Thanksgiving 2013

Maple Glazed Spicy Apple Turkey

INGREDIENTS

• 1- 10 to 15 pound fresh turkey
For the wet rub
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp Himalayan or unrefined sea salt
• 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper 
   Recipes
• ½ tsp chai spice (see this post for the mix)
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
To stuff the cavity
• 3-4 large red apples, cut into quarters (I used Fuji)
• 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
To be added to the roasting pan
• ½ cup pure maple syrup
• 2 cups all natural, unsweetened apple juice
• 2 whole star anise
• 2 whole cinnamon stick

Make Asian Pot Roast

INSTRUCTIONS

1. The previous day, combine the ingredients for the wet rub in a small mixing bowl. Stir with a spoon until well combined.
2. Pat the bird dry and carefully loosen the skin from the breast by delicately sliding your fingers under it from the neck end until you reach the end of the breasts. Be careful not to break the skin. Rub half of the spice mixture between the flesh and skin. Rub the other half all over the bird's skin, including breasts, thighs and wings.
3. Cover the turkey with plastic film and set it in the fridge to rest until the next day.
4. Preheat oven to 325F
5. Remove turkey from the fridge and place it on a rack in a roasting pan.
6. Stuff quartered apples as well as a few sprigs of fresh rosemary in the cavity. Tie legs neatly together.
7. Add maple syrup, apple juice, star anise and cinnamon stick to the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle bird generously with salt and pepper. Tent loosely with foil and roast in a 325F oven for about 20 minutes per pound or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of thighs registers 180F
8. Remove the foil for the last hour of roasting.
9. When turkey is done, take it out of the oven, place tent back over the bird and let it rest for 20-30 minutes before carving.
10. Oh, and by all means, do not chuck those baked apples; eat them. They are absolutely spectacular!

Bacon and Chive Sweet Potato Biscuits

Prep time:  30 minsCook time:  30 minsTotal time:  1 hourServes: 12
Ingredients

• 1 large sweet potato or yam (equivalent to 2 cups mashed)

• 3 tablespoons Coconut Flour

• 3 eggs, whisked

• 6-8 strips of bacon, diced

• leftover rendered fat from bacon

• 3-4 tablespoons chives, thinly diced

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 415 degrees.

1. Pork holes in your sweet potato with a fork.

1. Place in oven and bake for 30-40 or until soft.

1. Once the sweet potato is done baking, turn oven down to 375 degrees.

1. When you sweet potato is almost done cooking, place your diced bacon into a skillet and brown until crispy. Then place your cooked, crispy bacon on a plate covered with a paper towel to soak up the excess fat. The fat that is left behind in the pan, you will use in your biscuits.

1. When your sweet potato is done, peel and place in a bowl and mash with a fork.

1. Then add in your eggs and mix well with your sweet potato. Then add your in your bacon fat and mix well.

1. Then your dry ingredients: coconut flour, baking powder, garlic powder, and salt and pepper.

1. Finally add your diced cooked bacon and chives. Mix thoroughly

1. Now line a baking sheet with parchment paper and use a large spoon to drop your biscuits on the sheet, shaping them as needed. Try to make them all equal in size so they cook the same.

1. Place in oven and bake for 22-27 minutes.

1. Let rest.

1. Top with some melted grass fed butter. You don’t have to, since it’s not paleo, but I did it, and it was delicious. Trust me.

Notes
If you don’t use bacon/bacon fat, add ¼ cup of coconut oil, melted.

SAUSAGE STUFFING

• 1lb ground pork sausage
• 5 pieces of bacon, diced
• 5 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 yellow sweet potato (is that a yam? or a sweet potato? whatever.)
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 container of mushrooms, diced
• 2 apples, diced
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup chicken broth

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil, throw diced sweet potatoes/yams on it, sprinkle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender, then set aside.
2. While those cook, pull out a large skillet, place it under medium-high heat and place chopped bacon in it to begin to cook down. When some of the fat has seeped out and bacon has begun to cook, add your chopped apples, celery, and onions. 
3. When onions begin to become translucent, add ground pork and mushrooms and your white wine vinegar. Let that cook down until pork is almost completely cooked through. You will be placing it in the oven so you want it pretty close to done. (If you're not sure how long that will be, use your eyes. Pink meat is not what we want here people.) Add salt and pepper, to taste.
4. Once the sausage is all done, add mixture to a bowl to cool. Now beat your eggs, add to your sausage mixture, and add your chicken broth, along with your sweet potatoes, pecans, and dried cranberries. Mix well.
5. You can now either use a 9x13 baking dish to place your stuffing in OR place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Either way will work.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until everything is a bit browned. 

