Sunday, December 15, 2013

Buttery rolls with cinnamon honey butter

Buttery rolls with cinnamon honey butter

Makes: 15 rolls

This year for thanksgiving I decided to make EVERYTHING from scratch for a few different reasons. First being that I am taking a whole foods approach, and I want to know everything that is in the foods I eat. second being that if I am going to eat foods that contain wheat or other grains I want to know exactly what is going into them so that I can buy the best ingredients possible.

I removed grains from all the recipes where it would not negatively affect the recipe (Pumpkin pie, apple pie, stuffed mushrooms) and used all natural sweeteners where I could (Pumpkin Pie, apple pie, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce) that way the few recipes I was making that contained wheat and/or sugar (these rolls, stuffing, gravy and jalapeno popper dip) I knew exactly what I was getting, and they are only a small component of the overall meal. Its easy to have wheat and sugar in just about every dish for Thanksgiving, and thats something that I really wanted to try and reduce this year, without sacrificing any of the flavor or texture.

Rolls Ingredients:

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon water (luke warm)
1 large egg
4 1/2 teaspoons lard, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 1/4 cup bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons melted butter

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients except butter in the order they are listed above using a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment.

Knead with the dough hook until the dough is smooth and elastic.
 
Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise double in size, about an hour.

Once dough has risen, remove from bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into 15 balls. Oiling fingers will help keep dough from sticking to your hands.

Lightly butter a 9x13 baking pan. Place rolls onto baking pan, cover and let rise until double in size, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until a light, golden brown.

After removing from the oven, brush with melted butter.

Butter Ingredients:

1 stick room temperature butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions: In a bowl with an electric mixer with whisk attachment beat butter until light in color, add in sugar, honey and cinnamon and beat until well combined, light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Store covered in the fridge for up to 5 days, serve at room temperature.

Serve warm.





Paleo sweet potato casserole

Paleo sweet potato casserole
Serves: 10-12+



Makes 12 servings
4 large sweet potatoes
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
1 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
juice of half an orange
Pecan topping
3/4 cup chopped raw pecans
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp melted butter


Instructions:


1. Bake your sweet potatoes in the oven at 375 for 45-60 minutes until they are fork tender.

2. After they have cooled, take the skin and remove it.
3.  Place cubed potatoes into your stand mixer and add in all the other ingredients. Using the mixer, blend until potatoes reach desired consistency and flavor. (You may like to add a little more coconut milk, spices, or syrup based on your taste.)


4. In a small bowl, combine all topping ingredients until pecans are well coated.
5. Dump sweet potatoes into an oven safe dish and top with pecan mixture.


6. Bake in preheated oven until topping is browned–about 15 minutes. Serve warm.







Scratch made Green Bean Casserole

Scratch made Green Bean Casserole
Serves: 10-12
Ingredients:

2 lbs. fresh green beans - steamed 
1/2 package mushrooms, sliced
1/2 onion, diced small
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup chicken or turkey stock (RECIPE)
1/2 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons flour of choice
2 cups finely shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 grated parmesan
1 large onion for (ONION TANGLERS)

Instructions:

Place 2 tablespoons butter into a large pot or skillet. Add in mushrooms and cook down until soft. Add in onion and garlic and cook for several minutes. 




Then add in the flour and whisk until combined. Add in your warm stock and heavy cream and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer as it thickens. Check seasoning.



Steam or boil your green beans until they are soft.



Add into your pot along with your shredded cheeses, soy sauce and sour cream. 


Stir to combine and add to a 9x13 baking dish.


Top with your onion tanglers (recipe) or french fried onions and bake at 350 for 20 minutes until bubbly and browned on top.

Thanksgiving Stuffing from Scratch

Thanksgiving Stuffing from Scratch
Serves: 10-12+


Ingredients:


2 round sourdough loaves (source from a quality baker), at least 2 days old
1 lb ground sage or (hot italian) sausage
3-4 leaves of kale, stems removed and finely chopped
1/2 package of sliced mushrooms
1 small onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 stalks of celery
2 cans of sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 egg
2 quarts (approx.) of homemade chicken or turkey broth (RECIPE) warmed
1/4 cup of dried cranberries, rehydrated in broth before adding in
2 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper
fresh parsley, sage, thyme, tarragon chopped

Instructions:
Take your sourdough bread and chop into bite-sized pieces. Place in a 200 degree oven and dry out for 10 minutes. Melt 2 tablespoons butter and add in chopped fresh parsley, sage, thyme and tarragon to the butter and then gently saute the croutons in the butter until golden brown and crispy. 
In the meantime, in a large skillet, add in the ground sausage and brown. Bread sausage into small pieces. Remove from pan. 
Add in the onion, garlic, mushrooms, kale, and celery to the skillet and saute with 2 additional tablespoons butter. 

