Maya's Menu: Thanksgiving

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Happy, happy Turkey Day, everyone! If you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, then happy, happy free-day off from work and school! If you don't eat meat, happy pie day! Preferably pecan pie, but really, anything goes. Thanksgiving is one of my absolute favorite holidays of the year; it encompasses family, fall, an amazing parade, and lots and lots of cooking, all in one! This is my first Thanksgiving being Primal, but I don't think I'll be missing out on anything at all. I've ensured my recipes are a mixture of dishes I can eat and classics, so that my grandparents don't have heart attacks. Shhh... don't tell them that the mashed potatoes are really cauliflower! The items I was most fearful of giving up were the cranberry sauce and desserts, but lo and behold, I figured them out, too! With some of my favorite Primal products, such as Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener, Yacon Syrup, and Confectioner's Swerve, it was a piece of cake!
But I think the main reason that Thanksgiving stands out is because it is a day dedicated to gratitude. In the hussle and bussle of life, it's easy to lose sight of what is truly important. I love that we have a designated day of the year to just take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy being with the people who make our lives so special. Today, I am grateful for my strong, healthy body, my family and friends for their unwavering love and support, and my readers, for helping me to change the world one bite at a time. Honorable mentions include Celestial Seasonings Caramel Apple Dream Tea (who knew a cuppa could be such a treat?), musical theatre, my teal yoga mat, and, of course, fuzzy slippers. What are you thankful for? Let me know in the comments below.
And now, without further delay, a few items on my Primal Thanksgiving Menu:

Note: Wow. Just wow. Creamy and rich with the smokey flavor of bacon, this one was a winner. No one even noticed that they weren't the classic potatoes! I suggest that you do add the suggested bacon drippings, because the taste is unbelievable.  
Note: We prepared this one a day ahead, and had to use 2/3 cup of Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener instead of 1/4 of a cup. Boy, are cranberries tart! We also added a few segments of the orange along with its zest.
Note: I'm not sure what happened to the other 1/4 cup of pecans in the execution stage, but we used the entire 1/2 cup listed under ingredients. And oh sweet mother of mine were they SPECTACULAR! My new favorite; even green bean-hating Grandma loved them!
Note: Oh my goodness was this heavenly. Good luck trying to eat only one bar! We had to bake the crust for an extra five minutes, and let the filling bake for about 26. It shattered a little bit when cut into bars, but it all worked out deliciously in the end.
  • And then some chestnut stuffing and a loaf of my grandpa's famous bread, along with a pumpkin and coconut custard pie for those in my family who follow the Standard American Diet. Don't worry - I'll sway them one day.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
Pumpkins and Pecans,
Maya


Photo by Alex Geerts on Unsplash

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