First time cooking a heritage turkey - Plus, my grain free stuffing recipe!

Thanksgiving 2012 at the Yikes homestead.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I’m not exactly sure why that’s so, but I suspect mostly it’s the food.

Delicious aromas wafting through the house for days. Comforting and filling dishes harkening back to childhood. Everyone gathering to eat the bountiful feast and feeling thankful for all we have. It all makes me so happy.

Going Paleo has certainly added its challenges to the Thanksgiving repertory. I have eliminated most sweeteners and all grains. Though I am relaxing a bit on the sweet part for this special occasion, the grains are nonnegotiable.

Being a person of the paleo persuasion presents a special challenge when it comes to Thanksgiving stuffing. Especially this year as we have an 18 lb heritage turkey awaiting in the fridge.

We are new to the heritage bird world. This is a turkey that is free ranging and has not been bred to have an abnormally huge breast. They are also a lot leaner. The heritage turkeys more closely resemble a wild turkey.

We bought our bird from Old Ackley Farm in Blue Hill Maine. I had met Bob at the Saturday farmer’s market in Ellsworth. While I was tending the gallery, I would sneak out to do my shopping and fell in love with the chicken, eggs and other meats that this farmer produces. He had a sign-up for Thanksgiving turkeys and I was right on that!


Well, now that I have my bird chillin' in the fridge I had to figure out how best to cook it and needed a really great stuffing to go with it. Last year’s stuffing was ok. Not bad, but not super great. So far, I think this year’s is going to be fantastic! I modified a recipe I found on the Level Health blog. I really wanted to use pork in my stuffing and changed up the seasoning a bit but I am thankful for the great foundation from Level Health.


Here’s how I did it!

Grain-free ‘cornbread’ stuffing with pork

For "Bread":

• 6 eggs 1/2 cup butter, melted 
• 3/4 cup coconut milk 
• 1 Tbsp sage 
• 1 Tsp thyme 
• 1tsp marjoram 
• 1/2 tsp white pepper 
• 1 tsp sea salt 
• 3/4 cup organic coconut flour, sifted 
• 1 tsp baking soda 
• ½ tsp cream of tartar 
• ½ cup arrowroot

For Sautee:

• 3 Tbsp grass fed butter 
• 6 stalks celery, chopped 
• 1 medium onion, chopped 
• 4 cloves garlic handful chopped 
• fresh parsley handful chopped 
• fresh sage, salt, and ground pepper 
• 2 lbs ground pork 
• 1 cup chicken or turkey stock

Bread Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, butter and coconut milk
3. Add sage, thyme, marjoram, white pepper, salt , baking soda, cream of tartar, coconut flour and arrowroot and mix until smooth
4. Pour batter into a buttered 9 x 11 baking dish and bake for 25 minutes
5. Meanwhile, heat large cast iron skillet and add butter
6. When butter is melted, add celery, onion and garlic. Sautee until onions are transparent – about 10 minutes
7. Add ground pork and cook till pork begins to brown.

When bread is fully cooked, remove from oven, let cool and break apart a bit with a fork and dump into a large bowl. Add sautéed pork mixture to the bowl and stir lightly. Drizzle and fold stock into the stuffing. Add additional salt and ground pepper if needed.

Fold to combine, careful not to break the bread chunks down too much.

Return everything to the cast iron skillet and place in the 350 oven for 30 minutes.

Stuffing or not?

Since this bird is going to cook at a very high temp for a shorter time I am choosing not to stuff. I’ll keep the stuffing in its own dish but will put slices of orange and apple into the cavity of the turkey instead.

Now go stuff yourself !

YIKES Paleo, Gluten Free Blueberry Pie... Oh My!

 Late summer is the time for blueberries in Maine. This year, we ordered these blue babies by the box. When they came, I knew exactly what would hit the spot: A delicious blueberry pie.

Unable to eat the conventional blueberry pie, I was determined to come up with my own version. 

I felt the best approach was to use a variety of “flours” to create an acceptable stand-in for wheat flour. The blueberries this year are especially sweet, so I only needed a scant 1/4 cup of palm sugar (a low glycemic sweetener). You and your family and friends will love this blueberry pie, and no one will miss the wheat flour. 

Paleo GF Blueberry Pie... Oh my!

First step: Preheat oven to 350.

Crust Ingredients

• 1 1/3 c almond flour
• 1/2 c tapioca flour
• 1/2 c oz arrowroot powder
• 1/2 c coconut flakes (unsweetened)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 c + 2 tbsp butter, very cold, in pieces
• 1 large egg
• 4-6 Tbsp cold water
• 1 heaping tbsp honey

Paleo Pie Crust Directions

1. Measure and mix flours and salt in the bowl of your food processor.
2. Add the butter pieces to bowl. Process until crumbly.
3. Mix egg, honey and 2 tbsp. very cold water in a small bowl.
4. Pour egg and water mixture over flour mixture and process until the dough comes together. Add more water if needed to achieve a uniform ball of dough. Wrap and chill for at least an hour.
5. Divide the dough and roll each portion between two sheets of parchment paper. If the dough feels sticky you might want to dust booth sides with arrowroot powder. You can alternately press the bottom crust into the pie plate if you wish, instead of rolling.

