Holiday Recipe ideas from the Green Goo crew

You know what we’re not a fan of? Those recipe sites that make you scroll through 1,500 words and five ads just to get to the recipes. So in the spirit of the Season of Goodness, we’re not going to do that. 

We’re a fan of all of the trimmings and with so many family members around the office and the farm there are always plenty of fun dishes to try. Here’s a selection of recipes that our Green Goo family loves over the holiday season.

To make it even easier, here's our cookbook index:
Smoky White Bean Chicken Chili
Cuban Black Beans
Cardamom Braided Bread
Granola
M and M Christmas Cookies
Baked Cheesecake
Black Richardo's Cake

Cold weather comfort food

Smoky White Bean Chicken Chili
From Alison in Accounting

Ingredients:

• 4 slices Bacon, Chopped
• 1 whole Large Onion, Diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, Chopped
• 1 whole Rotisserie Chicken, Shredded Or Diced
• 1 teaspoon Smoky Paprika
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Onion Powder Or Granulated Onion
• ½ teaspoons Garlic Powder Or Granulated Garlic
• ½ teaspoons Chipotle Chile Powder, Or To Taste
• 6 cups Chicken Stock Or Broth
• 1 can (28-ounce Size) Roasted, Diced Tomatoes
• 4 cans (14.5 Ounce Size) White Beans, Cannelini Or Great Northern
• 2 cans (4 Ounce Size) Diced Green Chiles
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• ½ cups Grated Cotija Cheese, Optional for Topping
• ¼ cups Chopped Fresh Cilantro, For Topping (optional)

Preparation Instructions:

1. In a hot Dutch oven, cook bacon for about 3 minutes.
2. Add the onion and garlic to the bacon. Lower the heat to medium low and cover pot. Cook, stirring as needed until the onions are translucent and just starting to caramelize. This takes about 30 minutes.
3. Add the chicken, smoky paprika, ground cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and chipotle to the pot and continue to cook for an additional 10 minutes (covered) so that the chicken gets infused with the aromatics and the spices.
4. Stir in the chicken stock, diced tomatoes, white beans, and green chiles. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a slow boil and cook, uncovered, stirring as needed until the liquid has reduced to your level of preference. (I let mine simmer for about 20 minutes.)
5. For serving, pass the cotija cheese and chopped cilantro for topping as desired.
6. This is great with cornbread or a crusty bread and a salad.

Note: a can of the white beans can be reserved, pureed or well mashed, and then added to chili for thickening at the same time as the other beans are added to the chili.

Not quick, but worth the wait: Cuban Black Beans
From Jorge in Sales

Ingredients:

• 12 ounce package of dried black beans. We use GOYA . Any brand will do. No canned beans 😉
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• ¾ cup chopped yellow onion (about 1 medium onion)
• 1 large green pepper - chopped
• 2 large cloves of garlic - minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 heaping tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp white sugar
• ¼ tsp ground cumin

Instructions:

1. Add your dry beans to your heavy bottomed pot and cover with water (about 3 cups)
2. Allow your beans to soak over night.
3. The next day, your beans will have soaked up most of the water. When you are ready to cook them add 5 cups of water and half of your chopped green pepper to the pot.
4. Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce to a simmer for 60 minutes stirring frequently.
5. If you notice that your beans are absorbing most of the liquid, you can add water (1 cup at a time) to keep them simmering.
6. While your beans are simmering, heat a small skillet with 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
7. Once your skillet is hot add the remainder of the chopped green pepper, your chopped onion, and garlic. Sauté over medium/low heat until the vegetables are soft and translucent.
8. Once your vegetables are softened and your beans have simmered for 60 minutes, take a slotted spoonful of black beans (not the liquid) from your pot and add to the skillet with the onion mixture.
9. Using a wooden spoon or a meat mallet, smash your ladle of black beans into the onion mixture and stir to combine. (they don't have to be completely smashed but just enough to pop them open and incorporate them into the onion mixture)
10. Add all of the skillet contents and 2 cups of water back into the large pot of black beans and stir.
11. Cover and simmer for another 60 minutes.
12. After those 60 minutes, add 3 cups of water and remainder of ingredients (oregano, salt, black pepper, sugar, cumin, vinegar) into the pot and stir.
13. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes and you’re done! Serve with jasmine White rice and enjoy

Cardamom Braided Bread a.k.a. Finnish Coffee Cake
From Chris, our Supply Chain Ops VP, via The Arizona Republic

He says this recipe will make four loaves at a time, or three larger loaves depending on your utensils.

Ingredients and Instructions all in one:

Turn out, cover with an inverted bowl, let rest for 15 minutes.

Knead til smooth, put in greased bowl, turn, cover, let rise til double.

Punch down, let rise again until doubled again, about 30 minutes.

