Thanksgiving 2013

If you are a regular reader of my blog you have probably been wondering where I have been.  It has been a crazy fall.  Time is flying by and here we are at the end of November already with the end the of year creeping ever slightly closer. I wanted to share with you the dishes that I made for our Thanksgiving Feast.

Roasted Turkey

Fresh sage, thyme, and oregano

A couple of cloves of garlic, peeled

1 lemon, cut into quarters

8 tablespoons of Ghee (I used this in place of butter)

Salt and Pepper

Take the herbs, lemon and garlic and put them into the cavity of the bird.  Sprinkle in a little salt and pepper. Spread some ghee on and around the bird. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  Put foil over turkey.  Place in oven for 1 hour (this is key, it's called blasting the bird) then after 1 hour turn the oven down to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Cook the turkey for about 15-20 minutes per pound until the thermometer reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit.  Add some homemade chicken broth to make enough gravy.  To thicken it I use Arrowroot.

Mashed Parsnips

8 parsnips, peeled and diced

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup coconut milk, warmed in a pan on the stove

Add diced parsnips to a large pan of water, bring to a boil and cook until tender.  Remove from stove and drain.  Place drained parsnips back into pan and place on burner (do not have burner on).  Use a potato masher to masher the parsnips, add garlic cloves.  Using a immersion blender, blender the mixture by slowly adding some coconut milk until you get the right consistency.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

2 pounds brussel sprouts, washed and cut in half

1 pound of bacon, diced

Salt 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Add bacon to a pan over medium high heat and cook until crispy.  Remove bacon, reserving fat.  Place brussel sprouts into a small casserole dish.  Drizzle sprouts with bacon fat.  Place in oven and cook for about 30 minutes until tender.  Mix in cooked bacon to incorporate and add a little bit of salt to taste.  Serve.

Roasted Whole Sweet Potatoes
Wrap sweet potatoes in foil and place in oven, cook for about 1 hour or longer depending on size of sweet potato. 

Paleo Pumpkin Pie

I have to place all the credit for this recipe to Elana's Pantry

Pie Crust

2 cups blanched almond flour

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 egg

Place flour and salt into a food processor and pulse briefly.  Add coconut oil and egg, pulse until mixture forms a ball.  Press dough into a 9-inch pie dish.  

Pumpkin Pie Filling

1 - 15 ounce canned pumpkin puree

3 eggs

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/3 cup honey

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

In a food processor combine pumpkin puree and eggs.  Pulse in coconut milk, honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Pour filling into a pie crust.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, allow to cool then refrigerate for 2 hours to set up.