In this healthy version of the classic appetizer, we are using frozen spinach and frozen artichokes.  Unless you harvest the spinach right out of your garden, frozen is a good way to go because spinach rapidly looses nutrients after it has been harvested.  Frozen spinach is harvested and frozen right away, locking in the nutrients.  Artichokes are best fresh, but very labor intensive, frozen is the next best thing.

Quick Tip: Assemble, but don’t bake.  Keep in the fridge for a day and bake according to the recipe or wrap with plastic and foil and freeze for a few months.  Bake from frozen in a 400° oven for about 1 hour covered, uncover and bake until bubbling.

Serves: about 6-10

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup light mayo
• 1,  8 oz package 1/3 less fat cream cheese
• 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
• 3/4 + 1/3  cup parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 3/4 cup artichoke hearts, frozen and thawed, sliced in half
• 1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and water squeezed out
• 1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, minced

Directions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 375°.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine mayo, cream cheese, mascarpone, 3/4 cup parmesan, sour cream, garlic, Tabasco, salt and pepper. Mix well.
3. Stir in the artichoke hearts, spinach and sun dried tomatoes.
4. Spread into a 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle top with remaining 1/3 cup parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbling.
5. Serve with whole wheat crackers.

Serves 10-15

Quick Tip: Assemble the veggies up to 1 day ahead and the dressing up to 2 days ahead.

Ingredients

• 8 cups broccoli, cut into small florettes
• 3 red pepper, sliced into strips
• 4 medium zucchini, sliced on the diagonal
• 3 cups cherry Tomatoes
• 1 large head celery, sliced into 3 inch sticks

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the broccoli. Blanch for 30 seconds and strain out hot water and run cold water over the broccoli to stop the cooking. Drain.
2. On a large platter arrange the vegetables.

Basil Ranch Dip – Ingredients

• Makes about 1 cup
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1 cup yogurt
• 1/2 cup mayo
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 8 basil leaves

Directions

1. Place all the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor, blend until well combined.

Make Ahead Tip: You can assemble the meatballs and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Place in the freezer. Once frozen place in a freezer ziplock and store up to 2 months.

Bake in a 400° oven on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°
If you don’t want to freeze they can be baked and kept in the fridge for up to 2 days.  Reheat in a large pot with sauce.

Recipe makes about 30

Sauce – Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 cup yellow or white onion, 1/2 inch dice
• 4 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 3/4 teaspoon ginger, ground
• 1 cup canned pineapple chunks
• 2/3 cup pineapple juice, from canned pineapple
• 3 Tablespoons sugar
• 2/3 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Sauce Directions

1. In a medium sauce pot pour in olive oil over medium heat, add the onion and sweat for 2-3 minutes or until translucent.
2. To the onions, stir in the vinegar ketchup, ginger, pineapple chunks, pineapple juice and sugar.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the chicken broth and the cornstarch.
4. Whisk chicken broth mixture into the sauce and bring to a simmer. Allow to lightly simmer for about 5 minutes. Turn down to low and keep warm.

Meatballs – Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 2 Tablespoons grated yellow onion
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger, ground
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 2 pounds ground chicken

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°
2. In a large bowl mix together the garlic, onion, eggs, soy sauce, coriander, ginger and panko.
3. Add chicken and mix until well incorporated.
4. Scoop into quarter size balls.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the internal temp reaches 165°.
6. Add meatballs to the sauce and serve.

Welcome Fox Q13 viewers and thanks for visiting TheLakeKitchen.com! If you’re here for the first time, please take a minute to explore the website, you’ll find many of Jill’s delicious recipes and cooking tips including today’s Thanksgiving Side Dish recipes.  We encourage you to ask questions, participate in discussions, and share with us your cooking experiences!

Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes

Thanksgiving is fast approaching and Jill has put together some great recipes that will sure to be a hit at your Thanksgiving dinner table.  Many of these recipes can be prepared ahead of time, frozen, and then thrown in the oven on Thanksgiving day to help save you save time in the kitchen and spend more time with your friends and family!

• Parmesan and Bacon Twice Baked Potatoes

• Cranberry Orange Ginger Sauce

• Sauteed Green Beans with Leeks and Bacon

• Sausage Sage and Cranberry Stuffing

• Baked Sweet Potatoes with Candied Pecans and Blue Cheese

We hope you enjoy these recipes and have a Happy Thanksgiving!  Be sure to bookmark TheLakeKitchen.com and come back soon!

This recipe is perfect for a Thanksgiving menu or a quick meal a home. Make sure to taste your potatoes before you stuff them to make sure the texture and flavor is to your liking, if you have larger potatoes you might want to add a tablespoon more of butter or milk.

Quick Tip: Make the potatoes up to a day ahead, keep in the fridge and bake about 25 minutes before you want to serve.

Click here to read more and get the recipe.

