Thanksgiving in May

Way back in December for some reason I decided to buy a turkey.  I've never cooked a turkey before.  Every Thanksgiving since I was born, someone else has cooked it and I have no complaints about that.  Something possessed me to finally try it.  But that poor turkey sat in my freezer for, oh, say 5 months (Mind you it was meant to be a Christmas or possibly a New Years turkey, then an Easter bird, but alas a May bird.  Who ever heard of a May bird?).  I know, I know.  I don't know what really made me take that 20-something pounds of poultry out to defrost, but I did.  And it took for-e-ver to defrost (I'm talking like after a week it was still frozen).  I'm sure it was my fridge settings or something.  It turned out really moist and the texture was awesome, but since I happened to be sick the day I decided to cook it (go figure), I didn't really spice it up the way I would have liked.  So I won't be posting THAT recipe, I'll just show a pretty picture of my pretty beautiful bird.

I wanted to kind of stay away from the traditional Thanksgiving feast that is accompanied by a turkey.  Seeing as my Marvel is allergic to most all of "traditional Thanksgiving" foods, that made my decision set in stone.  Instead of mashed potatoes smothered in butter and gravy made w/wheat flour, I mashed sweet potatoes, seasoned them with salt and that's about it.  I made a stock using the neck and giblets, then added a little salt and pepper to taste and some (I think) arrowroot starch to thicken it up (could have been Tapioca starch, can't remember).

Now here's to the good stuff.  I couldn't make traditional stuffing since Marvel can't eat it and stuffing made with gluten-free bread just doesn't taste the same.  Cornbread stuffing is good, but Marvel can't have corn either.  Hmmm.  I scoured Pinterest (since that's the only place where good ideas really exist, right?) and came across a Vegan, gluten-free recipe at The Wannabe Chef.  Looked good enough for me.  It was awesome!  Definitely the best quinoa I've had to date!  We'll definitely be recreating this for Thanksgiving this year!  The only change I made was I substituted the sugar for maple syrup.

• 2 cups quinoa, rinsed
• 4 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp parsley
• 1/2 Tbsp rosemary
• 1/4 cup maple syrup (or cane sugar or any other kind of sugar-substitute)

Bring the quinoa and broth to a boil in a large pot.  Cover the pot and turn off the heat, letting the quinoa sit to absorb the water.

In a pan, saute the onion, celery, and carrots in 2 Tbsp oil until the onions are translucent and the carrots have cooked through.

When the quinoa is fully cooked, add in the sauteéd vegetables, maple syrup (or sugar), and herbs.  Mix those in while fluffing the quinoa.

Move to a serving bowl and serve warm.

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

I love Nutella.  It pretty much runs through my veins.  How can I be a Dutch/German-blooded American and NOT love it?  I'd seriously consider something majorly wrong with you if you're in dislike of the best spread ever created on the face of the planet.  As much as I love it, I try my very hardest to not buy it.  I eat it in the heaping spoonfuls.  I'll devour an entire jar...my.self...in a day.  Okay, not really, its more like 2 or maybe 3 days.  Lets be real here.  It's certainly not a good influence on my thighs.  Or rear.  Or any other part of me for that matter.  When we discovered Marvel was allergic to lots and lots of stuff, there were certain things we couldn't buy anymore, even occasionally.  It just wasn't the nice thing to do.  Nutella had to go (but to be honest, it wasn't really around all that much anyway, so the change wasn't drastic, just sad).  Santa was naughty and put a jar in my stocking.  Marvel snuck some.  Cap snuck some.  Music Man and Monkey snuck lots of some.  I didn't sneak.  I devoured.  And.  We all had tummy aches.  So sad.  But, a blessed, blessed thing called Pinterest enlightened me with this recipe.  I HAD to try it.  I did.  It was good.  We ate it all.  I had to give some away so I wouldn't eat it all.  They ate it all.  They thought it was yummy.  Life is back in balance again.  AND its dairy-free AND refined sugar free AND non-hydrogenated oil free AND...need I go on, really? Yippy! :-)

I did alter the recipe a bit since I don't have coconut sugar (which I would really like to try, by the way).  I made 2 batches.  The first was nasty, but I fixed it.  I accidentally used unsweetened chocolate instead of dark or semi-sweet.  Gross.  I ended up adding extra milk/sugar mix to it.  It was a little runny, but good stuff.  The second batch was pure heaven.  I didn't use the entire milk/sugar mix, so it was a little thicker, but delish!  It freezes really well, so you can make a ton and freeze it!  I'm too impatient to defrost it, so freezing keeps me from eating it all!

