Get Movin' Monday: Twist On Traditional Holiday Foods

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Do you ever feel like you have the same dishes every year at your holiday get-togethers?

Kirsten Shabaz from Valley Natural Foods gets us movin' with a new twist on traditional holiday foods.

To spice it up this holiday season, start with the salsa.

For a festive spin, make it with cranberries.

"I think people traditionally think of cranberries just as a sauce or jelly at Thanksgiving, and I think you have to think out of the box and use cranberries other ways," Shabaz said. "A cranberry salsa. It's fresh, it's tangy it's different. It's very easy to make."

Shabaz says if you like a little heat, keep the seeds in the jalapenos. And use fresh cranberries which are in season.

If you are bored of the same old weenies and meatballs, try a chicken meatball instead.

Shabaz uses ground, dark chicken meat to make orange chicken meatballs.

The secret ingredient? Blood oranges.

"The pieces of orange look like they're blood red. It is a really sharp, just unique flavor to an orange," she said.  "It's something different and I guarantee you no one else will bring it unless they watch this segment."

There's no excuse not to spice-up the leftovers as well.

"You have your ham, dice it up right away. Traditionally, you've got veggie trays that has celery and carrots. If you left over celery and carrots, chop those up, put those in your soup with your ham," she said.

For extra protein, throw in some white beans for a hearty smoked ham and white bean soup. Shabaz says it's perfect to save for your next holiday party.

"You can chop everything, put it in a bag, put it in the freezer, pull this out for your New Year's Eve party, warm it up and you've got a great soup. No one will know that it's your leftover ham," she said.

Bored of leftover turkey? There's a make-over for that too.

"I've got our chicken broth. We've got our turkey.  Take some corn, a lot of people have corn on their holiday platters or holiday tables," she said as she puts the ingredients in a pot. "Then we've got some salsa verde. Now this is green tomatillo. There are also serrano chilis in there, so that's going to give your soup a little bit of spice. Again, you're giving it a completely different flavor."."

Shabaz uses garnishes to give leftovers a flare.

"The thing is people can pick what they want. If you want cilantro, cheese, avocado – everyone can build their own bowl and make it what they want," she said.

For those interested in trying out the recipes Shabaz mentions, they are listed below.

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Orange Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients

½ cup plain panko bread crumbs
½ cup chopped parsley
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp. whole milk
5 cloves of garlic, divided
2 Tbsp. fresh grated ginger, divided
2 tsp. salt
¾ tsp. ground black pepper
2 lb. ground dark meat chicken
2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seed oil
2 ½ Tbsp. Tamari soy sauce
zest of a blood orange
1 cup blood orange juice
¼ cup packed brown sugar
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
6 green onions, green & white parts, sliced

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the Panko bread crumbs, parsley, eggs, milk, two cloves of minced garlic, one tablespoon grated ginger, salt and black pepper.
2. Add the ground chicken and gently stir to combine. Form meat into walnut sized meatballs and set on a platter.
3. Heat the sesame seed oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
4. Working in batches, brown up the meatballs for about six to eight minutes turning several times to brown on each side. Remove cooked meatballs to a bowl and repeat until all the meatballs are cooked.
5. Next, add the remaining three cloves of minced garlic and tablespoon of ginger as well as the soy sauce, orange zest, orange juice, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, cornstarch and green onions to the skillet. Cook over medium heat for four to six minutes or until the sauce is thickened.
6. Place the meatballs back into the skillet, stir gently to coat the meatballs and serve hot.

Cranberry Salsa

Ingredients
12 oz. fresh cranberries, minced
2 Tbsp. chopped jalapeno pepper
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 tsp. lime juice
1 cup honey

Instructions

1. Using a food processor, pulse cranberries until coarsely shredded, around 10 short pulses.
2. Place cranberries, jalapeno pepper, cilantro, red onion, lime juice and honey in a bowl and stir until combined.
3. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes then serve with tortilla chips.

Turkey Corn Chowder

Ingredients
1 onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
4 cup fresh or frozen corn
5 cup shredded turkey
12 oz. jar salsa Verde
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
10 cup chicken broth
¾ cup Half & Half

Garnish:
Fresh avocado, diced
Fresh tomato, diced
Fresh cilantro, minced
Shredded cheddar cheese
Tortilla chips

Instructions

1. Place all the ingredients except the Half & Half in a large stock pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer on medium-low heat for 25-30 minutes or in a crock pot for four hours on low.
2. Add the Half & Half right before serving and heat through about three to five minutes.
3. Place equal amounts of the avocado, tomato and cilantro in the bottom of your serving bowls, top with shredded cheddar cheese and ladled chowder over the fresh ingredients.
4. Serve with tortilla chips!

Smoked Ham & White Bean Soup

Ingredients
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
½ cup fresh parsley, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
½ tsp. rubbed sage
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
8 cup chicken broth
2 (15 oz.) cans Great Northern beans or navy beans
1 lb. smoked ham, diced
Parmesan cheese
Crusty bread

Instructions

1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium high heat and sauté the onion, celery, carrots, parsley and garlic for six to eight minutes or until tender.
2. Add the bay leaves, salt, pepper, sage, cayenne pepper, chicken broth, white beans and smoked ham.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer over medium heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove bay leaves before serving.
5. Serve soup topped with Parmesan cheese and crusty bread.

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