Paleo Diet Thanksgiving Recipes

It's that time of the year, and if you are gunna stuff your face with the rest of America, at least do it according to the paleo diet. I have the recipes for a complete Caveman Thanksgiving!!! Share the gift of the paleo diet with your friends and families too!

First the most important thing: THE TURKEY!!!!

Turkey with Fruit-and-Nut Stuffing

From: http://www.marthastewart.com/Nav/television_prog.html

Today, Martha stuffs a free-range organic turkey from upstate New York with
a fruit-and-nut stuffing that contains neither bread nor rice, the
conventional foundations for stuffing. You will need to soak the dried
fruit overnight in bourbon (named for Bourbon County, Kentucky), which,
aside from the whole raw cranberries in this recipe, is perhaps the most
American of its ingredients.

If the nuts are salted, place them in a strainer, run cold water over them,
and then dry on paper towels. After you've stuffed the turkey, insert an
apple into the cavity to seal it. Sew the turkey with a trussing needle and
string. Then truss the turkey with string and poultry lacers—
stainless-steel skewers used to secure the stuffing in the neck end of the
cavity.

Always take care to stuff the bird just before cooking. To ensure that the
stuffing cooks evenly, don't overstuff the bird. Never mix raw meat or
vegetables into a stuffing, and don't leave either stuffing or turkey
sitting out for more than two hours.

FRUIT-AND-NUT STUFFING
Makes about 10 cups

18 whole pitted prunes
1/2 cup dried currants
1 cup dark raisins
24 dried apricot halves
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tart cooking apples, unpeeled, cored, chopped
3 large onions, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
6 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup whole macadamia nuts, unsalted
2/3 cup whole brazil nuts
1 cup walnut pieces
2 cups whole raw cranberries
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon dried chervil leaves
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs, slightly beaten

1. Put the prunes, currants, raisins, and apricot halves in a bowl, and
pour the orange juice over the fruit. Cover bowl, and soak overnight.
2. Combine the apples, onions, and celery in a large skillet along with
four T olive oil. Cook the mixture over moderate heat, stirring
occasionally, until the onions are soft and the celery is tender, about 10
minutes.
3. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a skillet and add the nuts. Toast them,
stirring constantly, until golden.
4. Transfer the sautéed onion mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add the
macerated fruit, the toasted nuts, and all remaining ingredients. Gently
mix the stuffing with 2 large spoons or your hands until evenly blended.
Set the stuffing aside while you prepare the turkey for roasting.
5. After the turkey has been stuffed, any remaining stuffing can be cooked
separately. Place stuffing in an oiled baking dish, cover and bake at 350
degrees for about 45 minutes until heated through.

Cranberry Sauce with Dried Apricots

From: elanaspantry.com
1 pound fresh cranberries
1 ½ cups water
½ cup dried apricots, cut into quarters
¼ cup currants
2 tablespoons agave nectar
¼ teaspoon ginger zest
1 teaspoon orange zest

1. Pick through the cranberries, discarding the soft and rotten ones, wash the rest
2. Place cranberries and water in pot, bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer for 10 minutes
3. Add the apricots and currants, simmer for five minutes
4. Add agave, orange and ginger zest and simmer five minutes

As far as vegetables are concerned, be sure to follow the Paleo Diet Guidelines. This means no Corn, Beans, Legumes (Including Green Beans). I suggest a nice lemon asparagus and the following recipe:

Grilled Harvest Vegetables

From: http://www.fitnessandfreebies.com/
Ingredients:
1 small cabbage, cored
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 to 1 teaspoon onion powder, optional
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 medium carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 celery ribs, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small onion, cut into wedges
1/2 pound whole fresh mushrooms
1 small green pepper, cut into pieces
4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled, optional

Directions:
Cut cabbage into 6 wedges; spread oil on cut sides. Place cabbage on a piece of heavy-duty foil, about 24 by 18-inch. Sprinkle with onion powder, if desired, and pepper. Arrange remaining vegetables and bacon (if desired) around cabbage. Seal the foil tightly.

Grill, covered, over medium-hot heat for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender, turning occasionally.

And Don't Forget Dessert:

Cinnamon Walnut Turtles

From: http://living-foods.com
Note: Various spices and nuts can be substituted. Can add coconut and dried fruits.

Ingredients:
2 cups walnuts
1 cup raw honey
1/2 cup cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
In a large bowl, mix honey, cinnamon and vanilla into paste. Stir in walnuts until thoughly coated. Form into small clusters and dehydrate at least 24 hours

Hope this makes for a great thanksgiving!! I wqould love to hear stories and see pictures! Have a Happy Turkey Day!

