Clean Eating Thanksgiving
This week’s blog is a bit early and different. My family is moving the day before Thanksgiving and so a meal prepared by moi is out of the question. So instead of blogging about what we ate, I offer several tried and true Thanksgiving staples from my kitchen. Plus, there are also several new recipes I had planned to try out this year (had moving date not fallen so close to Turkey Day).
Since I won’t be doing the cooking, my crew will be getting all gussied up and heading out to an upscale establishment who fancies themselves as having one of the Thanksgiving spreads around. Best of all, I will pretend that our new place is not in total disarray 🙂
Brined & Roasted Turkey – This is not your typical oven roasted turkey. There is no basting and basting of this bird. Basting is …well, not for this bird! Instead, it is first brined. Then, it is roasted at a very high temperature for just a bit to crisp up and seal in the juices before finishing roasting at a traditionally lower temperature. If you’ve never brined and roasted a bird, it is truly magnificent. It has a crispy skin with interior meat that is ever so flavorful and succulent. This is the only way to prepare a Thanksgiving turkey in my book.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe.html
Stuffing– This looks like a winner, winner Turkey dinner side dish to me. Ezekiel bread should make for a flavorful addition to a traditional stuffing because of its subtle, nutty flavor.
http://healthycrush.com/sprouted-grain-stuffing/
Cavolfiore Palma – This is a savory and slightly sweet cauliflower dish that will not disappoint. On a food walking tour in NYC several years ago, I was introduced to Palma Restaurant where they served us a sample of Cavolfiore Palma. I returned that evening for dinner and ordered a double order as my meal! For years, I had been trying to duplicate this recipe. When I found the actual recipe a year ago I nearly flipped! You are definitely going want to double this recipe.
http://scrumpdillyicious.blogspot.com/2014/04/a-food-tour-of-greenwich-village-off.html
Pumpkin Pie – I see no reason why this recipe would be anything but delicious. I will likely make this the week after Thanksgiving when my kitchen is back to business.
http://foodbabe.com/2014/11/25/easy-healthy-pumpkin-pie/
Butternut Pudding – For those of you who don’t do pumpkin, here’s what looks to be a festive alternative. Rachael Ray recipes are typically no fails and simplistic. This will definitely be one I will try out soon too…
http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/butternut-pudding/
weeatforreal.com 