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.

Easter

HAM

1 bone-in half ham, 7-10#

Whole cloves  – enough to stud ham all around top about an inch apart

Aluminum foil – enough to tent ham in a large roasting pan and form a tight seal

GLAZE

3/4 cup 100% pineapple juice (Knudsen’s is my preferred brand)

3/4 cup 100% orange juice

1 large apple, peeled and diced (Use Johnagold if available…highest amount of pectin)

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1. In a small saucepan combine the juices and apple and bring to a boil.  Boil until apple pieces soften and the juices start to thicken.  Continue until the juice is reduced to about 3/4 cup and is slighty syrupy.  Remove from heat, strain the apples out and discard them  and set glaze aside.  Reheat the glaze if necessary when it comes time to glaze ham.

If you are going to soak the ham, DON”T UNWRAP IT! Place  Porky in a large container and cover with hot tap water and let it sit for 45 minutes.  Drain the water and repeat for another 45 minutes.  While the ham is soaking make your glaze.

2. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and set the oven rack on the lowest setting.

3. Unwrap the ham and place in a large roasting pan.  Stud the ham with the cloves (about an inch apart).  If you don’t have cloves or don’t want to use them, no worries.  This will not make or break your ham prowess!  Cover the ham with foil, making a little tent for it and seal the foil tightly against the sides of the roasting pan.

4. Bake the ham until an instant read thermometer registers 100 degrees when placed into ham’s center.  This cooking time calculates to about 10 minutes per pound.  If you did not soak the ham in how water, then you have to increase your cooking time to 18-20 minutes per pound.

5. Remove the ham from the oven,remove the foil and turn the oven temperature up to 350 degrees.  Brush half of the glaze onto the surface of the ham,  like you are painting it. Return the ham to the oven for 10 minutes.

6. Remove ham from oven and brush with more  of the g glaze.  Let the ham sit for about 15 minutes before slicing.  If there is any glaze left over, mix it with the ham juices to serve with sliced ham.

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Paleo Holiday Yams

5 large yams, peeled and cut into 2 inch rounds

2 small apples, peeled and cut into large chunks

1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ cup 100% pure maple syrup

4 tablespoons organic grassfed butter

1 cup chopped pecans

Cook the yams in a pressure cooker for 6-8 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, move the cooked yams to a large mixing bowl.  To the yams, add the apples, butter, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and maple syrup and mix well.  Spread the yam mixture evenly into a 11×7 glass baking dish.  Top with pecans and bake uncovered at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

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Holidays were a big thing in my family growing up. My amazing mom outdid herself on every holiday–big or small. I definitely followed in her footsteps and tend to go nuts for all special events. Here are a few fun ways to ring in Easter and Spring while sparing the kids from a couple of the Easter basket treat induced sugar roller coaster rides!

Great for an after school or post egg hunt snack! I used apples, strawberries, blueberries, cheese cut in circles, carrots, cucumber, and mini almonds but feel free to get creative with what you have on hand! You can even pre-cut everything and have your kids put together their own bunny!

Nut and dairy free version using apples, grapes, carrots, dried apricots, and cucumber!

Found these cuties in Family Fun magazine. My kids LOVED creating them today. Pair with the fruit bunny above and you’ve got a full breakfast or serve alone as a post egg hunt snack! I used hard-boiled eggs, red pepper, dried papaya, carrots, broccoli, and peppercorns.