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Your favorite Thanksgiving recipes (thanks for sharing!)

Five different KGW viewers let us into their homes to share their favorite Thanksgiving recipes and show us how to cook them. (And as a bonus, we've included an extra recipe from one of our Portland Today guests)

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Five different KGW viewers let us into their homes to share their favorite Thanksgiving recipes and show us how to cook them. (And as a bonus, we've included an extra recipe from one of our Portland Today guests)

Thank you Crystal, Kara, Todd, Daron and Anna for welcoming us and for showing us these new creations we can add to our Thanksgiving tables!

Here are their recipes:

Anna's easy chocolate pecan pie (vegan and gluten-free)

Drew visits Anna's home (Part 1):

Drew visits Anna's home (Part 2)

Ingredients:

Chocolate Pie Filling:

  • 1 cup raw pecans + 1/2 cup to sprinkle on top
  • 14 oz soft tofu
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 3 tbsp cocoa powder

3 Ingredient Gluten-Free Pie Crust:

  • 2 cups almond meal (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill)
  • 1 tbsp unrefined coconut sugar
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a food processor. Pour the crumbly mix into a 9-inch pie pan and press it out evenly with your fingers. Chill the crust in the fridge while you make the filling (It can stay in the fridge for up to 3 days.)

Preparation:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Blend all pie filling ingredients, except pecans, in a food processor until very smooth.
  3. Then add the pecans and pulse a few times until they’re chopped.
  4. Pour into your prepared pie crust and top with pecans halves.
  5. Bake for 55-60 minutes.
  6. Let chill in the fridge before serving (~20 minutes) so it firms up.

Click for a printable version of this recipe

Daron's purple sweet potatoes with elephant garlic

Drew visits Daron's home (Part 1):

Drew visits Daron's home (Part 2)

Ingredients

  • 5 small purple potatoes
  • 1 large jersey sweet potato
  • 2 cloves elephant garlic
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons of jalapeño pepper sauce (or Cholula hot sauce)
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil
  • Himalayan pink salt

Preparation:

  1. Preheat oven to 425
  2. Cut potatoes lengthwise, then cut 1/4 thick wedges. Place in large glass pan.
  3. Melt coconut oil and drizzle over potatoes.
  4. Add paprika, rosemary, diced garlic, hot sauce and stir. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.
  5. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring potatoes occasionally.
  6. Serve with love!

Click for a printable version of this recipe

Todd's green bean casserole a la French onion

Drew visits Todd's home (Part 1):

Drew visits Todd's home (Part 2)

Ingredients

The Onion Portion

  • 1 stick of butter
  • 2 large yellow onions (sliced lengthwise)
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 tbsp. sherry vinegar

The White Sauce

  • 2 tbsp. butter
  • 2 ½ tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • 2 ½ cups milk
  • pinch of ground nutmeg
  • cayenne pepper (to taste—optional)
  • ¼ tsp ground thyme

For the Topping

  • 2 tbsp melted butter
  • 2/3 cups panko bread crumbs
  • 2 lbs. fresh green beans (trimmed)
  • 4 oz. shredded Gruyere cheese
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch casserole dish.
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
  3. Stir the onions into the pan; cook and stir until very soft and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Stir in sherry vinegar. Transfer to a small bowl, and reserve.
  4. In the same skillet, melt 2 more tablespoons butter. Whisk in 2 tablespoons flour. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until the flour smells like baked pie crust, about 3 minutes.
  5. Slowly whisk in milk, about 1/2 cup at a time, then whisk in nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and thyme. Bring to simmer, and cook until thickened, whisking constantly, 3 more minutes. Transfer to a bowl and reserve.
  6. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in clean skillet; stir in panko until all crumbs are coated; reserve.
  7. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over medium heat, and boil beans until bright green and crisp but not raw-tasting, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain very well.
  8. Spoon half of the caramelized onions into the prepared casserole dish; top with green beans. Season with salt and black pepper. Spread reserved white sauce over the green beans; sprinkle with half of the gruyere cheese. Top with the rest of the onions, and use the back of a spoon to push onions down into sauce and cheese. Top with the buttered panko crumbs, the remaining gruyere, and parmesan cheese.
  9. Bake in the preheated oven until hot throughout and lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Click for a printable version of this recipe

