Here are some free recipes to get you through next week. Don’t forget you can always do our Turkey Day Workout at Memorial Park benefiting the Houston Food Bank. You have to pre-register at http://www.body3fit.com/turkey for all the information.
The Turkey:
Rinse the turkey in cold running water, letting excess run into the sink
Rub the turkey in a small amount of olive oil and your favorite seasonings-(thyme, parsley and sage)
Gravy:
Ingredients:
Giblets from turkey
One medium sized onion
One carrot
Bay Leaves
Peppercorns
Celery greens
Pan-drippings from roasted turkey
1 Tbsp of cornstarch or arrowroot powder
¼ cup of water
Preparation:
Place the giblets in a sauce pan and over them in water. Add: onion, carrot, a few bay leaves, peppercorns and celery greens. Simmer for about three hours, removing the foam as you go. While, the broth is simmering take ¼ cup of cold water and mix in a small bowl with 1 Tbsp of cornstarch/arrowroot powder. Then slowly mix into the simmering broth and allow it to thicken. After about three hours of simmering, strain it through a fine mesh sieve. Cover and set aside until ready to use.
After the turkey has been roasted, pour the drippings into a gravy separator to separate the fat or set in the refrigerator and let the fat harden. Combine the giblet base stock with the turkey drippings.
Apple and Brown Rice Stuffing:
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups brown rice, uncooked
2 cups natural apple juice
1 ½ cups water
2 tsp olive oil
1 crisp harvest apple, cored and diced
½ cup onion, diced
½ cup brussel sprouts, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 cup celery, diced
1/3 cup oat bran
½ cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup slivered raw almonds
½ tsp poultry seasoning
¼ tsp thyme
Freshly ground pepper
Preparation:
Prepare rice according to instructions on packaging, using the apple juice and water for the cooking liquid.
In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Then add in the onions, garlic, brussel sprouts, carrot, celery and apple. Cook until crisp. When the fruit and vegetables are crisp add in the cooked rice, bran, cranberries, almonds, poultry seasoning, pepper and time. Mix well and remove from heat.
Mashed potatoes:
Instead of using the tradition white potatoes, and lots of butter and cream switch to a healthier alternative: sweet potatoes.
Ingredients:
2 lbs sweet potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and cut into chunks
2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
¾ tsp sea salt
¼ cup low-sodium/fat free chicken or vegetable stock
1 Tbsp pumpkin oil
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
White pepper
Preparations:
In a medium sauce pan, place the sweet potatoes and parsnips and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once it’s reached a boil, reduce the heat and continue to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat. Drain vegetables, reserving the cooking liquid.
Place vegetables into a mixing bowl with stock, pumpkin oil, sea salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and white pepper. Mash the vegetable and seasonings into desired texture; adding reserved cooking liquid if too stiff.
Cranberry Sauce:
Ingredients:
4 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over
1 hard tart apple, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
1 cup orange juice
1 cup water
¼ cup organic honey
Rind of one orange, pith removed, minced
Preparations:
In a medium sauce pan place cranberries, apple, orange juice and water. Cook berries over high heat until they burst. Once this happens, reduce heat to low and add honey and orange peel. Continue to cook for another 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and let cool. Place the cranberry sauce into a bowl and cover. Refrigerate until ready to use.
