Shortcuts: Side dishes dress up traditional turkey

Here we are again just three weeks away from Thanksgiving with Christmas right around the corner. This is my sixth year to compose holiday-oriented food columns and believe me I've been thinking about these recipes for weeks. As always, I've been looking for something a little different, but not too extreme. Should I even mention how I am haunted by the thought of green bean casserole?

My family looks forward to the basics -- turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy. This year I'm considering roasting a turkey breast and an eye of round to keep it interesting.

Adapting an orzo recipe that I spied in a recent publication, flavors of sage and pecans seemed fitting to complement wild rice on our Thanksgiving buffet. Toasted pecans and aromatic bits of sage enhance a nutritious blend of wild rice, sautéed mushrooms, colorful garden peas and nutty garbanzo beans. Textures and flavors abound in this savory dish.

Try adding that standard cream-of-whatever-soup to some different vegetable varieties. I combined lengths of fresh asparagus with pieces of yellow squash for a new taste sensation. Seasoned breadcrumbs and a little cheddar cheese bind the ingredients in this unique vegetable scallop.

SAVORY SAGE & PECAN RICE

2 (6-oz.) boxes original recipe long grain & wild rice mix

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

4 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

8 oz. sliced mushrooms

1 cup unsalted pecan halves, chopped coarse

3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

1 ½ cups frozen peas

1 (15.5-oz.) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

In medium saucepan, combine both boxes of rice mix along with seasoning packets, 1 tablespoon olive oil and all the chicken broth. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Set aside. In large nonstick skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook stirring frequently for about 3 minutes. Stir in pecans and sage; cook and stir another 3 minutes. Mix in peas, garbanzo beans and cooked rice. Blend well and heat through. 6-8 servings.

NEW VEGETABLE CASSEROLE

¾ lb. pencil-thin asparagus*

1 large crookneck yellow squash

1 can cream of celery soup

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

¾ cup seasoned bread crumbs, divided

Cooking spray

1 tablespoons butter

*If you can find thin asparagus, cut thicker stalks in half lengthwise.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. After washing asparagus, trim off tough ends and cut into 1-inch lengths. Clean squash, cut into ½-inch slices then quarter. In large bowl, combine vegetables, soup, cheese (reserve 1/4 cup for topping), and bread crumbs (reserve ¼ cup for topping). Mix well and place in a 2-quart casserole sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle remaining cheese and crumbs on top. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes or until top is brown and bubbly. Serves 6.

Wow your holiday guests with this simple but impressive side. Stuff microwaved halves of acorn squash with a mixture of spinach and gruyere cheese. To shorten pre-dinner prep time, cook the squash the night before, then simply reheating the halves a few minutes before adding spinach mixture. This colorful side will accommodate each guest individually.

SPINACH STUFFED ACORN SQUASH for 4

2 (1lb.) acorn squash

Salt and pepper to taste

1 (10-oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1 ½ cups shredded gruyere cheese

Nutmeg or paprika (optional)

Rinse squash and cut in half; remove and discard seeds. Line microwave tray with parchment or wax paper.

Place squash halves cut side down around outside edge of tray. Cook on high for 15-20 minutes, about 8 minutes per pound, until tender. Cool and refrigerate or continue. Squeeze moisture from spinach and combine with 1 cup of cheese. Season cooked squash lightly with salt and pepper. Spoon spinach mixture evenly into cavities then portion remaining cheese on top. sprinkle To reheat, place in 425 degree oven, no need to preheat oven, for 15-20 minutes until filling is hot and cheese melts.

Mary Ann Kauchak lives in Lake Ridge. Her third cookbook, "SHORTCUTS, TOO" is available at Mom's Apple Pie in Occoquan. She can be reached at makauchak@comcast.