Last Thanksgiving | Sage Candied Walnuts

Here's the apple crisp recipe, a healthy alternative to apple pie.

Yes! Thanksgiving is finally around the corner! I always look forward to this holiday because all my friends are back home in New York, there's plentiful amounts of food, and it marks the final stretch before the end of the semester. There are always many things to be thankful for this time of year. 

The week of Thanksgiving is always teeming over with prep work such as dicing vegetables, mentally assigning oven priorities, and constant reorganization of the refrigerator. Not only that, my family started a tradition a few years ago where we all get in the car Thanksgiving morning and drive to Chinatown to pick up a 30lb roast pig (...we have 10 people to feed). Because let's be real, Chinese people do not like to eat turkey. There's just an overabundance of white meat, and it really is more for the look than anything, so why waste an entire bird when we can just devour an entire pig? 

But don't fret. We enjoy all the other traditionally American Thanksgiving goodies such as stuffing, green bean casserole, and candied yams as well. Being us, we have also altered the staples such as macaroni and cheese made with crab meat and drizzled with truffle oil or stuffing made with chicken gizzard. We also love eating for endless hours at a time, so we have a great hor d'oeuvres spread such as cocktail shrimp with homemade cocktail sauce or a refreshing apples and beets salad. Then after dessert, there are always those who go for a second serving of roast pig with a familiar bowl of steaming hot white rice. Really, anything goes. 

Here are some photos from my last Thanksgiving for you to enjoy, and at the bottom I have a recipe for sage candied walnuts. You now, just in case there isn't already enough food and you want your guests to have something to nibble on before they start on the hor d'oeuvres. Even better, pack some in little festive baggies for guests to take home! 

Stuffing prep!

Here's the recipe for a mushroom pastry wrap.

Truffle macaroni and cheese in the making

The now traditional Thanksgiving roast pig getting ready for the big night.

Feast!

The dessert/pie spread: pecan pie, chai spiced pumpkin pie, and apple crisp. 

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Sage Candied Walnuts
2 tbs coconut oil
2 tbs sage, finely chopped
5 cups walnuts
1 egg white, beaten until slightly stiff
4 tbs maple syrup
4 tbs honey
1/2 tsp sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 300F.
2. In a pan, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add the sage and cook until fragrant.
3. In a large bowl, beat the egg white. Toss in the walnuts, maple syrup, and sage coconut oil until evenly coated.
4. Spread the walnuts evenly on a pan. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.
5. Bake for 30 minutes, mixing about every 10 minutes.