Kathy K. Norman
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Real Food Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes for the Allergy Crowd

11/18/2017

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I'm looking forward to having four generations of my extended family gathered around my table on Thanksgiving Day. There will be smiles, hugs, long talks, games, and laughter. There will also be so many food allergies that we could do group Public Service Announcements for the National Allergy Board. One or more people in my family has a food allergy or food intolerance to dairy, gluten, beef, nuts, corn, bananas, cinnamon, shellfish, pork, citrus fruits, kiwi, avocados, chocolate, tomatoes, soy, or peanuts. In addition, I'm committed to eating real food as a part of my chemical-free life healthy living plan. It's a good thing I enjoy a challenge!

When I'm cooking for my allergy bunch, I make one entree 
that everyone can eat and plenty of side dishes so that everyone can choose at least two additional foods. If I tried to make every single dish something that every single person could eat, we would have nothing but a lonely turkey sitting on our holiday table. So, here it is: Thanksgiving dinner for the allergy crowd with clickable links to recipes posted on my blog and Pinterest boards. Happy Thanksgiving!

Real Food Thanksgiving Menu
Roasted Turkey. I fill the cavity with apple slices, onion, garlic and spices and baste with olive oil and everyone can eat it. You can also add slices of oranges, lemons and limes to ramp up the zesty flavor.
Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese. The lactose intolerant folks have to pass on this one but all of my grandchildren adore it.The ingredients can be put in the slow cooker hours ahead of time and it frees up the stove and oven for other dishes.  www.kathyknorman.com/blog/real-food-thanksgiving-recipes-slow-cooker-mac-and-cheese

Portuguese Country Bread. My mother got this recipe on a trip to Portugal. It's an easy-peasy homemade bread recipe that can be made ahead, frozen, and warmed just before serving.. www.kathyknorman.com/blog/real-food-thanksgiving-recipes-portuguese-country-bread
Baked Sweet Potatoes. Scrub the potatoes, bake at 400 degrees for about an hour and serve with a choice of toppings that include butter, soy- free dairy-free butter substitute, brown sugar, allspice, and ginger. Time saving tip: Prick the potatoes all over with a fork and cook in the microwave until just beginning to soften and then put them on a cookie sheet and slide into a 400 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes. They will taste just like they were baked in the oven but take a lot less time and free up the oven for other baking needs.  
Roasted Vegetables can be made with just about any vegetables you like. Simply place cut up vegetables on a large rimmed cookie sheet, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and your favorite spices. Roast in the oven at 400 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes or until vegetables start to brown around the edges.
Fruit Plate with enough choices that everyone can eat at least two of the fruits.If you are feeling artistic, check out this cute turkey made from fruit that I found on Pinterest. My younger grandchildren had a great time helping me create a Festive Turkey Fruit Platter
Salad Greens with kale, carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, and homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing. I put the greens in a large bowl and arrange the other ingredients on a tray so that everyone can make their own.
Chocolate Brownie Almond Pie is so easy and something different to add to the pecan and fruit pies on the dessert table. It doesn't require a crust and it can be made days or weeks ahead of time, frozen, and warmed just before serving.  
www.kathyknorman.com/blog/real-food-thanksgiving-recipes-chocolate-brownie-almond-pie

Creating a Thanksgiving feast for the allergy crowd is a task I"m grateful to tackle. Because spending time with people I love is a gift. And Thanksgiving is the perfect time of year to smile and count my blessings. Here's to a chemical-free real food life for all - even at Thanksgiving!


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Chocolate Brownie Almond Pie Recipe

11/17/2017

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The delicious aroma of freshly baked pies is a must for most families on Thanksgiving Day. If you are looking for a new idea to add to the usual collection of pumpkin, pecan, fruit, and cream pies, try this easy recipe with the texture and taste of a warm chocolate brownie.You can tweak a few ingredients to make this pie dairy free and gluten free to meet any special dietary needs of your friends and family. If you have nut allergies, just omit the nuts and the pie will still be delicious.

Chocolate Brownie Almond Pie

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Melt and stir in a pan over low heat:
1/4 c of coconut oil
1/4 c of butter, or butter substitute if you want a dairy free version
4 T of cocoa. Use a brand that contains 100 % cocoa and nothing else.

In a large mixing bowl beat:
The melted ingredients
2 eggs.Use organic free range eggs if possible.
4 T of unbleached flour. Use rice, coconut, or almond flour to make this pie gluten free.
3/4 c of raw organic sugar
1 tsp.of pure vanilla extract.Use vanilla extract, not vanilla flavoring. 
1/8 tsp. of salt

Pour into a 9" greased pie plate.
Sprinkle 1/2 c of coarsely chopped almonds over the top of the pie and press gently into the chocolate layer.
Bake for 25 minutes.

Serve warm topped with fresh whipped cream and chocolate shavings or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.


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Portuguese Country Bread Recipe

11/13/2017

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My mother makes wonderful homemade bread every year for our Thanksgiving feast. She went on a trip to Portugal years ago with my aunt and cousin. A delicious rustic bread was served at many of the inns where they stayed while exploring beautiful villages in the countryside.She brought this delightful recipe home with her. 

