Festive Recipes Make the most of special occasions Table of Contents Recipes provided by Chefs from Eastlink Community TV

Cranberry Spinach Holiday Breakfast Tart 3 Compliments of Emma Levez Larocque, Plant Based Living

Lasagna Squash Roll Ups 5 Compliments of Deborah and Gerry Pageau, Plant Based Living

Chickpea Walnut Bake with Cranberry Glaze 6 Compliments of Emma Levez Larocque, Plant Based Living

Holiday Style Poutine 7 Compliments of Chris Mask, Off the Chip Wagon

Holiday Three Course Turkey Dinner for Two 9 Compliments of BC & Beyond

Roast Turkey Thighs 12 Compliments of Chris Mask, Off the Chip Wagon

Double Smoked Bacon Bread Stuffing 13 Compliments of Chris Mask, Off the Chip Wagon

Gluten-free (crustless) Black Berry Pie 14 Compliments of Deborah and Gerry Pageau, Plant Based Living

Maple Pecan Bacon Bourbon Pie 15 Compliments of Chris Mask, Off the Chip Wagon

Crispy Peanut Butter Balls 17 Compliments of Joan McElman, Welcome to My Kitchen

Cranberry Spinach Holiday Breakfast Tart Makes one 9 inch tart – serves 8

Directions: Crust ingredients:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a 1 tbsp chia + 3 tablespoons water, mixed together round 9-inch tart pan. 1/2 cup whole almonds, ground 2. Make the crust first: • Whisk together chia and water mixture in a 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, ground small bowl and set aside to gel 3/4 cup oat flour (GF for a GF version of this recipe) • In your food processor, grind the almonds 3 tsp Braggs 24 herb-spice seasoning, or and sunflower seeds into a flour, thenput mixed Italian herbs of your choice them into a large bowl with the oat flour, herb/ 1 tsp salt or salt alternative spice mix and salt. 1 tbsp olive oil or aquafaba • Add the chia mixture and oil. Stir until mostly (the liquid from a can of chickpeas) combined, adding the water until the dough 2 tbsp water is sticky - it should stick together when you press it between your fingers • Crumble the dough evenly over the base of the tart pan and press the mixture evenly into the pan, working your way outward and up the sides of the pan. Poke a few fork holes in the dough so air can escape • Bake the crust at 350F for about 10 minutes, or until firm to touch.Set aside to cool.

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3 Cranberry Spinach Holiday Breakfast Tart (continued)

3. Increase oven temperature to 375F. Filling ingredients: 4. Now make the filling: • Break the tofu apart and place it into the food 1 block extra firm tofu processor. Process until it starts to break up, 1/8 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice then add the lemon juice. It will get smooth and 1 tbsp water for sautéing creamy. Set aside. 1 yellow onion, diced • In a large frying pan add water and sauté the onion over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in 3-4 large garlic cloves, minced the mushrooms, and garlic and cook on medium- 3 cups white or cremini mushrooms, chopped high heat until most of the water cooks off the 1/4 cup parsley, roughly chopped mushrooms, about 10 minutes. Stir in the herbs, 2 tbsp fresh rosemary, diced cranberries, spinach, nutritional yeast, herb- spice 1/4 cup fresh/frozen cranberries mix and salt and mix until combined. Cook until the 1/4 cup dried cranberries spinach is just wilted. 1 cup baby spinach • Remove from heat and stir in the processed tofu until thoroughly combined. Adjust seasoning to 2 tbsp nutritional yeast taste if desired. Spoon mixture into baked crust and 1 tsp Braggs 24 herb-spice seasoning smooth out with a spoon until even. sea salt or salt alternative to taste 5. Grind some black or pink pepper over the top of the black/pink pepper, to taste pie (I like pink because of its festive colour). 2 tsp olive oil or aquafaba 6. Bake the tart, uncovered, at 375F for about 35 1 tsp Braggs soy sauce alternative minutes, until it is firm to the touch. 10 minutes before the tart has finished baking,combine the oil/aquafaba and soy sauce, and brush the mixture over the top of the tart. This stops it from getting too dry, and adds a lovely finishing colour. When the tart is finished,cool for 15 minutes on a cooling rack before slicing. (This can also be made ahead and served at room temperature.)

