Simple Holiday Meal

Even though I was out of town for Christmas Day, I still wanted to make a holiday meal for the fun of it. The meal ended up being simple, healthy, and not over the top which is exactly what I needed after all those Christmas cookies fell into my mouth over the weekend. I did a bunch of searching online and came up with three dishes: roast turkey with gravy, garlic mashed potatoes, and roasted brussel sprouts. Each one was delicious, and I followed each recipe exactly, so I'll just provide a link to where I got them.

For the roast turkey, I used Martha Stewart's butter/white wine/ cheesecloth method.
http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/how-to-roast-a-turkey
Since this was only the 2nd time I've attempted a whole turkey, I loved the step-by-step instructions complete with pictures. Turkey for Dummies! :) I didn't feel like putting in the work to brine the turkey, and it turned out that I didn't need to, the turkey was super moist and flavorful without it. It looked pretty too. I also used her gravy recipe made from giblet stock, absolutely fantastic. No stuffing though, it's not my thing!

The garlic mashed potatoes were from Steamy Kitchen's blog...so easy and delish.
http://steamykitchen.com/12025-roasted-garlic-mashed-potatoes.html

By far the most interesting dish on the table was the roasted brussel sprouts with a pistachio-cranberry pesto, also from Steamy Kitchen.

http://steamykitchen.com/9035-roasted-brussels-sprouts-cranberry-pistachio-pesto.html

I prepped everything while the turkey was cooking, then when the turkey was done and out of the oven, I stuck 'em in to roast while the turkey rested. Great timing. I hadn't had brussel sprouts since my mother made them in '88 and my husband has never had them, so it was a gamble (and I think I won!). These had a yummy sweet/salty contrast from the pesto, and the texture of the sprouts was crisp on the outside, tender on the inside. Just perfect.

I hope you try some of these and like them as much as I did!

Baked Salmon with Tomato-Caper Sauce

I got this recipe from my awesome chef friend, Erica, a long time ago and finally decided to try it for a girls' dinner that I was hosting. It was the first time a few of my friends had sampled my cooking, so I really wanted to impress. :) It definitely didn't disappoint in both presentation and taste. Sides of roasted asparagus and mashed sweet potatoes rounded out the meal. One thing needed for this recipe is a good oven-proof skillet. Luckily, a few weeks before the dinner I received a fantastic All-Clad stainless saute pan from Crate & Barrel as a very generous gift.

RECIPE:

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon drained capers
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 center-cut salmon fillets with skin (about 7 ounces each)
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon minced parsley
1 tablespoon chopped basil

Preheat oven to 425F. In a bowl, toss the tomatoes with the shallot, capers, vinegar and 1/2 tsp of salt. In a medium ovenproof skillet, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil. Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper and add it to the skillet, skin side up. (Depending on how big the skillet, you may be able to fit more than one fillet in the pan, but don't crowd!) Cook over moderately high heat until well-browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Carefully flip the fillets. Transfer skillet to oven and roast until the salmon is cooked through, about 7-10 minutes. Transfer the fish to plates and pour off any fat in the skillet. Cover with foil to keep warm. Place the skillet over moderate heat and add the tomato mixture along with the cumin, canola oil and remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil. Cook, scraping up any bits stuck to the skillet, until the tomatoes just soften, about 2 minutes. Pour the sauce over the salmon, sprinkle with fresh parsley and basil, and serve immediately.

Turkey Bean Chili

This chili was quick, easy, and delicious. I got the recipe from Cooking Light magazine's "Favorite 20 minute recipes" section. Usually I think of chili simmering for hours, so I was a bit skeptical that good chili could only take 20 minutes. To be honest, it took a bit longer to prep everything, and I let it simmer for about 30 minutes since I had the time. I'll be making it again for sure!

RECIPE:
1 cup red onion, chopped
1 poblano pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1+ lb ground turkey
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
salt & pepper to taste
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
14.5oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
14oz can low sodium chicken broth
fresh cilantro, chopped
lime wedges
avocado, chopped
sour cream
shredded cheese

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add first 4 ingredients; cook for 6 minutes or until turkey is done, stirring frequently to crumble. Stir in chili powder, and next 8 ingredients (through broth); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer at least 10 minutes. Top with your choice...avocado chunks, sour cream, shredded cheese, cilantro, squeeze of lime. Enjoy! Makes 6 servings. (per serving: 211 cals, 6.5g fat, 16g carbs, 22.5g protein)