Cranberry Orange Ginger Sauce

Makes about 2 cups

Quick Tip: Make ahead and freeze. Once the sauce is cooked cool in the fridge. Place the cooled sauce into ziplock bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
To serve, allow to defrost at room temp for 20-30 minutes.

Ingredients

• 2, 12oz packages fresh cranberries
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 medium orange, zest and juice
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Directions

1. Place all of the ingredients into a large sauce pot and stir.
2. Cook on medium for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Sauteed Green Beans with Leeks and Bacon
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 Cup –Bacon (sliced in to bits)
• 1 Cup – Leek (sliced 1/4 inch)
• 1 Pound -Haricot Verts (or green beans)
• 1/4 Cup –Almonds (slivered)

Directions

1. In a medium sauté pan, over med/high heat cook bacon until crisp (about 8-10min) stirring occasionally.
2. Remove bacon from pan and set aside, leaving drippings in the pan.
3. Add leeks to pan with drippings, sauté on medium heat for 5-7 min, stirring occasionally.
4. Add green beans to leeks and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. In a separate small pan toast almonds over medium heat stirring so not to burn. Toast almonds until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
6. Toss green beans, bacon and almonds together and serve.

Sausage  Sage and Cranberry Stuffing
Serves 12

Quick Tip: To freeze place in a freezer safe  baking dish and cover with foil. Freezer for up 3 months. From frozen, place covered stuffing in a 400° oven and bake for 1 hour, uncover and bake until heated through. If the stuffing seems a little dry, pour 1/2 cup of chicken broth over the top.

Ingredients

• 2, 14oz cans or 2 1/4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2  teaspoon allspice
• 2 cups dried cranberries
• 1/4 Cup maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cup sweet onion, medium dice
• 11/2 cup  celery, small dice
• 1 Tablespoon garlic, minced
• 2, 12 oz  low fat or regular sausage (such as jimmy dean)
• 1/4 cup  parsley, roughly chopped
• 1 Tablespoon dried sage
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 9 cups stuffing bread crumbs

Directions

1. Pre heat oven to 375 °
2. In a large bowl mix together chicken broth, allspice, cranberries and maple syrup, set aside.
3. Add olive oil, onions and celery to a large skillet and sauté over medium heat for about 5 min or until onions turn translucent, stirring occasionally.
4. Once onions are translucent, turn heat to low and add garlic, cook 2 minutes.
5. Add onion mixture to the bowl with the broth.
6. Heat the same skillet, over med/high heat. Add sausage, allow to cook for about 5 minutes, breaking up large pieces while sausage starts to brown.
7. Add parsley, sage and thyme to the sausage, mix and cook until sausage is fully cooked about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Add cooked sausage to the rest of the cooked ingredients in the large bowl, stir.
9. Pour the bread cubes in the bowl and stir well.
10. Place stuffing in a 9.5 x 16 baking dish.
11. Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes.  Remove foil and allow to brown for 5-10 minutes.

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Candied Pecans and Blue Cheese

Makes 10 Potatoes

Quick tip: To cut down on fat you can use half and half instead of heavy cream and olive oil instead of butter, the flavor won’t be quite as rich.

Ingredients

• 5 sweet potatoes, I use the darker skinned potatoes with orange flesh
• 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 Tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons butter, room temp
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of ginger
• pinch of nutmeg
• 3/4 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/2 cup blue cheese (optional)

Directions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 400°.
2. With a fork prick each potato about 5 times, place on a cookie sheet. (If you have a sil-pat, lay that on your cookie sheet and bake the potatoes on it).
3. Place the potatoes in your hot oven and bake for about 40-60 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork.
4. While the potatoes are baking, in a medium sauté pan over medium heat, add butter and brown sugar.
5. Once the butter has melted stir in the salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the sugar has started to bubble, turn off the heat and stir in the pecans. Please the candied pecans on parchment paper or a non stick surface and allow to cool.
6. Once the potatoes are tender, remove them from the oven and slice each potato in half lengthwise.
7. In a mixing bowl or stand mixer, add mascarpone, maple syrup, heavy cream, salt and cinnamon.
8. Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, but still warm very gently scoop out the insides leaving the skin in tact, and place the insides in the mixing bowl with the other ingredients, reserving the skin.
9. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk together on high until well incorporated and most of the lumps are gone about 1 minute.
10. With a large spoon scoop about 1/3 of a cup the whipped potatoes into each one of the skins. Top each potato evenly with candied pecans and crumble the blue cheese over the pecans.
11. Bake at 375° for 7-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the potato is heated through.

*If you want to make ahead and freeze: Follow the recipe, after the stuffed potatoes are baked, place in the fridge to cool. Once cool, place the potatoes in a freezer safe container or zip lock bag. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To serve straight from the freezer: Preheat your oven to 400°.  Place the potatoes in an oven safe dish and cover with foil. Bake for about 35 minutes, uncover and finish baking until cheese is melted and potatoes are hot, about 10 minutes. Serve.