Nov

23

BPA Free Thanksgiving?

Filed Under Bisphenol-A, Food Safety 

pieSince all this started I’ve been trying desperately to come up with alternatives to the old family favorites that require a can of this or that.  So here’s a few solutions I’ve come up with that replace those cans that plague our meals with BPA.  No one wants hormone disruption with their dinner do they? (Yes I’m being cheeky.)

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Many recipes during the holidays require cream of mushroom soup.  Finding it not in a can has proven to be next to impossible. Thanks to the magic of Twitter I’ve heard of a few solutions.

Use Cream of Celery Soup: Swap this in its place… can be found in box form in the natural foods aisle of many grocery stores.

Make it yourself: A little more time consuming but you could do a large batch and freeze 10 oz. portions for use later.

Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe

1 lb. fresh mushrooms
2 c. onions
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
3 tbsp. flour
1 c. cold water
15 oz chicken soup
1 c. all purpose cream
Salt & pepper to taste
2 tbsp. butter

Grate mushrooms and onions. Melt butter and saute onions and sugar until brown. Add mushrooms and saute for 3 minutes. Stir in flour until smooth. Add cold water and stir until blended. Add can of soup and simmer for 15 minutes. Just before serving, stir in cream.

Or: Make a roux with butter and flour. Add milk and veggie broth to desired thickness then add sauteed mushrooms.

Pumpkin Pie

What’s Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie?? But what about those pesky convenient cans of perfectly spiced pumpkin? I’ll be the first to admit that going the DIY route sounds unappealing with as much preparation Thanksgiving dinner requires.  But if you’re ambitious then here’s a DIY idea for you I found on the Mother Nature Network:

Do It Yourself:  Buy a little, tender, organic sugar pumpkin at the farmers market, cut it in eighths, scrape out seeds, and steam or boil it. Cool, remove skin, and blend until smooth like a puree. Should result in roughly 15 oz. or so you’ll need to fill a deep dish pie recipe.

Edit to Add: A reader commented about this method and since she’s done it before she had some better tips on cooking pumpkin:

They are still very watery squash and will make a bland, soggy pie if used in the way you describe. Instead, what you should do is cut the pumpkin in half, scoop out seeds, roast it face down on a cookie sheet (about 1 hour at 375 should do it) and then once it’s cool peel the skin off. Now you still need to get rid of the excess water. Wrap the pumpkin flesh in cheesecloth and squeeze the heck out of it repeatedly until it is about 1/4 the original volume. Finally, puree the condensed flesh until smooth. Because so much of the pumpkin is water I would actually recommend using 2 sugar pumpkins to get the 15oz usually called for in pumpkin pie recipes.

As the article says, many pie recipes call for a can of condensed milk, which you can substitute heavy cream (or soy milk for vegans).  Great tip!  The article also has a great egg-free, soy recipe.

Make Sweet Potato Pie Instead: I’ll admit I didn’t grow up eating sweet potato pie. But it is a great alternative to pumpkin and doesn’t require the can of pumpkin to make. You can cut up and steam sweet potatoes and blend until smooth to get the puree you need.  No can required. It’s just as festive and delicious as a pumpkin pie.  Here’s a delectable recipe from Alton Brown (I love him!) on the Food Network:

Sweet Potato Pie

  • 1 pound 3 ounces sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1 1/4 cups plain yogurt
  • 3/4 cup packed, dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
  • 5 egg yolks
  • Salt
  • 1 (9-inch) deep dish, frozen pie shell
  • 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Directions: Put cubed potatoes into steamer basket and place steamer basket into a large pot of simmering water that is no closer than 2 inches from the bottom of basket. Allow to steam for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Mash with potato masher and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place sweet potatoes in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment. Add yogurt, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, yolks, and salt, to taste, and beat until well combined. Pour this batter into the pie shell and place onto a sheet pan. Sprinkle pecans on top and drizzle with maple syrup. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until the custard reaches 165 to 180 degrees. Remove from oven and cool. Keep refrigerated after cooling.

