Deliciously sweet apples with cranberries and pecans give this salad wonderful crunch. Tangy feta cheese is the perfect balance.

And let us not overlook the Maple Cider Vinaigrette! So simple to make, yet bursting with bright flavor!

Have you pinned down your holiday meals? We’ll be having an assortment of heavy hors d’oeuvres on Christmas Eve for sure. But I haven’t decided about Christmas Dinner quite yet! I’m pretty certain it will include this salad though.

Honey Crisp Apples are in season between September and December. So be sure to make them the star of your Thanksgiving and Christmas Holiday Salads.

Cranberries and Sugared Pecans also sing of late autumn. They impart a nice sweetness that pairs perfectly with briny feta cheese.

Homemade Sugared Pecans are easy to make at home and are also wonderful in Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing and Festive Pear Pomegranate Salad.

This Honey Crisp Holiday Salad comes together quickly and is lovely as part of a festive buffet or as a starter for a special sit down dinner.

However there’s no reason not to make this for a weeknight lunch or dinner! Your tastebuds will thank you!

The Maple Cider Vinaigrette is so simple to make. Add apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, a touch of Dijon mustard and olive oil to a glass jar with a lid. Shake like crazy, then season with salt & pepper to taste.

I hope you’ll give this delicious salad a try! And if you do, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Honey Crisp Holiday Salad with Maple Cider Vinaigrette

Honey Crisp Holiday Salad with Maple Cider Vinaigrette is the ideal salad to pair with a special meal or holiday feast. Deliciously sweet apples with cranberries and pecans give this salad wonderful crunch. Tangy feta cheese is the perfect balance.

Course Salad

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

For the Maple Cider Vinaigrette

• 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste

For the Honey Crisp Holiday Salad

• 5 ounces mixed salad greens
• 2 Honey Crisp apples sliced
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup sugared pecans recipe link in post
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

For the Maple Cider Vinaigrette

• Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in a glass jar with lid. Shake well to combine. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Store any unused portion in refrigerator for up to a week.

For the Honey Crisp Holiday Salad

• Arrange mixed greens on a serving platter. Add sliced apples, sugared pecans, dried cranberries and crumbled feta. Drizzle with Maple Cider Vinaigrette.

The post Honey Crisp Holiday Salad with Maple Cider Vinaigrette appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Thanksgiving Dinner Party Meatballs.

Talk about little bites of comfort.  All those wonderful Thanksgiving flavors conveniently bundled into party meatballs.

Sing it with me… Party Meatballs in the house tonight. Everybody just have a good time.

I couldn’t help myself.  With the Party Rockers reference or with these meatballs.  Imagine mingling at a cocktail party, sampling all the carefully selected appetizers.

Hmmm, is that a meatball I see?  Why I love meatballs.  Don’t mind if I do.

I’m telling you, when you pluck a Thanksgiving Dinner Party Meatball out of the light gravy and pop it in your mouth…You will hear the holiday angels sing.

These tender meatballs are the perfect savory combination of turkey and cornbread stuffing (dressing) balanced by the slight sweetness from the cranberries.  Why wait until the holiday season to enjoy these?  Imagine the delight of summer party guests when they get an unexpected burst of holiday flavor.  Or how about for that Game Day Party.  Who doesn’t love Thanksgiving Dinner and meatballs?

Of course, when Thanksgiving Dinner is over and you’ve got leftover stuffing and cranberries, I hope you’ll think of this fun recipe!!

Give our Cranberry Horseradish Mayo a try while you’re at it.  The combination is amazing.

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Thanksgiving Dinner Party Meatballs

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 24

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the meatballs…

• 1 lb. lean ground turkey
• 1 Tbl. butter
• 1/2 cup celery finely diced
• 1/2 cup onion finely diced
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries chopped
• 1 cup chicken or turkey broth
• 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 2 cups dry Pepperidge Farm Cornbread Stuffing
• 2 Tbl. egg whites

For the gravy…

• 2 Tbl. cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 cups chicken or turkey broth

Instructions

For the meatballs…

• Sauté celery and onion in butter until softened. Add in dried cranberries, broth and seasoning. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in dry stuffing. Toss to combine. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Combine stuffing with ground turkey and egg whites. Mix until just combined. Form into 1 1/2-inch meatballs; place on baking sheet. Bake meatballs for 30 minutes.