• 1 1/2 cups hazelnuts
• 1 1/2 cups coconut milk (canned, preferably full fat)
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (or coconut sugar or any other sweetener you'd like)
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 3 bars (3.2 oz each) dark (or semi-sweet) chocolate

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Toast hazelnuts on a baking sheet for about 15 minutes.

While they're toasting, in a small pan heat the coconut milk, maple syrup (or other sweetener), and salt. When the sugar is melted, remove it from the heat.

Meanwhile, melt chocolate over double boiler (or in the microwave at 30-second intervals).

Remove the toasted hazelnuts from the oven.  Transfer them to a clean, dry kitchen towel.  Rub the hazelnuts in the towel to remove as much of the skin as possible (don't worry if you can't get it all, it'll be blended anyway).  Add them to your food processor.  Puree until the hazelnuts are very fine.

Add the melted chocolate.  Puree till creamy and smooth (about 2 minutes).

While still pureeing, add the milk mixture.  Puree till smooth.

Store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Try not to eat it all in 1 sitting! :-)

Creamy Tomato Soup

Sundays are my least favorite day to cook.  I don't know how people make it their biggest meal of the week.  Sunday is the one day I feel like its okay to kinda take it easy.  The last thing I want to do is cook or clean (and THAT is why you should NEVER stop by my house on Monday morning...not.EVER!).  Of course my husband feels the same way (even though he hardly ever cooks).  This creates quite a dilemma.   If only I were prepared and made something to throw in the crock-pot or picked up some easy put-together meal.  Alas, I'm not that prepared.  Usually my kids eat either scrambled eggs or cereal for all 3 meals of the day.  Or I try to get creative (seeing as I hate shopping on Saturdays and we usually run out of food on Friday night), because there isn't much in the kitchen.  Today was a "creative" day.  I had heavy cream in the fridge, canned tomatoes in the pantry, and homemade chicken stock in the freezer.  Here's what I came up with...and may I add that it was delicious.  Marvel told me he would have taken a 3rd bowl if he wasn't so full from the first 2.  

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1-3 cloves garlic, minced (I used 3 small ones, but 1 big one would do it)
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (I used a gluten-free flour blend)
• 1 28-oz. can Italian stewed tomatoes (DO NOT drain, you want those juices!)
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• salt and pepper to taste

Warm oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened.  Add garlic and cook until slightly softened and starts to smell a little garlicky, about a minute or so.  Stir in flour to blend and stir for about a minute.

Add tomatoes, juice and all!  Add chicken broth (if you're using frozen homemade stock, just through it in frozen, it'll melt!).  Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.  Whisk constantly, about 3 minutes, until slightly thickened.

Poor soup into blender (Be careful, its really hot.  You may want to use a ladle so it doesn't splash.  You may need to work in batches.  I did it in 2 batches.  You only want to fill the blender about 1/2 full so it doesn't spill over...that would hurt!).  Blend and puree until smooth.  Pour back into saucepan.  Stir in cream and cook over low heat for 3-5 minutes, until heated through.  Do not boil!  Season with salt and pepper to your liking.  

Juice #1

 For the last few years I've been on a quest to eat healthier.  Having a son who is allergic to...well...a lot, has been a great motivator for me.  Recently I was able to preview Hungry for Change, a film put out by the creators of Food Matters.  They talked about juicing as a way to get your full daily amounts of fruits and veggies and also as a way to help reboot your body.  To heal itself.  I've still to watch Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, which is all about how a guy who was 100 lbs overweight and very unhealthy, challenged himself to drink only fresh fruits and veggies for 60 days, in a last attempt to put off the weight and heal his body.  It apparently worked for him.  Recently I acquired a juicer of my own (a Breville Juice Fountain Pro), so I've slowly but surely been working it into my diet.  For the last couple of days I've only tried the basic apple, carrot, celery.  Today I made a slight variation and added beet.  SO tasty!  I absolutely love the color of beets.  It really did turn out this color...no photoshopping, I promise!  I reluctantly shared with Music Man and Monkey, which I quickly found to be a mistake.  They both LOVED it.  Not a problem, I just made a second batch! :-)  I can't wait to try more!

