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Alternative Thanksgiving Recipes (To Blow Your Mind & Rock Your Tastebuds)

Posted October 13, 2019

During thanksgiving, most Canadians decorate their tables with turkey or ham. There will probably be cranberry sauces, potatoes, gravy, perhaps a “salad” that contains almost nothing green. But Winkler-Morden is different. The family trees that have grown upon this portion of Canadian soil have roots that extend around the world, and the plates that decorate their Thanksgiving tables are set respectively. Their recipes are reminiscent of Mexico, Paraguay, Russia, and elsewhere. The air is warm, spiced, and heavy with the fats and seasonings that speak to a version of “home” that exists beyond the four walls of any living room. If you find that your Thanksgiving table is a little lacking in enthusiasm this year, or if you want to spice things up, try these alternative Thanksgiving recipes of Winkler-Morden residents. You won’t be disappointed.

Alternative Thanksgiving Recipes (To Blow Your Mind & Rock Your Tastebuds)

Creamed Corn for Thanksgiving Dinner
Creamed Corn as a side in all its Glory!

For the Casual Chef

This is a simple recipe. So simple, in fact, that you may scroll on by. But trust me when I say, this creamed corn NEVER goes uneaten at any family function. The kids love it. The adults love it. And if you try it, it will quickly become a family favorite you will bring back again and again.

Creamed Corn

Ingredients:

1 can of corn, drained

Heavy Whipping Cream

1 tsp Salt

1 Tbsp of Flour

Instructions:

  1. Heat corn in pot on medium heat
  2. Add enough whipping cream to almost cover the corn. Add 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil
  3. Mix flour with a dash of cream in a separate container until smooth.
  4. Stir into corn. Simmer until slightly reduced. Serve hot.

 

Each can feeds 3-4 people. Easy to multiply!

For the Adventurous Chef

Buttery, flaky, spicy, goodness. What more could you ask for in any recipe? It might not sound like a typical Thanksgiving dish, but that is precisely the point! Take your family’s taste buds on a tour with this Winkler-Morden Empanada recipe. The secret here is a spiced Brazilian salt, called Arisco, which can be found in specialty food shops in Winkler-Morden (To find some, check out our blog, From Hangry to Happy here: http://exploremordenwinkler.com/blog/from-hangry-to-happy-foods-from-around-the-world). If you’ve tried but failed to find this specific one, any spiced salt will do.

Empanadas

Filling Ingredients:

2lb Ground Beef

1 Onion (Any color) chopped

1 Green pepper, chopped

Arisco Salt to taste (Around 1 Tbsp)

5 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1 cup cooked rice

Optional: whipping cream

 

Dough: (Buy ready-made if you don’t want to hand roll)

2 cups water

½ cup vegetable oil

1 Tbsp salt

4 cups flour

 

To make the filling:

  1. Brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper. Add Arisco salt to taste.
  2. Stir in the chopped boiled eggs and rice. Add a touch of whipping cream to make the mixture smooth.
  3. Set aside to cool.

 

To make the dough:

  1. Combine water, oil, and salt.
  2. Add flour and mix until the dough is smooth.
  3. Use a bowl or cutter to make 6” shell rounds.

 

To finish the empanadas:

  1. Add 3-4 Tbsp filling to each round (enough that fills the round when it pinches shut, but not so much that it’s overflowing.
  2. We highly recommend deep-frying these amazing empanadas. Use a fryer, or a deep fry pan on the stove until the dough puckers and browns (if pan-frying, try smaller empanadas 4-5”).

Alternatively, you can bake them, but be sure to brush with oil and bake until the tops are golden brown.

Thanksgiving in Winkler-Morden

Regardless of how you set your table, Thanksgiving is one of the best times of year to gather your family to enjoy old traditions and create new ones. So, make the ham and turkey, but make the empanadas too. Use our famous alternative Thanksgiving recipes to blow your mind and rock your tastebuds! And if you happen to decide that cooking isn’t for you, check out the Thanksgiving offerings from some of our local businesses:

https://www.facebook.com/RalphsGermanRestaurantCafe/

https://www.facebook.com/CKWinklerMB/photos/thanksgiving-delicious-monday-come-on-down-to-get-free-pumpkin-pie-with-your-lun/2568208076530241/

 

In other words, #explorewhatwerefamous for, from our table, to yours. Happy Thanksgiving!

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