Pomegranate, Kale, and Wild Rice Salad with Walnuts and Feta

Vegetarian • Gluten free • Serves 4

Pinch of Yum

Produce

2 cups	Baby kale
1/2 cup	Onion or shallot
1 cup	Pomegranate seeds

Condiments

2 tbsp

Honey

Pasta & Grains

2 cups

Wild rice, cooked

Baking & Spices

1/2 tsp

Salt

Oils & Vinegars

1/2 tbsp	Apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp	Olive oil

Nuts & Seeds

1/4 cup

Walnuts, toasted

Drinks

1 squeeze

Lemon or orange juice

Dairy

1/4 cup

Feta cheese

Liquids

2 tbsp

Water

CARROT CAKE

Ingredients

• 5 whole Carrot, Raw, peeled and shredded
• 1 cup Maple Syrup, Grade B
• 3/4 cup Coconut Flour, sifted
• 1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Sea Salt
• 10 Eggs, Pastured
• 10 Medjool Dates
• 1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 cup Coconut Oil, Organic, melted
• 2 cup Cream Cheese Frosting
• 1 cup Walnuts, Organic, chopped for garnish

Process

1. In a food processor, using the grating blade, shred carrots.
2. Place carrots in a large ziplock bag.
3. Pour maple syrup over carrots and let marinate in the fridge for an hour.
4. Preheat oven to 325°F.
5. In a small mixing bowl, add sifted coconut flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda.
6. Make date mixture with 10 medjool dates and 1 tablespoon maple syrup.
7. In a large mixing bowl or kitchen mixer, blend eggs, vanilla, melted coconut oil, and date mixture.
8. Add dry ingredients to wet and blend.
9. Remove carrots from the fridge, and drain the excess maple syrup from the carrots using a colander.
10. Stir grated carrots into cake batter.
11. Grease two 9-inch cake pans with coconut oil.
12. Pour batter into pans.
13. (For easy removal, line pans with parchment paper)Bake for 35 minutes.
14. Test center with a tooth pick—if the tooth pick comes out clean, then the cakes are done.
15. Remove cakes from oven and cool.
16. Frost cake with cream cheese frosting, garnish with walnuts, and serve.

17. Ingredients

    • 1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
    • 1/2 cup Maple Syrup, Grade B
    • 16 oz Full Fat Cream Cheese
    • 2 Tbsp Ginger Root, grated

    Process

    
    

    1. Allow cream cheese to come up to room temperature.
    2. Blend cream cheese, maple syrup, vanilla, and ginger with a hand mixer or kitchen mixer.
    3. Use right away, or refrigerate.

Thanksgiving 2012

PORK

CARROTS

1 lb carrot (any type)
1 head garlic
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 sprigs fresh rosemary or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
sea salt
fresh ground black pepper

Directions:
1
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2
If you are using whole carrots, peel and cut into 2" diagonal sections (I like to cut carrots on a diagonal just because they look more appealing).
3
Break garlic into individual cloves but leave the skins on.
4
Toss all ingredients in roasting pan that is just large enough to hold everything.
5
Roast for approx 20-30 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Serve immediately.


MASHED POTATOES

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 16 fluid ounces (2 cups) half-and-half
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 6 ounces grated Parmesan

Directions

Peel and dice potatoes, making sure all are relatively the same size. Place in a large saucepan, add the salt, and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to maintain a rolling boil. Cook until potatoes fall apart when poked with a fork.

Heat the half-and-half and the garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat and set aside.

Remove the potatoes from the heat and drain off the water. Mash and add the garlic-cream mixture and Parmesan; stir to combine. Let stand for 5 minutes so that mixture thickens and then serve.