Green Bean Casserole

Ok… I didn’t grow up with this dish at my family table.  I never even heard of it until I moved to Philadelphia.  I also think it’s a vile vile food.  But my husband and family love it and think of it as a staple on Thanksgiving day. Problem is it requires not only a can of cream of mushroom soup (se above for alternatives) but it alse requires canned green beans.  Solution?  Buy bags of frozen, cut green beans instead.

Cranberry Sauce

You are either one of two kinds of people.  You’re the homemade cranberry kind of people, like me.  Or you’re the gelatinous can of cranberry kind who is ok with a round disc of cranberry on your plate.  Which is who I was until I tasted my grandmothers homemade cranberry sauce and I converted.  Some people can’t have Turkey day without their green bean casserole and can of cranberry.  But if you are the adventurous type and want to eliminate the need for the can of BPA cranberry here is the recipe I use every year.  Trust me its easy and delicious:

Nana SafeMama’s Cranberry Sauce

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup orange juice (and zest)
  • 1 package of cranberries  (looked over and washed)

Directions: In a large saucepan, mix water, orange juice & sugar.  Stir until dissolved over medium heat.  Dump in cranberries and zest an orange into the pan.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and then boil gently, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and pour into a glass bowl.  Let cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate.  Best made the day before (says Grandma… and its actually true, plus its one less thing to do on Turkey Day).

Need some original recipe ideas? Check out my friend at the Craving Chronicles who has some beautiful cranberry and pumpkin treats listed for Thanksgiving.  You can apply the ideas here to any of her recipes.  I really want those Orange Cranberry Rosemary  muffins!

Have any BPA free holiday tips of your own? Share them in the comments!

Related articles:

Posted by: Kathy on November 23, 2009
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Comments

9 Responses to “BPA Free Thanksgiving?”

  1. Britta Braught on November 23rd, 2009 2:24 pm

    That is so awesome! Thanks for all the recipes!

  2. Deborah on November 23rd, 2009 3:23 pm

    Thank you for the great recipe for the cream of mushroom soup! The recipe above calls for “one can chicken soup”. Pacific Foods has boxed chicken soup that can be substitited(I emailed them and they say there is no BPA in the packaging). And, yes, there is nothing like fresh cranberry sauce. Great ideas!

  3. Kathy on November 23rd, 2009 3:27 pm

    @Deborah: Haha yeah oops.. I forgot to edit that! Thanks for the tip on Pacific Foods. We have those here too.. good to know the packaging is totally BPA free.

  4. Deborah on November 23rd, 2009 4:44 pm

    Kathy, Here is a copy of the email I received from Pacific Foods. ~ Deborah
    ————–
    “Thank you for sending us an email. As it should be, the concern for food packaging and safety is a rising one. Pacific Natural Foods uses what is called aseptic packaging. These cartons have multiple layers to provide safety and freshness. The majority of the package is 70% paper, which is harvested from renewably managed forests. Twenty-four percent (24%) of the package is a low-density food-grade polyethylene plastic, which does not leach an endocrine disruptor like phthalates or Bisphenol-A. This is a number four (#4) plastic. This paper and polyethylene coats a tiny amount (6%) of aluminum, which never comes into contact with your food. This packaging is safe and one of the most recommended on the market.
    The aseptic packages are recyclable through a process called hydra pulping. Most recycling communities recommend putting the cartons into the paper portion of your recycling bins. Depending on the facility, we are unable to decipher how much of the carton is actually recycled, but every portion of this packaging is intended to be fully reusable. It may be necessary for you to contact your recycling and refuse company to inquire if they are equipped to recycle the aseptic cartons. We encourage you to use the following website for informative purposes:www.aseptic.org
    We hope this explanation is thorough and informative. If you have additional questions or comments please do not hesitate to contact us again.”

