Main Dishes for Christmas Dinner
One of the best things you can do to keep your appetite in check during Holiday dinners is to choose good proteins. If you use protein and vegetables as your main filler you will have less room for desserts or unhealthy snacks that may be available. We are having Prime Rib and will pull a general recipe for that below.
Protein foods also help to slow down the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream which reduces hunger by reducing insulin levels and making it easier for the body to burn fat.
Honey Baked Ham
Ingredients:
- 1 Bone-in ham sized for your family
- 2 cup Water
- 1/4 cup Rapadura sugar or whole cane
- 2 cups honey
- 2/3 cup butter
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place ham face down in a 9×12 baking dish. Add in 2 cups of water. Optional you can layer pineapples on the ham and secure with a toothpick. Wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Bake 3 hours or until the ham is very tender and coming off the bone. Mix the honey and sugar and melted butter. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Pour the glaze mixture over the ham. Place back in the oven for 15 mins uncovered.
Prime Rib from allRecipes.com
Ingredients:
- 1 (6 pounds) boneless prime rib roast
- 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 carrot, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 small unpeeled onion, quartered and separated
- 2 teaspoons concentrated beef base (paste)
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon water
Directions:
- The day before serving, remove the roast from the package and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Set the roast on a baking sheet, and place it in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before cooking time to allow the meat to reach room temperature. Rub the roast all over with horseradish and Dijon mustard. In a bowl, mix together the kosher salt, black pepper, thyme, and garlic powder; sprinkle the spice mix over the roast.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Place the celery, carrot, and onion pieces into the bottom of a roasting pan. Place the roast on top of the vegetables.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and roast until the meat is browned and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast reads 130 to 135 degrees F (54 to 57 degrees C) for medium-rare. Remove from oven, transfer roast to a platter, and cover with a tent of aluminum foil. Allow resting for 30 minutes. The temperature of the meat will rise about 10 degrees during resting time.
- To make au jus sauce, skim excess fat from the pan drippings in the roasting pan. Place the pan over a burner set to medium heat, and stir in the beef base and 1 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil, scraping and dissolving any brown flavor bits from the bottom of the pan. Strain out and discard the vegetables. Combine the cornstarch and 1 teaspoon of water in a small bowl, and whisk the mixture into the sauce. Allow the sauce to thicken slightly (sauce will be thin), pour into a gravy boat, and serve with roast.
Cornish Hen– allRecipes.com
Ingredients:
- 2 Cornish game hens
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1/2 stalk celery, chopped
- 1/4 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 (4.5 ounces) can mushroom, drained and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
- In a small bowl combine the 1/2 cup melted butter, onion, celery, bell pepper, mushrooms, garlic, basil, oregano, and parsley.
- Season hens inside and out with salt and pepper to taste, then stuff with equal amounts butter/vegetable mixture. Place stuffed birds in a 9×13 inch baking dish, breast side up. Drizzle with 1/4 cup melted butter.
- Cover dish and bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove cover and brown at 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
Perfect Turkey- Allrecipes.com
Ingredients:
- 1 (18 pounds) whole turkey, neck, and giblets removed
- 2 cups kosher salt
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 2 large onions, peeled and chopped
- 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 4 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup dry white wine
Directions:
- Rub the turkey inside and out with the kosher salt. Place the bird in a large stockpot, and cover with cold water. Place in the refrigerator, and allow the turkey to soak in the salt and water mixture 12 hours, or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Thoroughly rinse the turkey, and discard the brine mixture.
- Brush the turkey with 1/2 the melted butter. Place breast side down on a roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan. Stuff the turkey cavity with 1 onion, 1/2 the carrots, 1/2 the celery, 1 sprig of thyme, and the bay leaf. Scatter the remaining vegetables and thyme around the bottom of the roasting pan, and cover with the white wine.
- Roast uncovered 3 1/2 to 4 hours in the preheated oven, until the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Carefully turn the turkey breast side up about 2/3 through the roasting time, and brush with the remaining butter. Allow the bird to stand about 30 minutes before carving.
Pair your Perfect Turkey with Perfect Stuffing!
Sprouted Bread Stuffing/Dressing
5 cups cubed sprouted bread
1 cup chopped onion
2 Tbsp. Coconut oil
3/4 cup chopped celery
2 1/2 tsp. dried sage
1 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 Tbsp. Signature Blend Spice
1 apple, chopped (optional)
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
finely chopped turkey giblets
3/4 cup turkey stock
4 Tbsp. butter, melted
In a large skillet, cook the onions in oil over medium heat, stirring until lightly browned. Add the giblets, celery, sage, rosemary, and thyme; cook, for 2 minutes while stirring occasionally.
Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes at 350, or until lightly toasted. Transfer toasted bread cubes to a large bowl. Pour giblet mixture over bread in a bowl. Mix in chopped apples, parsley, and liver. Drizzle with turkey stock and melted butter, and mix lightly. Spoon into turkey to loosely fill.