Thanksgiving for the Herbivorous Part 2

                                                                This is a multi-part series- Click HERE for part one

We are talking about vegetarians and Thanksgiving. Since we don't eat a lot of meat we tend to like some turkey, but have sides that are meat free. here are two more of my favorites. :)

Winey Cranberry Sauce

·            2 cups red Zinfandel

·            1 cup sugar

·            1 cup (packed) light brown sugar

·            6 whole cloves

·            6 whole allspice

·            2 cinnamon sticks

·            1 3x1-inch strip lemon peel

·            1 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries

1.  Put all the ingredients, except the cranberries, in a medium saucepan. Stir to partially dissolve the sugars. 
2.  Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced to 1 3/4 cups, about 10-12 minutes. Strain syrup into large saucepan.
3.  Add the cranberries to the syrup and cook over medium heat until berries burst, about 6 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and transfer sauce to medium bowl when cool. Cover and refrigerate until cold. 

This can be made up to 1 week ahead, but it needs to be kept refrigerated.

Roasted Wine Mushrooms

I made these last year and have made them several times since then. I am merely reposting the recipe, because Gina at So...Let's Hang Out pretty much hit it out of the ball park with this one. And considering that I rarely ever follow a recipe, this is really saying something. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 package of crimini mushrooms
• 3-4 tbs butter, cut into small cubes (I used grassfed)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup of red wine
• 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbs fresh thyme, minced
• salt, pepper
• Extra thyme to garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
2. Clean your mushrooms and pat them dry.
3. Put the mushrooms into a baking dish. Add in your wine, balsamic vinegar, garlic and thyme. Toss using a spoon so that the mushrooms are evenly coated.
4. Salt and pepper your mushrooms to your liking and then add in the chunks of butter. Place the chunks evenly throughout the dish.
5. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally.
6. Mushrooms are done when they are tender and golden-brown in color. A wine and butter sauce should be bubbly and forming below.
7. Remove the mushrooms from the oven and sprinkle with fresh thyme. Serve over pasta, or as a side dish. These would go awesome with a steak!
8. Enjoy!