cooking

Thanksgiving Recipes

Hey! Who is excited for Thanksgiving? I know I am. I can’t believe it’s only a week away now. It’s such a wonderful holiday, and I love that the focus is on being thankful and gathering together with others.

Family photo with dogs

Thanksgiving 2017! I still don’t know how we captured this photo! It accurately sums up our family and pets, though. Wild and happy to be together 🙂

The fact that Thanksgiving also centers around a meal is icing on the cake! Here are a few recipes I like to make around Thanksgiving.

Breakfast

Banana Nut Granola

Pumpkin spice pancakes
Banana nut granola
Pumpkin smoothie

Muffins and Biscuits

Butternut Squash Muffins

Butternut squash muffins
Pumpkin muffins
Corn muffins
Grandma’s baking powder biscuits

Soups, Stews, and Sides

Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut squash soup
Pumpkin soup
Sweet potato-lentil stew
White bean casserole

Desserts and Cookies

Pumpkin Spice Ginger Cookies

Dairy free pie crust
Peanut butter corn flake bars
Puppy chow
Dairy free sugar cookies with vanilla frosting
Pumpkin spice ginger cookies
Glazed orange cookies

What special dishes do you like to cook and/or bake for Thanksgiving?

Creamy Black Bean Soup

I mentioned black bean soup in my last post, and had a few requests for the recipe! This is one of my absolute favorite soups. It’s simple, creamy, and has great flavor from the combo of cumin, cilantro, and lime.

Okay, enough talk, let’s dive in to the recipe!

Black bean soup with cilantro

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion
4 large celery stalks
4 large carrots
1 small zucchini
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
2 15-oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups chicken broth
1 lime (optional)
Freshly chopped cilantro (optional)

Directions
1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Chop onion, celery, carrots, and zucchini and add to pot. Sauté until soft, about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add garlic, cumin, red pepper, salt and pepper to vegetable mixture and stir. Sauté for another few minutes until all ingredients are combined.
3. Add black beans to pot and stir. Let the beans cook with the vegetables for about five minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Using an immersion blender, blender, or food processor, blend the soup until it’s creamy and there are little to no lumps.
6. If using the lime and cilantro, cut lime into wedges and chop a handful of cilantro after removing stems. Serve each bowl of soup with a lime wedge and sprinkling of cilantro and enjoy!