paleo

Holiday Turkey Brine: Part 3 – Roasting the Turkey

by

Over the last several days, in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday, I have done a trial run of brining and roasting a turkey.  In the first post, Holiday Turkey Brine, I provided a recipe for a brine that makes enough for a twenty pound turkey.  The second installment was Holiday Turkey Brine: Part Two – Brining the Turkey. Today I want to show exactly how I prepared and roasted this brined turkey.

My bird was on the smaller side – a mere 13-14 pounds. Here’s a general guide for how much you will need:

12-15 lb turkey for 10-12 people
15-18 lb turkey for 14-16 people
18-22 lb turkey for 20-22 people

In a perfect world we would all have an organic heritage turkey that we hand fed and raised in our backyards and slaughtered ourselves. Just joking there. But seriously, it is nice to have a fresh turkey that has not been injected with lots of antibiotics and gluten-containing saline solutions. When I purchased what I thought was a “fresh” turkey I did not understand the meaning of “Kosher”. Turns out it means, among other things, the poultry has been soaked in unsalted water for half an hour and then packed in salt for about an hour. This means it has been partially brined. I ended up letting this kosher bird brine for about 18 hours but it probably could have gone for less time and been fine. That’s one of the nice things about brining, it is not an exact science.

Read more

Holiday Turkey Brine

by
turkey brine

turkey brineRecently, my boys and I took a trip to Williams-Sonoma to purchase a pan for the Paleo Pecan Pie Tart.  While perusing the store, trying not to buy more than was absolutely necessary – a difficult task, I might add- I happened upon a large jar of Turkey Brine. Just last Fall I purchased a honey-brined turkey breast from a local grocery store and was surprised at the difference the process made in the taste.  So when I saw the Williams-Sonoma turkey brine I was all set to buy it, until…..I looked at the price.  It was $18 for what is mostly sea salt!

Read more

Paleo Pecan Pie / Tart

by
paleo pecan pie tart

paleo pecan pie tartTexas has a robust pecan industry and, not surprisingly, pecan pie is very popular there. Not far from my hometown is the famous Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana, Texas. They have been using Texas pecans since 1896 in their fruitcakes, pecan cakes and pecan pies that ship all over the world. When I was growing up there, pecan trees, which are native to Texas, were in my front yard. I still remember the little old man coming over and using a “pecan picker upper” to harvest some from under our trees.  A few days later he would show up at our doorstep with a homemade pecan pie just for us!  It was his way of saying thanks and the gesture was much appreciated.

Unfortunately, celiac disease or gluten intolerance means having to avoid gluten in a pecan pie even if it comes from a famous bakery, a nice neighbor or a well-meaning host at a party. If you want a standard pecan pie there are about a zillion recipes in cookbooks and online. But almost every one of them will have a wheat flour crust or, minimally, will be chock full of sugar, sugar and more sugar.  “Low carb” recipes often have tons of artificial ingredients that make me think “why bother?”  This recipe is different.  It is not only gluten-free but also takes into account my desire to stay as close to paleo as possible. So gone is the corn syrup, brown sugar and processed white sugar. The filling is sweetened only by dates, applesauce, pure maple syrup and a little molasses. Oh and there’s a bit of rum too. But that’s optional. Sort of.

Read more

Paleo and the City: Momofuku’s Má Pêche

by
NYC skyline at night
NYC skyline at night
NYC skyline at night - Instagram

Paleo dining in New York City is possible. Some of the restaurants that make paleo eating easier are ones that focus on using the whole animal and local ingredients. David Chang’s Momofuku (lucky peach) restaurants are among them. I first heard of Momofuku (comprised of Noodle Bar, Ssäm Bar, Ko and Má Pêche) through a Google search on “paleo” and “New York City restaurants” that led me to Melissa McEwen’s blog “Hunt Gather Love“. One of her posts extoled the virtues of this proudly vegetarian-unfriendly group of restaurants. In fact, a notice at Ssäm Bar announces, much to the consternation of the ubiquitous vegetarians in the City,

“We do not serve vegetarian-friendly items.”