  Blueberry Filling

• Maine Wild Blueberries -about 6 cups
• 1/4 c of palm sugar
• 3 Tbsp of arrowroot powder

Blueberry Filling Directions 

1. Mix the palm sugar and blueberries together in a large bowl. Sprinkle on the arrowroot powder and mix again.
2. Mound blueberries into the pie shell and cover with the second rolled crust. Cut slits in top crust to vent.
3. Cover the crust with foil and bake 40 mins. Take off the foil and continue baking for 10 more mins. to brown the crust. ❉

Suzanne Anderson is the creator of YIKES! Studio Jewelry. Suzanne has been busy creating for most of her life. After graduating with a BA from Maine College of Art, she worked as a graphic designer and a painter. Suzanne works to ensure that YIKES! Studio creates work that is fun, beautiful, always interesting, and adorns the wearer with joy. Catch up with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Etsy, or her website at www.yikesstudio.com.

Going Paleo: Entertaining and Potlucks (With Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe!)

Lately, I have been talking with a friend and colleague who is interested in "Going Paleo." The Paleo eating lifestyle has been such a great thing for my husband and myself and I'm excited that someone I know is giving it a go.

To put it simply, the Paleo diet is based upon "wholesome, contemporary foods from the food groups our hunter-gatherer ancestors would have thrived on during the Paleolithic era" (from thepaleodiet.com). It's focused on fresh meats (from grass-fed, free ranging animals), fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, seeds, nuts, and healthy oils.

What the Paleo diet doesn't include is refined sugar, dairy, cereal grains, potatoes, or processed junk.

One of the challenges in adopting a new, healthy diet is that friends and family members might not do the same, which can make cooking for groups tricky! But it is not only possible to share great Paleo dishes with friends who aren't Paleo, but to impress their socks off while you're at it.

Recently, I compiled an email to my friend with Paleo food suggestions on what to do in regards to entertaining and potlucks. I'd like to share some of these with you. I can't take credit for the recipes and don't know at this point where they came from--  I will try to be better at that in the future!

For entertaining, a roast of some kind is always good-- and pretty easy, too. I always have good luck with pork roasts. I make at least two veggie side dishes and a salad. (Have you tried mashed cauliflower?-- it's wonderful!)

A soup makes a wonderful first or main course. You can create lots of lovely soups with a coconut milk base. Bisques come out great-- I did a Paleo lobster bisque for Christmas eve. Squash soup and curries are both superb! 

We recently enjoyed a great appetizer at a Paleo friend's house-- roasted califlower! Our hosts simply broke the flowers apart, tossed in olive oil and sea salt and roasted on a pan. Very, very good!

There are plenty of great Paleo desserts online, but I have to say that chocolate zucchini cake is one of our faves (the recipe is below, in case you'd like to try your hand at this delicious dessert!) You can even please your guests with delicious whipped "cream" on top. Did you know that you can whip canned coconut milk? Just refrigerate, pour off the liquid and beat. It makes a lovely whipped “cream."

Also, a nice arrangement of fruits and dark chocolate is always very nice, so easy, and very pretty!

Gathering Ingredients

These mini veggies are polymer, not Paleo (by Shay Aaron)

I use the internet for most of my recipe hunting. Paleo Comfort Foods is my go-to cookbook with great recipes. Its easy recipes make it an ideal guide for someone just starting out with Paleo eating.

I have found that even though I do a lot of cooking (my husband does too-- and he’s very good, aren't I a lucky gal!) most of the recipes that we use are easy and don’t require a lot of ingredients.

At first it my seem like you are buying a lot of expensive stuff--and it is at times expensive, but you adapt and find that these basic ingredients last quite a long time.



Stock up on these items:

Coconut oil  -- my number my one ingredient to have on hand
Canned coconut milk (I have it on automatic delivery from Amazon!)
Almond Flour (I buy from Nuts.com)
Coconut flour (again, Nuts.com)
Kerry Gold pastured butter (can be found in some local supermarkets)
Organic grass-fed meats (local and from US Wellness Meats)
Nuts, dates, figs
Avocados
VEGGIES and FRUITS!

 

Two Great Recipes for Paleo Potlucks and Entertaining 

Here's my suggestion for a great potluck salad. Try it and let me know how you like it!

Chicken or Turkey Salad w/ Pecans and Grapes

4 cups chicken, cooked and diced
1/3 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
1 cup red grapes, halved
1/2 cup homemade mayonnaise
4 handfuls of mixed lettuce greens

Instructions: Add all ingredients to a medium bowl and stir to combine. Serve on lettuce.
Serves four (but easily doubled or tripled as needed!)




Moist Chocolate Zucchini Cake

1 medium zucchini, shredded (equal to 1.5 cups shredded zucchini)
2 eggs, whisked
3/4 cup sunbutter or almond butter
1/3 cup raw honey
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt

Optional: For extra chocolate intensity, add Enjoy Life chocolate chips (soy, gluten, dairy, free), 1/4 cup.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Shred your zucchini. Use the shredding attachment on a food processor or grate by hand.
3. Once your zucchini is shredded, you need to remove the excess liquid. Zucchinis have a lot of it! Place between paper towels and squeeze! Use more paper towels as needed, but be sure to squeeze until the zucchini feels waterless.
4. Place zucchini in a bowl with the rest of your ingredients. Use a large spoon to mix well until all the ingredients are combined and you have a deep chocolate color.
5. Pour your ingredients into 9x9 pan
6. Place in oven to bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when you poke it.
7. Let cool, cut and serve!

Make up a batch of coconut cream to top it off, if desired.

Experiment and have fun with recipes and new ways of cooking! ❉