A Taste For Turkey

I know that Thanksgiving is right around the corner, but the minute my brain registers that Fall is in the air, I start craving turkey! I've been in the mood for turkey for about two weeks now. I don't want to have a huge turkey this close to Thanksgiving, but I decided to cook a turkey breast in the Crock-pot. Oh, what a great idea that was. It hit the spot, and there are some leftovers, but not so much that I will be tired of turkey by Thanksgiving! 

I decided that since I had the turkey thing going, that it was the perfect time to test out some Paleo friendly holiday favorites as well. Time got away from me, so I didn't get to try EVERYTHING on my list, but I did try mashed cauliflower for the first time as well as green bean casserole. The mashed cauliflower is good, but it needs a little perfecting. First, I don't have a food processor, so I used my blender. Second, I got inspiration from here(nomnompaleo) and here (thedetoxinista), but didn't follow either recipe very well :-). Next time I will TRY to follow a recipe, but I am soooo bad at that! I like to add my own flare! 

Oh my, the green bean casserole is a keeper! It may need get some tweaks along the way, but it was a great substitute for the "traditional" canned version. In fact, I may even like it better than the other version (if that's possible!). Don't get me wrong, this from scratch concoction is a LOT more work, but for the health benefits, I think it's totally worth it. I looked and looked for the perfect recipe, but I couldn't decide on just one. This Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe from Against all Grain really caught my attention. She has a green bean casserole posted on her site, but I didn't really want to fry the onions/shallots for the toppings so I modified this recipe from Fed & Fit.

FYI, I didn't have cashews so I couldn't make the cashew cream for the soup recipe. My husband is not on the Paleo bandwagon (YET)! He noticed a slight coconut taste the first day, but I didn't. I ate leftovers later, and I did notice it a little. That being said, you may want to try the original Against All Grains version if you think that will bother you. Oh, and I didn't intend to want to eat the soup by itself so this recipe is modified for the casserole specifically. However, after tasting the soup . . . I SHOULD have made the entire batch and just used what I needed for the casserole! It was soooo good! 

I am not always so good at measuring . . . I am a little of this and some of that kind of girl. I am going to do my best to give you accurate measurements so please bear with me. If you have any questions just let me know! 

Cream of Mushroom Soup

• 2 slices of bacon
• 4-6 ounces mushrooms, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
• ⅛ cup sherry cooking wine (may not be paleo friendly)
• 1/2 - 1 cup chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme - I used the leaves from one or two stems of fresh thyme
• 1-2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
• 1/2 cup milk - I used coconut milk, could use almond, etc. 

Instructions

1. Cook bacon and remove bacon from pan - feel free to eat the bacon now if you like . . . yum yum!
2. Saute the mushrooms, onion and garlic over medium heat (in the bacon grease) for 10 minutes, until the liquid has mostly evaporated.
3. Pour in the cooking wine, then bring to a boil and wait until it has reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
4. Pour in the broth, salt, pepper, and thyme. Simmer for 5 minutes then add the coconut milk (or milk of your choice). 
5. Use a whisk to incorporate the coconut milk. 
6. Whisk in arrowroot powder a little at a time until you get desired consistency.

Paleo Green Bean Casserole

1 lb Fresh Green Beans 

1 cup Thinly Sliced Yellow Onions

Cream of mushroom soup

1 - 2 Tablespoons of Almond meal

Salt & Pepper to taste

2 Tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

Instructions:

1. Grease a small casserole dish. 
2. Preheat oven to 350 F.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
4. Drizzle 1 Tbl EVOO on the thinly sliced yellow onions and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Massage the EVOO and salt evenly into the onions with your hands.
6. Coat the onions with almond meal. This may take more or less than the amount listed. 
7. Spread the onions out on the baking sheet evenly.
8. Bake until starting to to brown/crisp. Mine were sliced thin so they didn't take long (10 minutes or so).
9. Put a large pot of water and salt on high heat and bring to a boil.
10. Cut the green beans into thirds or so (according to the size you like), and add to the water when it starts boiling.
11. Boil for 5 minutes then remove from the water, strain and place in greased cooking dish.
12. Add the mushroom soup to the green beans and stir until well coated.
13. Cover with aluminum foil & the lid (if you have one) and bake at 350F for 15 minutes.
14. Remove the foil/lid and sprinkle the dried onions evenly on top.
15. Place back in oven for 5 minutes at 350 F uncovered.