This Christmas apple cranberry slab pie reminded me of the flavor profiles on the show.  The cranberries add a necessary tang to all the sweet and combine beautifully with the apples.

I’m not new to slab pies, as I made a summer version with blueberries and peaches here.

The key to this Christmas pie is flavors and cooking down the apples with butter, cinnamon, orange zest, vanilla, cardamom, and nutmeg. You can choose to mix it up anyway you like, but keep the cinnamon!

Pushing the flavors of old time Christmas, the cranberries do their job.  I used two kinds of apples. The granny smith which cooked down, yielding a lot of juice. To those I added 3 gala apples which don’t cook down in the same way.

This is the first time I’ve mixed my apples, and I rather like it. Gala apples are usually my apple of choice because they keep some of their crispness. You can mix up your apples (see notes in recipe).

The filling for the apple cranberry slab pie is absolutely delicious.

It tastes like an old fashioned pie you might eat in Europe, so rich in flavors.

I trimmed the dough around the sheet pan, but you could do something more decorative if you choose. I felt I had enough dough and the corner pieces would have too much.

Blind bake Apple Cranberry Slab Pie for 15 minutes. 

Since my apple filling was pre-cooked, I blind-baked the bottom crust for 15 minutes to ensure it remain crisp when cut. It worked perfectly, and there was no soggy bottom.

Use any cookie cutters you like. I like these Christmas cookie cutters.

This is the perfect crowd pleaser. Pre-cut into squares in the pan before serving. This pie also freezes well.

I’ll be adding this to my Apple Desserts with Decorative Crusts

Summer Slab Pie Here

More Apple Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Pan Dowdy (Gluten Free)
• Bourbon Caramelized Apple Hand Pie
• Low Carb Apple Upside Down Cake
• Caramelized Apple Tart with Stove Top Brown Sugar Apple Filling
• Keto Apple Muffins

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Apple Cranberry Slab Pie

Winter Apple pie with cranberries baked in a sheet pan.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Servings 15

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

Apple Cranberry Pie Filling

• 8 apples
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cup fresh cranberries can sub with raspberries
• 1/3 cup brown sugar may need a few tablespoons more
• 1/2 orange for juice and zest
• 4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
• 3/4 cup sugar (See Notes)
• 1/2 orange
• 2 tablespoons sifted corn starch
• Pie Dough
• 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour 448 grams plus more for dusting
• 12 ounces Unsalted Butter 24 tablespoons or 3 sticks
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup iced cold water 2 more tablespoons, (if needed

Instructions

• Make Pie Dough below first and refrigerate for one hour while making apple filling.

MAKE APPLE FILLING

• Peel and core apples. Y≈
• Slice apples about 1/4 inch thick.
• Zest orange and juice orange.
• Put 4 tablespoons butter in frying pan with 2 tablespoons brown sugar.
• Toss apples with sugar, juice of half orange, orange zest. Add 1 tablespoon corn starch.
• Cook apples and cranberries on top of stove on low in large frying pan, until somewhat softened. The granny smith apples will cook down more than the gala apples. There will a lot of liquid, after about 15 minutes.
• Drain liquid and use in another recipe.
• MAKE PIE DOUGH
• Cut butter into small pieces. Freeze for 10 minutes.
• Mix flour, sugar, salt in food processor or kitchen aid mixer. You can whisk and do this with your hands.
• Cut butter into flour mixture. I prefer my kitchen aid mixer but a food processor works well too
• You can, however use a pastry cutter and mix butter into flour, making sure to keep the pieces pea sized.
• Add in ice cold water. Mix just enough to be able to squeeze dough together.
• If the dough stays together when you press, it’s processed enough.
• Put in plastic bag, separating it into 1/3 and 2/3. Bring it together in bag. Refrigerate for one hour. You can do this a day in advance of recipe.
• Bring out twenty minutes before rolling.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange rack in oven on bottom third.
• Once you are ready to assemble, first roll out 1/3 dough to make stars. You can make 15 large stars or 18 smaller stars. You can use more dough from the other section if need be. The recipe will make the stars and the remaining dough is just enough for the sheet pan.
• Make the cut outs and place in refrigerator, while rolling out the dough for the bottom.
• Roll into rectangle and place in sheet pan.
• Fork holes all over the bottom. Place in freezer for a few minutes.
• Arrange apples cranberry mixture.
• Before placing stars over fruit, using your finger, rub milk over each star, and sprinkle raw sugar
• Bake for 35 minutes. Check halfway through and turn pan around.
• Check at 30 minutes and loosely cover with foil if it’s already golden brown.
• Allow to cool before cutting.
• Keep at room temperature, covered with foil.
• Can be frozen for 60 days. Take out and allow to defrost at room temperature. Can be reheated in oven.