*snort*

Read more

Broccoflower with Spicy Italian Sausage

by

The paleo diet has been the catalyst for eating an incredible amount of vegetables.  I would venture to say I eat more vegetables than most vegetarians I know.  In fact, the paleo diet has led me to eat veggies I had purposely avoided, (kale), ones I simply ignored, (beet greens), and others I did not know even existed, (pink banana squash). The following recipe includes a food I was never motivated to try until now: Broccoflower.

Broccoflower is in the same family as cauliflower and broccoli. Because the two are so closely related they are easily cross-pollinated. The result is something that looks like green cauliflower. Romanesco broccoli is very similar to broccoflower but looks a little different due to an interesting pattern displayed by the floret.  I found the broccoflower to be truly a cross between broccoli and cauliflower in both appearance and taste.  It was milder than cauliflower and the texture, especially of the stalk parts, was very similar to broccoli.  In the following easy recipe I employed the same “ricing” technique I have used with cauliflower. But the green color of the broccoflower really added to the aesthetics of the dish.

Read more

Thai Curry with Squash and Avocado

by
Thai Curry with Squash and Avocado

Thai Curry with Squash and AvocadoThai food is one of my absolute favorites and fortunately it is extremely paleo-friendly. One of the first thoughts I had when investigating the paleo diet and discovering the benefits of coconut products was, “I can eat thai food without guilt now!”

One of our family’s favorite restaurants of all time is Origin Thai. Their French-Thai menu contains amazingly delicious dishes that serve as inspiration for future culinary adventures. I would love to be able to make Origin Thai’s Royal Massaman Curry completely from scratch because it has been one of our favorites over the years. But if you are anything like me you have to be strategic about how and when to make more elaborate dishes. This recipe for Thai Curry with Squash and Avocado is inspired by the original recipe but should be placed in the “semi-homemade” category.  

Read more

Chocolate Paleo Snack Cake

by

Chocolate Paleo Snack Cake:: PaleoSpirit.comChocolate Paleo Snack Cake is fast becoming my boys’ favorite snack during our after school “tea time”. Before moving on to homework or other activities after school we take a few minutes for tea and a snack and share with each other about our day. I have overheard my sons proudly telling their neighborhood friends they can’t come out to play until after tea time. It’s become something we all look forward to even when the snacks are very simple.

On the afternoon of the first day of school, per Sweet Pea’s request, I got a little fancy and decked out the table for a more formal tea time. He was TOTALLY into it as you can see.

paleo tea time

Read more

Banana Squash and Leek Soup with Bacon

by
leeks in garden

This Banana Squash and Leek Soup recipe is the result of a few different factors coming together. It is the first year we have grown leeks in the new raised garden beds and I needed a suitable venue for these beauties.leeks in gardenSecondly, I impulsively purchased a gorgeous pink banana squash and found myself wondering what to do with such an enormous vegetable.

pink banana squash
Big Boy demonstrates the monstrous pink banana squash

And, of course, the weather is getting cooler and the family is ready for some seasonal soups. So combining the banana squash and leeks to create a hearty paleo recipe just made sense. Add some bacon and all is right with the world!

Read more

Beet Greens Sauteed with Garlic and Bacon Fat

by
paleo beets
paleo beets
Sweet Pea loves his beets!

Ever since adopting the paleo way of eating, my husband and I have noted, with pleasure, the progress our two boys have made in terms of the vegetables they enjoy eating.  One of the things that has surprised us the most is how much they like beet greens. We discovered this mild tasting green when we grew beets for the first time this past summer. We had been eating all kinds of other greens but had not really thought about using the oft ignored tops of the beet root itself.  One night, not wanting them to go to waste, I sauteed the beet greens in butter in the pan containing the meat drippings from a turkey breast I had just cooked.  I was halfway expecting the family to turn up their noses but was pleasantly surprised when everyone agreed they were delicious. Unlike some of the other greens like kale or chard, beet greens have a very mild flavor which makes them more appealing to picky eaters.

Read more