open.

So hi, everyone! It's so good to be back.

Meryl

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Thanksgiving Succotash ♥ Recipe

Today's Thanksgiving recipe: Succotash [SUHK-uh-tash], a simple mix of corn and lima beans topped with cheesy bread crumbs. Easy to convert to vegetarian and vegan versions.

How is it that corn -- or more specifically, maize -- indigenous to the Americas and one of the staple foods of Native Americans, so rarely makes its way onto Thanksgiving tables? Let's launch a 'Yes, we can!' effort to change that! Corn and lima beans are a magical combination, especially when their texture is contrasted with a little smooth heat from a poblano pepper. I was some surprised: this simple dish adds up to more than the sum of its parts.

What is succotash? I had to check, myself, even though the word itself and the sufferin' succotash of Sylvester the Cat are both embedded in the back of my brain. Succotash is a traditional American food with many regional variations. The two constants are lima beans and corn. Beans, potatoes and tomatoes may be added, some times the vegetables are topped with a crust, like a pot pie. Many succotash recipes bind the lima beans, corn and other vegetables with cream and eggs, making a thick casserole. In contrast to the more-typical rich Thanksgiving side dishes, this casserole uses broth and thus is positively healthful -- and it tastes like it, in a good way.

THANKSGIVING SUCCOTASH

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 50 minutes
Makes about 5 cups

1 tablespoon bacon grease or butter or olive oil
1/2 an onion, chopped fine
1 poblano pepper, chopped fine
8 ounces (about 2 cups) frozen corn
8 ounces (about 2 cups) frozen lima beans
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled between fingers to release the oils
1 cup chicken stock
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

TOPPING
1/2 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs) or whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup (1 ounce) sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 425F. In a large skillet, heat the fat on MEDIUM until shimmery. Add the onion and pepper as they're prepped, stirring to coat. Gently cook, stirring occasionally, until onions and peppers are soft but not brown. Add the remaining ingredients (except the topping) and bring to a boil. Cover and let cook until the beans and corn are both cooked, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a shallow baking dish. (If there's liquid left, transfer it too, it helps keep the beans moist.)

Mix topping ingredients, sprinkle over top. Bake for about 30 minutes until heated through and topping turns golden.

TO PREP AHEAD
DAY BEFORE Cook the vegetables, cover and refrigerate. Mix the topping.
BEFORE DINNER Return the vegetables to room temperature. Arrange in a greased baking dish. Sprinkle topping onto the vegetables. Bake at 425F for about 30 minutes until heated through and topping turns golden.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per 1/2 Cup: 191Cal; 5g Tot Fat; 2g Sat Fat; 11mg Cholesterol; 203mg Sodium; 29g Carb; 5g Fiber; 24NetCarb; 3g Sugar; 9g Protein; Weight Watchers 3 points

TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION
Adapted from Country Suppers: Simple, Hearty Fare For Family And Friends by Ruth Cousineau

KITCHEN NOTES
If you like, use a green or red bell pepper instead of a poblano pepper.
For the topping in the photo, I used a 1:1 mix of panko:cheddar. A 2:1 mixture is preferable and is specified in the recipe. The mix is taken from the recipe for One-Skillet Cauliflower with Cheese Sauce.
For a vegetarian dish, use olive oil rather than bacon grease and vegetable broth rather than chicken stock. For a vegan dish, substitute a no-dairy cheese for the cheddar.

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MORE THANKSGIVING RECIPE IDEAS for UNTRADITIONAL VEGETABLES
~ Roasted Fennel ~
~ Seared Radicchio ~
~ Reuben Casserole ~

~ Thanksgiving Vegetable Recipes 2008 ~

NEVER MISS A RECIPE! For 'home delivery' of new recipes from A Veggie Venture, sign up here. Once you do, new recipes will be delivered, automatically, straight to your e-mail In Box.

Here at A Veggie Venture, vegetables are the real stars of the Thanksgiving table. So watch for new Thanksgiving recipes all November long, new additions to my collection of Thanksgiving vegetable recipes. Whether it's 2006's famous World's Best Green Bean Casserole or 2007's favorite Cauliflower Cream or a brand-new recipe which catches your fancy, this year, move vegetables to your center stage.
© Copyright 2008

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