Cranberry Jell-o fluff

I never liked jell-o when I was kid, plain jello that is.  However, my grandma Miller makes a cranberry jell-o salad (fluff) at Thanksgiving and Christmas and Easter that is full of whipped cream, mandarin, oranges, and pineapple. It was one of my holiday favorites.  Forget the sugar cookies and stuffing, just give me her jell-o fluff.  I decided this year to make a "healthier" version of her dish so I called and got the recipe.  Wouldn't you know it...it's really not that bad.  I swapped the raspberry flavored Jell-o package for plain Knox gelatin, and used GT's Trilogy kombucha in place of the water in order to add the raspberry flavor.  This is mostly to avoid the red dye # 40 and artificial flavorings that is in the packaged mix.  I realize that boiling/simmering the kombucha might kill of some of the good bacteria, but really... the purpose of this recipe is not to get in your daily probiotic, it's to eat jell-o salad.   Using kombucha in place of juice helped keep the carbohydrate/sugar content down, but so did making my own cranberry relish/chuttney instead of using canned.  It's kind of like a 2 for 1 special.  I have to say, the final product, is almost exactly like the original.

After Making the relish, served the un-fluffed portion with turkey or pork.  You can get even more creative by stirring it into yogurt, mixing it into BBQ sauce, blending it into a smoothie, or pair it with cream cheese and crackers.

Ingredients:
2 bags fresh cranberries
1 orange, quartered
1 tart apple, seeded and quartered
4-6 Tbs sugar, honey, or equivalent stevia substitute

1-2pkg Knox gelatin
8oz Trilogy or Cosmic Cranberry Kombuch
11 oz canned mandarin oranges, drained
8 oz crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup whipped cream

Day 1, make cranberry relish:
Pulse cranberries, orange (peel and all) and apple in a food processor until everything is a super fine dice/shred but not a puree.  Depending upon the size of your blender or food processor, you may need to do this in batches.  Add sweetener of choice.  Refrigerate the relish, and allow to "fester" for several hours, or overnight.

Day 2, make the gelatin:
1. Gently simmer Kombucha, stir in gelatin.  In a large bowl, pour gelatin mixture over 2 cups of the cranberry relish.  Refrigerate for approximately 1 hour, or until it starts to set and is the consistency of liquid egg whites.
2. Fold in mandarin oranges, pineapple, and whipped cream.  Transfer to your final serving dish.
Cover and refrigerate until completely set, at least 4 hours.  ENJOY!

Real Green Bean Casserole

Turkey Day is coming!!!  Swap out your old cream of mushroom soup for a real food green bean casserole!  

gluten and dairy free!  paleo friendly, totally delicious

Ingredients:
8 oz Bacon, cooked till crisp, and set aside
1 small onion, diced
4 oz mushrooms, finely diced
1/4 cup butter, lard, or reserved bacon grease
½ cup cream or coconut milk
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Ground nutmeg to taste
salt amd pepper to taste
3 egg yolks
1# fresh green beans blanched, or 3 cans French style green beans, drained
¼ cup almond meal or almond flour

Directions:
1. Melt butter in a large skillet, sauté the mushrooms and onions until starting to brown.
2. Whisk the cream into the mushrooms and onions
3. Whisk in the egg yolks, salt, pepper, garlic, and nutmeg.
4. Continue stirring until the mixture begins to thicken.
5. Pour green beans into a greased 9X9 inch baking dish
6. Pour the cream mixture over the green beans, and mix to incorporate
7. Top with crumbled bacon and almond meal.
8. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until cooked through.
9. Devour