Notes

Apples: I mixed my apples, but you can use all gala which stay a little crisper and require less sugar. If you use all granny smith apples, you will need all the sugar. Taste filling as you go, since it’s cooked stovetop. 

The post Christmas Apple Cranberry Slab Pie appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I feel confident calling this the best ever chicken salad because I brought it to a party, and everyone who tried it commented on it.  It was perfect combination of textures. Pomegranates, pecans, celery, apples, white meat chicken. I used the Best Body Mayonnaise  (Amazon) as it is 100% avocado oil.

You can make this a keto friendly recipe by eliminating the apple, but do keep the pomegranate.

Use a Good Rotisserie Chicken for Chicken Salad

It all started when a friend dropped off two rotisserie chickens from Whole Foods to keep us covered for dinners, after my mother passed away. I cut off all of the white meat, discarding any skin or bones, and froze the dark meat for another time.

You can roast your own chicken, using my easy one hour oven roasted chicken recipe. 

I was shocked at how much chicken I ended up having and would say one chicken is probably all you need for several servings.  The day before my mother died, I stopped at Whole Foods with the intention of making soup and had organic celery on hand. I had made her this roasted pumpkin which was her last dinner with us and still had pomegranate arils left. I also had a few very crisp gala apples, and fresh parsley (for the soup I never made). I always have pecans on hands, and chose to roast them for just about 3 minutes.

What is the Key to the Great Chicken Salad?

As easy as chicken salad is to make, there are important components to making it the best.

• The chicken has to be pulled, not cubed. Use a food Processor.
• The mayonnaise has to be healthy. I use Better Body Foods because it doesn’t have canola oil.
• There has to be some crunch, either from celery or apples or both. (I know some people hate celery).
• There needs to be a little bit of sweet, which is where my pomegranate comes in. It’s a better choice than using dried cranberries if you’re looking for a lower sugar option.
• It needs nuts, and I prefer roasted, chopped pecans.
• Don’t forget the salt and pepper, and a smattering of parsley.
• Add a little honey if your mayonnaise doesn’t have flavor.
• Add fresh herbs. I added rosemary for a holiday feel.

My Favorite Food Processors (My Amazon Picks)

Braun 12 Cup Food Processor that does everything. I use this for shredding carrots, squeezing lemons, chopping nuts and processing my chicken. This is the processor for life.

Kitchen Aid 5 Cup Food Processor – great for the small jobs. You can use this for the chicken salad, but you might have to do it in batches.

I know this can be used to make the best chicken salad sandwich, but I like to serve it in a pretty bowl, topped with chopped pecans, pomegranates, and a smattering of parsley and rosemary. It’s so perfect for Christmas parties and Christmas brunches.

You can use this same recipe to make the best ever turkey salad.

Please pin this ↓

Pomegranate Spells Holiday Time

The pomegranate arils perfected this chicken salad, adding a touch of tart and sweet with some texture. I wouldn’t leave these out. I get so excited when pomegranates hit the grocery in winter as I throw them into almost every salad and some hot dishes like last week’s roasted pumpkin. Just a tablespoon or two makes a difference.

How to Crack Open a Pomegranate

Score the six ridges of the pomegranate and break at the ridges over a bowl of water. The frustrating part can be the pulp mixing with the pomegranate arils. Break over a bowl of cold water. The arils will sink to the bottom and you can use a slotted spoon to remove the pulp from the top. Then drain the arils.

Nutrition Value for Best Chicken Salad

If you want this to be a keto friendly (zero net carb) recipe,  take out the apple. It was as if everything was pre-planned to make the best ever chicken salad. This low carb and a paleo recipe, full of healthy fat, protein and fruits and around 4 net carbs per serving.  If you remove the apple, it’s zero net carbs and keto friendly.

More Party Foods from Spinach Tiger

• Pimento Cheese Egg Salad
• Loaded Deviled Eggs
• Party Caprese Salad
• Keto Texas Sheet Cake
• Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs
• Italian Sausage Balls
• Sourdough Camembert Wreath
• Feta Olives Salad
• Ricotta, Peas, Pesto Appetizer
• Cowboy Caviar
• How to Make a Cheeseboard

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Holiday Chicken Salad

Pulled chicken, with pomegranates, rosemary, and pecans make a very festive chicken salad made with Rotisserie chicken.