Once everything has softened, add the sausage back in. Adjust seasonings.
Add bread and sausage mixture into a large crock-pot and add in your softened dried cranberries and water chestnuts.
Whisk your egg and add it into the 2 quarts (approximately) of warm chicken stock, slowly pour into crock-pot while stirring ingredients. Once all liquid has been added, make sure that your stuffing is moist throughout. Cook on low for 4 hours, removing the lid the final hour to crisp up the top. 



Saturday, November 30, 2013

Bacon and Jalapeño Popper Dip

Bacon and Jalapeño Popper Dip
Serves: 18



My jalapeno poppers are kind of legendary, I've made them for years now, not just for parties, but sometimes for dinner, they are that good! This year for thanksgiving I was looking to recreate some of my old recipes, and I've seen a few of these floating around with the onset of football season, so I decided to give a jalapeno popper dip a try.

First things first, my dip varies from others out there, because it absolutely had to contain bacon, that is the best part of my jalapeno poppers. Next, all the recipes that I saw out there used a very small amount of fresh raw jalapenos for the dip, YUCK! Everyone knows that the sweet and smoky deliciousness of a jalapeno comes from roasting it, like in my jalapeno popper recipe, so I knew I had to keep that element.

If you were looking to make this grain-free or primal, you could omit the cracker topping or use a gluten free cracker substitute, but being that it is thanksgiving, I've decided to omit grains where it made sense for the recipe, and that way the recipes that use grains are a special treat for Thanksgiving that doesn't sacrifice flavor and texture. 

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (8 oz.)  Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup  Mayonnaise
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
8-10 jalapeño peppers, roasted whole in oven until soft, then chopped

6 slices of bacon, cooked until crisp and chopped
12 Ritz Crackers, crushed (about 1/2 cup)

Instructions:


Roast your jalapeno peppers ahead of time over an open flame, or in the oven until the skins have blistered and softened. Remove skins and chop jalapenos. If you want to tame the heat, remove the seeds inside. 

Beat cream cheese and mayo in medium bowl until well blended. Stir in cheese and peppers.

 

Once cooked and well combined stir in the bacon bits.

You can either place into a small crock pot to warm through and serve out of, or place into a small casserole dish and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.


Makes 18 Servings (2 Tbls Per Serving)

Nutritional Info: Calories 180; Carbs 13g; Protein 3g; Fat 13g; Fiber 0g

Blue Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms



Blue Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

20 whole Large Mushroom caps
8 ounces, Cream Cheese, Softened
4 ounces, Blue Cheese, Crumbled
Salt And Pepper
6 dashes Hot Sauce
6 slices Bacon, cooked and crumbled

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Clean tops of mushrooms with a damp cloth and remove stems.



In a small bowl, mix cream cheese, blue cheese, salt, pepper and cooked bacon bits together.


Divide cheese mixture evenly into mushroom cavities.


Bake mushrooms in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes  or until bacon is crispy, and the filling has melted. Top with grated parmesan and serve warm.











Sunday, November 24, 2013

Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken Skewers

Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken Skewers
Yields 2 servings. 

Tom Kha Gai Soup

Tom Kha Gai with leftover turkey breast
Serves: 4


Ingredients:
1 quart homemade chicken stock (recipe)
1 14oz can of coconut milk
2 cups chicken meat, pulled (I used leftover turkey breast meat)
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon minced ginger 
1 teaspoon hot chili oil (or a pinch of cayenne powder or red chile flakes)
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon olive oil 
3 chopped green onions
4oz sliced mushrooms
Handful of chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 lime, plus slices for serving


Instructions:

Take olive oil and heat with chile and curry powder for a few minutes to permeate the oil. Add in minced garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant.


Add chicken stock, bring to a simmer.


Add coconut milk and bring to a simmer, then add mushrooms and half the green onion and fish sauce.
Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add in chicken or turkey meat.


When ready to serve add lime juice and cilantro and top with remaining green onion.