Gobble Gobble on this post-Thanksgiving meal

Happy Thanksgiving friends! I considered doing the traditional post on, "my favorite dishes", celebrating this Turkey Day, but I decided to change things up a bit...going with something a little more practical, and figure-friendly (since that's what we are all thinking about now, our weight or staying in shape!) While I have no shame or guilt in pigging out on this beloved holiday (oh, and I so did!), I also feel like the day after Thanksgiving, also known as, Black Friday was titled it's ominous name, from regretful over indulgence, undoubtedly happening the day before... like really, I'm still hungry the day after Thanksgiving?! (surprise, surprise!) The first thing I did this morning was a eat a bowl of cereal, still no shame...

So the real question is, what can I eat, the days after Thanksgiving, without feeling like a hefer? the answer is, spaghetti squash my dear friends. Trick yourself into a fake carb overload by tossing your favorite sauce (think pesto, marinara, bolognese etc.) with spaghetti squash. I know your stomaches have already been stretched by Thanksgiving, so this dish is perfect for getting it back into shape, without compromising big flavors and skimping on fullness!

My recipe below includes instructions on preparing spaghetti squash, as well as a hearty, yet healthy Turkey Bolognese sauce. What I love about making my own bolognese is that I can control the amount of ingredients that go into it and it can be frozen and saved for a lazy, rainy day or, perhaps, the days after Thanksgiving part deux, also known as Christmas!

So go ahead and indulge in a delicious dinner that's under 350 calories. You'll fool everyone with how meaty this dish is and how full everyone will feel!

Spaghetti Squash with Homemade Turkey Bolognese

Perfect for a rainy day or post-holiday meal that feeds a crowd!

Adapted from Personal Chef Appraoch

Ingredients:

• 1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise, with the seeds and pulp removed
• 1 28 oz. can season diced tomatoes ( or unseasoned, whichever you prefer)
• 1 1/4 lbs. lean ground turkey
• 2 Tbl. olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 Tbl. red wine (optional)
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• pinch of cayenne pepper (for ground turkey)

Directions:

Instructions for roasting spaghetti squash:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Rinse Squash and cut, lengthwise. Remove seeds and stringy pulp. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 
3. In a baking dish, fill dish with 1/2 inch of water. Place squash in water bed and bake for 30-35 minutes. 
4. Remove from oven and water bed and let it stand for 5 minutes until cool enough to touch. 
5. With a fork, begin scraping the inside of the squash. The squash will peel into strings, looking like long pieces of spaghetti. One squash makes about 2 1/2 cups of "spaghetti". Store unused spaghetti in air tight container for up to several days.

Squash disguised as spaghetti!

Instructions for turkey bolognese: 

1. Heat 1 Tbl. of olive oil in a non-stick pan. Add ground turkey and break up into pieces with a wooden spoon. Season with pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning, to taste.  Cook turkey until no longer pink, for about 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
2. Remove turkey from heat and place on plate. To keep turkey warm, place plate in the microwave to insulate heat. 
3. In the same pan, add 1 Tbl. olive oil, chopped onions and carrots. Cook  on medium-high heat, until soft, about 6-8 minutes. Add chopped garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. 
4. Add can of crushed tomatoes, red wine and season with Italian seasoning, oregano, basil, salt and pepper to taste. Let this simmer for about 15 minutes. 
5. Remove from heat and add cooked ground turkey.
6. Plate spaghetti squash and top with bolognese. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and basil. 

Speaking of Pumpkin Pie...

Don't you hate when you get five tins of fudge during the holidays?! Somehow I receive three dozen cookies, each year and I am certain that I can barely get through a dozen of any baked goods, on my own, let alone sharing gifted, baked goods with family and friends. I feel a bit guilty, because whoever took the time, effort and love to make those delicious morsels of holiday goodness, was probably overwhelmed by the number of friends, family and neighbors he or she was expecting to give gifts too...now their homemade fudge that took 2 days to make, is now in the trash. It really is a shame.

But the reality of the matter is that you are embarrassed at the fact that you've doubled up (again!) on generic pumpkin pie from Costco, knowing that probably only half of one pie will be eaten? We've all made this blunder, it's the gesture that counts.

So, now, what's an alternative solution to making baked goods that reflect the warmth and kindness of the holiday seasons, without spending too much time, money and (unintentionally) unrecognized effort? 

The answer is tassies and they are fabulous! At first, I thought tassie was a typo or some made up cutes-y name, but it's a real name to describe a miniature sized pie. It seems to have come from the word "taza", or cup, in Spanish, because that is exactly what it is...a mini pastry cup that holds all of the flavor and decadence of a pie, in one small bite. DEFYING SCIENCE (or so I'd like to think!)

Below is recipe for Pumpkin Almond Tassies; it's buttery, full of vibrant pumpkin spice, a touch of sweet maple and a nice crunch of almonds to finish; it aspires to quell the desire to overindulge, especially alongside other tempting desserts lingering around the Thanksgiving table. 

Behind, a whole slice of pie, in one bite! Pinch yourself, THIS IS REAL.

Pumpkin Almond Tassies

Feel like you can never have too much pumpkin pie!

Adapted from Lauren's Latest

Ingredients:

• 15 oz packaged rolled refrigerated pie crust (2 crusts) (or you can make your own pie crust as well!)
• 3/4 can of pumpkin
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/3 cup of sliced almonds (or any other nut you have on hand would work nicely with this dessert)
• 2 Tb brown sugar
• 1 Tb melted butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• pinch of salt
• maple syrup (optional, for drizzling over cooked tassies)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare mini cupcake tins by unrolling pie crust. Using 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter.  I used a small leaf-shaped cookie cutter and used 4 leaves to fill the bottoms, ensuring that there were no gaps for the filling to seep through. 
2. To make the filling: combine pumpkin, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Add in egg and stir until combined. Gradually add in milk, until just combined. 
3. For almond topping: stir together almond slices, brown sugar and melted butter.
4. Spoon 1 teaspoon of filling into each pastry-lined cup. Top each with a sprinkling of almond topping.
5. Bake for about 35 minutes, until filling is set and crust has a golden brown coloring. Removing tassies might be difficult when the tin is hot out of the oven; try waiting about five minutes and use a spoon to aid in removing finicky tassies. If desired, when tassies are still warm, top with a drizzle of maple syrup, it should soak up quickly into the filling. 
6. Serve warm or at room temperature. These bad boys would go amazingly with a small dollop of whipped cream. Serving size for this recipe is 24 (or two dozen)

To store: Place tassies in a single layer in an airtight container; cover. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months; thaw about 1 hour at room temperature before serving.