Are these food really health foods?

I typically do not agree with what Men's Health has to say on nutrition advice, but I was reading an article today that would have really helped me out 3 years ago. I, like others, used to think anything that was "Fat Free" or "Low Calorie" was healthy for me, but i now know better.

This is a great list of things people think are healthy, and why they aren't.

http://tinyurl.com/2r8de5

What does microwaving do to our food?

Found this neat post describing how microwaves effect the number of free radicals/anti-nutrients in our food.Photo from Flickr's *a guy with a camera

http://www.paleodietonline.com/2007/10/microwave-goodbye.html

You should give it a read. Makes you think before saving that extra 5 minutes!

Why are we still eating grains?

Back in the hunter and gatherer days, humans survived completely on what we could find/kill. This made our diet primarily Meat, Vegetables, Fruit and nuts. Food would spoil a few days after it was picked or killed, forcing us to spend all of our time looking for food. The winter months would be trying times as the plants died, animals were scarce and if your tribe couldn't find food, your tribe died out.

Potatoes, Grains and legumes (peanuts, beans) could not be eaten by the paleolithic people because in their raw form they have so many toxins in them. Eventually, it was discovered that these foods could be ridden of enough toxins to make them edible, by merely heating them up. Note that this process does not remove all toxins, just enough to not kill you.

This discovery revolutionized man as we know it, and is arguably one of the largest contributors to the survival of the human race. These foods could be stored for long periods of times, were very high in energy and were fairly easy to grow. It also freed up time for these people to do things like build, invent, etc.

So, we as humans discovered a way to "hack" this food to make it edible. But in this age of refrigeration, why are we still using this hack? We are no longer in danger of starving or not being able to find food, so why continue to put these anti-nutrients and toxins in out bodies?

Your Answer: Money! In today's capitalist world, anyone will do anything to save a buck, including eat foods that our bodies have not evolved to handle. But that discussion is for another post.

So, what about these food make them so bad for us? Well the main problem is the amount of toxins. These toxin, renamed "anti-nutrients", so as not to alarm the general public, are produced by the plants to deter animals from eating there precious seeds. By making their seeds unappetizing, plants can ensure that their seeds will not be eaten, thus ensuring the plants survival.

Grains and legumes also contain a lot of enzyme blockers. To keep it simple, these blockers keep your body from digesting and using these nutrients. Again, designed by the plant to protect it's survival, these are included in order to keep seeds from being digested. This allows animals to eat foods with the seeds in them, and poop them out unharmed and ready to grow. So why would we want to eat these things?

Another seed protecting mechanism produced by plants are lectins. In the interest of keeping this description simple, lectins are basically natural pesticides toxic to many animals, including humans.

With so many drawbacks to eating grains, potatoes and legumes, I have decided to strip my diet of them completely. Looking at the facts, our survival no longer depends on grains, so I have phased them out of my diet and so should you.

A Little About Me

First off, let me introduce myself. I'm a 22 year old male and just graduated from University of Maryland - Baltimore County with a BS in Computer Science. I have played football, lacrosse and rugby throughout my life and consider myself a Man's Man. So why the hell am I writing a blog on Nutrition?!?! An American man just eats Steaks, Burgers and French Fries, right? Well maybe it's time that we took a step back and thought about what we are putting into our bodies. After all, we are what we eat! (That's what she said).

Looking to lose the gut, I turned to the greatest resource in the world, the internet. I tried the Low Carb diet for a while, but it really wasn't having any effect. I really like fruits, but couldn't have them because they are High in Carbs. I also didn't understand why I shouldn't be eating carbs; just that other people weren't and they were losing weight. My idea of a Low Carb Meal was a Wendy's Jr. Bacon Cheese burger without the bun. So that didn't work.

So I spent a year or two digging through site after site, book after book and documentary after documentary; weeding out the information I believed and that which I didn't. Finally, I believe I have a good grasp on what I should put into my body and why.

So for the last month or so, I have been following the Paleo Diet; a diet that follows the eating habits of a Caveman from the Paleolithic Era. These hunters and gatherers primarily ate Meats, Fruits and Vegtables, and don't at all have the obesity or health problems that we as Americans experience today. I have lost 25 pounds and counting, and truely enjoy what I am eating. I have more energy and feel great through out the day.

That's all great to say, but where are the facts, and why is this true? Stay tuned! I have no doubt in my mind that my future posts will have you taking a second thought about what you are putting into your mouth.