Course Appetizer, Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken salad

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound white meat chicken Pulled from rotisserie chicken or poached
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1 cup mayonnaise Better Body Foods
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate arils
• 1/2 cup pecans chopped
• 1 small gala apple with skin diced
• 1 tablespoon parsley chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to taste or to taste
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon honey optinal

Instructions

• Pull chicken off bone. Don't use any skin. I find using a food processor makes the texture I like for chicken salad.
• Add diced celery, diced apple to chicken.
• Add mayonnaise according to need. I used quite a bit. Add optional honey if desired. It does add an extra something.
• Toasting pecans is optional. No more than 3 minutes. Chop somewhere between fine and course, keeping in mind how that will be for eating. Add in, but save some for topping.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Add in rosemary and parsley, but also save a little for the top.

Prepare Pomegranate

• Score the six ridges of a pomegranate.
• Break open over a bowl of cold water. The pomegranate arils will sink to bottom.
• Add two tablespoons of arils, and save a little for the top.

Poached Chicken Breasts Option

• Add about 2 inches cold water over the chicken breasts and bring to boil. Once the water is boiling, skim off the scum off the top, and turn down the heat. Take out of the water as soon as the chicken reaches 165 degrees F. in the middle. Cool completely before making the chicken salad.

The post Best Ever Holiday Chicken Salad with Rosemary and Pomegranates appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Start the dinner with this Camembert Sourdough Wreath

Many people either make the turkey dinner all over again or they make lasagna. It was actually googling spinach lasagna 16 years ago that inspired me to start a food blog.

We usually make something with beef and then add in the fancy side dishes. Here are some ideas for you.

Tenderloin Roast of Beef – I think this is what we will be doing again this year, although I am going to make some kind of fancy sauce.

Prime Rib of Beef – This is still one of my all time favorite dinners with sour cream horseradish sauce. I have friends who use my recipe every year and brag about it.

Leg of Lamb – This should not be restricted to easter. Leg of lamb is scrumptuous and more affordable than many cuts of premium beef.

Beef Bourguignon – This very fancy beef stew, made with a whole bottle of wine, is good enough for Christmas Day. My oven broke a few years ago and this became Christmas dinner.

Stuffed Shells – I think this is one of the pasta dishes that should be made sometime during the holidays if not for Christmas day. You can get the whole family in the kitchen with piping bags filling the large shells. Fun and delicious.

Mock Porchetta with Root Vegetables – This pork roast (considered street food in Italy when sliced onto rolls) is one of my favorite ways to eat pork. I found this recipe in the Zuni Cafe cookbook (a San Francisco restaurant I can attest to). It’s stuffed with fennel and lemon and has all the Italian feels. Surround it with your favorite root vegetables.

Short Ribs in Wine – Yes, this is a great Christmas dinner idea that can be made in advance. It took me a while to create a great short ribs recipe. This is it.

Pork Loin (how to brine and roast) – Perfect with my no lump mashed potatoes. Another affordable entree that pleases a crowd.

If you are going to have a small Christmas dinner gathering, you might want to make this very easy Rack of Lamb.

Veal Osso Buco – I know you probably don’t make this very often, if at all, but it’s just delicious and something to try.

Pot Roast of Beef served with Parmesan Whipped Potatoes – This is a Marcella Hazan recipe, the queen of Italian cooking. She passed some years ago and her book, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking continues to sell. The first 50 pages discuss the fundamentals of Italian cooking and is worth the price alone. This book has no pictures, but many accolades over the last 50 years!

Fancy Sides

• Holiday Wedge Salad (homemade blue cheese dressing)
• Kale Winter Salad
• Festive Harvest Salad with rosemary vinaigrette
• Raw Cauliflower Salad with Pistachios
• Scalloped Potatoes
• Twice Baked Cauliflower

Some Desserts to Consider

• Almond Tart
• Keto Spiced Pear Cheesecake Bar
• Classic Fancy Keto Cheesecake
• Christmas Apple Pie (not low carb)
• Low Carb Italian Pear Cake
• Keto Raspberry Cheesecake
• Rich Flourless Chocolate Cake (not low carb)

The post Main Entrees for Christmas Dinner appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

The beauty of this cookie is how thin and crisp it is, which makes it so addicting. I haven’t yet met a person who eats just one and can stop.

My Aunt Rita was the only one in the family who made made them and I still have her handwritten recipe. I combined it with a recipe I found in an Amish cookbook, Cooking from Quilt Country by Marcia Adams.

It’s the only recipe I’ve seen that separates the eggs and  beats the egg whites stiff. You must use real butter, no substitutes, which is funny because my Aunt Rita hated butter, and the only time of year you could find butter at her house was when she was making sand tarts.

The sentimentality goes deep for me. Her son, Sam, my closest cousin was like a big brother to me. He passed away at 42 and left me everything including this book. I can actually remember the day he bought the book and showed it to me. He was very influential in how I view food.

It was years before I delved into the book, but it’s quite marvelous, highlighting all the regional dishes I grew up eating, and the type of cooking that has enjoyed a renaissance. I can’t bake these cookies without thinking about both of them, and I will pass this down to the children in my life, which is why I made a video.