4 Lasagna Squash Roll Ups

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked butternut squash 12 whole brown rice lasagna noodles 2 cups cooked or canned beans 2 tbsp nutritional yeast 1½ tsp dried basil 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp dried oregano ½ tsp dried parsley or marjoram ½ tsp salt-free seasoning 2 tbsp lemon juice 1 packed cup greens, chopped

Sauce: 1 can tomato paste, thinned with enough water to make a sauce consistency plus marinara seasonings.

Directions: 1. Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions. Cool in cold water and handle them from there. 2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the squash, beans, garlic, nutritional yeast, basil, oregano, onion powder, dried parsley or marjoram, salt-free seasoning, and lemon juice; process until well combined but not completely smooth. Mix-in the chopped greens by hand. 3. Use a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Drain each noodle in fingers,lay it flat on a clean cutting board, andspread 1/2 cup of filling down the center of each noodle.Lift and fold over one end of the noodle and start rolling it, gently lifting with a spoon as you roll so the filling isn’t pushed out.Lay the lasagna roll seam-side- down in the casserole dish. 4. Repeat with remaining lasagna noodles and butternut filling.Cover the lasagna rolls with the sauce. 5. Bake, covered, at 350ºF for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Serve garnished with fresh parsley.

5 Chickpea Walnut Bake with Cranberry Glaze

Ingredients: Cranberry Glaze:

1 cup onion, diced 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/3 cup pure maple syrup 3 chia eggs (3 tbsp ground chia + 9 tbsp water) Pinch of sea salt (optional) 1 ½ cups chickpeas, cooked and mashed 1 tsp balsamic vinegar 1 cup walnuts, roasted and chopped 1 cup brown rice, cooked *WHILE THE BAKE IS IN THE OVEN, 2 tbsp tahini MAKE THE CRANBERRY GLAZE: 2 tbsp pure maple syrup 3 tbsp Braggs soy alternative/soy sauce/coconut aminos Combine cranberries, maple syrup and 1 tsp dried oregano salt in a small saucepan over medium- ½ tsp dried thyme high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat if mixture begins to stick or boil 1 tsp dried parsley rapidly. Cook until cranberries begin to ½ tsp black pepper break down and sauce turns a deep red 2 tbsp nutritional yeast colour and begins to thicken. Turn off ¼ cup fresh/frozen cranberries heat and stir in balsamic vinegar. ¼ cup fresh parsley Splash of olive oil/aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas) + braggs mix – equal parts for brushing the top of the bake (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly oil an 8x8 casserole dish (or use non-stick) and set aside. 2. Heat a medium saucepan and dry sauté onion until translucent. Then add garlic and sauté for just a couple more minutes, but be careful not to burn. Remove from heat and set aside. 3. Combine chia and water to form the chia egg and set aside for a few minutes to firm up. 4. Combine everything from the chickpeas to the nutritional yeast and mix well. Add the saute mix and the chia egg and mix again. Now add the cranberries and parsley and mix gently until everything is combined. 5. Put everything into the casserole dish and press it down with a spoon until the top is smooth. 6. Cover with tinfoil and bake for 25 minutes in the middle of the oven. After 25 minutes remove the foil, turn the dish, brush with oil/aqufaba - braggs mixture if desired and bake for another 8 minutes. *Remove from oven and let the whole thing stand for at least 10 minutes. Spread the cranberry glaze over the top before serving.

6 Holiday Style Poutine

When it comes to a holiday style Poutine, here are three spins on a classic dinner that will elevate your Poutine to the next level.

By creating your base with holiday staples such as yellow potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots you can truly bring an unexpected twist to Poutine.

Here is what to start with:

4 yellow potatoes (skin on or off) 4 carrots (peeled) 4 sweet potatoes (skin on or off)

Cut each of these length-wise to makes your fries. Soak your planks in cold water for about an hour (removing the starch makes them crisper and it is less likely they will stick together). Another option would be to spiralizer them as with Poutine #2 to create a basket (just a fancier presentation really no difference other than more of a shoe-string cut to your fries).

