Want to impress your family with an awesome dish to pass during Thanksgiving break this year? Why not try out some of these recipes as a pre-feast with your closest friends and be one step ahead of the game! First up is a great vegetarian recipe, courtesy of Bon Appétit magazine with the always fall apropos squash, but mixed up with some wholesome grains and colored veggies:

Wild Rice with Butternut Squash, Leeks, and Corn

From Bon Appétit, November 2008

By Nancy Oakes and Pamela Mazzola

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups wild rice (about nine ounces)

2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

3 cups of 1/2 inch cubes peeled butternut squash (from 1 and one-half pounds of squash)

3 tablespoons olive oil

6 tablespoons (three-quarters of a stick) of butter, divided

1 1/2 cups finely chopped leeks (white part only)

1 1/2 cups frozen white corn kernels, thawed

1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley

Preparation: Rinse rice in strainer under cold water; drain. Bring 6 cups water and 2 teaspoons coarse salt to boil in large saucepan. Add rice; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered until rice grains begin to split and are tender but still slightly chewy, about 45 minutes. Drain. Spread on rimmed baking sheet to cool. Transfer to bowl. Can be made one day ahead. Cover and chill.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Oil a rimmed baking sheet. Toss squash cubes and 3 tablespoons of oil in a medium bowl. Spread squash in single layer on prepared sheet; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast just until tender but firm enough to hold shape, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Transfer squash to bowl. Cool. Can be made one day ahead. Cover and chill.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and 3/4 cup water; simmer until leeks are tender, about seven minutes. Add corn; simmer two minutes longer. Add rice and butternut squash; simmer until heated through and liquid is absorbed, about four minutes. Stir in two tablespoons of butter and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and serve.

Test-Kitchen Tip:

Some kinds of wild rice take longer to cook than others. The rice is fully cooked when the grains are tender but still chewy and beginning to split. Be sure to test the rice before draining. Read more here.

Chef Colleen’s Note: If there are some carnivores in your group, why not do half the recipe with cooked turkey breast tossed in and half without? Then everyone is happy!

If you want a great side dish that won’t pack on the pounds, give this one from nutritionist Judy Mayer of Outpost Natural Foods a go (my family loved it):

Sizzled Green Beans with Prosciutto

Serves eight. Gluten-free.

Ingredients:

2 pounds of green beans, trimmed

2 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

2 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons fresh sage, minced

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/4  cup of pine nuts or sesame seeds, toasted

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Preparation: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add beans, return to boil and simmer until crisp-tender, about three to four minutes. Drain. Heat 1/2 teaspoon of oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add prosciutto, cook, stirring until crispy, four to five minutes. Drain on paper towel.

Wipe out pan; heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over medium heat. Add the beans, garlic, sage and several grinds of black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until beans are browned in places, about three to four minutes. Stir in pine nuts or sesame seeds, lemon zest and the prosciutto. Season with lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

Per serving: 99 calories, 5g fat, 1g sat fat, 10g carbohydrates, 5g protein, 264mg sodium, 3g fiber.

Chef Colleen’s note: Sesame seeds are an excellent substitute for people with tree nut allergies. Get them in bulk, hulled, from your local health food store.

No turkey din-din would be complete without cranberries. Simple and sweet to the core, here is my dear Grandmother’s time-honored recipe:

Gumma’s Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:

Two 12 pound bags of fresh cranberries

2 cups water

2 cups sugar

Preparation: Wash and drain the cranberries well. Heat water and sugar in a medium sauce pan on the stove. Bring to a boil. Once sugar is dissolved, add the cranberries. Bring to a boil again, then cook on a low heat, stirring occasionally and watch to make sure the cranberries don’t burn or stick to the bottom of the pan. Simmer about 10 – 15 minutes. Berries will pop. When the cranberries are cooked, test a little with your spoon. Add more sugar to taste, if needed. Remove from heat and cover and cool. Refrigerate overnight and serve the next day! Makes about 4 cups.

Chef Colleen’s note: Once you try these, you will never go back to the jellied stuff in a can ever again.

To top it off with a to die for dessert, skip the tired old pumpkin pie. Bake up this creamy, dreamy pumpkin dessert instead:

Pumpkin Cake

From the kitchen of Berniece DuVall

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups sugar

1/2  teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup oil

4 eggs

2 cups pumpkin

1 cup walnuts (optional)

Frosting

8 oz. package of cream cheese

3 quarts stick oleo

1 teaspoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

Preparation: Mix ingredients together to make batter. Bake in greased and floured 15.5″ X 10.5″ pan for 25 min. For frosting, melt butter and pour over other ingredients. Beat about one minute ’till smooth.

Chef Colleen’s note: Mix dry ingredients first, and then mix in the rest of the liquid ingredients slowly until well-blended. Let the cake cool before spreading on frosting. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.