• 1 beet
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 apples (I used Fuji)

Be sure to wash all your fruits and veggies real well.  Send 'em on through the juicer.  Enjoy!


For those of you interested, my "basic" juice is as follows:

• 2 apples (I used Fuji)
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery stalks

Curry Chicken & Sweet Potato Stew

I'm quite quickly becoming a fan of the Paleo diet.  A Paleo diet is basically going back in time before processed food, additives, food dyes, and preservatives.  It incorporates healthy fats (good animal fats, coconut oil, etc), good meats (grass-fed, non-gmo, non-antibiotic, free-range, grazing...), raw nuts, fruits, and veggies...it goes along the same lines of what the Weston Price Foundation and the Feingold Diet teach (both of which I'm also a fan of).  I came across this website called Paleo: Intensified.  It has some really great recipes, many of which are allergy-free!  That is where I found this recipe.  Really, can't go wrong with curry OR sweet potatoes!

(please excuse my blurry picture...my cameras are all MIA, so I had to use my dinosaur phone)

• 1 large purple onion
• 3 stalks celery
• 2 large carrots
• 1 yellow bell pepper (I didn't have this, so I omitted it this time)
• 3 large sweet potatoes
• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1-2 Tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 1 can coconut milk

Chop onion, celery, and carrots and set aside.  Chop the yellow pepper and cube the sweet potatoes and set aside.  To prepare the chicken you can leave the thights whole or if using chicken breasts cut into thigh size pieces.  You can also choose to cut the chicken into 2 inch cubes (that's what I did).

Heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Cook chicken for 3 minutes on each side.  Remove from pan and keep warm.

Saunte the onions, celery, and carrots in the olive oil for 5-7 minutes.  You may need to add a bit more olive oil.  Add the yellow pepper and sweet potatoes and saute for 3 more minutes.

Stir in the curry powder, salt, and pepper.  Stir in the chicken broth and chicken, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 10 minutes.

Stir in the coconut milk, simmer until the sweet potatoes reach the desired consistency, no more than 5-10 minutes.

Serves 6-8

BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad

Quinoa (aka the Gold of the Incas), is the gluten-free grain of choice.  Its a complete protein, meaning it contains all of the amino acids necessary for our nutritional needs.  Its also high in iron and calcium and a good source of manganese, magnesium, copper, and fiber.  As far as health goes, its good stuff.  As far as taste...well that's up in the air.  I'm really trying hard to love the stuff, but as of right now I just like it ok.  In my search for a good quinoa recipe, I came across this on Pinterest (good, wonderful, amazing Pinterest).  It was a big hit with my kiddos and I have to admit I was quite a fan too (heck, add some good bbq sauce and anything tastes good, right?).  Just beware if you have allergies, be sure to check the ingredients in the bbq sauce.  You might want to even stick to homemade bbq sauce to avoid all of the caramel color and corn syrup.  

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup corn
• 1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup cooked, shredded bbq chicken
• 1 avocado, chopped
• 2 Tbsp cheese, shredded (I'm pretty sure I used much more than this, so add to taste.  I used a Mexican mix)
• 2-4 Tbsp BBQ sauce (or to taste)
• 2 scallions, chopped
• cilantro for garnish

In a large bowl, toss together the quinoa, corn, black beans, chicken, and avocado.  Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer mixture onto a bowl and top with shredded cheese, bbq sauce, scallions, and cilantro.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 2-4.

Colcannon

This is an Irish dish I like to make for St. Patrick's Day every year.  I think this recipe originated from Martha Stewart, but really I'm too lazy to go to her site and figure it out.  It really is tasty!  Since we'll be out of town for St. Patty's day this year, we enjoyed our Irish feast a few days early.  On the menu was Lemon Garlic Tilapia, Colcannon, Zucchini, and homemade Ginger Ale.  Really, other than the colcannon, I'm not really sure what any of them have to do with Ireland, so just humor me and pretend like they're traditional Irish dishes.  Music Man and I both decided that we should make this more often then just once a year.  It's hearty and tasty like mashed potatoes, but the cabbage makes it not quite as heavy (Does that make sense?  It does to us any way).  Try it, its delicious!

