28 & 27 Counting Down Paleo "Thanksgiving Dressing"

This morning I woke hungry, but had no time for breakfast.  I had to get to Sunday School and when the choice was God or breakfast, God won. ( Of course I could have gotten up earlier and there would have been no choice).  By the time it was over and I had run by Organic Harvest to buy some coconut aminos ( don't ask) and compliant almond butter I was beyond hungry, I was starving. And this is why I pre-cooked several things. I just hate to be starving and have to cook. A Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie would somehow leap into my hand and...before I realized it 3 would be eaten.


Day 3    
Pre-breakfast       1 cup black coffee

Breakfast/Lunch 1 leftover grilled hamburger patty ( yes I am tired of them)
                            leftover steamed asparagus
                            1 small sliced tomato
                            1 apple sliced
                            1 tablespoon almond butter
                            1 cup of black coffee
                            large glass ice water with a lime wedge


Dinner                Turkey salad (huge)
                            1 tablespoon failed mayo turned Brazilian salad dressing
                            6 cashews
                            water w/ lime wedge


For the salad,  I chopped 1/2 bell pepper, 1/4 vadalia onion, 1/2 cucumber, 7 baby carrots, 1 tomato, chopped lettuce ( maybe 2 cups)   and 2 ounces of turkey. It was a gigantic salad.  In fact I could not eat all of it and have a head start on breakfast tomorrow.

                          This bowl is about 6 inches in diameter (just for some scale)

Paleo Mayo Fail/ Paleo Dressing Success

1 egg yolk, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/12 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon mustard
3/4 cup oil.  I used 1/2 grapeseed oil and 1/2 olive oil

In a glass bowl whisk the egg yolk and salt until thick.  add the lemon juice, vinegar and mustard and continue to whisk.  In a slow stream slowly add the oil whisking continually.  Keep whisking until all the oil is incorporated and it is nice and fluffy. ( I used an immersion blender and don't think I whipped enough air  into it ) Punt time!  When the mayo fails, change it to dressing.  I liked the mayo flavor fine, but it was way too thin and had a heavier oil taste than I wanted for my salad, so I added about a tablespoon more of the vinegar and whipped it with the blender again.  It thickened to the consistency of a bottled ranch dressing.  A further taste test, and i decided additional seasonings were needed for a salad dressing.  I keep a homemade Brazilian spice blend in my spice cabinet and knew it was totally Whole 30 compliant, so I added about a teaspoon  and a half of it to the mayo.  Perfect!

Day 4

Breakfast   Leftover turkey salad ( Yeah I know it sounds gross but it was prepared)
                  Black coffee
                  1 apple, sliced sprinkled with cinnamon ( not great!)
         
Lunch        2 sausage patties
                   lettuce

Dinner       Roast turkey
                  Paleo Thanksgiving dressing
                  Lettuce, tomatoes and scallions with the failed mayo dressing
                  Small handful of cashews


                                                          Sausage Recipe

            These patties are very small, little more than a half dollar size.  There is some "win" when I get                           

                                               to have 2 of them. (delusional)


1 pound ground pork
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes ( I like hot stuff, if you like it milder try 1/8 or 1/4 teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt ( I don't like salty food so you might need to increase this)
1/4 teaspoon crushed fennel seed
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Because this food plan is so specific about nothing with sugars, nitrates and nitrites, and msg, you have to read all the ingredient labels carefully.  Because I did not have my reading glasses with me and no amount of squinting would make that chicken scratch turn into letters I decided to just make my own.

I bought ground pork which has a 70/30 lean to fat ratio.  I think the stuff in the plastic tube has a bit more fat.   Now here is the tricky part.  Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Form into patties.  I par-cooked all of them, ( except the 2 I ate, which were completely cooked) stuck them on a cookie sheet to freeze, and put them into a large freezer bag.  That way they can be heated/ completely cooking in the microwave on a paper plate .  Should be a win on a busy morning.

These are leaner than packaged sausage, but taste pretty much like the hot variety.  If hot is not your thing adjust the peppers to your personal taste.  My suggestion is to under season then make a small patty ( about the size of a quarter) and cook it.  Taste and adjust seasonings to suit your personal palate.

                                                 Paleo Thanksgiving Dressing

                   This is what it looks like fresh out of the oven (Notice the pecans sank!)




1 head cauliflower, steamed until it is soft and crumbly
1 small onion chopped
4 ribs of celery chopped
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
salt and pepper to taste ( I used 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper)
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 cup turkey broth
2 beaten eggs.
1/4 cup chopped pecans

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Crumble steamed cauliflower in a small bowl until it separates into small pieces.  Add the onion and celery and stir well.  Add the spices and mix until it is well dispersed.  Add the turkey broth and the eggs and mix it well so the consistency is uniform.  Spray a 9x9 inch pan with olive oil ( or cooking spray) and pour the mixture into it.  Bake  about 35 minutes until it is set.  Put the crumbled pecans on the top of the casserole and bake for about 5 more minutes. ( I put mine on at the beginning of the cooking time and they sank)   Let it stand for about 5 minutes before serving and it will cut easily. Or you can be like us and just scoop it out like stuffing.  Either way it works.  I served this to 2 non food plan people and they both loved it.  We decided it is something we will have even when I am finished with the Whole30 plan.  Tasty plus!*

This is how it looked on the plate.  It Looks similar to a traditional Southern Cornbread Dressing.  Now I have to figure out how to make a compliant cranberry relish.








On to day 5 and 6 or Countdown 26 and 25.  I am not sure this is getting easier because it is requiring an insane amount of cooking, but I really do not want a cookie so it must be working. ( Amazing since I am a sweet freak!)


*If you are looking for an exact replica of cornbread dressing then this is not for you.  It has the basic flavors of traditional dressing, but the consistency is quite different.  If you absolutely hate everything about cauliflower you probably should not have this.  Though cauliflower is not the prominent flavor it does surface every now and then. Like I said earlier, we all loved it and I am the only one doing Whole30, so it won non restrictive dieters approval.