I have a pretty large extended family. Back in the day, when we didn't all live so far away from each other, we would gather at the home of one aunt and uncle or another  for Thanksgiving. The turkey was carved in the kitchen and then brought to the table for all to dig in. Invariably, a cousin or two or three remained in the kitchen for a minute or two eating what was left on the carcass (yes, after all these years, I admit that I was one of them.
​As for my partners in crime, well you know who you are).

What we were doing, of course, was eating the scrumptious leftovers even before the meal had started.

These days, I don't wait for Thanksgiving to make turkey. I roast one whenever I have the urge for turkey soup, one of my husband's specialties ( in fact, one of his only specialties, if you don't count the macaroni and cheese made with Velveeta which our grandsons clamor for and call "the bomb," their sincerest words of praise...of course Velveeta has no place in a Paleo blog. But the soup definitely does).

This is a two-day process, but don't be intimidated. The first day you make the broth (with just two ingredients), then refrigerate it overnight. On day two, you add the rest of the ingredients, simmer for an hour, and, voila...a rich and delicious soup for dinner!

INGREDIENTS
Carcass, bones, skin, and drippings or gravy from a cooked
​     turkey (leave a little meat on the carcass)
3 quarts low sodium chicken broth (I use Imagine brand)
2 cups cooked turkey, diced
2 stalks celery, sliced
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 leeks, white part only, cleaned and sliced
2 onions, peeled and chopped
3 parsnips, peeled and sliced
3 TBS fresh dill, chopped
2 TBS fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Day 1
1. Place carcass, bones, skin, drippings or gravy in a large soup pot and add chicken broth.
2. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for 6 hours. Let cool slightly and refrigerate overnight.

Day 2
1. Remove soup from refrigerator and heat until broth liquefies. Strain through a colander placed over another soup pot or large bowl. Discard skin, carcass and other bones, and most of the by-now shredded meat, but if there are larger pieces of meat, add them back to the strained broth.
2. Add vegetables, herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Add the 2 1/2 cups reserved turkey meat along with the vegetables and herbs. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for one hour until vegetables are tender. Serve hot.

This one's easy: Take a bunch of Paleo leftovers and pile them on sliced Paleo Rye Bread. I use turkey ( of course), cranberry sauce, and kale. Then I add sauerkraut (make sure it is free of additives) and Paleo mayo ( see Tips and Hints section). For Paleo Rye Bread, simply follow the Paleo Sandwich Bread recipe in the Breakfast, Part 2 post, below, but substitute regular flax meal for golden flax meal and add 1 TBS of caraway seeds to the mix.

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups cooked turkey, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large apple , peeled, cored, and chopped
1/4 cup raisins or cranberries ( if using cranberries, fruit juice-sweetened only)
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup Paleo-friendly mayonnaise ( I use Primal Kitchen Mayo with avocado oil-- see Tips and Hints section)
1-2 TBS curry powder, to taste
Juice of 1 lemon
2 TBS chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Parsley sprigs for garnish
Leftover cranberry sauce for serving, optional

1. Mix mayo, curry powder and lemon juice in a small bowl.
2. Mix turkey, celery, apple, raisins, almonds and chopped parsley in large bowl.
3. Stir mayo mixture into turkey mixture and combine well.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste ( if you are using Primal Kitchen Mayo, go easy on the salt)
5. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve with leftover cranberry sauce on the side.

This is also great with leftover chicken, but, after all, this is a Thanksgiving post.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups cooked turkey, diced
2 canned anchovies, rinsed
1/4 cup ghee
Juice of one half lemon
2 TBS fresh sage, chopped
Sage leaves for garnish

1. Put turkey, anchovies, ghee and lemon juice in a food processor and process until mixture is smooth and holds together
2. Add chopped sage leaves to the mixture and pulse a few times until sage in incorporated into mix.
3. Garnish with whole sage leaves and serve with Paleo crackers (see Hints and Tips)

What are your favorite Thanksgiving leftovers? Please post a comment and let me know.

           When my kids were little, we lived in the Hudson Valley of New York State, in a  fixer-upper house that never quite got fixed up. When my son had an allergic reaction to cow's milk, we were advised to start him on goat's milk. Back in the day, goat's milk was not readily available at the local grocery and health food stores were few and far between. So, we schlepped each week , recyclable bottles in tow, to a local farmer for our supply. Eventually, it seemed to make sense to milk our own goats (it didn't make that much sense in mid-winter when we trudged to the barn twice a day to milk them, though). Anyway, we had LOTS of milk, so I made yogurt and cheese. It was kind of a production, with precise temperatures and timing and special equipment. The kids didn't even like it. A lot of work for very little payback.

