Hi there. I am Tina Turbin, the founder of the fun PaleoMazing.com as well as the founder of GlutenFreeHelp.info. Two sites which are dear to my heart and one which specializes in not only gluten-free recipes but also offers many Paleo-ish versions to my recipes.
I did not get into this field of gluten-free as a novelty but as a “have to” to save my life. I was diagnosed with gluten intolerance (celiac disease) after far too many years of misdiagnosing and my body falling apart at a young age. Once diagnosed I had a sincere desire to help others to never go through the hell I did, and I never wanted to see any child go through that as well. I have three kids; two were soon after diagnosed with celiac disease as well. Boy did this resolve many, no, all of the issues I was addressing as a mom. What a revelation.
The next step for me to do besides raise awareness of this topic and help the community at large was to figure out what and how to eat. Oh my gosh! What a feat I took upon myself. It felt near impossible back then. I had no idea gluten was lurking in every corner of my cupboard and in every bite in every restaurant I ate at. Talk about bursting my “revelation” bubble.
I gathered up some confidence and soon I was nose to the grindstone working one on one with a number of gluten-free companies, but what about my OWN recipes and my own kitchen? I was having a bit of a challenge with the flours and all this cross contamination and time after time I would not get the texture or flavor I was going for. Along came Honeyville!
This company is truly exceptional in its ability to supply such pure blanched almond flour and the blanched almond flour enables me to stretch certain recipes beyond what I could do with other companies’ almond flour. Believe me, I have tried. This simple duck stuffing recipe is very basic and I prefer to supply recipes which are able to be made by many levels of cooks. This is a hearty, micronutrient dish and healthy for you. I strive for healthy and try my best to help others toward the same.
The entire subject of cross contamination of gluten during milling, manufacturing and packaging is not a subject that one with severe gluten allergy, sensitivity or celiac should have to deal with. Allowing anyone to cook or bake free of any concerns is a hot topic for me. This company is totally on the mark and truly has gone the distance to ensure the quantities of gluten are under 10 ppm (parts per million), which is a standard acceptable by most severely sensitive celiacs to this date.
Have fun with this terribly rewarding recipe and I have made it kosher friendly as well for any of my kosher friends.
Ingredients:
2/3 cups Pecans
2/3 cups Dried Cranberries (sugar free if available)
5 pitted moist Medjool dates
2/3 cups Honeyville Blanched Almond Flour
1 cup minced Celery
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 Tbsp melted Coconut Oil, ghee, walnut oil or grass-fed butter
Optional: ½-3/4 cups sautéed mushrooms – porcinis are the best flavor enhancer with poultry
Directions:
1. Toast the Honeyville blanched almond flour lightly until golden brown in a pan on medium heat.
2. Place in a mixing bowl. Let cool.
3. Add 1 Tbl. of coconut oil to a sauté pan. Heat this up then add the celery and cook until slightly firm, not wilted. You want that slight crunch. Set aside. Let cool.
4. Place the pecans in a mini food processor and pulse until in small chunks.
5. Add the Medjool dates and pulse until lightly mixed in – may start to ball up a tad.
6. Add the cranberries. Pulse them in to the mixture slightly.
7. Remove from the processor and add this into the bowl with the almond flour.
8. Mix thoroughly by hand.
9. Add in the celery and mix this thoroughly.
10. Salt and pepper to taste.
11. At this point you will add butter, ghee or coconut oil if you plan to serve this as a side dish with your bird. If you are not stuffing your bird or placing this stuffing under your bird for roasting then you will need to add butter or fat for moisture.
12. If you are stuffing your bird, your bird will release its own natural juices and fats into the stuffing so in this case the juices will get all mixed in the oven and you can wait until removing the bird and see if you need any additional fats.
NOTE: I prefer to add the duck fat from the pan directly to the stuffing, mixing it in as the flavors are amazing and the fats and incredible for your skin and health.
Enjoy and as always feel free to send me any questions you may have.
Tina Turbin
