A Fresh Take on Thanksgiving

Orange and Sage Turkey

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Pat turkey dry with paper towel and place it on a rack in a roasting pan. In a small bowl, mash together the butter, orange zest, sage, garlic, salt and pepper to create a paste. Lift the turkey’s skin at the neck and gently separate the skin from breast meat. Rub about half of the compound butter under the skin, covering the breast meat. Rub the remaining butter over the skin of the turkey and season with a little more salt and pepper.

Roast the turkey for  about 2 to 3 hours or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees F. Start checking for doneness at 1 hour and 45 minutes. Make sure to baste the turkey every 30 minutes with drippings. If the the skin starts too darken too quickly, tent it with foil.  Remove the turkey from the oven and let the turkey rest for 30 minutes before carving.

To make Sweet Potato and Apple Quinoa Salad: 

For each quinoa, bring to cups of water to boil. Add 1 cup of quinoa , cover and simmer until tender about 20 minutes. Fluff the quinoa, spread it out on a baking sheet and refrigerate to chill about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spread the the sweet potatoes onto a baking a sheet and toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 25 minutes, stirring once, until golden and softened. Let cool.

In the meantime, make the vinaigrette by adding all the ingredients to a small jar, close and vigorously shake until well blended.

In a large bowl, toss together the quinoa, sweet potatoes, apples, parsley, basil, pine nuts and greens. Drizzle vinaigrette on top, gently toss and serve immediately.

Blistered Green Bean and Zucchini with Pesto

To make the pesto: Add the basil, oil and lemon juice into in a food processor bowl and process until well blended. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until paste forms, stopping to scrape side of bowl and push down the mixture as needed.

Heat oil in a large, heavy bottom skillet over medium-high heat. Add the green beans, stir to coat. Cook until green beans are slightly charred and crisp-tender about 4 minutes. Transfer green beans to a plate. Heat two more tablespoons of oil, add the zucchini and cook until slightly charred, stirring once for even cooking, about 4 minutes. Transfer the zucchini to plate with green beans. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, add the carrots and stir to coat, cook until tender about 4 minutes. Add the the green beans, zucchini and carrots into a bowl with 1 cup of pest and stir to coat the vegetables generously. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a platter. Garnish with parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.