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7 BLANCHING FRIES Lower temp with a longer cook. This two step fry making process will produce good results for crispy fries with this one extra step. Get your oil to 250F and partially cook your fries (listen carefully for a slight whistle as steam escapes the inside). Roughly a 5-8 minute soak in the oil. Set aside until ready to get at high heat to get crispy and golden.

For the baskets, use a spiralizer to create long curly strings of fries. Next create a tube out of aluminium foil and wrap the strands to create your basket. Blanch as you would any other fry just remember to leave the basket intact to set as it cools. After the second fry just collapse the foil tube into the centre to remove.

For the second, fry your oil, should be set to 325F - 350F. This will take 3-5 minutes. Be careful not to over crowd your fry basket to ensure an even cook. Season with salt immediately out of the fryer. This now comes down to layers. Try to ensure an even mix of fries, cheese toppings and of course your gravy. You want an even consistency throughout your Poutine.

CHEESE CURDS A bag of good quality cheese curds is a must. Squeaky cheese curds brings authenticity to your Poutine and never cheap out on the gravy. Homemade gravy always trumps the store bought canned stuff. But considering the veggies, like peas and corn are just a side note, a quick saute’ with butter should work nicely. Here are the recipes to use as a base for these creations.

CRANBERRY SAUCE

1 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen) 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 orange (sliced) 1/4 cup water

Add cranberries, water and sugar to a pan and dissolve sugar completely. Squeeze orange slices to release juice into pan and add peels to sauce. Simmer until sauce thickens. Add more sugar or orange juice if you would like it sweeter. Set aside to cool.

WHISKEY GRAVY

1/4 cup turkey drippings 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature) 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 4 cups vegetable broth 2 tbsp maple syrup (pure syrup works best) 1/4 cup whiskey thyme sprigs sea salt and white pepper to taste

In a bowl mix butter and flour together to form a smooth paste.Set aside. In a pot (not one coated in tefalon), pour in turkey drippings, whiskey, broth and thyme (be careful if you are using a gas stove as the whiskey is flammable).Simmer liquids until reduced by 1/3 of original volume. Remove thyme sprigs. Using a whisk, rapidly incorporate the butter and flour paste into your liquid. Get this as smooth as you can (but in a worst case scenario pass it through a sieve to get out all the lumps). Add your sea salt and white pepper to taste and set aside until needed.

8 Holiday Three Course Turkey Dinner for Two

ROASTED PARSNIP SOUP Serves 2

2 peeled & chopped parsnips 1 stick chopped celery 1/2 diced onion 1/2 garlic clove 2 tbsp olive oil pepper & salt 250ml vegetable stock whipping cream optional

Preheat oven at 400F

Toss parsnips with 1 tsp olive oil spread on baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven when golden brown. In a medium size sauce pan add oil over medium heat, sauté onions, celery & garlic until translucent, add roasted parsnip. Add stock bring to boil, turn down, simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, puree and adjust seasoning. Whipping cream optional.

9 APRICOT BREAD PUDDING Serves 2

1/2 baguette cut in cubes 100 grams chopped dried apricots 1/4 diced onions 1/2 diced celery stick fresh herbs chopped, parsley, sage or basil 1 small beaten egg salt & pepper splash of milk olive oil

In a bowl combine bread & milk, let soak. Over medium heat use frying pan with olive oil, add onions, celery and sauté until soft, four minutes. Remove from heat, let cool. Squeeze bread and discard all liquid place back in bowl add celery, onions, apricots, herbs, salt & pepper, 1/2 the egg unless it needs more moisture, place in fridge until needed.

For baking separately: can be rolled in log form with aluminum foil or use as stuffing, oven baked for 45 minutes on 400F.