For the gravy…

• Heat broth in a saucepan. In a small jar with lid, combine cornstarch and poultry seasoning with 1/2 cup hot broth. Shake vigorously until well combined. Whisk cornstarch mixture into remaining broth and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

To serve…

• Toss meatballs in gravy. Be sure to spoon extra graving into serving bowl.

Notes

1 WW Pts+ per meatball

The post Thanksgiving Dinner Party Meatballs appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Vanilla, Almond & Cranberry Quinoa Granola.

What a wonderful protein packed, gluten free, all-natural ingredient snack!!

Step #1 ~ Toast Base Ingredients

1 cup old fashioned oatmeal, 1 cup quinoa flakes, 1 cup almonds and 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut spread onto a shallow baking sheet toasted at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes until just barely beginning to brown.

Step #2 ~ Add in Dried Cranberries and Nuts

Put the toasted base ingredients in a large bowl and add 1 cup mixed nuts (I used pecan halves) and 1 cup dried cranberries.  Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Step #3 ~ Make Syrup

In a small saucepan, melt 4 Tbl. butter, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, 2 Tbl. vanilla, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/4 tsp. salt.  Bring to a boil and whisk for one minute.  Pour syrup over dry ingredients.  Stir until well coated.

Step #4 ~ Bake Granola

Pour onto a parchment lined shallow baking sheet.  Bake granola at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring midway through.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.  The mixture will seem chewy until fully cooled.

Step #5 ~ Break into Pieces and Enjoy.

This Vanilla, Almond & Cranberry Quinoa Granola has just the perfect amount of sweetness from the cranberries, honey and maple syrup.  I really enjoyed the whole almonds versus sliced that I typically use when making Granola Bars, they add a nice crunch.  If you’re not familiar with Quinoa flakes, I was able to find them in my supermarket in the same isle where you find quinoa, rice, couscous, etc.

Don’t forget to Share the Love.  Homemade Granola makes a wonderful gift.  Enjoy!

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Vanilla, Almond & Cranberry Quinoa Granola

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 cup old fashioned oatmeal
• 1 cup quinoa flakes
• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 cup mixed nuts
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 4 Tbl. butter
• 1/4 cup honey or agave nectar
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 Tbl. vanilla
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast oats, quinoa, coconut and almonds on a shallow baking sheet for 8-10 minutes until just barely beginning to lightly brown. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add dried cranberries and mixed nuts; toss to combine.
• Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
• In a small saucepan melt butter over medium-low heat, add in honey, maple syrup, vanilla, brown sugar and salt. Stirring constantly bring to a boil and whisk for one minute, then remove from heat. Carefully pour hot syrup over dry ingredients and stir until well coated.
• Spread onto a parchment lined shallow baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring midway through. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Break into pieces and store in an air-tight container.

The post Vanilla, Almond & Cranberry Quinoa Granola appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

This has to be the greatest time of year for those of us who love to eat and perhaps even more so for those of us who love to cook!!  Every site I follow is bursting with recipe inspiration.  After taking a night off from turkey, I’m ready to try this Curried Turkey and Israeli Couscous Salad {with Dried Cranberries} recipe from Fine Cooking.

Flash forward 45 minutes….I made it, am eating it for breakfast as we speak.  It’s beautiful.  Such a welcomed change from the muddled flavors of our leftover stuffings and casseroles.  Don’t get me wrong…those are my favorite part of Thanksgiving, but my taste buds were ready for some stimulation and this dish offered just that.

This recipe could easily be adapted to use roast chicken and would be a lovely summer picnic salad.  Add further taste bud stimulation by changing up the olive oil & vinegar with flavor infused oil & balsamic vinegar.  Wonderful.

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Curried Turkey and Israeli Couscous Salad {with Dried Cranberries}

Course Side Dish

Author Fine Cooking

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• Kosher salt
• 1 cup Israeli couscous
• 6 oz. skinless roast turkey meat cut into medium dice (1-1/2 cups)
• 1/2 cup toasted almonds chopped
• 2 medium celery stalks finely chopped
• 2 scallions thinly sliced
• 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 tsp. white wine vinegar
• 1-1/2 tsp. curry powder
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• In a 1-quart saucepan, bring the orange juice to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the dried cranberries, stir, and set aside.
• In a 3-quart saucepan, bring 2 quarts of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the couscous and simmer until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water until the couscous is cool. Drain again thoroughly and transfer to a large serving bowl.
• Add the cranberries and orange juice, turkey, almonds, celery, and scallions.
• In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, and curry powder.
• Add to the couscous mixture and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

The post Curried Turkey and Israeli Couscous Salad {with Dried Cranberries} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.