          Fast forward thirty-some odd years, and I am once again making yogurt and cheese (well, cream cheese, anyway), but this time with coconut milk and without all the paraphernalia. It's easy, fun, and, oh yes, delicious.

Coconut Yogurt
Makes about 1 pint

           This summer, my cousin Amy came for a visit and brought a rare and coveted gift, a container of Anita's Creamline Coconut Yogurt. I practically swooned when I tasted it and made up my mind to put in a standing order. Alas, Anita's is only available in New York City and they will not ship it no matter how hard you beg or grovel. When I looked up recipes for this yogurt, they all required hacking up baby coconuts to extract the meat. Way too labor-intensive, so I reconciled myself to no yogurt. But then I wondered what would happen if I used canned coconut milk, instead. And guess what, it's really, really good--not quite the amazing, sensual taste sensation of Anita's, but perfectly wonderful if you live in rural Maine and get to New York City maybe once every couple of years.

Ingredients
-Cream from the top of one can of coconut milk, plus enough coconut water from the can to make a smooth yogurt (I use Native Forest Unsweetened Organic Classic Coconut Milk. This brand contains organic guar gum, but when I tried this with a brand without guar gum, the texture was unacceptable. In any case, do not use reduced-fat coconut milk--unless you want to make kefir) If your kitchen is very warm, you can put the can in the refrigerator overnight before you use it so cream will thicken.
-Contents of one probiotic capsule

1. Scoop the cream from the top of the can and put it in a bowl. Add as much of the liquid from the bottom of the can as you like--if you want a thick, Greek-type yogurt, just add enough so you can stir the mixture; if you like traditional yogurt, add a little more liquid. Do not use the whole can or yogurt will not thicken properly.
2. Empty the contents of probiotic capsule into the cream and stir until well-combined. An immersion blender helps if there are lumps of coconut cream in the mixture.
3. Pour into sterile glass jar, cover, and place in a turned-off oven for 24 hours.
4. Refrigerate and enjoy!

Paleo Sour Cream
Makes about 1 pint

                 When my siblings and I were very young, sour cream and bananas was a favorite dinner choice. I don't remember if this was offered as the actual dinner, or maybe the alternative when we turned our noses up at what my mother put on the table (liver and onions, perhaps?). I actually loathed bananas, and this was the only way I would eat them. It still is, but now my sour cream is made with coconut milk. The bananas, however, are still made with bananas     
​ ( just slice them into a bowl and top with sour cream--voila, instant kid dinner. Or, even better, use coconut yogurt in place of the sour cream, add a tablespoon of raw organic hemp seeds, and you have a healthy adult breakfast).

Ingredients
1 can coconut milk (see yogurt recipe for information)
1 TBS fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Sea salt to taste

1. Scoop cream from top of coconut milk into bowl
2. Add lemon juice and salt to taste and mix thoroughly
3. Use in any recipe that calls for sour cream (like my Aunt Honey's Sorrel Soup, see below)

Paleo Cream Cheese

Ingredients
Same as for Paleo Sour Cream, above

1. Follow recipe for Paleo Sour Cream, above
2. Line a strainer with an unbleached coffee filter and place strainer over bowl, then add Paleo sour cream
3. Cover with a clean dish towel and leave on counter overnight so liquid can drain
4. Remove coffee filter and transfer to a small bowl. Refrigerate and use as you would any conventional cream cheese (yes, you can still have lox and bagels on Paleo--check out Elana Amsterdam's recipe for Paleo bagels on her website www.elanaspantry.com)

Aunt Honey's Sorrel Soup (Schav)
Serves 4

                  My mother was the oldest of 6 girls, and was 20 years older than her youngest sister, so I have several aunts who are not much older than I am. The following recipe, adapted for Paleo, is from my second youngest aunt, who always signs her letters to me FYAHWLY (from your Aunt Honey what loves you). As of mid-October, I still have sorrel (a lemony-tasting green) in the garden. It's a perennial and I planted it just for this soup (it also makes a great sauce for salmon).

Ingredients
3 medium onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic (I omit this, because garlic doesn't like me)
1/4 cup ghee
Sorrel leaves (remove stalks and large veins), coarsely shredded, approximately 8-10 cups
2 TBS vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)
1 tsp lemon juice
Salt, pepper to taste
4 cups low sodium chicken stock (I use Imagine brand)
1 egg, beaten
Paleo sour cream (see above) to garnish

1. Sauté onion (and garlic, if using) in ghee until golden
2. Add sorrel leaves, and cook, covered, until wilted (about 5 minutes)
3. Add stock, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper and cook, covered, about 30 minutes
4. When ready to serve, beat egg in a small bowl, add a little hot soup to the bowl  and then return the mixture to the pot. Stir well. Do not allow the soup to boil or the egg to set.
5. Serve at once with a dollop of sour cream.