Yes, it is a bit early, but, thinking about some turkey and possible menus... the air is getting crisp and school has started...
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| yummy... grateful for the small things... |
Possible Thanksgiving Menu (and a few recipes)
Appetizers:
Pumpkin Hummus with baked pita chips
Mild liver pate with raw carrots and celery
Side Dishes:
Mashed sweet potatoes
Oven roasted brussels sprouts, green beans, or asparagus with carmelized onions and walnuts
Brown rice and apple stuffing
Gravy
Cranberry apple sauce
Sauerkraut
Main Dish:
TURKEY!
Dessert:
Surprise Pumpkin Pie
Brown Rice and Apple Stuffing
modified from The Eat Clean Diet Cookbook by Tosca Reno
1 1/2 cups brown rice, cooked in 1 qt. chicken stock
1 apple, cored and diced
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup brussels sprouts or other green veggie, diced
1 head celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/3 cup oat bran or flaxseed meal
1/2 cup raisins or other dried fruit
1/3 cup slivered almonds
3/4 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon thyme
Cook all vegetables in skillet over medium heat only until they are still crisp, not soggy. Add remaining ingredients. Toss well. Use as poultry stuffing!
Cranberry Apple Sauce
modified from Marsha's Kitchen by Nicolle and Brian Fox (hey, that's me and my brother)
1 cup honey
2 cups water
5 apples, cored, peeled, and cut into big chunks
1 package cranberries
Bring honey and water to a boil. Add fruit. Let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
3 tablespoons sea salt
Chop or grate cabbage. Place into 1 gallon fermentation crock (or food grade plastic bucket), sprinkling in salt by layers. Push with fist as layering. Cover with plate or lid that fits snugly inside crock. Weight it down, then cover with a cloth. Press it down as often as you think of it over the next 24 hours, or until brine comes above lid.
Leave it to ferment, checking it every day or two to make sure lid is submerged and to taste it. Should be ready in 1 to 4 weeks. Store in refrigerator.
Stuff 16-20 pound turkey loosely with stuffing. Set turkey on roasting rack in roasting pan. Rub skin with salt and pepper and bake at 350 degrees for about 5 hours, basting frequently.
Remove turkey to carving board. Sprinkle flour in the drippings and cook over a medium flame for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add quart of stock and blend with a whisk. Bring to a boil and cook for several minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain gravy into saucepan and allow to simmer for 30 minutes, or until it reduces and thickens.
Surprise Pumpkin Pie
modified from Lickety-Split Meals by Zonya Foco
(called "surprise" because it makes its own crust)
2 eggs
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
pinch baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
15 oz. can pumpkin (or small pumpkin, cooked at 350 for an hour and scraped from shell)
1 small can (13 oz.) evaporated milk or 3 cups milk, simmered until reduced by half, or 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Process ingredients in food processor. Pour into greased 9" pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes, or until firm. Cool completely before cutting.
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Appetizers:
Pumpkin Hummus with baked pita chips
Mild liver pate with raw carrots and celery
Side Dishes:
Mashed sweet potatoes
Oven roasted brussels sprouts, green beans, or asparagus with carmelized onions and walnuts
Brown rice and apple stuffing
Gravy
Cranberry apple sauce
Sauerkraut
Main Dish:
TURKEY!
Dessert:
Surprise Pumpkin Pie
Mild Liver Pate
modified from The Primal Blueprint Cookbook by Mark Sisson1 lb. liver (chicken, calf, or pig), chopped
1/2 onion, chopped finely
2 large carrots, chopped
1/2 stick butter
1 4" sprig rosemary, leaves removed from stem
3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed from stems
3 eggs
sea salt to taste
Saute onions and carrots in 1T butter until onions are browned and carrots are soft. Add liver, herbs, and remaining butter and cook until liver is cooked through. Crack the eggs into the pan and stir until they are cooked. Add salt.
Put everything into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Serve with raw vegetable sticks.
Brown Rice and Apple Stuffing
modified from The Eat Clean Diet Cookbook by Tosca Reno
1 1/2 cups brown rice, cooked in 1 qt. chicken stock
1 apple, cored and diced
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup brussels sprouts or other green veggie, diced
1 head celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/3 cup oat bran or flaxseed meal
1/2 cup raisins or other dried fruit
1/3 cup slivered almonds
3/4 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon thyme
Cook all vegetables in skillet over medium heat only until they are still crisp, not soggy. Add remaining ingredients. Toss well. Use as poultry stuffing!
Cranberry Apple Sauce
modified from Marsha's Kitchen by Nicolle and Brian Fox (hey, that's me and my brother)
1 cup honey
2 cups water
5 apples, cored, peeled, and cut into big chunks
1 package cranberries
Bring honey and water to a boil. Add fruit. Let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
Sauerkraut
modified from Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz
5 pounds cabbage3 tablespoons sea salt
Chop or grate cabbage. Place into 1 gallon fermentation crock (or food grade plastic bucket), sprinkling in salt by layers. Push with fist as layering. Cover with plate or lid that fits snugly inside crock. Weight it down, then cover with a cloth. Press it down as often as you think of it over the next 24 hours, or until brine comes above lid.
Leave it to ferment, checking it every day or two to make sure lid is submerged and to taste it. Should be ready in 1 to 4 weeks. Store in refrigerator.
Turkey and Gravy
modified from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon
Stuff 16-20 pound turkey loosely with stuffing. Set turkey on roasting rack in roasting pan. Rub skin with salt and pepper and bake at 350 degrees for about 5 hours, basting frequently.
Remove turkey to carving board. Sprinkle flour in the drippings and cook over a medium flame for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add quart of stock and blend with a whisk. Bring to a boil and cook for several minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain gravy into saucepan and allow to simmer for 30 minutes, or until it reduces and thickens.
Another Turkey Idea (No-baste)
Note a 15 pound turkey is supposed to feed 10 people when you shop. You can get a grassfed, hertiage, local bird from places like Berkeley Natural Foods and Marin Sun Farms (they have a butcher shop at Rockridge Market Hall), but make sure to order early. An easy way to cook one is to buy an oven bag. Then put the bird in it (spiced or not), and cook it according to the chart inside the box (by weight). These are delicious and so easy!modified from Lickety-Split Meals by Zonya Foco
(called "surprise" because it makes its own crust)
2 eggs
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
pinch baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
15 oz. can pumpkin (or small pumpkin, cooked at 350 for an hour and scraped from shell)
1 small can (13 oz.) evaporated milk or 3 cups milk, simmered until reduced by half, or 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Process ingredients in food processor. Pour into greased 9" pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes, or until firm. Cool completely before cutting.
