Turkey Day on the Paleo Diet

Thanksgiving is here, and I can't eat most of the wonderful items I love about Thanksgiving dinner.

No dressing, no potatoes, no green bean casserole.  Sigh.  So, I decided that the turkey had to be the absolute best, since it was the main dish.  Usually, I can pass on the turkey.  You cover it with gravy and cranberries because, well, it is basically tasteless.  The challenge was that I had never, ever, roasted a turkey myself before.

Really, it's true.  64 years old and this is another first for me.

 I started by brining the turkey for 24 hours.  It's a small turkey, only 13 pounds, and it fit nicely in one of our coolers, which we kept on the front porch.

 In preparation, I studied up on roasting turkeys.  This cookbook was a wedding gift to my Mom in 1946.  You can tell it is well used.  This is my go to cook book for all things.  It is The Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking.

 I was less than thrilled with the tiny giblets that came with my bird, so I bought two turkey drumsticks and roasted them the day before to add to my stock.

Terry read to me about making stock or broth from the Joy of Cooking.  Good information.

 Here is my stock after the meat, bones and veggies have been removed.

 Since I can't have dairy, I've been using this margarine.  I started using it when my son became vegan and I needed something on hand he could use.

 It's really good, and as you can see, it comes with many credentials.  

I used the margarine to mix with fresh herbs from my garden.

 Here we have Rosemary, sage, thyme and savory.

 I found this handy gadget at the grocery store.  It strips the leaves from the stem of the herbs.  It's okay.  I can't recommend it as a must have.

So, after retrieving the turkey from it's salt bath, I put the margarine and herb mixture under the skin. Then, I massaged her with a mixture of olive oil and poultry seasoning.

The book said it would take 3 to 4 hours to roast, but it was ready in 3.

I didn't get a picture of the cooked turkey, because we were busy getting ready to put it on the table.

I usually use arrowroot as a thickener for my gravies, but I was out, so I found success with Xanthum Gum.

Believe me, this was the best turkey I have ever eaten.  Moist and flavorful.

So, you folks on a restricted diet, especially those with Hashimotos Thyroiditis, here is how to make a celebration dinner enjoyable.