Pennsylvania Dutch Sand Tarts Must be Rolled Very Thin

A very simple cookie, but one not so easy to get exactly right, as they must be rolled quite thin. The cookies are challenging only in getting them thin enough; otherwise it’s an easy cookie dough to make, but they must be made the night before and refrigerated.

It’s very tricky to send cookies out of town and keep them from going stale. I used cylinder tins and made a cookie that the recipe says will keep indefinitely.

You will want a lot of different cookie cutters.

I made these for Thanksgiving, and used a maple leaf cookie cutter and placed a pecan in the center. For Christmas, you might see them just like this, or you might see them with colored sugar.

I Grew up Eating Pennsylvania Dutch Sand Tarts Every Christmas

When I mention sand tarts to people who know and understand the regional component, they get excited and plead with me to make them a batch. I hope you and your family will enjoy this long time Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas tradition.

You will have to hide the cookies though, because they are so thin and crisp, it’s easy to eat a dozen at a time. This was the first time I’ve made Pennsylvania Dutch sand tarts and now I’ll be making them every year.

Tell me about your food traditions at the Holidays. Do you have a recipe that’s been passed down and have you ever heard of Pennsylvania Dutch Sand Tarts? I put a lot of baking and cooking posts on Instagram and Pinterest.

Family Italian Christmas Cookies from Spinach Tiger

• Chocolate Biscotti
• Lemon Almond Biscotti
• Cucidati (Italian Fig Cookie)
• Ricotta Cookie
• Date Cookies

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Pennsylvania Dutch Sand Tarts

A Pennsylvania Dutch cookie, thin and crisp and traditionally served only at Christmas.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1 day day

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 day day 10 minutes minutes

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound butter softened (no substitutes)
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 eggs separated
• 3 cups all-purpose flour

Topping

• 1/4 cup sugar mixed with 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 egg beaten
• 4 cups whole pecans although I didn’t use that many

Instructions

• If using a kitchen aid, beat the egg whites stiff first and transfer to another bowl.
• In the mixing bowl, beat butter until very softened. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add salt, and vanilla. Beat egg yolks and add.
• Fold in the egg whites, but not totally. You should still be able to see some of the white patches.
• Add in flour 1 1/2 cups at a time.
• Chill overnight.
• Bake the next day at 350 degrees.
• Roll out a quarter at a time, keeping dough in refrigerator.
• Roll very thin and use a 2 inch scalloped cookie cutter to form or use any Christmas cutter you desire.
• Brush with beaten egg, top, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and top with pecan.
• Bake 9-10 minutes, not allowing cookie to get too brown.
• Cool thoroughly on wire racks.
• Pack in tins.

The post Pennsylvania Dutch Sand Tarts, an Amish Christmas Cookie appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

This means the cookies will be made with some combination of almond flour and coconut flour with the Swerve sweetener (powdered erythritol).

I’ll admit that baking cookies without wheat flour and sugar is a challenge, but I’ve made these cookies so many times, I have confidence for your success.

All of these cookies freeze really well. Either freeze cookie dough or freeze baked cookies after they cool completely.

Main Ingredients for Most of the Christmas Cookies

• Almond Flour
• Coconut Flour
• Choc Zero Dark Chocolate Chips
• Choc Zero White Chocolate Chips
• Swerve Granulated Sweetener

Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies with Bacon

This is such a favorite keto cookie because you have that sweet and salty and the bacon adds an extra texture from the crispy bacon. I make them bakery size, but you can make them smaller.

White Chocolate Raspberry Macadamia Nut Cookies

My number one favorite cookie. Admittedly, macadamia nuts are pricey, but make these for the holidays. The tart, sweet and salty is a combination that cannot be beat.

Pecan Tassies

Pecan tassies are a childhood favorite and I was thrilled when a keto recipe worked and worked well. This has all the feels for Christmas.

Keto Sugar Cookies You Can Cut Out and Decorate

How adorable are these. You must take your time, keep the dough really cold, but once you get the feel for it, these are amazing, and they freeze really well.

Soft Sugar Cookies with Buttercream

The above cookies are crisp and easy to cut out. These soft sugar cookies are fluffy and more cake like. Change the flavoring from vanilla to lemon or orange for a twist.

Keto Italian Ricotta Cookies (Budget Friendly)

Easy to make, easy to pop in your mouth. This recipe is easier on the budget because it only requires coconut flour.

It’s a great time to shop Amazon from my personal recommendations and I only recommend products I own myself.

Bonus: Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake with Buttercream

This single serve cookie cake is sold at the farmer’s market and very popular. It has all the flavors of the cookie and is softer to make it more cake like. Topped with buttercream, it’s special.

