Thanksgiving Menu Ideas

I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. I've been thinking about menu ideas, and I'd love to hear yours too. Some of the things I'm considering:

Olive and pickle tray.

Artichoke soup.

Sauerkraut, onions and apples sauteed in butter, then braised in dry champagne.

Roast turkey stuffed with fresh herbs, lemons and onions. Covered with melted butter, sea salt and fresh pepper.

Smoked turkey is yummy too!

Celery Root and Apple Puree

Cranberry sauce made with honey, orange juice and rind, finished with a tablespoon of bourbon.

Roasted brussels sprouts with bacon, onions and chestnuts.

Butternut squash casserole.

Green beans with italian vinaigrette, toasted pecans and shaved parmesan.

Apple pie with a walnut, pumpkin seed and sunflower seed crust, topped with a walnut honey butter and spice crumble, served with a dollop of kefir creme fraiche.

Pumpkin pie made with coconut milk instead of evaporated milk and honey in place of maple syrup or sugar, with a hazelnut, pumpkin seed and sunflower seed crust, served with sweetened, whipped, kefir or yogurt creme fraiche.

Easter Menu Ideas

I know this is last minute, but some of you may still go out shopping today :) I am sorry that I haven't posted anything in a while, but my computer is currently fried. I'm hoping to have something workable in the next couple of weeks. Thankfully Sierra and Tracy have been stepping up to the plate (so to speak) in my absence. The following are ideas only. I'm not suggesting one would make everything listed below :)

Breakfast

Coconut Cappuccino
Banana-Pecan Caramel Sticky Buns (recipe will be posted today)
GAPS-friendly sausages
Poached eggs with hollandaise
Egg, onion, cheese (if you can have) and sausage or bacon casserole made in the slow-cooker overnight (pre-cook the meat, lightly beat the eggs).
Fruit salad

Dinner

Veggie Tray with homemade ranch dip (I use all homemade mayo as the base, since I can't have sour cream or creme fraiche yet)
Muttachar (curried boiled eggs)
Deviled eggs
Garlic curls (shoots) sauteed in butter
Asparagus wrapped in GAPS-friendly ham slices with hollandaise
Minted fresh (or frozen) pea soup (cooked with onions, chicken broth, salt and pepper--thickened with coconut milk)
Fruit soup (puree fresh or thawed fruit with a bit of water, honey, vanilla and coconut milk and chill until serving time)
Rack of lamb (or lamb chops) with mint sauce or herbes de provence
Sauteed baby carrots with butter and freshly snipped chives
Pinot Noir

Dessert

Peanut Butter Pie
Lemon Chiffon Pie
Cupcakes

Candy

SCD "Almond Rocca", I made mine with a mixture of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and dessicated coconut shreds instead of almonds. You can use any nut/seed combo you like. I also poured it into some silicone molds that I have to make a nicer presentation.

Pork Ribs with Coleslaw

My kids love pork ribs, and since they are inexpensive, we love them too. Pork ribs can handle a lot of flavor so I wanted to find a way to really "jazz them up". I came up with this recipe today and it was a real hit! It went very well with coleslaw, and had I had time, I would have made a pot of collard greens and Teri's onion torte (to stand in for biscuits) as well.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds of pork ribs
1 onion, cut into slices
1 lemon, cut into wedges
5 cloves of garlic, crushed (or more!)
2 T butter, ghee, or animal fat
2 tsp grated ginger
1 bay leaf
2 star anise pods
1 tsp prepared mustard
2 T Apple Cider Vinegar
3 T honey
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground allspice
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Put the onion slices on the bottom of a large dutch oven or large oven-proof pan with a lid. Place the meat on top, and put the lemon slices and garlic around the meat. Liberally sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the meat. Throw in the bay leaf and the star anise.

In a bowl, mix the fat with the remaining ingredients, just enough to blend- it can still be chunky. If you can have tomato, I'd add at least 1 cup of tomato sauce or several T of tomato paste at this point. If you like your food strongly flavored, you may want to go a bit heavy on the spices.

Spoon the mixture over the meat and and spread it around. Do not add extra liquid- plenty of liquid will cook out of the meat, onion, and lemon. Cook on low for 3 hours. Adjust seasonings before serving.

This dish goes very well with cole slaw.

Tacos with Salsa and Guacamole

This has become one of our favorite dinners, both because it is delicious and because it is relatively quick to make. We use iceberg lettuce leaves as the taco "shells", and fill them with taco meat, salsa, guacamole, and top them off with green olives.

For the meat, we prefer ground buffalo, but any ground meat (or shredded leftover meat) will do. First, I saute an onion (sweet onions work well) in coconut oil, then stir in cumin and oregano. If tomatoes sit well with you then adding homemade tomato paste would be good. I add the meat and lightly brown it. If you are early in the diet, you can add broth and simmer the meat instead. Once it is close to done, I add in crushed garlic, lime juice, salt, and chopped cilantro. Adjust the seasonings and mix thoroughly, then serve!

The salsa is simply chopped tomatoes, red onion, chopped cilantro, and whatever else we have on hand that seems appropriate. We sometimes add bell pepper, mango, or cucumber as well. This would be delicious with fire-roasted chiles. Once everything is chopped, I add crushed garlic and dress with olive oil, lime juice, salt, and apple cider vinegar. In the photo above I have also made a mango cucumber salsa. The recipe for this is in the post featuring fajita salad.

Guacamole is simple and many of you probably already have your own favorite way of making it. For ours, we mash the avocado with lime juice, salt, and cilantro. If we're in the mood we may add onions.

Belgian Endive and Broth

I seem to need constant inspiration (especially at this time of year) for my menu planning, so I thought I'd post was we had for dinner.

Last night we had a roasted chicken, garlic-thyme butternut squash, belgian endive and homemade mayonnaise. After dinner, DH removed the leftover meat from the bones and threw the carcass in the slow-cooker. The meat went in the fridge! I added a little salt and apple cider vinegar to the water, and put it on low. I'll leave it simmering all day today, and it will be good!

I have been enjoying using Belgian endive leaves as dippers lately. I've tried it with eggplant caviar (from Nourishing Traditions) and my own guacamole, as well as the mayo last night. I really love it.