GF Thanksgiving Turkey idea

Yeah, yeah, I know...It is not anywhere near Thanksgiving, but I have been so busy between back surgery and school that I have SOOOO many posts to catch up on. Since we run from house to house on the holidays and there is no garuntee what will be GF for my son & myself, I experimented with this Martha Stewart recipe for Thanksgiving. It turned out GREAT! I altered it a little, but hey, what recipe don't I alter? :-) It took a while to get used to, since I am still a "moving into intermediate" cook. But, here we go:

Rolled Turkey Breast with Sausage Stuffing

Rolled Turkey Ingredients

• 1 turkey breast (about 5 1/2 pounds), skin on, boned, trimmed, and butterflied
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• Sausage Stuffing (Ingredients listed below)
  
• 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup water, plus more if needed

Sausage Stuffing Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if needed
• 1 pound sausage, casings removed
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 8 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons chopped thyme
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups gluten free breadcrumbs
• 2 ounces pecans, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Unsalted butter, softened, for baking dish, if needed

Sausage Stuffing Directions

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Add sausage, and cook, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until browned (4 to 5 minutes)
  
• Transfer sausage to a medium bowl (using a slotted spoon)
• Add onion and celery to drippings in skillet, adding more oil if necessary.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent and celery is tender (about 6 minutes)
• Add mushrooms and thyme, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are softened, (about 2 minutes)
  
• Add wine and stir, scraping browned bits from bottom of pan.
  
• Simmer until reduced by half (2 to 3 minutes)
  
• Stir in cooked sausage, remove from heat, and let cool slightly in pan.
• Working in batches, pulse sausage mixture in a food processor (I used my kitchen aid) until very finely chopped.
• Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in breadcrumbs and pecans, and season with salt and pepper.
  
• Add egg, and stir to combine.
• Let cool to room temperature.

• To cook stuffing in a turkey: Stuff as directed below in "Rolled Turkey" directions

Rolled Turkey Breast Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees, making sure the rack is in the lowest position
  
• Rinse turkey, and pat dry with paper towels.
  
• Place it on a flat surface, skin side up. Using a chopstick or the handle of a wooden spoon, gently separate turkey skin from breast meat, being careful not to tear the skin.
  
• Remove skin, and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Flip turkey over, and lay flat. If turkey is not an even thickness, cover with plastic wrap, and gently pound with a mallet or a rolling pin.
  
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Spread stuffing evenly on turkey. Starting on 1 short side, tightly roll up turkey.
• Center reserved skin on turkey roll, and smooth to remove any trapped air.
• Season with salt and pepper.
  
• Wrap entire turkey roll in cheesecloth, securing both ends with kitchen string. Tie additional string around roll in 3 or 4 places, spacing evenly.
• Rub with 4 tablespoons butter

• Place turkey roll on a rack on a rimmed baking sheet.
  
• Transfer to oven, and pour water in baking sheet.
• Roast, rotating halfway through and brushing with remaining 2 tablespoons butter, until stuffing registers 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer (about 2 hours and 10 minutes) (Add more water to baking sheet if necessary to prevent pan drippings from burning.)
  
• Let turkey roll rest on baking sheet for 30 minutes.
• To carve the turkey roll: Remove cheesecloth, and transfer turkey roll to a cutting board. Carefully cut roll into slices at least 1/2 inch thick, keeping stuffing intact. Transfer slices to a serving platter, and serve immediately

Another Quick Lunch/Snack Idea

Here is a quick snack or sweet lunch idea. I only wish I could figure out a way to keep my corn tortilla from breaking apart! I did over-stuff mine though. This is a slightly altered recipe from Betty Crocker. It looks pretty yummy. Thought I would share. I just replaced the flour tortilla with a white corn tortilla. My rating of this recipe is a 3.5 out of 5. Hope it works out well for you all.

Peanut Butter & Banana Wraps

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 4 white corn tortillas
• 2 small bananas, sliced
• 1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cups honey (optional)

Directions

• Spread 2 TBSP of the peanut butter evenly over each tortilla.
• Drizzle 1 TBSP of the honey over each tortilla (optional)
• Top with banana slices and chocolate chips.
• Roll up tortillas and secure with a toothpick.

Another Quick but Yummy Dinner

This is a recipe found in Incredible Edible Gluten Free Food for kids, by Sheri L. Sanderson. We make two pies and they don't last long at all. It is an incredibly yummy recipe & I hope you'll give it a try. It is also incredibly easy. When I throw it together, I typically leave out the onion & green pepper. Also, note for step #8; try to picture your spaghetti needs to look like a pie crust, and shape it accordingly. I will post pics to this next time I cook it. Enjoy!

Spaghetti Pie

Ingredients

• 4 oz rice or corn spaghetti
• 1/2 lb ground beef, turkey, sausage, or combo
• 1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper (1/2 medium)
• 3/4 cup spaghetti or pizza sauce (15 oz)
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (1&1/3 oz)
• 1 TBSP butter or margarine, melted
• 1 cup cottage cheese (8 oz)
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (2 oz)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain well. Return to pan.
• Meanwhile, in a frying pan, saute the ground meat, onions, & bell pepper until the meat is browned & the onions are translucent. Drain fats.
  
• Add spaghetti or pizza sauce & stir to combine. Set aside.
• In a bowl, beat one egg.
  
• Add the Parmesan cheese & melted butter, & mix well to combine.
  
• Add hot pasta & toss until combined.
  
• In a well-greased 9-inch pie pan, spread the spaghetti mixture with a spoon across the bottom & up the sides to form a crust. (or you can cover the mixture with plastic wrap & smooth with hands, then remove plastic wrap)
  
• Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl
• Drain the cottage cheese, and combine with beaten egg
• Spread over the bottom of the "spaghetti crust"
  
• Spoon the meat mixture over the cottage cheese mixture.
• Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes & then remove from oven
• Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top of the pie & return the pie to the oven for another 5-8 minutes more, or until cheese melts & "crust" sets.
  
• Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing into wedges.