More Keto Holiday Desserts from Spinach Tiger

• Pear Cardamom Cake
• Maple Pecan Cheesecake
• Cheesecake with Fruit Wreath
• Chocolate Cake, Peppermint Frosting
• Cranberry Orange Muffins
• Cranberry White Chocolate Muffins
• Keto Spiced Pear Cheesecake Bar
• Grain Free Low Carb Red Velvet Cupcakes

The post My Six Favorite Keto Christmas Cookie Recipes appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

As turkey recipes abound, I’m just like everyone else. I only cook a turkey once a year, so I watch all the cooking shows, and read the latest news on turkey cooking. When Michael Symon draped his turkey in a cheesecloth on the Chew a few years ago, and said “this bird will not need basting,” I knew I was in.

I didn’t use his Greek flavor profile, choosing my own, so feel free to adjust the recipe according to your favorite seasonings.  I used oranges, thyme, sage, rosemary and shallots to season the bird and I made my own turkey stock.

What Kind of Cheesecloth.

You can get your cheesecloth here. It’s cooking grade and comes to your door from Amazon.

The seasonings and spices are not as important as the technique. I think you could use chicken stock, salt and pepper and still come out a winner. But, I know you’ll fuss with your favorite herbs just like I do.

To Brine or Not to Brine Your Cheesecloth Roasted Turkey

I’m in good company with all the major chefs like Bobby Flay and Micheal Symon who don’t brine their turkey. Bobby Flay says that brining is for folks who overcook their turkey. A fresh turkey should not need brining.

However, there is something called a dry brine, which is the secret to my roast chicken. You simply salt the turkey the day before, wrap in plastic, not unlike the way I roast a chicken.

What kind of turkey should you use to make turkey roasted with cheesecloth technique?

I think this is of paramount importance if you want a good tasting, healthy turkey.

I always buy a fresh turkey from a reliable source. I don’t think you need to spend $100 on a turkey, but I don’t recommend looking for a bargain. Do your homework. Dismiss hormone laden turkeys that don’t ever cook, and buy the best turkey you can find within reason. Having said that, even the $100 turkey can be a disaster if it’s cooked to death.

This is a tested recipe using a turkey which was humanely raised and vegetarian fed, free of antibiotics and growth hormones. It was absolutely perfect. Get my turkey gravy recipe here.

Temperature and Roasting Times for Roast Turkey

Turkey that is fresh, defrosting takes approximately 13 minutes per pound. Many ovens comes with a probe, which will release once the turkey (at the thigh) reaches the temperature you set, which should be 165° F. If you don’t have a built-in probe, use an instant read meat thermometer. Measure at the thigh, away from the bone. You may also want to check the temperature of your oven with this oven thermostat.

Tell me, do you watch cooking shows and use the recipes for your Thanksgiving dinner?

My Best Thanksgiving Recipes from Spinach Tiger

Click here or on this picture for over 60 of my tested Thanksgiving Recipes. I have made most of these recipes several times, and they are winners!

• Corn Bread Dressing
• Sage Sausage Apple Stuffing
• Stove Top Candied Sweet Potatoes
• Pennsylvania Dutch Corn Pudding
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• No Lump Mashed Potatoes
• Sweet Potatoes Biscuits
• Pear Cranberry Sauce
• Pumpkin Cream Cheese Tart
• Gluten Free Sweet Potato Biscuits
• Gluten Free (keto friendly) Sweet Potato Bread

Check out the Thanksgiving Food Pinterest Board for some great recipes by top bloggers. 

If you’re looking for sides and desserts, I have you covered in my Holiday Recipes Category. Don’t forget to check out my Turkey Leftovers post below. For fun, I’ll be cooking/baking lots of dishes on instagram stories, so please follow me there.

What to do with Turkey Leftovers

Leftovers

We Have You Covered for Healthy Thanksgiving

If you want a Keto Friendly, Gluten Free Thanksgiving go here.

No matter what your needs are for Thanksgiving, we can help you make it delicious and we are grateful you are here. If you’re a Nashville local needing keto or diabetic friendly bakes, I have a keto bakery and we are taking orders for the holidays now. 

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No Baste Holiday Turkey, Roasted with Cheesecloth Technique

Cheesecloth no baste turkey adapted from Michael Symon, turkey stock adapted from Guy Fieri. Perfectly moist, golden brown turkey with no opening oven to baste.

