Thanksgiving 2013

In one word - YUM! Thanksgiving was such a blessing this year, Leanne spent the day with me cooking and baking, Sharron joined us for dinner and our visit after dinner was divine - Thanksgiving day was a blessing all of its own.

While there were a few healthy recipes we didn't have time to make like the baked shredded sweet potatoes and the 'oopsie' bread (note to self: next year do desserts the day BEFORE so there's plenty of time to cook, lol), we had time for some delicious ones that I wanted to share!

And yes,
I did make traditional stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and bought Hawaiian Rolls for everyone else, I realize not everyone appreciates all of the things that I do with food. =)

Pie Crust:

• 2 cups almond flour

• 1/4 tsp. sea salt

• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil

• 1 egg

Place flour and salt in food processor and pulse briefly.
Add coconut oil and egg, pulse until mixture forms a ball.

Press dough into a 9-inch pie dish.
Back at 350 for 8-12 minutes

Pie Filling:
Chocolate Avocado Mousse

• 1 Ripe Avocado

• 3 1/2 Tbsp. Cacao Powder

• 3 1/2 Tbsp. Light Agave Nectar (or preferred sweetener)

In a food processor combine avocado, cacao powder and agave nectar.
Blend until smooth.
Scrape the sides and blend a little more.
(fill baked pie crust)
Refrigerate until chilled throughout.
Serve (great also with cookies or just eat with a spoon!)

Cheesecake:
Crust (could use above crust option also)

• 1 cup Almonds, ground

• 3 Tbsp. Real Butter, melted

• 4-5 Melba Toast, ground

Combine all ingredients and press into bottom of 9-inch Springform pan.

Filling

• 16 ounces Cream Cheese, regular fat (read label for fillers/starches!) - or prepare homemade cream cheese

• 2/3 to 3/4 cup Stevia

• 3 Eggs

• 1 cup Plain Yogurt or Sour Cream, full fat (I used sour cream)

• 1 Tbsp. pure Vanilla (no alcohol, oils, sugars added)

• Flavored Stevia Liquid (optional)

Combine cream cheese and Stevia, mixing at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in yogurt and vanilla. Pour over crust.

Bake at 450* for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 30-45 minutes. Loosen cake from edge of pan and let cool completely, then chill in the refrigerator.

NO-Bake Cookies

• 1/3 cup honey (you can probably reduce the amount of honey even more)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. cocoa
• 1/3 cup coconut oil or butter
• 1/3 cup almond butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups dried, unsweetened coconut

Put honey, cocoa, and coconut oil (or butter) in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
Bring mixture to a boil. Boil for 1 minute and immediately remove from heat.
Stir in the almond butter and vanilla until it is incorporated.
Stir in coconut.
Scoop by spoonfuls unto wax paper or parchment paper and put in the fridge until hardened and set.

*Store at room temperature or the fridge. I prefer the texture of the cookies out of the fridge. The cookies don't set-up quite as fast as traditional no-bakes, but are still a tasty treat!

Green Bean Casserole, gluten free, grain free, paleo friendly

Makes 6 Servings –

Bonus, the dish isn’t really a casserole, as it’s made on the stove, which frees up room in the oven for other dishes.  There are a few things to note about the ingredients. And I admit, that while John, Timothy and I LOVED this dish, our other guests didn't love it as much, hee hee

PRE-PREP:

·     The cashews need to be raw and need to soak overnight in water, so plan accordingly. The almond meal or flour can be purchased or just take plain unsalted almonds and grind them up into a powder in a food processor. Arrowroot flour is a thickener that is gluten free and paleo friendly. If you don’t have any on hand, you can substitute cornstarch, glutinous rice flour or tapioca flour in its place.

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 3 large shallots, sliced into 1/8 inch thickness
• 1/4 cup almond meal or flour
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot flour (or cornstarch, see note above)
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 7 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 10 oz brown or white button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 6 medium cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 1/2 lbs fresh green beans, tips snipped off
• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 fresh bay leaf or 2 dry bay leaves (I didn't have bay leaves so we used additional thyme as a substitute)
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Take the cashews, place them in a medium sized bowl, and cover them with water until they are completely submerged. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Once the cashews have soaked, drain them and rinse thoroughly. Place the cashews in a blender or food processor and add 1/2 cup of water. Process on high speed until pureed into a thick cream consistency.

Line a baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels. Place the slices in a medium bowl and sprinkle the almond meal, arrowroot flour, ground pepper, and salt over the shallots. Toss to evenly coat the shallots. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large sauté pan or skillet on high. Once the oil starts to shimmer (but before it starts to smoke) reduce the heat slightly to medium high and add the coated shallots and fry them, stirring constantly, until they are golden brown, about five minutes or so. Once they are golden brown, move them to the baking sheet.

Add 2 more tablespoons of oil to the sauté pan or skillet and turn to medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until they are brown, about 5-7 minutes depending on how thick the mushrooms are. Pour the mushrooms and any accumulated liquid, into a heatproof bowl.

Add the final 2 tablespoons of oil to the sauté pan or skillet and turn the heat to medium. Add the onions and cook until they soften about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the green beans, thyme, bay leaves, pureed cashews and vegetable stock. Cook, stirring frequently, until the beans are slightly tender but crisp in the center, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and liquid and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, or until the green beans are tender and the sauce has thickened. Once done, season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the thyme and bay leaves before plating and sprinkle the fried shallots over the green beans before serving.