Holidays Recipes
There's really nothing like a big, over-the-top Christmas dinner feast, where you have the whole family over, warm and cozy around a table decorated just so, and then everyone says grace and digs in to a hearty, wholesome meal.
It's really a moment we live for, perhaps even more than wrapping the presents or opening them. This year, give your family (and any guests) a meal to remember with these Christmas dinner ideas.
Peppercorn Beef
Top Loin Roast
Ingredients:
1 beef top round roast (4 pounds)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons whole peppercorns, crushed
4 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1-1/2 cups port wine
1-1/2 cups dry red wine
Directions
Preheat oven to 325° Trim fat from roast. If desired, tie roast with kitchen twine every 1-1/2 to 2 inches to help beef maintain shape while cooking. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, peppercorns, garlic and salt. Rub over meat. Place in a shallow roasting pan.
Bake until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a thermometer should read 135°; medium, 140°; medium-well, 145°), 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Remove from oven, tent with foil and let stand for 15 minutes before slicing.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute onion in oil until tender. Stir in tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce until blended. Add wines. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced to about 1-1/2 cups. Serve with roast.
Honey-Chipotle Glazed Turkey
Ingredients:
FOR THE TURKEY:
12- to 14-pound turkey, thawed if frozen, neck and giblets removed
stick salted butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp. minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 tbsp. fresh oregano leaves, chopped, plus 2 sprigs
2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, quartered
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
3 c. low-sodium chicken or turkey broth
FOR THE GLAZE:
1/4 c. orange juice
2 tbsp. adobo sauce (from the can of chipotles)
2 tbsp. honey
FOR THE GRAVY:
2-3 c. low-sodium chicken or turkey broth
1/2 c. dry white wine
2 tbsp. instant flour (such as Wondra)
1 tsp. adobo sauce (from the can of chipotles), optional
Directions
For the turkey: Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the turkey on a rack set in a roasting pan. Pat dry with paper towels.
Combine the butter, chipotles, chopped oregano, honey, cumin, and garlic in a small bowl and mix well. Gently loosen the skin from the turkey breast and legs with your fingers. Spread the butter mixture evenly under the skin. Stuff the onion and oregano sprigs in the cavity. Tuck in the wing tips and tie the legs together with twine. Rub the turkey all over with the vegetable oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Pour the chicken broth into the bottom of the roasting pan.
Loosely cover the turkey with foil and roast for 1 hour. Remove the foil and roast until the skin is well browned and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 120°, about 1 more hour.
For the glaze: Whisk the orange juice, adobo sauce and honey in a small bowl. Pour half into a second small bowl and set aside. Brush the remaining glaze all over the turkey and continue roasting until the thermometer registers 160 ̊ in the thickest part of the thigh, about 30 minutes. Remove the turkey from the oven and brush with the reserved glaze. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let rest, at least 30 minutes.
For the gravy: Carefully strain the pan drippings into a large measuring cup. Spoon off as much fat from the top of the drippings as you can. Add enough broth to the drippings to equal 3 cups of liquid. Place the roasting pan over a burner set to medium-high heat. Add the wine and cook, scraping up the bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, until reduced by two-thirds, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the drippings mixture to the roasting pan and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the instant flour until combined. Simmer until starting to thicken, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the adobo sauce, if desired. If the gravy is lumpy, strain through a fine-mesh sieve.
Carve the turkey and serve with the gravy.
Healthy Lasagna with Kale and Portobello Mushrooms
Ingredients:
Deselect All
1 cup coarsely chopped drained jarred roasted red peppers
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
One 28-ounce can no-salt-added whole plum tomatoes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups grated part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 large egg whites
One 15-ounce container part-skim ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 portobello mushrooms, stems discarded, caps sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 small bunch kale, stems discarded, leaves coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Nonstick cooking spray
9 sheets no-boil lasagna noodles, such as Barilla
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh parsley
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Puree the peppers, oregano, tomatoes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and the sugar in a food processor or blender until smooth and set aside. Mix 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese with the egg whites and ricotta cheese in a medium bowl.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they have released their liquid and are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the kale, in batches, and as it wilts add the pepper flakes, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt and continue to cook until the kale is wilted and bright green, an additional 5 minutes.
Mist a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce in the bottom of the dish. Top with 3 noodles, 1/2 of the ricotta mixture and 1/2 of the mushroom mixture. Repeat layers with sauce, noodles and remaining ricotta and mushrooms. Top with remaining noodles and sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until the noodles are tender and the sauce is bubbling around the edges of the pan, about 50 minutes.
Uncover, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup grated mozzarella and continue to bake until melted, about 5 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes, sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Cocoa Spiced Salmon
Ingredients:
1/2 cup orange juice
4 salmon fillets (4 ounces each)
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking cocoa
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 medium navel orange, thinly sliced
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°. Pour orange juice in a shallow dish; add salmon, skin-side up. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together sugars, cocoa powder, cayenne, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Place salmon, skin-side down, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Rub with spice mixture. Top salmon with an orange slice; brush with melted butter. Bake until fish flakes easily with a fork, 20-25 minutes.
Balsamic Cranberry Roast Chicken
Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1½ cups cranberries, divided
8 pieces chicken (thighs, drumsticks or a mixture)
Nonstick spray, as needed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, plus extra sprigs for finishing
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus extra sprigs for finishing
Directions
1. In the bowl of a food processor or blender, process the garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, soy sauce and ½ cup of the cranberries until smooth.
2. Place the chicken pieces in a large zip-top plastic bag and pour the marinade over the chicken. Close the bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a large oven-safe skillet or casserole dish with nonstick spray.
4. Remove the chicken from the bag, reserving the marinade. Place the chicken pieces in the skillet or dish, skin side down, and season with salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cranberries around the pan.
5. Roast the chicken until the skin begins to brown and the meat is nearly cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Flip the chicken and brush each piece generously with the reserved marinade. Discard the remaining marinade.
6. Raise the oven temperature to 425°F and cook until the chicken skin is crispy, 5 to 8 more minutes. Serve immediately.