Turkey Slop - I swear, it's better than it sounds.

When I was in high school, there was one meal that was legendary, and we called it "Turkey Slop." This might sound like a questionable moniker, but in reality there's just nothing wrong with a scoop of mashed potatoes, scooped out with an ice cream scoop, and hot gravy...with the Turkey. Right. In it. This is the warm comforting goodness of a Thanksgiving meal at its most efficient.

I have taken this humble meal and elevated it to a Fall family favorite in our home.  As soon as the leaves start to turn, and the air gets a little chillier, the kids start begging me to make Turkey Slop. And yes, I do use an ice cream scoop to dish out the mashed potatoes.

*This recipe is peanut-free, tree nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free (using soy free Earth Balance), fish-free, and shellfish-free. As always, check this ingredient list and your local products to make sure that this recipe is allergy safe for your family and/or friends!

If you already have tried and true recipes for roast turkey, mashed potatoes, and gravy, then simply chop up the turkey meat and add it to the gravy.  Serve over mashed potatoes!  If you don't know how to roast a turkey, or need some assistance in the gravy department, keep reading!  If you need a recipe for mashed potatoes, click HERE! 

Ingredients for Simple Roast Turkey:

Whole turkey (I like to stay under 12 pounds)
Kosher Salt
Ground Black Pepper
Olive Oil
1/2 onion
1/2 lemon

Directions for Simple Roast Turkey:
*I make the turkey the day before I want to serve the turkey slop. No need to try to do everything all in one day!  Relax, take your time, enjoy the process!

• Make note of how many pounds your turkey is before you throw away the packaging. 
• Remove neck and giblet pack from turkey
• Place the turkey, breast side up, in a roasting pan, pat the outside dry with paper towels.
• Let the turkey sit (out on the counter) for about an hour (this will dry the skin out a bit, and yield a crispier skin, and bringing the meat closer to room temperature will yield a juicier turkey!) 
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F
• Season the cavity with kosher salt and pepper
• Stuff cavity with 1/2 an onion and 1/2 a lemon
• Rub outside of turkey with olive oil and season liberally with kosher salt and pepper
• Roast at 450 for 20 minutes, and then reduce heat to 350 degrees F
• Continue roasting 13-15 minutes per pound at 350. *If the outside seems be getting too brown near the end of cooking, cover the breast of the turkey with some foil. 
• Insert a meat thermometer into the outer thigh, inner thigh, and breast.  All places should have a temperature of 165 degrees F or above. 
• Let the turkey rest before carving!

Ingredients for Simple Turkey Gravy:

*I make the stock early in the day.

Turkey stock (Click HERE for a crock pot stock recipe - substitute                  the word "turkey" every time you see the word "chicken")

Flour

Fat (dairy-free margarine, canola oil, turkey fat skimmed from the top of the turkey stock, schmaltz, etc.)

Directions for Simple Turkey Gravy:

To make a delicious gravy in a large amount or small amount, you need only memorize a simple formula: 2T fat + 2T flour + 1 cup stock = gravy!  

• First, know how many cups of stock you have to work with, that will determine how much roux you will need to make.
• Heat your stock to a gentle boil and in the meantime....
• Make your roux.  The roux is the thickening agent, it is the combination of the fat and flour, cooked together. (Cooking the flour in the fat gets rid of that raw flour taste, and allows it to incorporate more smoothly into the stock.)
• To make the roux, melt/heat the fat in a saucepan, and whisk in the flour.  *Equal parts fat and flour!  Cook for a couple minutes. 
• Whisk the roux slowly into the stock and then bring the whole thing to a simmer.  It will start to thicken right away, and you can continue simmering away to continue thickening.  
• Check your seasoning - gravy requires a decent amount of salt and pepper! 
• Add in the chopped turkey and serve over a scoop of mashed potatoes! 

Trust me, this is heaven in a pot! 

 As always, from The Allergy Safe Kitchen, I wish you "Good Cooking, and Safe Eating"!

Kicked Up Sloppy Joes

Who doesn't love Sloppy Joes?  This is an often requested dinner in our house.  Here's my original recipe for Kicked Up Sloppy Joes.  I replace the "pre-made" Manwich sauce with tomato sauce and spices for a relatively additive-free meal!  I also use organic ground beef for a more tender texture and frankly, better flavor.  (Ground turkey works well too.) Organic meats can be expensive, but buying organic ground meat is a budget conscious way to get a higher quality meat into the menu rotation, even for a big family like ours!

*This recipe is peanut-free, tree nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, soy-free, fish-free, and shellfish-free. As always, check this ingredient list and your local products to make sure that this recipe is allergy safe for your family and/or friends!