Kara's potato and yam galette

Drew visits Kara's home (Part 1):

Drew visits Kara's home (Part 2)

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
  • 1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 pounds small slender tan-skinned sweet potatoes, peeled, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
  • 1 1/2 pounds small slender yams (red-skinned sweet potatoes), peeled, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour

Preparation:

  1. Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Add brown sugar, ginger, lemon peel and salt; stir until sugar dissolves, about 4 minutes. Keep warm.
  3. Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Line 9- to 10-inch-diameter, 13/4-inch-deep ovenproof skillet with foil. Spray foil with nonstick spray.
  4. Toss sweet potatoes and yams with flour in large bowl. Add brown sugar mixture; stir to coat potatoes and yams.
  5. Arrange sweet potatoes and yams alternately in overlapping circles in prepared skillet. Spoon any remaining brown sugar mixture over potatoes. Press on potatoes to compact. Cover with foil.
  6. Bake potatoes until just tender, about 1 hour. Uncover and press potatoes with metal spatula to compact.
  7. Continue baking until potatoes are very tender, pressing on potatoes occasionally, about 30 minutes longer.
  8. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm in 400°F oven about 30 minutes.)
  9. Let stand 10 minutes.
  10. Using oven mitts, invert skillet onto platter. Remove skillet. Peel off foil. Replace any pieces of sweet potatoes and yams that may have become dislodged.
  11. Cut galette into wedges; serve with lemon wedges.

Click for a printable version of this recipe

Crystal's cinnamon roll French toast bake

Drew visits Crystal's home (Part 1):

Drew visits Crystal's home (Part 2)

Ingredients:

Custard

  • 8 Large eggs
  • 2 cups half and half
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp groung cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • Dash of salt

Bread

  • 1 loaf of Great Harvest Bread Company's CinnaLog (let the bread stay in the package for a day or two so it can get kind of stale, it will absorb more custard that way)

For the Cinnamon Rolls

  • 1 can of your favorite refrigerated cinnamon rolls (let the icing come to room temperature)

Topping

  • Icing from the cinnamon rolls
  • Powdered sugar- optional
  • Maple syrup- optional
  • Pecans- optional (you can place these on the top after baking or you can mix in with the dough)

Preparation:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 375°
  2. Mix eggs, milk, cream, half and half, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt to make custard, set aside.
  3. Cut loaf of bread into medium large pieces; cut up cinnamon rolls into small pieces. Combine the bread and custard together and let sit (you can even do this step the night before you're ready to make this)
  4. After about 20 mins. of the bread sitting in the custard, add the cut-up cinnamon rolls in to the mixture and bake in the oven for 20-30 mins., until the casserole has set up and is firm to the touch. No liquid should be seen at this point (if you see some, place it in the oven and keep an eye on it)
  5. After taking the bake out of the oven, let sit for 5 mins. to cool slightly and then add your icing and powdered sugar.
  6. Serve and enjoy!

Click for a printable version of this recipe

Bonus: Crustless pumpkin pie

Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 cups of pure pumpkin puree
  • ½ cup of raw honey
  • 1 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond, but you can use whatever you like)
  • 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ½ tsp ground cloves

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch glass pie plate with butter, coconut oil, olive oil spray or whatever you choose.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, using a hand whisk, add in your three eggs, pumpkin puree, honey, milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, ground nutmeg and cloves until mixed well together.
  3. Use a spatula to add pie filling to the pie plate.
  4. Bake for approximately 75 minutes, until the center appears set and comes clean with a toothpick.
  5. Let cool then serve immediately.

Click for a printable version of this recipe

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