DEBONED STUFFED TURKEY BREAST ROLL Serves 2

2 turkey breasts Dash salt & pepper 1 fresh lemon

Preheat oven at 400F

With a sharp knife slice the turkey breast from top to bottom half way through. Season with salt, pepper, Fill with apricot bread pudding, pull turkey flap over. Using butchers twine,tie a small knot loop at top of string. Place under breast pull over and through loop pull tight, with your middle finger, left hand place pressure on loop with four finger measure ½ inch downpull string to that spot place forefinger wrap string around breast pull through and repeat, tie at end.

Season turkey with salt, pepper & squeezed lemon. Place on baking dish, bake for 45-60 minutes. Internal temperature is 165F. Remove. let rest.

Cut twine and slice. Take the pan that you roasted the turkey in. Place over heat. Add cup of water. Scrape pan with metal spatula. Pour into small pot bring to a boil and reduce to half.

Remove from heat. Add two tsp of butter, whisk in, set aside.

10 YAM SWEET POTATO TART Serves 2

1/2 sliced thin yam 1/2 sliced thin sweet potato 1/4 red diced onion 100 grams shredded parmesan or asiago cheese 75 grams butter

Spread butter over one small tart pan, place slices of yam until bottom is covered, sprinkle with red onion, cheese, salt & pepper. Start next layer with sweet potato, cover all then repeat with onion, cheese & seasoning. Repeat with yam then finish with sweet potatoes.Cover with cheese and wrap with tinfoil. Bake in oven at 425F for 30 minutes. Check if potatoes are soft, remove tinfoil, gratinee until golden brown. Cut into two pieces, serve.

MERINGUE SORBET DESSERT Serves 2

3 eggs separated (use whites only) 150 grams sugar

In a mixing bowl add egg whites, turn to high, add sugar a little at a time, until stiff peaks. Remove from bowl place in piping bag. Pipe in round discs. Bake at 100F for three hours. Cool. In bowl, add a scoop of your favourite sorbet. Add meringue and fruit. Sprinkle with icing sugar.

11 Roast Turkey Thighs

Any cut of turkey will work for this however keep in mind the thigh meat will hold moisture better then the lean breast meat.

4 tbsp unsalted butter (room temperature) 5 tsp BBQ spice mix (your choice) 1 tbsp lemon juice (fresh) 2 bone-in, skin-on turkey thighs (2lbs total) coarse salt and ground pepper

Rinse turkey thighs and pat dry with paper towels

Preheat oven to 450F.

In a small bowl, whip together butter, BBQ spice, and lemon juice.

Gently slip your fingers between skin and meat of the turkey thighs to loosen skin.Evenly spread butter mixture under skin of each thigh. If you want the crispy skin for the basket poutine and poutine balls just remove the skin and coat each thigh with the butter mixture. We will cover how to prep it a bit later.

Place turkey thighs in a 9-by-13 inch baking dish and roast 30- 40 minutes until skin is crispy and brown and juices run clear when meat is pierced with a knife (an instant-read thermometer should read 165F when inserted in thickest part of a thigh, avoiding bone).

Let rest ten minutes before slicing.

CRISPY SKIN (this is better than bacon)

Dry the turkey skin completely. Lay it bumpy side down on a cutting board and trim excess fat and flesh. Nexttake a sharp knife and scrape as much white fat from the skin (being careful not to tear it). Season it with sea salt and bake in a pre-heated over at 350F until golden and crispy. Let cool and set aside until you need it. Do not cover it or place it in a container otherwise it will get soggy.

12 Double Smoked Bacon Bread Stuffing

1/2 lb smoked slab bacon (1/2 inch dice) 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock (you can also use chicken stock) 1 loaf rye bread (cut into 1-inch cubes) 4 tbsp unsalted butter 1 cup celery (diced) 1 cup onion (diced) 1 cup carrot (diced) 1 tsp fresh sage (chopped) 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (off stem) sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Grease a large baking dish and set aside.

On a large baking sheet, lay out the bread and toast the cubes for about 15 minutes (tossing once halfway through), until lightly golden and dry. Transfer the bread to a large bowl.

In a skillet, fry the bacon until crispy. Drain and set aside but do not scrape out the pan. When bacon is cooled add to the greased baking dish.