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 3 hours hours

Total Time 4 hours hours

Servings 10

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 12-15 pound turkey adjust amount of turkey stock for larger turkey
• salt
• 2 oranges quartered
• 4 large shallots peeled
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 1 sprig rosemary
• bunch of fresh sage leaves
• 2 celery sticks cut into thirds
• cheesecloth large enough for triple layer over turkey
• Turkey stock Recipe follows (can use a chicken stock, chicken broth)
• TURKEY STOCK INGREDIENTS
• 1 turkey neck
• 1 chicken back or chicken necks can use turkey wings
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 onions quartered
• 2 carrots chopped in thirds
• 3 stalks celery chopped in thirds
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon pepper
• 6 fresh sage leaves

Kitchen Tools Needed

• Organic Unbleached Cheesecloth order here
• Turkey Roasting Pan order here
• Turkey boat order here
• Turkey Platter order here
• Carving Knife order here
• Turkey Lifter order here

Instructions

• Clean turkey, removing everything inside. Check all cavities to remove included gizzards, liver, turkey neck, etc.
• Salt turkey generously, wrap in plastic, refrigerate overnight.
• When ready to roast, Wash salt off. Pat Dry. Allow to sit at room temperature 1 hour.
• Use warm/cool stock. Heat up first if taking out of refrigerator. Allow to cool.
• Preheat oven to 425.
• Pat inside of turkey dry. Season with salt and pepper.
• Stuff turkey with celery, oranges and sage, thyme, shallots, rosemary.
• If desired, place a few sage leaves in between breast flesh and breast skin.
• Place turkey in roasting pan, over a rack.
• Cover entire turkey with cheesecloth. Pour all of the turkey stock over the cheesecloth.
• Roast for 45 minutes at 425 degrees F..
• Lower to 350 degrees, and roast until the internal temperature of the thigh reaches a minimum 165.
• Allow to rest 30 minutes before carving.
• TURKEY STOCK INSTRUCTIONS
• Roast turkey and chicken parts in oven for 45 minutes at 350.
• Add chopped vegetables. Turn meat over and place over vegetables.
• Continue to roast for 35 minutes.
• Add turkey and vegetables and all pan drippings into 4 quarts of boiling water. Bring to simmer, and simmer for 2 hours on low heat.
• Cool. Skim fat. Use immediately or make day before, refrigerate.

The post No Baste Holiday Turkey, Cheesecloth Technique, with Video appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Thanks to bloggers and restaurants, the last 20 years has brussels sprouts into a star side. If you’re still not making them at home, hopefully, this post helps you change that.

Let’s Start with Some Favorite Brussel Sprouts Recipes

• Garlic Roasted Brussel Sprouts
• Brussels with Figs and Bacon
• Brussels Sprouts with Almonds, Dried Cherries

Brussels Sprouts Recipes (Salads)

Brussels sprouts, raw and shredded, nbv 67t65

• Shaved Brussels Salad withe Pecorino
• Kale Winter Salad with Brussels
• Apple, Brussels Sprout Salad

Brussels Sprouts Recipe for Frittata, Pizza and Flash Fried

• Brussels Frittata – Keep some brussels sprouts uncooked to make this over the weekend.
• Pizza with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon
• Flash Fried Brussels Sprouts (like a restaurant)
• Brussels Sprouts with Red Quinoa – This is a meal, takes a bit of preparation but is divine.

The Brussels Sprouts Recipe to Consider

Brussels Sprouts with Butternut Squash

This is not the best picture because it’s a very old recipe, but trust me, it’s fantastic and has a secret ingredient. It’s made with sage leaves and a small amount of toasted bread cubes, but delivers umami satisfaction.

Now that you have a few brussels sprouts recipes to choose from, let me know what you make.

More Ideas for Brussels Sprouts

• Penne Pasta with Brussels Sprouts, Lemon, Breadcrumbs.
• Green Bean Casserole with Brussels and Bacon
• Brussels Sprouts Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter

Don’t be stressed out by Thanksgiving. I have a great turkey recipe that requires very little from you and always comes out. It’s covered with cheesecloth and needs no basting.

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Thanksgiving Turkey

If you feel the stress of holiday cooking, this turkey recipe I make year after year is a winner. You cover the entire turkey with a cheesecloth soaked in broth. You end up with a self-basted crispy skinned, tender turkey.

RECIPE HERE

The post Brussels Sprouts Recipes You Will Love appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Keto Cheesecakes

• Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
• Keto Raspberry Cheesecake
• Keto Maple Pecan Cheesecake Bars
• Keto Pear Cheesecake Tart

Low Carb One Pan Cakes

These are two of our absolute favorites low carb, grain free, gluten free fall cakes. The Italian pear cake is just as good as it looks and the apple cinnamon cake is so good, there’s never any left over the day I bake it.

