Some Nice Thanksgiving Sides

 Wondering what goes great with roast turkey? Look no further. Here are a few Kelly favorites!

Sparkling Gelatin Salad

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

1 1/2 cups fruity soda or ginger beer*

1 1/2 cups white grape juice

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups canned madarin oranges, drained

1 cup seedless green grapes, halved

3/4 cup fresh raspberries

coconut oil (or cooking spray)

*Original recipe called for Riesling wine here. I like to use Hansen or Izzy orange, or Fever Tree ginger beer.

    Sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup of the soda.

    Combine grape juice and sugar in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add gelatin mixture, stirring until the gelatin dissolves. Place pan in a large ice-filled bowl. Let stand 10 minutes, stir in the rest of the soda. Wait another ten minutes or until it is thick, but not set. Whisk to form small bubbles. Fold in the fruits.  Pour or spoon into a 5-cup decorative mold coated with coconut oil or cooking spray. Cover and chill at least 4 hours. 

    When ready to serve, warm slightly in a large bowl of water. Place a plate upside down on top of mold, and invert carefully. Maybe give it a gentle shake to help it drop onto the plate. Yield 12 small slices.

    NOTE: Double this recipe to fill a standard bundt pan if you want to feed a crowd.

Broccoli Salad

3-4 cups broccoli pieces

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

1 lb bacon, fried crisp, chopped

1/2 cup sunflower meats

1-2 cups red grapes, halved

Dressing:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

    Cut the raw bacon into 1/2 inch pieces and fry it up. Drain on paper towels. Add everything to a large bowl. Whisk the dressing together and stir it into the collection in the bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

    NOTE: This salad has endless variations. You can leave out the bacon and use vegannaise for vegans. You can use raisins or Craysins instead of grapes. Sunflower seeds are optional. I've seen it done with little cubes of cheese and no fruits at all. Follow your whimsy!

Vegan Apple Pie

Someone you love might be vegan, in which case you will inevitably need to make a vegan pie. You might also have apples, from that cute one-year-old’s birthday party in the orchard last week, just waiting for an excellent destiny. The universe has spoken. 

This recipe is for an 8-inch pie.

Crust

1 1/2 cups flour

108g  coconut oil (1/2c?)

1/4 t salt

2 t sugar

Blend until crumbly, then add 

4 T ice cold water

Mix until comes together in a dough. Wrap and refrigerate ten minutes.

Filling

7 apples, cored, peeled, sliced

1/2 lemon, squeezed

1/3 cup sugar

2 T cornstarch

1/4 t nutmeg

1/2 t cinnamon

Stir all together, then roll out the crusts.

Preheat oven to 400°F

Divide dough in half. Roll first circle to 2 inches bigger than your pan. Ease it in with no stretching. It should hang over all the way around. Dip your finger in remaining ice water and wet the top rim of the crust all the way around. 

Pour in the filling.

Roll out another circle 1 inch bigger than the pan. Cut into ten strips. Lay them on in lattice formation. Roll up the edge and pinch all the way around. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and dot with butter flavored Crisco.

Bake for 20 minutes. 

Reduce heat to 375°F and bake 30 more minutes.