To the pan you just fried the bacon in add the onion, celery and carrots cooking over medium heat until tender (called sweating the vegetables - onion will turn opaque), about 10 minutes. Add the sage and thyme, cooking until fragrant. Scrape contents of the pan into the bowl with the bacon and bread.

Pour the stock in small increments (about 1 cup at a time) into the bowl, tossing the contents until the bread soaks up the liquid. One final seasoning check andcover with foil.

Refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight. When ready bake the stuffing at 375F for 30 minutes covered by foil and an additional 30 minutes uncovered.

13 Gluten-free (crustless) Black Berry Pie

¾ cup brown rice flour or some other gluten free flour mixture (I use Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free Baking Flour) ½ cup tapioca starch 1 tsp Cinnamon ½ tsp baking soda ½ tsp baking powder

Mix together dry ingredients. Just before mixing dry ingredients with fruit, add 1/2 cup water or plant-based milk to make a thin batter.

Mix together and add to batter: 4 cups blackberries 2 cups raisins

Pour berry/batter in pie plate lined with baking paper and bake at 350F for 50 - 60 min.

14 Maple Pecan Bacon Bourbon Pie

This recipe is like a butter tart and a cheesecake had a baby. The base is a NY style cheesecake and it is topped by a glorious sugar pie which also saturates the bottom layer. Just a hint of the smokey salty bacon makes this dessert the talk of the table.

Pre-Heat oven to 350F. First create the crust. Prep a 9-inch spring form pan.

Crust

6 cups graham cracker crumbs 6 slices of crispy bacon 1 cup unsalted butter (melted, liquified &

Pulse bacon with 1/4 cup of melted butter in a food processor or blender until crumbled into fine pieces. Incorporate into the graham cracker crumbs with the remaining butter until well mixed. Press into the bottom of the springform pan to form a base as well walls along the edges. Set aside.

NY Cheesecake Base

2 8oz cream cheese packages 3/4 cup sugar 2 eggs 1/2 cup sour cream 1/3 cup milk 1/8 cup flour 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract Zest from 1 lemon

Continued...

15 In a mixer blend everything except for the eggs until smooth. Slowly add in eggs a little at a time until incorporated. Fill base at the bottom of the spring form pan.

(NOTE: if you want a more pronounced separation of base vs. filling, put base in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm).

Maple/Pecan/Bacon/Bourbon Top

6 strips of crispy bacon (chopped) 1 cup sugar 1 cup maple syrup 1 cup corn syrup 4 eggs + 2 additional yolks 4 tbsp unsalted butter (melted) 3 tbsp bourbon 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups of pecan halves (try pralines - trust me) 1 tbsp flour

Mix all wet ingredients together adding the eggs last. Sift and mix in flour.Layer pecans and bacon on top of cheesecake base. Gently pour filling over the the top.Finish with a 2nd layer of pecans and bacon.

Bake at 350F for 55 - 65 minutes. It is done when a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven and brush the surface with maple syrup until it shines.

Let set for several hours before slicing.

16 Crispy Peanut Butter balls

Ingredients:

2 cups peanut butter 1/2 cup softened butter 3 3/4 cups icing sugar 3 cups crisp rice cereal 4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips 1/4 cup shortening 1/3 cup white chocolate or vanilla chips

Directions:

Beat together peanut butter and butter until evenly blended. Gradually beat in icing sugar. Stir in cereal. Shape into 1” balls. Refrigerate until firm, at least four hours. In microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate chips and all but 1 tsp. shortening. Dip balls into chocolate mixture. Place on waxed paper lined sheets. Chill. In small microwave bowl, melt white chips and remaining 1 tsp. shortening. Drizzle over balls. Chill until set.

17 New Year’s Eve with

New Year’s Eve Coverage

Join us on Eastlink Community TV on channel 10 or HD 610 for full coverage of this year’s countdown, with a special edition of East Coast Music Unplugged airing nationally from 10 to 11pm, followed by New Year’s Eve with Eastlink.

Eastlink.ca/holiday