A fresh and organic holiday feast is not out of reach.  Shop for all of your traditional foods but look for organic and natural options.  Organic turkeys are readily available.  Pumpkin pies can be made using whole-wheat crusts and organic pumpkin.  Cranberry sauce comes prepared in jars using only natural ingredients and organic cranberries.  Organic corn is available fresh or frozen.  This year’s trip to the grocery store may take a few more minutes, but the healthy, tasty alternative will be well worth the effort!

Ingredients:

1 fresh organic turkey, whole  (also can use turkey breasts if you want a quicker-cooking turkey)
Olive Oil
4 cloves garlic - slivered
3 onions – chopped in large chunks
½ pound redskin potatoes – quartered
5 carrots – chopped into 3” long chunks
Fresh Rosemary sprigs
Fresh Thyme
Salt and pepper
Butter (optional)

Instructions:

Drizzle olive oil in bottom of heavy roasting pan.  Using a cloth or paper towel, lightly coat the outside of the bird with additional olive oil.

Using a knife cut small slits in the turkey’s skin all over the bird.  Place garlic slivers into the slits, burying them so that you can no longer see the garlic.

Into the same slits, bury rosemary and thyme sprigs.

Sprinkle with Salt & Pepper.

Around the outside of the turkey, place potatoes, carrots and onions.  Sprinkle these with a generous coating of salt and pepper.  Dot with butter if you’d like.

Roast the turkey in a 325 degree oven.  Cooking time will vary.  A 20 pound turkey will take about 4-5 hours.

Baste every 20-30 minutes, tossing vegetables at the same time.

**If you are roasting a whole turkey, wait to add the vegetables until the last 2 hours of roasting.