Thanksgiving

So, I set out to make a special Thanksgiving dinner that's not like the one we always had, not matter where we ate:). I picked out some yummy side dishes, that were safe for our son to eat, or that I could easily make safe by substituting ingredients. I picked this recipe for Acorn Squash with Cranberry-Cornbread Stuffing I found on TastyKitchen.com as well as this super-easy and delicious recipe for Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce, I found on thepioneerwoman.com.

For a vegetable side I made the most surprisingly yummy Brussels Sprouts ever. That recipe came from simplyrecipes.com.

We made a simple turkey and some mashed sweet and regular potatoes and had the best Thanksgiving meal so far….it helped too that I got to spend it with my favorite (American) family members:)

No Butter, but dairy-free margarine for the squash.

I had made some cornbread a few days earlier, so it came in handy.

Presentation is the key...

There you have it! Yummy all the way.

Crispy Turkey Cutlets with chopped Arugula and Tomato Salad

I just can't get away from this woman:) But that is just because her cookbook has changed the way I think about feeding my family, especially my son. Using her recipes shows me that we don't have to live without. Because her recipes aren't listed anywhere online, as far as I can tell, I won't list them either. That doesn't keep me from showing you the yummy goodness she makes me cook though, so enjoy!

I start out making the dressing, which is Cybele's favorite and mine too.

For the salad I chop the red onion and tomatoes…
…and mix them with the dressing and set it aside:

Then it's time to make the breading:


I use soy milk, because we can eat/drink it:

Here come the cutlets!
Another substitution. Since we don't have wheat allergies, I stick to plain flour:
Shake it baby!
And the cutlets are ready for the oven:

While the cutlets bake, I finish the salad:
And serve it all with some rice:

This is one of my favorites and I have made it for guest already. I just love it and could eat it right now, if I only had any…..

My new favorite Tomato Sauce

This is another great recipe from my favorite cookbook. it's the simple red sauce, and simple it is!
At first I was a little scared, as the recipe calls for fresh tomatoes, meaning you have to blanch and peel them, but it's not as hard as I thought.

Wash the tomtatoes:

Chop garlic and add it to olive oil in large pot. Don't heat until tomtatoes are done:
Add the tomtatoes to a pot of boiling water and boil for about 1 minute and a half. Note, that it will take a while for the water to boil again. Once the tomtato skins start spliting open, they're done:
Let them cool some:
Peel them and cut them into smaller pieces:
Sautee the garlic and add the tomatoes. The recipe calls for a few other ingredients, like sugar, which you add at this time too:
At the end add chopped basil and that's it:
Serve with spaghetti:
And don't forget the parmesan (only if you can eat dairy):
Our little one enjoyed each bite, without the cheese:
I have made this sauce several time since then. I love it. It's so yummy in the warmer months and pureed it was great to use for my meat loaf.

Did I say that I love this recipe?

Cybele Pascal - Turkey Meatloaf and Sweet Potato Fries

Here is another very delicious and allergy-free receipe I found in The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook. The meatoaf is super-easy and also easy to eat for my toddler; my top priorities when cooking. Again, no recipe is posted here, but as you can see there are lots of yummy recipes in there so it's worth buying, even if you don't have food allergies.

The meatloaf is in the oven:
Here are the ingredients for the sweet potatoes:
All ready to go:
The meatloaf is done:
And so are the fries:
And there you go:

Louisiana Sloppy Joes

The next recipe I tried out of The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook is the one for the Louisiana Sloppy Joes.

Here are most of the ingredients, minues the meat and the vegies:

Brown the meat and the vegies:

Add the rest:

Serve it however you like. I used buns, because that's easy:)

Chilimac

So, I only make this for one very special person. The ingredients are simple. 1lb. or so ground turkey, two cans of Vegetarian Chili, and two boxes (or one family box) of Max & Cheese and the ingredients required for it. The spices I use are salt, pepper, garlic powder, parsley, dried minced onions and Tabasco Sauce. I don't measure the spices, so just go with whatever feels right:)
First you cook the macaroni until they're done and set them aside. The you brown the turkey in some olive oil untils it's done and add the spices. I just use the same pot. Once the meat is done, add the stick of butter and place it in the middle of them meat. Pour the Chili over it and cook at medium low until the butter is melted. Then you stir in the cheese powder and the milk and lastly the macaroni. Reduce heat to low and stir it together a few times and that's it!
I know it doesn't look like much, but it's pretty decent.....

Turkey Pot Pie

I had pie crust leftover from Thanksgiving as well as a lot of turkey, so this is what I made. I used this Pillsbury recipe as a guide.


Sautee the onions in the pan. I love that smell:

After adding the flour and milk and broth, I added the forzen vegies (I usually have a large bag of these from costco) and my leftover turkey:

Spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pan:

Top with second crust; seal edge and flute (pretty, huh?). Cut slits in several places in top crust.

Putting the foil on towards the end really helps, but I always have a problem to make it stay put:) It worked this time.

And this is it:

I love this. It was so tasty and moist. I will definitely make it again.