Thanksgiving thinking

In past years, we've gotten very overfed, made tons too many roasted veg, and spent time making gourmet dishes (fun!) This year - who knows? For some reason I'm attracted to the idea of a soup (something not often made, like perhaps that fennel soup) served in a small roasted squash or pumpkin, accompanied by a special salad (last year we had a spring mix with apples and candied walnut bits, which was great), and a light dessert.

thoughts:

SOUPS

Carrot and Parsnip soups with tarragon-cashew sour cream
Millennium Cookbook, p.66


Fennel & Fava Soup

Polynesian Peanut Soup With Toasted Coconut
http://www.wftv.com/fourthofjuly/3742553/detail.html

Sweet Potato-Ancho Bisque with Apple-Pecan Salsa & Roasted Red Pepper Cream
http://www.cbsatlanta.com/holidayrecipe … etail.html

Yukon Gold Potato Soup with Black Olive Caviar [skip the egg topping, just olives and chives)
http://www.nbc6.net/news/2124732/detail.html

Alternatively, it would be great to have potstickers, a light and spicy broth-based chinese soup, and ... something something for dessert. More on this later.

Carmelized tofu 
withschezwan green beans and shallots
butterscotch pudding
apple slaw
fresh fruit

SALADS

Strawberry & Spinach salad with a balsamic dressing

Chilled asparagus in dilled mustard sauce 


Green beans in vinaigrette

DESSERTS

Vegan pumpkin pudding garnished with sesame lace tuilles (millennium, p. 210)

Strawberry pie, but made into just a few cupcake-sized tarts, with a puff pastry base and drizzled with chocolate, or the vanilla sauce from Millennium, p.223.

thanksgiving meal - planning

• Roasted root veggies: carrots, onions, garlic, rutabaga, turnip, tomato. maybe radishes.

last year we did veg in a wonderful chipotle-garlic-olive oil marinade, and may repeat that.
We also had a fancy roulade stuffed with root veg and I don't really feel the need to repeat it, though it was very good.

(what, we need something else?) I'm thinking about it.

• what about the perfect soup - with the above goodness, just a very light broth-based something (like the fennel soup somewhere on this blog) with home made croutons or garlic bread? or a good loaf of home made bread, warm from the oven, with an herb-butter spread. this might be a good starter.
• spinach salad
• fresh green beans with sesame seeds (a request)

to be continued!



dessert. right, dessert ;) ONE of us wants strawberry-rhubarb pie, and though I think this is more a spring thing, I have no serious objections. he does make a mean pie! I insist on a home made crust, though.