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

Serves 4, as a side

Ingredients

• 6 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks;
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped;
• ½ cup full-fat coconut milk;
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder;
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract;
• 1 tbsp cinnamon;
• 2 tbsp olive oil, butter or clarified butter;
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste;

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350F and then start by filling a large sauce pot with water and place all the chopped sweet potatoes in it. Place the saucepan over a high-heat on the stove top and bring the water to a boil. Continue cooking the potatoes for anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes, basically until they are tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from heat and strain the excess water.
2. Return the sweet potatoes to the pot they were cooked in and drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil, butter or clarified butter on top of them. Using a masher or hand-mixer, mash the potatoes until smooth. I tend to prefer the texture to be slightly clumpy, but to each their own! As you continue to mash, slowly pour the coconut milk in, followed by the vanilla extract. Once it has been mixed well, give it a taste to see if it requires any salt and pepper. I found it to be just perfect how it was, but a little salt cuts on some of the sweetness. Transfer the mashed mix into a baking dish, or better yet, a casserole dish and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, toss the walnuts in the remaining oil or butter. Sprinkle with the cinnamon and cocoa powder  and then give it another good mixing. Evenly cover the mashed potato mixture with the topping, put in the preheated oven and cook for about 20 minutes and, once finished, indulge!

GRAVY

• 1 quart of Trader Joe’s organic low sodium chicken broth
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped (next time, I will use 2 like she suggests in her recipe)
• 1/2 tsp of dried thyme (or a few good shakes of Fines Herbes seasoning)
• 2 tablespoons of Kerrygold unsalted butter (or pan drippings)
• 6-8 cloves of peeled garlic (I love garlic and that’s how many come pre-peeled in a little pack)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon of coconut aminos
• A splash of heavy cream (optional)

I dumped the onions, garlic, broth, and thyme into a medium saucepan and brought it to a boil on high.  Then, I lowered the heat to low and let it simmer for ~30 minutes or until the onions and garlic are really soft. At this point I tasted for seasonings and added salt, pepper, and coconut aminos. 

Then, I poured everything into my Vitamix (most AWESOME blender ever), added 2 tablespoons of butter (or pan drippings), and blitzed everything until it was uniform.  You can also add some heavy cream if you want a creamy gravy. Definitely, use 2 or more onions because my sauce was pretty thin.  It was really tasty (even with pantry items) so I’m keeping a container in the fridge to ladle onto whatever other meats/veggies I eat the next few days.

SAUSAGE STUFFING

• 1lb ground pork sausage
• 5 pieces of bacon, diced
• 5 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 yellow sweet potato (is that a yam? or a sweet potato? whatever.)
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 container of mushrooms, diced
• 2 apples, diced
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup chicken broth

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil, throw diced sweet potatoes/yams on it, sprinkle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender, then set aside.
2. While those cook, pull out a large skillet, place it under medium-high heat and place chopped bacon in it to begin to cook down. When some of the fat has seeped out and bacon has begun to cook, add your chopped apples, celery, and onions. 
3. When onions begin to become translucent, add ground pork and mushrooms and your white wine vinegar. Let that cook down until pork is almost completely cooked through. You will be placing it in the oven so you want it pretty close to done. (If you're not sure how long that will be, use your eyes. Pink meat is not what we want here people.) Add salt and pepper, to taste.
4. Once the sausage is all done, add mixture to a bowl to cool. Now beat your eggs, add to your sausage mixture, and add your chicken broth, along with your sweet potatoes, pecans, and dried cranberries. Mix well.
5. You can now either use a 9x13 baking dish to place your stuffing in OR place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Either way will work.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until everything is a bit browned. 

BRUSSEL SPROUTS

Ingredients
For the Onions:

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 whole red onion

For the Brussel Sprouts:

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 3-4 cups brussel sprouts
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste

Process
Balsamic Onions:

1. Remove outer layer of onion
2. Thinly slice onion and place in pyrex dish
3. Cover with 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt and pepper to taste
4. Toss onions in olive oil and salt and pepper until evenly distributed
5. Roast at 400° for about 30 minutes, or until onions start to crisp a bit
6. Remove from oven and toss roasted onions in 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Brussel Sprouts:

1. Rinse brussel sprouts and cut off ends
2. Place in pyrex dish and cover with 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt and pepper to taste
3. Toss brussel sprouts in olive oil and salt and pepper until evenly distributed
4. Roast at 400° for 30 minutes, after 20 minutes add minced garlic over sprouts for remaining 10 minutes (this is so the garlic does not burn and become bitter from roasting for too long)

CARROT CAKE

Ingredients

• 5 whole Carrot, Raw, peeled and shredded
• 1 cup Maple Syrup, Grade B
• 3/4 cup Coconut Flour, sifted
• 1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Sea Salt
• 10 Eggs, Pastured
• 10 Medjool Dates
• 1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 cup Coconut Oil, Organic, melted
• 2 cup Cream Cheese Frosting
• 1 cup Walnuts, Organic, chopped for garnish

Process

1. In a food processor, using the grating blade, shred carrots.
2. Place carrots in a large ziplock bag.
3. Pour maple syrup over carrots and let marinate in the fridge for an hour.
4. Preheat oven to 325°F.
5. In a small mixing bowl, add sifted coconut flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda.
6. Make date mixture with 10 medjool dates and 1 tablespoon maple syrup.
7. In a large mixing bowl or kitchen mixer, blend eggs, vanilla, melted coconut oil, and date mixture.
8. Add dry ingredients to wet and blend.
9. Remove carrots from the fridge, and drain the excess maple syrup from the carrots using a colander.
10. Stir grated carrots into cake batter.
11. Grease two 9-inch cake pans with coconut oil.
12. Pour batter into pans.
13. (For easy removal, line pans with parchment paper)Bake for 35 minutes.
14. Test center with a tooth pick—if the tooth pick comes out clean, then the cakes are done.
15. Remove cakes from oven and cool.
16. Frost cake with cream cheese frosting, garnish with walnuts, and serve.

17. Ingredients

    • 1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
    • 1/2 cup Maple Syrup, Grade B
    • 16 oz Full Fat Cream Cheese
    • 2 Tbsp Ginger Root, grated

    Process

    1. Allow cream cheese to come up to room temperature.
    2. Blend cream cheese, maple syrup, vanilla, and ginger with a hand mixer or kitchen mixer.
    3. Use right away, or refrigerate.

    
    

    PUMPKIN PIE

    Ingredients (Pumpkin Pie):

    • 1 ¾ cups pumpkin puree (use fresh or this is the equivalent of a 15oz can)
    • 2/3 cups raw walnut halves
    • 1/3 cup raw or roasted unsalted cashews
    • 3 eggs + 1 egg yolk
    • ¼ cup honey
    • ¼ cup maple syrup
    • 1 cup water
    • 1 tsp ginger
    • 1 tsp allspice
    • 1 tsp nutmeg
    • ½ tsp cloves
    • ½ tsp cardamom
    • ¼ tsp salt

    1. Preheat oven to 350F (if you’re making your pie right after making the crust, just reduce the temperature).
    2. Place cashews and walnuts in your food processor or blender and pulse until finely ground.  Add eggs, honey and maple syrup and blend for 2-3 minutes until completely smooth (you could also add some of the water if it’s too thick for your food processor or blender to puree well).  It is very important to blend until completely smooth, otherwise your custard will be watery.
    3. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until combined.
    4. Pour into cooled pie shell (doesn’t need to be room temperature, just cool enough to touch).  Spread the top out evenly with a spatula.
    5. Bake for 40 minutes.  Allow pie to cool completely before serving.
    6. Enjoy!!!

    
    

    1. Ingredients (Pie Crust):
       • 1 ¼ cups raw walnut halves (you could also substitutepecans)
       • 1 cup blanched almond flour
       • 1 egg white
       • Generous pinch of salt
       1. Preheat oven to 375F.
       2. Grind walnuts in a food processor or blender until finely ground and almost starting to turn into walnut butter (i.e., just starting to clump together).
       3. Mix walnuts, almond flour, egg white, and salt together (you can pulse in your food processor or do this by hand).
       4. Press/pinch into a 9” pie plate (an 8” deep dish pie plate will work too).
       5. Pierce the crust with a fork every ¼” or so to stop the shell from bubbling up while it bakes.
       6. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until starting to turn golden brown.
       7. Let cool at least 10 minutes before pouring the custard in.