Citrus-Herb Turkey Breast & Orange-Cranberry Sauce
Thanksgiving 2013 is just around the corner, do you have your gluten-free menu set? One of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes is cranberry sauce, in part because I only make it on Thanksgiving. I’ve been making my own cranberry sauce for years and to be honest I’m usually one of the only people to eat it…. but it stores well and I love serving it on a cheese platter (like a chutney) later that week. And it’s so easy to make! You can add spices like cinnamon & cloves, but my favorite version uses fresh orange zest and orange juice. Here’s the recipe:
Orange Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients:
- 10oz cranberries (fresh or frozen, thawed)
- 1T orange zest (from ~2 oranges)
- 1 cup orange juice (I use fresh squeezed, but from a carton works, too)
- ¼c honey
Directions:
1. Place all ingredients in small pot place on high heat, bringing to a boil, lower to low heat, cooking for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Transfer to bowl and place in refrigerator to cool.
When I’m hosting a smaller Thanksgiving I will sometimes buy a turkey breast instead of a whole bird (even though I prefer the dark meat). Using only a breast frees up a lot of oven space! Here’s my favorite method for prepping a turkey breast:
Rosemary-Citrus Turkey Breast
Ingredients:
1 bunch rosemary, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 oranges
1 lemon
¼c olive oil
4c chicken broth (if using store bought, read ingredients and avoid added sugars and other unnecessary fillers)
~4lb bone-in turkey breast
Directions:
1. Zest oranges & lemons and then juice.
2. In large storage container, stir together;
- citrus zest & juice
- chopped rosemary & garlic
- 4c chicken broth
- ¼c olive oil
- 1c water
- 2T salt
Add turkey breast to marinate.
3. Marinate turkey for 24 hours (or a minimum of 1 hour up to 48 hours)
4. Pre-heat oven to 450 F.
5. Remove turkey from marinade and place in baking pan. Put in oven at 450 for 5 minutes.
6. Lower temperature to 400 F and continue to roast for ~1-1.5 hours or until internal temperature of 165F.
Both of these recipes can easily be made the day before, keeping you stress-free on Thanksgiving Day. We have an entire Thanksgiving menu with dishes that can all be prepped ahead of time. I love making my dishes ahead of time so I can really enjoy time spent with my guests on Thanksgiving Day. In addition to the turkey & cranberry sauce recipes, above, the holiday plan contains the following recipes and instructions on how far in advance they can be prepped and a grocery list:
Gluten Free Cornbread Stuffing w/ Pumpkin Seeds
Mashed Potatoes & Cauliflower
Green Beans w/ Hazelnuts
Gluten Free Rosemary Sea Salt Biscuits
Apple & Walnut Salad w/ Pomegranate Dressing
Pomegranate Spritzer
Spiced Maple-Rosemary Roasted Pecans
Sweet Potato Pie w/ Pecan Crust (this is one of my favorites!)
Coconut Chocolate Truffles
Pear Spice Muffins
What’s on your Thanksgiving menu this year? Are you planning to make recipes in advance or do most of the work the day of?
Chef Allison Stevens MS, RD, LD
Prep Dish is a gluten-free meal planning website. Celebrity personal chef & dietitian Allison Stevens thoughtfully crafts each plan using her own well-tested recipes. Each plan allows you, the home cook, to spend only 2-3 hours preparing a week’s worth of crave-worthy, gluten-free, healthy meals using seasonal, whole foods (nothing processed!). We aim to save you time while keeping your family’s taste buds happy.
Along with a weekly menu, you’ll get a printable grocery list and recipes for prep day — just one day of preparation yields scrumptious, good-for-you dishes all week long. Click to start saving time today!