• Low Carb Italian Pear Cake
• Low Carb Apple Crumb Cake

Keto Quickbreads

Maybe you don’t want anything super sweet or hard to bake. Maybe you want easy quickbread, which is great for breakfast, a healthy snack or dessert, or potluck table. You will love these fall flavors made with almond flour/coconut flour base. These freeze well, and you can make several for the holidays.

• Keto Pumpkin Bread
• Low Carb Orange Cranberry Bread
• Keto Sweet Potato Bread

Bundt Cakes

These are not only delicious, but the presentation is always stellar. Set one of these on your holiday dessert table. Your low carb, or gluten free guests will thank you.

• Keto Pumpkin
• Spice Bundt Cake
• White Chocolate Raspberry

Bonus – The All Time Favorite

Every holiday table needs at least one chocolate dessert. This is my husband’s pick, my neighbor’s pick, and the twin’s pick. Not only are these creamy and chocolatey, they can be made ahead and frozen. There is no crust, so totally gluten free and so far.

Single Serve cheesecakes take all the stress out of cheesecake making. They are done in 15 minutes (with a little jiggle in the middle) and there is now cracking worry.

Make sure not to bake them past 15 minutes to keep them light and creamy. Cool completely before adding the chocolate ganache. Serve with stabilized whipped cream.

Keto Chocolate Cheesecake (Single Serve)

Keto Chocolate Cheesecake RECIPE HERE

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Helpful Kitchen Equipment

• Rectangular Tart Pan
• 9 Inch Baking Pan (the only brand I use
• Bundt Pan
• Single Serve Disposable Containers

The post Twelve Keto Holiday Desserts from a Keto Bakery Owner appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

They are a top seller in my keto bakery. 

I promise. The texture is everything I wanted it to be, but the taste is even more surprising. The sweet potato taste comes through and grips the soul with just a tad of sweetness without added sugar. 

If you’re new around here, you may not know that I’m a bit of a biscuit expert. There are over 25 biscuit recipes here ranging from old fashioned Southern fluffy to gluten free to grain free with many variations.  Thousands of people visit my regular grain free recipe every month and I know they will love these even more.

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Adding just a mere quarter cup of mashed sweet potato has taken the keto friendly, grain-free biscuits from good to great at only 2 net carbs.

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You can do a lot with these biscuits by changing the profile from sweet to savory.

Cold butter is added to the dry ingredients (mainly almond flour and coconut flour) and then using my hands, I mix in the mashed sweet potato. It looks like this.

Whipped Egg Whites are one of the Secrets to my grain free sweet potato biscuits.

Can I use boxed egg whites?

Yes, you can use boxed egg whites. They work just as well. Use about 1 cup.  Make sure your bowl is grease free and whip until fluffy.

How to Separate Egg Whites

Do not break each egg into separated whites. Break each egg in a separate bowl, one at a time. Put yolks in one bowl, egg whites in another. Keep breaking eggs in that first bowl, always one at a time. You can’t use any egg where the yolk broke, because if even a smidgen of yolk gets into the whites, it won’t work.

Grain Free Sweet Potato Biscuits

Use an ice cream scooper and a silpat on a baking tray or parchment paper.

Then I fold in the whipped egg whites and place them on a parchment paper.

Grain Free Sweet Potato Biscuits Can Be Sweet or Savory

When I made my first batch, I sweetened up the sweet potatoes with a little swerve and cinnamon and served them with a cinnamon butter.

When I made my second batch of grain free sweet potato biscuits, which roared with flavor and just the right texture, I made them savory by adding fresh sage, parsley and a dash of celery salt.

I have already made these biscuits into a new version of grain free stuffing, as Thanksgiving is right around the corner. I’ve already stuffed chicken breasts and pork chops, so please stay tuned.

There are so many possibilities for these biscuits and I cannot wait to expand on this recipe and bring you new grain free, keto friendly creations, like my grain free biscuit egg cups.

How to Save Time: Make a biscuit mix

You can put all the dry ingredients in ziplock bags and have ready. Mix your almond flour, coconut flour, ground golden flax, baking powder, salt. Grab a bag, add butter, sweet potato. Bake.

This Keto Stuffing Recipe is more  AMAZING when you use these grain free sweet potato biscuits.

Please follow me on Pinterest. There is a Spinach Tiger Board which houses all my pictures/recipes in one place for easy browsing. 

More Keto Biscuits and Bread from Spinach Tiger

• Keto Cheddar Bay Biscuits
• Keto Dinner Rolls
• Keto Tortillas
• Keto Chicken and Biscuits
• Keto Sweet Potato Bread
• Low Carb Sweet Potato Muffins
• Sausage Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole

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Grain Free Sweet Potato Biscuits

Grain Free Sweet Potato Biscuits, so fluffy and good and makes great stuffing.

