With Thanksgiving just a week away (what?!), I wanted to test out some of the fall-ish recipes from The Seasoned Life by Ayesha Curry. I ended up finding three dishes that became a delicious twist to the traditional Thanksgiving meal that's easy to make, whether you're cooking for yourself or a big family.
Jerk Turkey
For many, Thanksgiving isn't quite Thanksgiving without turkey of some form — todurken, anyone? Jerk Turkey was the only turkey recipe in The Seasoned Life, so I knew that had to be the main dish. And best of all, I love Caribbean food, especially anything jerk related. According to Ayesha, she "developed this [Jerk Turkey recipe] with [her] mom as a way to introduce people to Caribbean food in a kinder, gentler way." And this was a winner! It was fairly simple, and I was excited to see that the turkey came out just right — not undercooked or overcooked, and juicy.
While this recipe calls for boneless, skin-on turkey breasts, I made it with skin-on/boned breasts, as I was only able to find that and skinless/boned breasts. Ayesha noted that you can also use this recipe with chicken breasts, which is definitely the way to go when turkey breasts aren't as readily available or if turkey just isn't your thing.
Spiced Butternut Squash Mash with Jerk Turkey
As recommended by Ayesha, the Spiced Butternut Squash Mash is the perfect complementary side for the Jerk Turkey. And she wasn't kidding! The flavor combination of cashew butter and curry powder really shined through — a combination that I never had before. Then, you mix in that juicy Jerk Turkey. Mmm, mmm, mmm! I could eat this all day long.
Pro tip: One bag of Trader Joe's Cut Butternut Squash is approximately six cups, the amount that the recipe calls for if you're looking to make 4–6 servings.
Roasted Pear and Cranberry Brussels Sprouts
With Bosc pears in season, and cranberry being so popular this time of the year, I knew this would be the dish of greens to round out the meal, and I was right. It is sweet and tangy, and really easy to make! You essentially cut up the Brussels sprouts, pears and onion, throw it in the oven, drizzle it with honey and cranberries, and you're set.
And there you have it! This meal was made in under two hours, and was SO good — it was definitely one of those times where I really looked forward to eating leftovers the next day. Enjoy, and make sure you pick up a copy of The Seasoned Life if you haven't already!