Divide into 4 equal parts, then divide each into 3 equal parts.

Roll each of the 3 parts into 12-15 inch stick. Braid, put on greased baking sheet/cooked sheet. Braiding: lay 3 rolls next to each other. Starting from the middle, braid to the end, tuck under; then turn the sheet around and braid the other half to the end and tuck ends under.

Cover and let rise til puffy, about 20 minutes.

Brush with glaze of beaten egg, pinch of sugar and finely chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts).

Bake for 25-30 minutes in 375 degree oven til lightly bronzed.

Freezes well when well wrapped.

Some desserts

Granola
From Kathy in Design

She wants you to know the recipe is from the King Arthur Flour website

Ingredients:

• 7 cups oatmeal 
• 1 cup stabilized Wheat Germ (I rarely have it, so skip it)
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup diced pecans or walnuts
• 1 cup sunflower seeds, raw or toasted
• 1 cup pepitas (my addition)
• ½ vegetable oil ( I use coconut oil)
• 1 cup maple syrup (can also use honey) (some folks add 1 Tablespoon molasses for deeper flavor)
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla (I use almond flavoring instead, at times)

Instructions:

1. Mix together until oatmeal particles are all moistened
2. Spread on 2 large lightly greased baking sheets.  Bake at 250 for 2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes.  If you are short on time, you can go up to 300 degrees, stir every 15 minutes.  Usually it is toasted enough for me by 1 ½ hours.
3. When cool, add 1 cup raisins and any other dried fruit (dates, craisins, apricots….)

M and M Christmas Cookies
From Chad in Marketing and PR

Faithfully transcribed from his third grade Christmas Cookie Cookbook!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup crisco
• ¾ cup white sugar
• ¾ cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoon hot water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 ½ cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon soda
• 1 - 16 oz. bag Christmas M and Ms

Directions: 

1. Measure and sift flour, salt, soda. 
2. Blend sugar and crisco thoroughly. 
3. Add eggs and beat until mixture is light. 
4. Add hot water and vanilla and mix together. 
5. Add M and Ms. Drop by teaspoon on greased pan. 
6. Put in preheated oven at 350°. 
7. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.  

 Want to make a childhood fantasy come true? Substitute Skittles for M&M’s!

Baked Cheesecake
From our CEO

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 2¼ cup graham cracker crumbs
• ½ cup butter or margarine, melted

Filling:

• 1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ cup milk
• Dash of salt
• ½ tsp. vanilla
• 2 eggs

Topping:

• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• ½ tsp. vanilla

Directions:

1. Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter, press into buttered 8 inch pie plate to form crust on bottom and sides.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually add in lemon juice, ½ cup sugar, milk, salt and vanilla.
3. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Pour filling into crust.
4. Bake at 325 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes or until set.
5. Combine the 2 tablespoons of sugar, sour cream, and ½ teaspoon of vanilla; spread over top of cheesecake then bake for 10 minutes longer. Chill for 5 hours or more before serving.

If you want to take that Cheesecake recipe to the next level, add Richardo's Decaf Coffee Liqueur. In fact, they have a whole page dedicated to recipes that will help keep you merry and bright. They’re all yummy, but check out the S’mores Martini, the Hot Ricky, and the Coffee Cinnamon Bread Pudding! 

Black Richardo's Cake
Deep, dark, rich chocolaty joy. No lie.
From Kelly, our VP of Ops

Ingredients

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 large box instant chocolate pudding
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• ¼ cup vodka
• ¼ cup Richardo’s Decaf Coffee Liqueur
• ¾ cup water

Glaze:

• ¼ cup Richardo’s Decaf Coffee Liqueur
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan. Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sugar, oil, vodka, ¼ cup Richardo’s & water. Beat for 4 minutes until light and fluffy. Pour batter into pan. Bake 40 minutes or until top springs back. Cool. Combine glaze ingredients. Depan cake and use a fork to poke several holes over the the top and sides of cake. Pour glaze over cake & dust with more powdered sugar. So good.

If you’re looking for more ideas: 

• All Recipes has Grandma’s Best Thanksgiving Recipes - It looks like a slide show but you can scroll down and see a preview of the recipes without clicking through all the slides.
• Southern Living has a bunch of good recipes for sides - Same deal you can scroll past the slide show. 
• And Taste of Home has a fun list of holiday recipes passed down for generations. 

Alright… Your turn. We know there are recipes no-one gets to see. We get it. But there has to be a couple of holiday, go-to recipes you can share. Chad (from the cookie recipe) likes the Green Bean Casserole recipe that comes on the back of the fried onions. How about you? What’s the easiest comfort food you make every autumn? Is there a side dish that always knocks the office out? What are your Thanksgiving dinner must-haves? 

Let us know in the comments and if you cook any of these dishes, we want to know what you thought. Happy eating!