Our new fall favorite

T- minus four days until Thanksgiving. Because we're hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year, I'm looking for quick, easy and lighter dishes to get us through the week before we stuff ourselves with a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Plus lots of prep and cooking will be happening in our tiny kitchen, so the last thing I want to do is to cook even more!

I discovered this dish earlier this year in Joanne Chang's Flour, Too, one of my new favorite cookbooks this year. It features hearty, good-for-you seasonal veggies tossed in a delicious, kid-friendly asian dressing. The recipe calls for serving this with quinoa. We opt for Israeli couscous because my kids prefer it. Hey, they're eating Brussels sprouts and root veggies. That's winning in my book. Plus this makes a great side dish for your Thanksgiving meal.

Warm Couscous Salad with Roasted Autumn Vegetables and Ginger-Scallion Dressing 
Adapted from Flour, Too by Joanne Chang

INGREDIENTS

• 8-10 Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered lengthwise
• 1 large parsnip, peeled and chopped
• 2 large carrot, peeled and chopped
• 2 small sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 2-3 baby turnips, peeled and diced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cup Israeli couscous, cooked according to directions
• 8-9 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp peeled and minced fresh ginger
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil 
• 1 tsp sesame oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat over to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, toss Brussels sprouts, parsnip, carrot, sweet potato, and turnips with olive oil, salt and pepper. Transfer veggies to a baking sheet, arranging them in a single layer. Roast the vegetables, stirring every 5 minutes for 18-20 minutes until tender and cooked through. Remove from oven and set aside.
3. While veggies are roasting, make couscous according to package directions.
4. Add the roasted vegetables to the couscous and toss well. In a small bowl, whisk together the scallions, ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, vegetable oil and sesame oil until combined. Pour dressing over the couscous and veggies and mix well. Serve warm or at room temperature.

• 1 cup fresh pumpkin or heirloom pumpkin, cooked
• ½ cup white onion, julienned
• 2 tbs butter
• 1 qt water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1 dash cinnamon
• 1 dash cayenne
• ½ cup heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Split pumpkin in half and de-seed. Place the pumpkin on a rack on a sheet pan and roast skin-side up for 45 to 60 minutes, until pumpkin is soft.
3. Remove the skins and discard. Roughly chop the pumpkin to create 1 cup.
4. Saute the onion in the butter until transparent. Add the remaining ingredients and the pumpkin and cook for 1 hour on a low simmer.
5. Remove the heat and puree until smooth. Serve.