Paleo & Whole 30 Thanksgiving

October has hit and fall is in full force.  Up here in Canada most are getting ready to stuff our bellies with some turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing, but is there a way to healthy it up a bit and keep you on that healthy track. 

I typically try to "eat clean" or a paleo-ish kind of diet, but this doesn't mean that summer treats and drinks don't get the better of me like most.  This fall I decided to join some friends and do a sober October/ Whole 30 style reboot just to help me get back to my regular eating routines and help me to feel happy and healthy sooner rather than later. 
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While I have decided to steer clear of sugar and abstain from those sneaky weekday/post work beverages I did for a moment forget about Thanksgiving which was creeping in around the corner.   But instead of getting bummed out and sad about all the sugar treats and pie I will be potentially missing out on I choose to see this as an opportunity to flex my recipe testing muscles and hopefully inspire others that might be going through the same holiday struggle. 

So, I took to the kitchen and got to work testing out some paleo and Whole 30 stuffing or dressing type recipes.   After many not so great attempts I finally nailed it with this delicious dish. 

Paleo Stuffing

Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
6 slices bacon, chopped
1 lb chicken or turkey sausage, removed from casing
2 celery stocks, chopped
1/2 large onion (about 1 cup), finely diced
1 apple, peeled and diced
1 small sweet potato, peeled and finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small celery root (celeriac), peeled and diced
1/2 red pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 tbsp poultry seasonings, divided
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup cassava flour
1/2 cup water
3 eggs

Directions:

1. Heat a cast iron skillet to medium high heat.  Once heated add in chopped bacon stirring frequently so it cooks evenly and doesn't burn.  After about 3-4 minutes add in sausage meat and mix in with the bacon.   Only cook the sausage a little over halfway through as it will be going back in the oven later and you don't want it to dry out. 

2.  After sausage and bacon have cooked for about 8-10 minutes remove from pan and set aside while you cook the vegetables. 

3. Add onions and about 1 tsp of the polutry seasoning into the skillet, which should still contain bacon grease, if it is looking dry feel free to add up to 1 tbsp of extra avocado oil to ensure things don't stick.  Once the onion becomes fragrant add in garlic, celery, and apple.  Cook for 5-7 minutes allowing juices from the vegetables to help you scrape up all the extra crispy bits off of the pan.

4. Add in celery root and sweet potato and continue to cook for another 10 minutes.  Then slowly fold back in sausage and bacon mixture, then top with red peppers.   Allow the mixture to sit for a moment. 

5. While your stuffing mixture is sitting and mixing it's flavors in a medium sized mixing bowl add in cassava flour and gently whisk in all 3 eggs. Do this slowly because the cassava flour will really kick up some dust.  Once a paste like consistency starts to form or it is just less dusty add in 1/2 of our water, once incorporated add the other half.  Pour your batter over your stuffing mixture and gently fold it all together. 

6. Place skillet into a cold oven and begin to preheat it to 350F once the oven reaches temperature set the timer for 30 minutes.   Once 30 minutes is up remove from oven and enjoy.  This stuffing is great o it's own as a meal or will make a delicious accompaniment to any holiday feast. 
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