If you have never made a homemade loaf of bread before, this is a great recipe to try for your first time. It contains only a handful of ingredients and it's easy to put together. If you want to have an authentic pioneer type experience, you can do all the kneading by hand. If you prefer techno over retro, you can use a bread machine and a mixer with a dough hook attachment to do all the kneading for you.

You can make this bread days or weeks ahead of time and freeze it. Just slice the bread after the loaf has cooled completely and put it in a freezer safe bag or container. On Thanksgiving Day, take the sliced loaf straight from the freezer, wrap in aluminum foil, and heat for about 15 to 20 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees. 

Portuguese Country Bread

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Stir together:
3 1/2 c of unbleached flour
1/4 tsp. of salt
1 package of active yeast (about 2 tsp)
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.
Slowly add 1 c plus 3 T of warm water 
Stir to make a firm dough. 
Form a ball.
Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.This will take about 15 minutes if you do it by hand. But you don't have to do it by hand. You can use a bread machine set to the dough cycle for this first kneading step. Just add the above ingredients according to your bread machine directions and wait for the dough cycle to finish. 

Once the first kneading is complete:
Brush olive oil all over the inside of a large mixing bowl.
Gather up the dough and form into a ball.
Put the ball in the mixing bowl and turn until the dough ball is completely covered in oil.
Cover the bowl and set aside in a warm, draft free space and let it rise until it doubles in size.This will take about an hour.

Punch down the dough.
On a floured surface, knead again until the dough is smooth and elastic.This will only take about five minutes. If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, you can use it for this step. 


Shape the dough ball into a free form long loaf. 
Brush a cookie sheet with 1 to 2 T of olive oil until it is lightly coated.
Place the dough loaf on the cookie sheet.
Leave the dough loaf uncovered on the cookie sheet until it doubles in size again. This will take about an hour.
Bake the bread for 15 minutes.
Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Bake the bread an additional 15 to 20 minutes until it is well browned on top and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.
Cool the bread on a wire rack before slicing.

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Mac and Cheese in a Slow Cooker

11/8/2017

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​My grandchildren love macaroni and cheese so I always include it in my Thanksgiving menu. But I stay away from the boxed stuff because processed food contains toxic chemicals I'm trying to avoid to stay healthy. 

What's in the box?
Did you know boxed macaroni and cheese often contains sodium tripolyphosphate, an ingredient that is also used to make detergent and soap? Yuk! Some boxed brands contain artificial food dyes and preservatives that have been linked to many diseases. And a recent study revealed that chemicals called phthalates were found in the highly processed powdered cheese used to make the boxed version of this classic meal. Phthalates are industrial chemicals used as solvents in the adhesives and inks on the boxes.They leach into the powdered cheese through the equipment used to make the packaging. Phthalates disrupt the endocrine system and have been linked to birth defects. 

So, I'll ditch the boxed stuff and go for homemade.I"m all about saving time and making things practical and easy so I'm going to make macaroni and cheese in my slow cooker for Thanksgiving dinner.This will 
free up the oven for the turkey and the stove top for other side dishes. And I can make it ahead of time, turn on the slow cooker, and forget about it.

Some notes about cheese
Yellow and orange cheeses often have added food colors. Artificial dyes are harmful. Even a natural coloring agent may cause problems. Annato, a red plant extract that comes from achiote shrub seeds, is used to give many types of cheese an orange color. The Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology did a study which linked annato to IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). So, I look for natural cheeses without artificial colors and I use some kind of white cheese, which contains no color additives at all, for at least half of the cheese called for in the recipe. I buy block cheese and grate it myself. Packaged grated cheese contains cellulose which is commonly made from wood pulp, Cellulose is used to keep the grated cheese pieces from clumping together. It is currently being debated whether this is harmful. But I don't really want to eat wood pulp with my cheese and it only takes a few minutes to grate.

Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

I have a large 6 quart slow cooker. If you have a smaller slow cooker, use only half the amount for each ingredient.

Cook two 12 oz. packages of elbow macaroni according to the directions on the package. 

Drain the macaroni.

Rub butter over the inside of your slow cooker. Some folks like to use plastic slow cooker liners. But I'm skeptical about their safety. There's some question as to whether the chemicals used to make the plastic liners leach into the food when the liners are heated. Since I'm trying to avoid chemicals, I skip the liners. Besides, butter adds an extra oomph of richness and flavor.

Dump the drained macaroni into the slow cooker. If this seems to be too much macaroni to fit into your size slow cooker, take some out and save it to use in another recipe. Macaroni salad to go with the leftover turkey! You need to have at least 4" of space left after you put in the macaroni so that you have room to add and mix in the remaining ingredients. 

Add 1 tsp. of salt, 1/2 tsp. of ground black pepper and a dash of turmeric.

Stir in 4 beaten eggs.

Grate 4 cups of your favorite kind of cheeses. I use a combo of cheddar, mozzarella, and monterey jack. 

Stir 3 c of the grated cheese into the macaroni.

Pour enough milk over the macaroni mixture to just cover and stir again.

Sprinkle the remaining 1 c of cheese over the top of the macaroni mixture. Do not stir.

Put the cover on the slow cooker.

Cook on high for four hours.

Go sit down and prop up your feet with a nice cup of hot ginger tea and a good book while it cooks. Hah! Like that's gonna happen on Thanksgiving dinner prep day. But you can just turn it on and forget about it until dinner is ready and that's a big help on this big day. Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Real Food Cooking to All!


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