Gingerbread

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup finely grated zucchini
• 1 cup finely grated carrot
• 1/2 cup SOOC Roasted Walnut oil
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup hot water

Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon SOOC Honey Ginger White Balsamic

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Grease a 9-inch-by-5-inch loaf pan with walnut oil.

Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, allspice, and cloves and baking soda in a large bowl. Whisk well and set aside.

In a separate bowl stir combine the walnut oil, brown sugar, eggs, molasses, and ginger. Whisk well.  Add the carrot and zucchini.  Add the flour mixture in three parts alternating with the hot water in three additions, beating until flour is just incorporated. Pour into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

Whisk the powdered sugar with the honey ginger white balsamic and drizzle over the cooled gingerbread.

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Thanksgiving – Butterscotch Pumpkin Pie

Choose between a gluten-free Almond Flour Crust or an Olive Oil Crust for this tasty classic!

Almond Flour Pie Crust

2 ½ cups almond meal or almond flour

4 tablespoons Butter Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 tablespoons Honey

Heat oven to 350°F. Mix the ingredients up in a bowl until combined and pat into the pie plate with your fingertips. Bake for about 10 minutes until the crust is beginning to brown. After 8 minutes, check every minute or so, because once it starts to brown it goes quickly.

Olive Oil Pie Crust

2 ½ cups flour

1 Tbls sugar

1 tsp salt

½ cup Butter Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2/3 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

Mix the dry together and add the oil, buttermilk and vanilla. Combine all the ingredients together till just wet and you can handle it in your hands. Split dough into two balls and flatten out with your palm, flour the counter top and roll out till 1/8 inch think or till desired size.

Bake at 400°F for 10 min or just till the edge turns light brown.

Pumpkin Pie filling

1 can pumpkin

1 ½ cups half and half

1 egg

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp cinnamon

1 box of Butterscotch pudding mix

¼ cup brown sugar (optional for sweeter pie)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a bowl combine all the ingredients and mix well. Pour into the pie crust and bake for 45 min, once the top is nice and golden take out of the oven and let cool.

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Thanksgiving – Spicy Garlic Sauteed Kale

3 pounds kale, any variety (about 4 large bunches),

thick bottom stems and center stems cut away and discarded

¼ cup Chipotle Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 cup finely chopped shallots (about 2 large)

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons drained capers, chopped

Coarse kosher salt

Bring extra-large pot of salted water to boil. Add kale and cook until almost tender, about 8 minutes. Drain. Rinse kale under cold running water. Drain again. Coarsely chop kale. DO AHEAD: Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill.

Heat Chipotle Extra Virgin Olive Oil in large pot (preferably nonstick) over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until tender but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and capers; stir 1 minute. Stir in kale and sauté until tender and heated through, about 7 minutes. Season to taste with coarse salt and pepper. Transfer kale to large bowl and serve.

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Thanksgiving – Balsamic Roasted Potato Wedges

4 large yellow-fleshed potatoes or sweet potatoes (2 pounds total), scrubbed well

3 tablespoons Roasted Walnut Oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons Traditional 18 year Balsamic Vinegar

Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 450°F. Halve each potato lengthwise, then cut each half lengthwise into 4 wedges. Toss potato wedges with Walnut oil, salt, and pepper in a 17- by 11-inch shallow baking pan (about 1 inch deep) and arrange in 1 layer. Roast potatoes, turning over once, until golden brown and cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons vinegar, roast until vinegar has a turned into a glaze, about 3 minutes.

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Thanksgiving – Blood Orange Cranberries with Cinnamon

1/2 cup Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar

½ cup Blood Orange Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half

1 cup dried cranberries (about 6 ounces)

1 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup honey

Directions

Whisk together the Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar and Blood Orange EVOO. Pour into a pot with broken cinnamon sticks and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer mixture for about 5 minutes.

Add dried cranberries to saucepan; simmer until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add fresh cranberries, 3/4 cup water, and honey; bring to boil, stirring until honey dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until cranberry sauce thickens and is darker in color and berries collapse, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Transfer sauce to bowl; cool. Discard cinnamon sticks. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.

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Thanksgiving- Oyster Stuffing

This classic stuffing doesn’t taste fishy at all — the chopped oysters simply lend some depth and moisture.

2 loaves Ciabatta bread cut into 3/4-inch cubes (12 cups)

1/2 lb sliced bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 cup Tuscan Herb Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 medium onions, finely chopped (2 cups)

1 1/2 cups chopped celery

3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon dried thyme, crumbled

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage or 2 teaspoons dried sage, crumbled

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2/3 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup Butter Extra Virgin Olive Oil

18 oysters, shucked, drained, and chopped (3/4 cup)

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°F. In a large bowl toss the cubed bread with the Tuscan Herb EVOO, spread the bread cubes out evenly over 2 sheet pans and bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of pans halfway through baking, until golden, about 20 minutes total. Cool bread in pans on racks, and then transfer to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain, reserving fat in skillet. In the same skillet with about a 1/4 cup bacon fat, cook onions, celery, thyme, sage, garlic, and pepper in skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl with bread cubes, then stir in bacon, parsley, butter, and oysters. Drizzle with stock, then season with salt and pepper and toss well. Transfer stuffing to a buttered 3- to 3 1/2-quart shallow baking dish. Bake, covered, in middle of oven 30 minutes, then uncover and bake until browned, about 30 minutes more.

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Thanksgiving – Turkey with Fig Balsamic Glaze

1 1/2 cups Fig Balsamic Jam

1 cup warm chicken stock

1/4 cup honey

1 tablespoon Sicilian Lemon Balsamic

1 (10 to 12 pound) fresh turkey

2 cups chicken stock

4 Tbls Mushroom and Sage Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 pound Italian sausage, removed from casing and crumbled

2 large onions, finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary leaves

2 sticks unsalted butter, (1 softened) or 1 ½ cups Butter Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, combine the Fig Balsamic jam, honey, Sicilian Lemon Balsamic and mix in with 1 cup warm chicken stock. Meanwhile, heat 3 Tbls of the Mushroom & Sage EVOO over medium heat and gently sauté the onions with rosemary. Add the sweet Italian sausage and continue to sauté until browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 °F.

Rinse the bird thoroughly inside and out with cold water, and pat dry with paper towels. Using your fingers, gently lift the skin from the turkey breast and using 1 stick of butter, massage it onto the breast meat. If using the Butter Extra Virgin Olive Oil, inject underneath the skin. Rub the outside of turkey with the remaining 1 Tbls Mushroom & Sage EVOO. Sprinkle the cavity and skin liberally with salt and pepper; add the sautéed onions to the cavity of the turkey. Truss the turkey (or just cross the legs over one another and tie with a piece of kitchen twine). Put the turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan; add 2 cups of chicken stock to the bottom of the pan and place in the oven. In a small saucepan, set the fig stock over medium heat and bring to a simmer to reduce, 10 to 12 minutes. Cut up the remaining stick of butter or use the ¾ cup Butter EVOO and whisk it into the glaze mixture.

Once the turkey has turned a nice golden brown start basting the turkey with the fig glaze, about every half hour. Continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meaty part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F. The thigh juices will run clear when pricked with a knife, about 3 hours total (15 minutes per pound). Transfer turkey to a cutting board, loosely covered with foil to rest for up to 30 minutes before carving.

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