Course Biscuits

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup cooked mashed sweet potato
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon Swerve (or equivalent
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup fine blanched almond flour Order Here
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• 2 tablespoons golden flax meal Order Here
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted grass-fed butter
• 5 egg whites Can use 1 cup boxed egg whites

Instructions

• Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Mix sweet potato with cinnamon and swerve. Mash. Set aside.
• Mix remaining dry ingredients. Add butter, Mix.
• Add sweet potatoes. Mix. Set aside.
• Separate egg whites. Make sure the bowl and whisk you are using to whip your egg whites is very clean with no grease or egg whites won't whip. If you are separating your own eggs, please use three bowls. One to break each egg in, one at a time. One to transfer each yolk to. The third bowl is the one you will be using to whip eggs. You cannot get any yolk in the whites which is why you break each egg one at a time.
• Whip egg whites to a firm snow. Start whipping on low setting for first few minute and eventually turn up to medium high.
• Spread the dry mix over the whipped egg whites and fold in.
• Use an ice cream scoop with a lever if you have one to scoop biscuits onto baking sheet.
• Bake at 425 degrees for ten minutes. Check to see at 5 minutes to see if getting too brown. If already brown, put foil loosely.
• Bake five more minutes.
• Note: if just making biscuits (not stuffing), add in some cinnamon, nutmeg and a little swerve.
• If making savory for stuffing, skip the swerve, add in chopped sage, a dash celery salt instead of salt, black pepper, a little chopped parsley.

Video

Nutrition

Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 11g | Fiber: 2g

The post Grain Free Sweet Potato Biscuits (Keto, Paleo) with Video appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I made pumpkin pie spice out of necessity first (I needed it) and then with strong intention. Just browsing two grocery stores I noticed big price differences, but not what you think. The discount super store was charging almost twice as much for the lesser quality spice blend and didn’t include all the ingredients the lower priced, higher quality blend did.

Many of the pumpkin spices sold in grocery stores taste like wood.

Pre-packaged spice blends aren’t always what you think they are. This made me more determined to just whip up my own.

Make Pumpkin Pie Spice and Never Look Back

In a good quality pumpkin pie spice you will find cinnamon, ginger, cloves, all spice, nutmeg and mace, all ground and balanced accordingly. I played around a little and you can too if you want to adjust to your own taste buds, but I think my ratio of the spices is a great mix.

Cinnamon is the predominant spice, so be sure to use a high quality cinnamon that has an intense aroma.

Ginger is the next biggest ingredient is ginger which gives a fragrant bite to the blend.

Ground Cloves have high health benefits, but a little goes a long way, so use sparingly.

Allspice is a spice, not a blend, and looks like a peppercorn. It’s used in Carribbean cooking, grown primarily in Jamaica, but is indispensable in middle eastern cooking.

Tumeric (on Amazon). I list this as an option, but it does add another layer of flavor. Tumeric has a bitter taste with hints of orange and ginger, and a powerful antioxidant that adds a yellow color to many foods (including some jarred mustards).

Nutmeg, ground fresh, is a staple in my kitchen, and I want to encourage you to use this kind of nutmeg grinder (amazon) and fresh whole nutmeg (amazon). This is one of the spices I’m never out of, as it’s often used in pasta dishes.

Now that you know how to make pumpkin pie spice, you might want to try some of these amazing pumpkin recipes. I’ve listed mostly keto recipes, which I’ve mastered and at the end some more traditional pumpkin recipes dear to all our hearts.

My Favorite Keto Friendly Gluten Free Pumpkin Recipes

• Pumpkin Spiced Latte
• Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
• Pumpkin Bread
• Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
• Pumpkin Maple Pecan Glazed Muffins
• Pumpkin Bundt Cake
• Pumpkin Cookies
• Pumpkin Cheesecake

Savory Pumpkin Recipes

• Savory Roasted Pumpkin with Ricotta – must try and great with roast chicken.
• Spicy Pumpkin Soup – Make with heavy cream or coconut milk.
• Carrot Pumpkin Curry Soup – delicious, savory, sweet, spicy, and yet, healthy and light. 

Traditional Recipes

• Pumpkin Cream Tart
• Pumpkin Cake with Maple Frosting
• Sandy’s Pumpkin Bread (with a touching story)
• Pumpkin Pop Tarts from Spinach Tiger
• Gluten Free Pumpkin Hand Pies
• Pumpkin Souffle from Spinach Tiger

What is YOUR favorite pumpkin recipe?

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Pumpkin Pie Spice

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Blend with a surprise ingredient

Course spice blend

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon tumeric
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

Instructions

• Mix together. Adjust seasoning for your taste. You may enjoy more or less clove, etc.

The post Make Pumpkin Pie Spice and My Favorite Pumpkin Recipes appeared first on Spinach Tiger.