Friday, November 16, 2012

Thanksgiving Meal Ideas

Thanksgiving Meal Ideas
 
 
 
If you're like me, you're already planning for Christmas before Thanksgiving even arrives. Well, I wanted to make your life a little easier and give you a list of delicious Thanksgiving proteins, sides and gravy to make your tummy scream THANK YOU!
 
So, here's a list of what will be on our dinner table this year along with some extra goodies. Enjoy!
 
Chicken, or turkey! No Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner is complete unless there's a bird involved. My husband loves turkey and I love chicken so please use this recipe on either birds and enjoy because it is just so juicy and moist!
 

Then there's the gravy. This is honestly the easiest and most full-proof method I've been able to follow. Making the gravy nice and dark cooks out the flour taste and gives it a rich deliciousness that you need to smother the chicken with.

Hey you paleo and gluten free people.. I know corn starch isn't exactly paleo but substitute equal parts corn starch for the flour and you'll have an excellent gravy. You might try it with arrowroot flour but I've never had good luck with that for some reason. Corn starch is easier on my tummy.
 
 
 
The next item of business is a green vegetable. No matter how you cook your green beans, you need to try this blanching method before cooking. It truly makes life a lot easier. Give it a shot!
 
 
 
Hey, how about some dessert? Tired of the same old pumpkin pie every year? Okay, maybe not but if you are, give this delicious Sweet Potato Pie a try. It's so sweet and creamy. I love how it tastes right out of the oven but it's even better after it's been refrigerated!
Here's a paleo recipe for it, too.
 
 

Last, but certainly not least is sweet potato souffle. This is, by far, the best thing at our Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. Always good hot and/or cold and if I make a paleo/gluten free recipe, I'll be sure to post it.
 

 


There are a lot of other delicious meals so look at the search bar on the top right side of my page and type in an ingredient and I'm sure you'll find some great recipes there. If you have any questions or need any help with preparing a meal, feel free to leave me a comment below or shoot me an email at angelasglutenfreebakery@yahoo.com
 
Here's to a THANKFUL holiday season this year.


Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Stuffed Bell Peppers
 
I haven't posted a recipe on this blog in a while because I have been working hard on my other two websites (The Girl Who Went Paleo and Angela's Gluten-Free Bakery) and I've been super busy preparing for our local farmer's market that I sell my gluten-free baked goods at. Thanksgiving is also around the corner and I've had to mentally prepare for that.

Other things I'm thinking about lately is opening up a food truck business (Paleo and GF items only), writing an e-book, and selling to one of our local mom&pop shops.

Life is busy, isn't it? Phew!
 
Well, here's a delicious paleo and/or primal meal all in one. It has the carbs, proteins and fats all in one pretty little package. Now, this recipe does include cheese so if you don't eat cheese, leave it out. Just add some salt and pepper and you're good to go!
 
Ingredients:
Serves 2
2 green bell peppers
1/2 - 3/4 pounds ground meat. beef, chicken, turkey, sausage.. whatever you like
3/4cup crushed tomatoes
1/2cup onion, diced
1/4cup bell pepper, diced (see notes below)
S&P (salt and pepper) to taste
1/4cup cheese, shredded
 
 
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and preheat a skillet over medium heat.
Slice off the tops of the bell peppers and reserve them for future use. Remove the seeds/ribs on the inside and discard. Using a knife, remove the stem from the tops of the bell peppers you just sliced and dice into bite sized pieces.
In a medium skillet, add the ground meat, onions and bell peppers and cook thoroughly (about 8-10 minutes) and season with salt and pepper. Drain the excess fat and place back in the skillet or clean bowl. Add the crushed tomatoes and stir thoroughly. Scoop the mixture into the bell peppers and top with cheese.
 

In an oven-safe dish, add a tiny bit of water - about 1/4 cup - and place the bell peppers inside and then bake about 40-45 minutes until the peppers have softened.
 

*Tip* If you want to make a lot of these and freeze them, make it all the way up to where you stuff the peppers then freeze them. When you want to bake these, transfer to an oven-safe dish and immediately bake. Do not defrost these. Baking times will be longer since it's frozen.
 
Eat and enjoy!