  5. robin on November 23rd, 2009 6:26 pm

    Great tips… I would alter the instructions for using sugar pumpkins a little though. They are still very watery squash and will make a bland, soggy pie if used in the way you describe. Instead, what you should do is cut the pumpkin in half, scoop out seeds, roast it face down on a cookie sheet (about 1 hour at 375 should do it) and then once it’s cool peel the skin off. Now you still need to get rid of the excess water. Wrap the pumpkin flesh in cheesecloth and squeeze the heck out of it repeatedly until it is about 1/4 the original volume. Finally, puree the condensed flesh until smooth. Because so much of the pumpkin is water I would actually recommend using 2 sugar pumpkins to get the 15oz usually called for in pumpkin pie recipes.

  6. Cindy on November 23rd, 2009 7:54 pm

    The last couple of years I’ve been making green bean casserole from scratch, withOUT the canned soup! For those that don’t mind cooking, I highly recommend this – more work than the traditional “dump canned beans & soup” together, but WORTH every ounce of effort. So much better than the Campbell variety. This recipe is courtesy of the fine folks at Cooks Illustrated (I lighten it up by using 2% milk in lieu of the heavy cream):

    Green Bean Casserole

    * 4 slices white bread, each slice torn into quarters
    * 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
    * 1/4 teaspoon table salt
    * 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
    * 3 cups canned fried onions (about 6 oz.)
    * 2 lbs green beans, ends trimmed and halved
    * 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
    * 1 lb white button mushrooms, stems trimmed, wiped clean, and broken into 1/2-inch pieces
    * 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
    * fresh ground black pepper
    * 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
    * 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
    * 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

    For the topping: Pulse bread, butter, salt, and pepper in food processor until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 one-second pulses. Transfer to large bowl and toss with onions; set aside.

    Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees.

    Fill large bowl with ice water. Bring 4 qts. of water to boil in large Dutch oven. Add two tbls. salt and the green beans. Cook beans until bright green and crisp-tender, about 6 minutes. Drain beans in colander and plunge immediately into ice water to stop cooking. Spread beans on paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain.

    Add butter to now-empty Dutch oven and melt over medium-high heat until foaming subsides. Add mushrooms, garlic, 3/4 teaspoons salt, and 1/8 teaspoons pepper; cook until mushrooms release moisture and liquid evaporates, about 6 minutes. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and bring to simmer, stirring constantly. Add cream, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until sauce is thickened and reduced to 3 1/2 cups, about 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

    Add green beans to sauce and stir until evenly coated. Arrange in even layer in 3 quart (or 13 x 9″) baking dish. Sprinkle with topping and bake until top is golden brown ans sauce is bubbling around edges, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

    To prepare ahead: Store breadcrumb topping in an airtight container in the refrigerator and combine with the onion just before cooking. Combine the beans and cooled sauce in a baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. To serve, remove plastic wrap and heat casserole in a 425 degree oven for 10 minutes, then add the topping and bake as directed. This recipe can be halved and baked in a 2 quart (or 8″ square) baking dish. Reduce cooking time of the sauce in Step 3 to about 6 minutes and the baking time in Step 4 to 10 minutes.

  7. Theresa on November 23rd, 2009 11:41 pm

    Hey, thanks for the shout out! I saw the recent news reports about BPA in canned foods. Makes me glad that I rarely use them in my cooking! And I’m with you – green bean casserole is vile. I’m hoping to convince my family to eat some maple roasted butternut squash instead. Mmmm.

  8. Janet P on November 24th, 2009 4:20 am

    Love it!!! Totally am thinking differently about Tday this year. My husband bought the turkey today and came home with the plastic bag to cook it in. Sigh….we won’t be using them. :-) Suggestions on how to keep it moist in a bagless kind of way are appreciated! Love the green bean casserole recipe…pain to make it looks like but yummy!

  9. Kathy on November 24th, 2009 10:18 am

    @Janet: I have never cooked a turkey in a plastic bag. http://www.ehow.com/how_2282440_keep-roasted-turkey-juicy.html

    Or cook it upside down!


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