An Unconventional Thanksgiving Dinner

I had a wonderful and unconventional thanksgiving dinner yesterday. No turkey. No gravy. No grain. No heavy feeling after the meal and no regrets. 

My holiday meal included a lot of locally grown ingredients from my state, region, and bio region, and only a few imported ingredients from far away places (the coconut milk and oil, cranberries, Turkish dried apricots, and spices).

I shared a delicious meal with my friends Kenny and Brenna, and their three beautiful children, Zane (6), Kaleb (4), and Murphy (14 months). Kenny, an experienced commercial fisherman (also known as The Fishhugger) thinly sliced some of his sustainably harvested wild Alaskan salmon from this summer’s catch. If you live in Phoenix you can buy it at farmers'markets around the valley or have him deliver it to your door.

Kenny poached half the Coho salmon in white wine with rosemary (fresh from his garden) and seared the other half in a cast iron skillet with Bariani stone-crushed California-grown olive oil, which he sells at farmers' markets in Phoenix. We seasoned it at the table with Kenny’s Original Spice Rub, a blend of ground kosher sea salt, white pepper, black pepper, granulated garlic, onion powder, rosemary, parsley, and dehydrated lemon peel.

Brenna made a colorful green salad with fresh vegetables from Bob McClendon of McClendon's Select at the Town & Country Farmers’ Market in central Phoenix, dressed with more Bariani olive oil and mustard-dill vinegar. She also steamed Bob's hearty braising mix of red kale, green kale, tat-soi, chard, mizuna, red and green mustards, and topped it with butter from pasture-fed cows.

I brought a dairy-free, reduced carb variation of mashed potatoes using 1 part potato and 3 to 4 parts cauliflower (recipe in the next post), homemade bone broth, coconut milk, coconut oil, sea salt, and pepper. I have nothing against potatoes. I just figured we’d be eating my my low-sugar, gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free Squash Pudding Pie for dessert, so I wanted something lighter and less starchy for our feast.

I also brought homemade Cranberry Apricot Chutney with Ginger (recipe below) and a package of Teeccino, an herbal coffee, to brew and serve with dessert. It looks dark, smells rich, and has a full-bodied flavor reminiscent of coffee. Yet it doesn't contain coffee beans, caffeine, or irritating acids, and its free of the chemicals found in decaf. It tastes mildly sweet from dates and figs, yet it's low in calories and carbs. Some people use it gradually wean themselves off coffee. Others, like me, simply enjoy the bitter and robust flavor that few teas can deliver. It makes a nice contrast to a sweet dessert and a good morning wake up drink without draining your adrenals.

Although Teeccino contains barley, an independent laboratory at the University of Nebraska that specializes in gluten testing found no detectable levels of gluten in it. Gluten is not extracted by boiling water. The company regularly has Teeccino tested at the University of Nebraska’s Allergy Testing lab where it has had no detectible levels of gluten found at 10PPM. To view the lab report click here.

Everyone enjoyed the meal, even the kids. Kenny’s kids absolutely love fish and willingly eat vegetables and fruits. The boys (4 and 6) each polished off two pieces of my low-sugar, dairy-free, Squash Pudding Pie. You can find the recipe for that in both of my recent books, The Garden of Eating: A Produce-Dominated Diet & Cookbook and Ice Dream Cookbook: Dairy-Free Ice Cream Alternatives with Gluten Free Cookies, Compotes, and Sauces. I make the pie several times a year, not just for Thanksgiving. Even Murphy (14 months) enjoyed the Teeccino beverage, straight-up, unsweetened!

Cranberry-Apricot Chutney with Ginger
Hands on: 20 minutes/ Cooking: 15 minutes /Yield: 3 cups; 12 servings
                   
The inspiration for this tangy chunky chutny came from a recipe by Sally Sampson (Delicious Living Magazine, Dec., 2003). I changed the sweetener, cut back the “sugar,” and added my own twist. This relish perks up poached, sautéed, grilled, or broiled chicken, turkey, salmon, or pork, or a vanilla- and cinnamon-infused omelet. It also doubles as jam for cornbread and makes a wonderful holiday gift.
       
Notes: Double the recipe if you like (it freezes well) but use a large and wide pot so the juices cook away quickly. Xylitol, a granulated, low-glycemic substitute for sugar, contains 40% fewer calories. Look for it in natural foods stores. To reduce fat and calories, omit nuts below.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup pitted, sulfite-free (preferably-Turkish) dried apricots, finely diced
1/4 cup sulfite-free raisins or dried currants
1/4 cup xylitol or honey or agave nectar
1/4 teaspoon finely ground, unrefined sea salt, optional
1/4 teaspoon pure stevia extract powder (you could try liquid stevia)
1 tablespoon peeled, minced fresh ginger root or bottled ginger purée (double if desired)
12 ounce bag fresh or frozen cranberries (do not thaw), about 3 cups
1/3 cup apple juice, pineapple juice, or apricot or peach nectar
1 tablespoon arrowroot dissolved in 3 tablespoons cool or cold filtered water
grated zest of 1 lime
grated zest of 1 orange
1/2 to 3/4 cup lightly toasted, coarsely chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds


1.    Layer dried apricots, raisins or currants, xylitol, stevia, sea salt, ginger, dried cranberries, and fruit juice in a 1 to 1 1/2 quart saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer until tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
2.    Dissolve arrowroot in cool water then add to saucepan. Simmer and stir until thick and clear, then remove from heat. Stir in orange and lime zests, and optional nuts. Transfer to glass containers. Allow to cool, then cover, and freeze whatever you don’t plan to use within 1 month (leaving 1-inch of headspace in each container), and refrigerating the rest.

1/4 cup with nuts: 122 calories, 2 g protein, 21 g carbohydrate (5 g fiber), 4 g fat, 8 mg calcium, 39 mg sodium
1/4 cup without nuts: 86 calories, 1 g protein, 20 g carbohydrate (5 g fiber), 0 g fat, 4 mg calcium, 39 mg sodium

Variations:
*   Cranberry Apricot Chutney with Chipotlé: Replace ginger with 1 to 2 minced jalapeno or chipotlé chiles or 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground jalapeno, ancho, or chipotlé pepper powder.
*    Replace dried apricots with dried, fruit sweetened strawberries.

© Copyright 2008, Rachel Albert-Matesz