Ingredients:
2 pounds organic ground beef
1 15oz.can tomato sauce
1 15 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
3 Tbsp. Tomato paste
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 poblano pepper, diced
1 large sweet onion, diced
4 cloves minced garlic
chopped parsley
kosher salt

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, brown the ground beef. Remove from skillet,
    and set the beef aside.
2. Sauté peppers and onions until slightly softened.
3. Add garlic and sauté for 1 more minute.
4. Add beef back into the skillet.
5. Add 2 cans tomatoes, onion powder, garlic powder, and a
    hefty pinch of kosher salt.
6. Heat through, finish with parsley and serve! (Serve on top of      
    your family's favorite buns!)

 As always, from The Allergy Safe Kitchen, I wish you "Good Cooking, and Safe Eating"!

Crock Pot Stock

For years, I've been making delicious homemade chicken stock in my giant pot.  And, if I need a LOT all at once, I'll still do it that way.  But, recently, I've started making amazingly rich stock while I sleep.  Yep, while I sleep.  This isn't some kind of domestic diva transcendence, I'm just putting that workhorse of the kitchen to good use: the humble slow cooker, a.k.a. the crock pot. I make one or two whole chickens per week in the crock pot.  I use them for chicken salad, sandwiches, for chicken with pasta, to provide tender meat for the babies, etc.  I have done this for a long time, and I always got a little bit of concentrated stock in the bottom of the crock pot.  In the past I would save it, freeze it, and then add it to the "big pot" when making a big batch of stock.  No more, readers, No. More.  Now I have realized I can get a whole crock pot full of that amazing, concentrated stock with very little extra effort!  Here's how:

*This recipe is peanut-free, tree nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free, wheat-free, soy-free, fish-free, and shellfish-free. As always, check this ingredient list and your local products to make sure that this recipe is allergy safe for your family and/or friends!

Crock Pot Stock

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (3 lbs-ish)
1 bay leaf
Kosher Salt
2 peppercorns
2 sprigs of thyme (optional)
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
1 slow cooker
1/4 cup water

Stock bubbling away - I wish you could smell it! Yum!

Directions:
1. Place the carrots and celery in the bottom of the slow cooker.
2. Place the chicken in the slow cooker.
3. Add bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns, and water to the slow cooker.
4. Salt liberally with kosher salt.
5. Put the lid on, turn on the slow cooker to low and cook for 4
    hours.
6. Remove just the chicken from slow cooker and strip all the meat
    off the bones. Use this for chicken salad, sandwiches, fajitas, etc.
7. Place all the bones and skin back into the slow cooker and fill
    with water.
8. Cook on low overnight, up to 24 hours.
9. Strain solids out of the stock. 
10. Place stock in a container and refrigerate until the fat coagulates
    on the top.
11. Skim off fat and store it in a mason jar in the fridge for future
    cooking.
12. Now, your stock is ready to use or freeze! ( I usually get
    between 4-6 cups per crockpot)

 As always, from The Allergy Safe Kitchen, I wish you "Good Cooking, and Safe Eating"!

 

Snow Day Muffins


We are in the middle of a blizzard today!  The wind chills are in the negative 30s and it is snowing sideways!  To celebrate our family snow day, we made Snow Day Muffins!  Just make your favorite muffin recipe and dust the top with powdered sugar (snow!), it's that simple to make the little ones feel special!  We made cranberry sauce muffins and used some leftover snowman cupcake picks to really make it feel like a spectacular winter holiday. 

*This recipe is peanut-free, tree nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free,  fish-free, and shellfish-free. As always, check this ingredient list and your local products to make sure that this recipe is allergy safe for your family and/or friends!

Serious Comfort Food Series - Cream of Broccoli Soup

In honor of this flu and cold season, I'm going to post a series of comfort food recipes.  Often our favorite comfort foods are easy foods from a can, a box, or the freezer section; mac and cheese, any variety of soup, flavored noodle dishes, or frozen bag meals.  Just as often, these "pre-made" meals contain ingredients that are unfriendly or dangerous for those with food allergies. Make these flavor - packed, comfort food recipes and freeze in individual containers for an easy, safe meal when the "sickies" strike your family!

Let's kick off the "Comfort Food Series" with a personal favorite, Cream of Broccoli Soup.  I am going to give you my basic recipe AND the ingredient substitutions to make a dairy-free version that is just as yummy!

The version pictured here is non-dairy! Doesn't it look yummy and creamy?

*This recipe is peanut-free, tree nut-free, dairy-free (if following substitution list), egg-free, fish-free, and shellfish-free. As always, check this ingredient list and your local products to make sure that this recipe is allergy safe for your family and/or friends!