A Paleo Thanksgiving

This month we'll take a look at a few ways to tweak the traditional Thanksgiving meal to be a little more health friendly. The meal will still come out as a whole to be a little higher carb than I'd normally like, but I don't plan to worry about that too much on the actual day. (This actually fits into a Metabolic Diet plan pretty well.) You can easily tweak things to meet your own needs. You will also likely need to change the portion sizes; I was cooking for two and a child when I made this meal.

Three items are in this meal that I didn't write as a recipe: the turkey, the garlic mashed cauliflower, and the roasted brussel sprouts. Refer back to P Menu issue 1 for Robb's excellent Garlic Mashed Cauliflower. When I make it, I like to add basil to the recipe. For the brussel sprouts, I roasted them in an oven safe dish at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. I tossed them in olive oil and garlic powder. For the turkey, you are on your own! (I simply opted for a roast turkey breast this time)

Enjoy, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!




Orange and Onion Salad

Time: 15 minutes

• 2 seedless oranges
• 1/3 C thinly sliced red onion
• 3 Tbsp sliced olives
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 chopped whole date
• 1/4 C chopped cilantro

Peel the oranges, then slice into thin slices. Place them in a bowl; toss with the oil, lemon juice, and spices.

Arrange the orange slices on a plate, add the dates, olives, onion, and cilantro. Pour the remaining juices over the salad.

Zone info: 2 servings at: 2.5 carb blocks, 5 fat blocks.


Roasted Chestnut Stuffing

Time: 25 minutes prep time; 1 hour cooking time

• 7 oz sausage (I used a turkey sage sausage)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 C chopped celery
• 1 1/2 C chopped onion
• 1 C coarsely chopped roasted chestnuts (I "cheated" and used frozen chestnuts from Trader Joe's)
• 3/4 C chopped pumpkin
• 1/2 C chopped parsley
• 1 Tbsp thyme
• 1/4 C chicken broth
• Pepper

Preheat oven to 325. Cook the sausage in a large skillet in 1 Tbs of olive oil. Remove the sausage and set aside. Add another Tbs of olive oil to the skillet, along with the onion and celery. Add pepper to taste, then saute for 8-10 minutes. Add parsley, pumpkin, thyme, and chestnuts. Cook for five more minutes.

In an oven safe dish, combine the sausage with the sauteed mixture. Add the chicken broth, mix well. Cover and bake 25 minutes, then uncover and continue to bake for 30-35 minutes more.

Zone info: 4 servings at: 3 carb blocks, 1 protein block, 6.5 fat blocks.


Sweet Potatoes

My mother always made the best sweet potato dish for the holidays. I would actually look forward to it all year. However, when I found out what she put into it, I almost went into a diabetic coma. Time to start over. One suggestion she made that I did find helpful was to use half yams and half sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes are drier, and the yams more moist and sweet. They balance each other out nicely, and turn out better than either potato used alone.

Time: 15-20 minutes

• 1 med yam
• 1 med sweet potato
• 1/2 C unsweetened applesauce
• 1 Tbsp raw honey
• 1 Tbsp walnut oil
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp cloves

Peel the potatoes, and cut them into small pieces. Boil them in a pot of water for around 10 minutes, until soft. Drain the water. Add the remaining ingredients, mash with a potato masher.

Zone info: You'll need to weigh your potatoes before cooking to figure this out. 4 oz. sweet potatoes = 3 carb blocks. My recipe had 24 oz. of yams and sweet potatoes, and it yielded 6 servings at: 3.5 carb blocks, 1.5 fat blocks



Cranberry Chutney

Time: 10 min prep time, 30 min cooking

• 2 C cranberries
• 1 ½ C chopped granny smith apples (about 1 apple)
• 1/2 C unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 C raisins
• 1/2 C water
• 1 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Place all ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 25-30 minutes. Serve over the turkey.

Zone info: 4 servings at: 2.5 carb blocks each


Bacon-Wrapped Date and Persimmon
Nicki Violetti

During my vegan days I remember visiting a college friend’s family and meeting his little sister who was about 6 at the time. A framed piece of scholastic work hung on the wall in her bedroom. In large letters on gigantic 2-inch lined writing paper, she had carefully scripted, “My name is Raleigh. I love bacon. I wish I could eat every single bacon.” The grammar was adorable, even if the subject matter was, at that time for me, completely horrific.

Now bacon is clearly not the leanest protein choice, but when it comes to the holidays, a little bacon can go a long way in making some festive and tasty appetizers that everyone will enjoy (recovering vegans included!) Here is one of my favorites.

• Bacon
• Fuyu Persimmons, sliced
• Dates, pitted

Remove pit from dates and slice fuyu persimmons into ½ inch wedges. Wrap with bacon and broil until bacon is well cooked, approx 10 minutes.

Quantity depends on the number of guests you will be feeding.





Fall Salad
Nicki Violetti

This is a beautiful addition to any table. Enjoy!

• Arugula
• Endive
• Fuyu persimmon, chopped
• Pomegranate seeds
• Chopped walnuts
• Lime

Wash and dry arugula and slice endive into thin strips. Arrange on plate and top with persimmon and pomegranate seeds. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts and dress with olive oil and lime.