Thanksgiving Side Dishes
November 5, 2012 in sides, spon
Today I’m going to be sharing a couple side dishes for the big turkey day. I know side dishes are the hardest thing for me to come up with so when I was asked to come up with a couple using I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, I jumped at the chance. I’ve worked with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter in the past and was even lucky enough to make some brownies in the Unilever kitchens:
Whoa flashback!
Anyway, I’m obviously a big fan of using I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter. I almost always have it in my fridge and I absolutely love the sticks for baking! Plus it has 0 grams of trans fat!
For my side dishes I went with a basic mashed potato recipe but jazzed it up with some roasted garlic. If you’ve never roasted garlic, it’s super simple. You cut off the top of the garlic bulb to expose all the little cloves, rub it with some olive oil, and then roast it for about 30 minutes. The little cloves practically fall out after that. Once roasted, the garlic doesn’t have quite the punch that raw garlic has – it’s absolutely delicious and you could easily mix it into a ton of different foods.
These Roasted Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes are perfect for Thanksgiving because they can be made ahead of time. Which means less stress on you! You simply refrigerate them until the bird is ready and then quickly bake them until they’re heated through. The roasted garlic and the Parmesan are perfection together and they are really fantastic with gravy poured all over.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Slice off the top of the garlic bulb, making sure to expose the top of each clove of garlic. Rub the olive oil over the exposed tops. Wrap in aluminum foil and roasted for 30 - 35 minutes or until the cloves easily slide out. Set aside.
- Wash, peel (if desired - I leave mine with peels), and dice. Place in a large pot; fill with water to a couple inches above the potatoes. Boil until fork tender. Drain and mash.
- Place the potatoes in the bowl of a stand mixer; add cream cheese, melted I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, and warmed milk. Beat slowly at first to combined everything and then at a higher speed to further mash the potatoes. Continue beating until the potatoes are as mashed as you prefer. Beat in 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.
- Spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon the potatoes into the dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
- At this point you can cover and refrigerate overnight if you need to.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the potatoes are hot.
The second recipe I chose to make is inspired by something I got from one of those fancy health food store hot bars around this time last year. It was a rice dressing that had a ton of cranberries in it. I thought it was the strangest thing when I loaded it into my little cardboard box but I definitely fell in love once I tasted it.
I used a wild and brown rice mix but if you can’t find it, an equal amount of wild rice and brown rice works just the same. This version is loaded with cranberries, pecans, fresh thyme, fresh parsley, all the good stuff. It’s absolutely scrumptious and is perfect for Thanksgiving.
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and olive oil over medium heat until butter is melted; add onion. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add rice; stir to combine. Gradually pour in vegetable broth. Bring to a boil; cover and lower to a simmer. Let cook for about 50 minutes (check package instructions).
- Stir in cranberries, pecans, parsley, thyme, and salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Thank you to Good to Know & Unilever Spreads for being a sponsor. I was selected for this opportunity as a member ofClever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.
