Delicious Braised Turkey Legs

Ingredients:
1 T cooking oil
2 turkey legs, scored (cut some slits in the meat down to the bone)
2 turkey thighs, scored
4 shallots, peeled and quartered
1/2 head garlic, cloves peeled and cut in half
4 stalks celery, peeled & cut bite-sized
salt & pepper to taste
2/3 C water

1 lemon, juiced

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Brown the turkey legs in batches; don't overcrowd the pan. When all the turkey is well-browned, move it to a deep baking dish.
3. Heat the saute pan again over high heat and add more cooking oil if there isn't some left. Add the shallots, garlic and celery and brown them for 3-4 minutes. Be careful not to burn the bottom of the pan if you can help it, because you'll be deglazing it later. Add the vegetables to the turkey in the baking dish, season with salt and pepper and stir.
4. Heat the saute pan over low heat, add the 2/3 C water and scrape the brown goodness off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the flavored water to the baking dish.
5. Cover the dish and braise for 1 1/2 hours or until the meat falls off the bone. Pull the meat off the bones, combine with the veggies, add the lemon juice, taste for seasoning and serve.

Teresa's Delicious Wraps

Teresa's food is so freaking good. Using whatever she sees around, she always creates these beautifully layered flavors. Cooking with her is fun because she grew up cooking from scratch in Georgia, and I grew up eating mostly processed foods in California, to learn intensively about cooking later. The ways we approach cooking are different and similar at the same time. Oh yeah, we eat well in my house. Mmmm.

Ingredients:
1 T oil
1 lg sweet onion, sliced 1" thick
1 bell pepper, diced 3/4" on a side
7 medium mushrooms, diced
3" piece of turkey kielbasa, diced small
6 slices turkey bacon, diced small
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/4 t grated ginger
1/2 bu red chard, sliced 1/2" thick
6 basil leaves, sliced thinly
1 spring mint, leaves sliced thinly
salt & pepper to taste
tortillas
shredded jack cheese (another cheese would do)
pesto to taste

Instructions:
1. Heat a large sauté pan over high heat and add the oil. Add the onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, kielbasa and bacon. Season with salt, pepper & ginger.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
3. Cook over high heat around 4 minutes. Add chard, basil & mint, turn heat to low and cook 3 minutes.
4. Warm tortillas in oven for about 10 minutes. Fill with turkey & vegetable mix, garnish with cheese and pesto, and serve.

Fall Naked Casserole

(conforms to the elimination diet)

makes about 4 large servings

A naked casserole is a casserole without a binding component such as eggs, cream or flour.

Ingredients:

¾ lb. turkey leg meat, cubed one inch on a side

pinch each salt & black pepper

½ head cauliflower

½ bu. Italian parsley

1 bu. lacinato (or “dinosaur”) kale

½ head garlic, cloves smashed

½ C turkey stock

½ t salt

large pinch black pepper

¼ C olive oil

½ lemon, juiced

½ C almonds

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Season the turkey meat with salt and pepper.

Sear the turkey in a very hot pan for a few minutes until well browned but not cooked through.

Put the turkey on a cold plate and set aside to cool a bit.

Chop the cauliflower into bite-sized pieces. Chop the kale into bite-sized pieces, and chop the parsley.

In a casserole dish, assemble all the ingredients except the lemon juice, tossing lightly to distribute seasoning evenly.

Bake partially uncovered (foil over most of the dish with a corner upturned is the easiest way) for an hour and a half to two hours, checking the turkey and cauliflower for doneness. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed.

Add lemon juice, top with almonds and serve in bowls with the cooking juices.

Thanksgiving Naked Casserole

(conforms to the elimination diet)

makes about 4 large servings

A naked casserole is a casserole without a binding component such as eggs, cream or flour.

Ingredients:

¾ lb. turkey leg meat, cubed one inch on a side

pinch each salt & black pepper

2 stalks celery

3 small or 2 medium sweet potatoes

1 bu. mustard greens

½ head garlic, cloves smashed

4 sprigs thyme, picked

4 sage leaves

½ C turkey stock

½ t salt

large pinch black pepper

¼ C olive oil

½ lemon, juiced

½ C walnuts

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Season the turkey meat with salt and pepper.

Sear the turkey in a very hot pan for a few minutes until well browned but not cooked through.

Put the turkey on a cold plate and set aside to cool a bit.

Peel the celery (if desired; you can save the peels for the next stock), chop into bite-sized pieces. Peel and cut the sweet potatoes the same size. Cut the mustard greens away from the thick stems (also save for stock) and chop bite-sized as well.

Chop the herbs.

In a casserole dish, assemble all the ingredients except the lemon juice, tossing lightly to distribute seasoning evenly.

Bake partially uncovered (foil over most of the dish with a corner upturned is the easiest way) for an hour and a half to two hours, checking the turkey and sweet potatoes for doneness. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed.

Add lemon juice, top with walnuts and serve in bowls with the cooking juices. Can be reheated or even eaten cool.

Turkey Stock

(conforms to the elimination diet)

makes about ¾ gallon of stock

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs. turkey leg bones (pre-roasted if you want darker stock)

1 gal. cold water

1 leek, washed & sliced

6 cloves garlic, smashed

2 carrots, cut in large chunks

1 bay leaf

any other vegetable or meat scraps you have (within the diet)

Method:

Simmer bones in water for about 45 minutes, skimming off any foam that emerges.

Add vegetables and simmer for an hour.

Strain & store. Freezes very well.