In preparation for Turkey Day, Whole9 posted an awesome combination of paleo thanksgiving options. Check it out here or read on for an excerpt.


First, we aren’t necessarily encouraging anyone to do a Whole30® during the holidays. However, all of these dishes are Whole30 compliant, because (a) everything in our Steal This Meal series meets those standards, (b) this is a good opportunity to show your family and friends that your dietary choices are both satisfying and delicious, and (c) we wanted to provide an alternative for for those of you who simply cannot eat conventional flour, dairy or other ingredients in “traditional” Thanksgiving dishes.

Finally, let’s get this out of the way right now. You know we wouldn’t normally promote “Paleo-ifying” a poor food choice (like bread-laden stuffing or sugar-drenched cranberry sauce). But in the once-a-year case of a family-centric, culturally significant holiday like Thanksgiving, we believe it’s okay to recreate a dish that is reminiscent of what we used to eat. Recreating a Whole30-friendly stuffing for an annual family dinner is not the same thing as justifying your “healthy” Paleo pancakes every morning for breakfast! (But you already knew that.) And we’re not including dessert recipes here, because Oprah knows you don’t need any help finding Paleo versions of sweet treats, right?


One last note : These recipes aren’t designed to taste just like the original. That would be impossible, and disappointing for your guests. Instead, we encourage you to present these Whole30 dishes as alternatives – traditional Thanksgiving fare with a twist.

Whole9 Thanksgiving "Stuffing"

This dish serves 8-10. We’ve used extra-lean ground beef and soaked walnuts, along with traditional spices and herbs, to give this “stuffing” the same feel and flavor as the original bread-based dish. Note, the extra-lean ground beef is the key – buy the leanest available. This will keep the stuffing from tasting too much like, well… ground beef, as much of the beef flavor is carried in the fat. This is best right out of the oven, and it smells just like the dish Dallas’ Mum makes. We thought it delicious, and the perfect accompaniment to turkey.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound extra-lean ground beef (we used the 95% lean, organic, grass-fed beef from Whole Foods)
• 2 cups walnut pieces, very finely chopped/ground and soaked overnight (rinse several times before using)
• 1 medium sweet onion, diced
• 4 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 apple, cored and finely diced (we used a Minnesota Honeycrisp)
• Several springs of fresh rosemary, sage, thyme, and marjoram (poultry mix), finely chopped
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp sea salt

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Chop all the veggies, the apple, and herbs.
• Saute the beef and celery for 3-4 minutes on medium heat, making sure that the beef gets broken up into really small pieces as it cooks. (Big chunks are not very stuffing-like!) We used a big saucepan for this, as we didn’t want the contents to overflow once everything was mixed.
• Add the onion and apple, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
• Add the herbs, garlic powder, walnuts, and salt, and mix thoroughly. The beef should NOT be totally cooked at this point – there should still be some pink.
• Pull everything out of the pan, and dump it into a 9×13 baking pan (or two 6×9 pans), and bake uncovered at 375 for 30 minutes. Serve hot from the oven.

We couldn’t believe how much this looked – and smelled – like real stuffing!

Cauliflower “Wild Rice” and Sausage Stuffing

This recipe comes from Whole30 pro and Paleo chef Erica Cooksey, also known as the blogess behind “Stuff I Make My Husband,” and serves 4-8 people. Erica notes, “Since rice normally clumps together a bit because of the starch, I added a beaten egg – though if you have an egg allergy, I am certain you could leave it out.” For variation, consider adding a diced green apple along with the veggies, or using a different nut instead of the pecans, such as hazelnuts, pistachios, or pine nuts.

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower, separated into florets and run through the shredding disk of a food processor for “rice”
• 1/2 lb Italian sausage (or some other form of Whole30 approved sausage)
• 1 onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 2 celery ribs, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 4 oz (weight) crimini mushrooms, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 2 Tbs minced fresh parsley leaves
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• Dash cayenne
• 1/2 cup toasted pecan chips
• 1 egg, beaten (optional)
• 1 tsp cold coconut oil, ghee, or clarified butter (I used ghee)
• Salt

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 F
• Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, crumbling with a wooden spoon. When no longer pink, remove it from the skillet using a slotted spoon.
• Saute the onion in the sausage grease (there should be about a teaspoon) until just starting to soften, then add the celery and mushrooms. Saute until all the vegetables are soft. Add the garlic and saute for another minute or so. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley, thyme, cayenne, and pecans.
• In a casserole dish, stir the cauliflower with salt to taste, using a pretty generous amount. Using a fork, toss it with the beaten egg, then thoroughly combine with sausage and the veggie mixture. Smooth the top and dot it with tiny pieces of the cold fat.
• Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until lightly golden browned on top. Serve with roast chicken, turkey, or Cornish hens.

The recipes don't end here.  Read on for more awesome recipes.  Have a great recipe for Thanksgiving? Post it to comments or email dana@norcalcrossfit.com to share.  

Enjoy!