• 1 1/2 lbs russet potatoes (about 2 or 3 large ones)
• 1 savoy cabbage, tripped pale-green leaves finely shredded
• 1 leek, pale-green and white parts only, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 cup milk
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter (or if you're like me and like your salt, live on the wild side and make it salted)
• 1/4 Tbsp freshly grated nutmeg
• Course salt

Peel and quarter potatoes, and place in a medium saucepan; add enough cold water to cover.  Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until tender when pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes.  Drain potatoes and return to saucepan.  Mash with a potato masher or pass through a ricer; cover pan to keep warm.

Meanwhile, in another saucepan, combine cabbage, leek,  milk, 2 Tbsp butter, and nutmeg; season with salt.  Cover, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until cabbage and leek are soft but not browned, about 15-20 minutes.  Stir into potatoes.

Spread mixture in an 8-inch square baking dish.  Make a small well in the center, and place under the broiler until lightly browned on top, about 5 minutes.

Remove from broiler.  Place remaining 2 Tbsp butter in well (or if you're like me, you may have done this before you put it in the broiler, but no worries, it's still tasty!).  Serve immediately, spooning melted butter from well onto each serving, if desired.

Lemon Garlic Tilapia (or whatever fish you have on hand)

I got this recipe from my sister.  It really is a "wing-it" kind of dish.  I really don't measure out the ingredients, just squirt a lemon over the top, drizzle with melted butter, sprinkle with garlic, parsley, and pepper, then pop in the oven.  Easy peasy!

• 4 Tilapia (This time I actually used wild Alaskan halibut...you could also use cod or orange ruffy as well.  Any of those light white fish really would work.)
• 3 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice (about 1/2 lemon)
• 1 Tbsp butter, melted (if you're lactose intolerant, you could probably use EVOO or coconut oil instead)
• 1 clove garlic, minced (or about 1 Tbsp garlic salt)
• 1 tsp dried parsley flakes
• pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375°F (middle rack).  Spray baking dish with Pam or (for those soy-sensitive folk like us) line dish with foil.  

Place fillets in dish, pour (or squeeze) lemon juice over fish.  Add butter on top.  Sprinkle garlic, parsley, and pepper over top.

Bake until white and flakes when pulled with a fork.  Check every ten minutes for 30 minutes (It may be done in 10.  Mine this time took about 20 minutes)  Remember that the fish keeps cooking even when you remove it from the oven, so be sure not to over cook it!

Flourless Chocolate Cookies

As I've mentioned MANY times, Marvel has many allergies, so I'm always in search of good Marvel-friendly food.  I came across this recipe today and decided to try it out.  Looking at the recipe, the only thing I didn't like about it was that it calls for walnuts.  I do NOT like walnuts.  Well rather they do not like me!  Am I the only one out there who gets canker sores from walnuts?  Well I do.  And they bother Marvel too (I'm sure he has some allergy to them too...he IS allergic to walnut tree pollen...).  Anyway, I omitted the walnuts.  If you want walnuts in your cookies, go to the original recipe and see how much you need and how to cook them and all.  Here's my adaptation of these cookies (oh, and by the way, don't attempt these if you don't have parchment paper unless you want to eat them with a spoon.  I didn't have any and I sorely regretted it!).

• 3 cups confectioners' (powdered) sugar (if you have corn sensitivities, make sure you use corn-free powdered sugar!)
• 1/2 cup plus 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 320°F.  Line two large-rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.  

In a large bowl, whisk (or combine in an electric mixer on low speed) the confectioners' sugar with the cocoa powder and salt.  While whisking (or once you change the speed to medium), add the egg whites and vanilla extract and beat just until the batter is moistened (do not over beat or it will stiffen).

Spoon the batter onto the baking sheets in 12 evenly spaced mounds, and bake for 14-16 minutes, until the tops are glossy and lightly cracked; shift the pans from front to back and top to bottom halfway through to ensure even baking (I only did one pan at a time and I have a newer oven that cooks pretty evenly, so I didn't do this).   Slide the parchment paper (with the cookies) onto 2 wire racks.  Let cookies cool completely.  Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.