Thanksgiving
It’s almost Thanksgiving. What are you eating? You don’t have to eat like the Last Supper. This year, why not make it a wonderful healthy eating Thanksgiving Day instead. The recipes below are a compilation from a Thanksgiving Sides class that I have taught. I hope you enjoy them and manage your food plans on this day as well as the other days.
Thanksgiving Menu
Roast Turkey (3 points for 3 oz)
Waldorf Salad (1 point per 2/3 cup)
Apple Raisin Stuffing (2 points for ½ cup)
Braised Celeriac (1 point per ½ cup)
Orange whipped Sweet Potatoes (2 points per ½ cup)
Make Ahead Gravy (1 point per ½ cup)
Sauteed Green Beans w/Onions & Bacon (1 point per ½ cup)
Cranberry Salsa (1 point per ½ cup)
Carrots w/Glazed Balsamic vinegar & Butter (2 points)
Oven Fried Sweet Potatoes (3 pts per cup)
Pumpkin Flan (3 points per slice
CRANBERRY SALSA
1 pound cranberries, fresh or frozen (thawed)
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
3 granny smith apples, peeled and diced
3 oranges, seeded and diced
4 serrano chiles, diced with seeds
1 bunch cilantro chopped
1 bunch green onions, trimmed and chopped
finely chop the cranberries in a food processor or by hand. Combine in a bowl with the remaining ingredients and mix together. Set aside at room temperature 1 hour and then chill.
MAKE AHEAD TURKEY GRAVY
Makes 8 cups. Time needed is about 3 hours but is mostly unattended. Good idea to make ahead and freeze in an airtight container. Refrigerate 2 days to thaw. Reheat in a saucepan, whisking often.
4 turkey wings (about 3 lbs)
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
1 cup water
8 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup chopped carrot
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 Tablespoon stick butter or margarine
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 400. Have ready a large roasting pan.
Arrange wings in a single layer in pan; scatter onions over top. Roast 1 1/4 hours until wings are browned.
Put wings and onions in a 5 to 6 quart pot add water to roasting pan and stir to scrape up any brown bits, on bottom. Add to pot. Add 6 cups broth (refrigerate remaining 2 cups) the carrot and thyme. Bring to a oil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered 1 1/2 hours.
Remove wings to cutting board. When cool, pull off skin and meat. Discard skin; save meat for another use.Strain broth into a 3 quart saucepan, pressing vegetables to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard vegetables; skim fat off broth and discard (if time permits, refrigerate broth overnight to make fat skimming easier)
Whisk flour into remaining 2 cups broth until blended and smooth.
Bring broth in a pot to a gentle boil. Whisk in broth flour mixture and boil 3 to 4 minutes to thicken gravy and remove floury taste. Stir in butter and pepper. Serve or pour into containers and refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to 6 months.
POINTS per 1/2 cup is 1 CALORIES 52; 0 FIBER; 2G FAT
WALDORF SALAD
Makes 12 servings
6 cups diced apples
2 1/2 cups thinly sliced celery
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoon dark raisins
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Dressing:
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoon non fat or reduced fat mayonnaise
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp nonfat sour cream
In a large bowl, combine the applies, celery, raisins, and walnuts and stir to mix well. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise with the sour cream, and stir to mix well. Add the mayonnaise mixture to the apple mixture and toss to mix. Cover the salad and chill for 1 to 3 hours before serving.
POINTS 1 per 2/3 cup Calories 63; Fat .2g; Fiber 2g
APPLE RAISIN STUFFING
Makes 12 Servings
9 slices stale whole wheat bread
3 large tart apples, peeled and coarsely chopped
3/4 cup dark or golden raisins
1 cup finely chopped celery (include leaves)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp ground white or black pepper
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
2 egg whites, lightly beaten (optional)
1/2 cup chicken or turkey broth or Butter Buds liquid
Take 6 of the 9 slices of bread, and tear them into small pieces. Place the pieces in a food processor blender, and process into coarse crumbs. Measure the crumbs. There should be 3 cups (adjust the amount if necessary) take the remaining 3 slices of bread and cut them into 1/2 inch cubes. Measure the cubes. There should be 3 cups (adjust the amount if necessary). Place the bread crumbs and cubes in a large bowl, and add all the remaining ingredients except for the chicken broth. Toss to mix well. Slowly add the broth as you continue tossing. Coat a 2 quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Loosely spoon the stuffing into the dish and bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour, or until heated through and lightly browned on top. Serve hot.
POINTS: 2 PER 1/2 CUP
Calories 119; Fat .07g; Fiber 2.9g
SAUTEED GREEN BEANS AND ONIONS WITH BACON
8 Servings
1 pound green beans, trimmed and halved crosswise
4 bacon slices
1 (16 ounce) bottle cocktail onions, drained, and can be sliced in half
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
cook beans in boiling water 4 minutes or until crisp tender. Rinse with cold water; drain and pat dry.
Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings in pan; crumble bacon and set aside.
Add onions to drippings in pan, cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sugar and thyme; cook for 3 minutes or until onions are golden brown, stirring occasionally. Add the beans, cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Add vinegar, salt and pepper; toss to coat. Stir in crumble bacon just before serving. Yield 8 servings or 1/2 cup
POINTS: 1 PER 1/2 CUP
Calories 59; fat 3g; fiber 1.2g; sodium 621mg.
BRAISED CELERIAC
12 SERVINGS
Braising (or slow cooking) the celeriac (or celery root) mellows its flavor, making it an excellent partner for beef as well.
1 1/2 pounds peeled celeriac cut into wedges
1/2 cup minced fresh onion
1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup fat free less sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley.
1, Preheat oven to 350. Place the celeriac in a Dutch oven and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and cook 8 minutes; drain well. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add onion and bay leaf, cook 5 minutes or until tender. Add celeriac, salt and pepper. Cook 6 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Stir in broth and wine.
2. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until tender. Discard bay leaf. Sprinkle with parsley.Yield: 8 servings (serving size is 1/2 cup)
POINTS: 1 PER 1/2 CUP CALORIES 53; FAT 1.7G; FIBER 1.4; SODIUM 197MG.
CARROTS W/GLAZED BALSAMIC VINEGAR AND BUTTER
10 Servings
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
3 1/2 pounds peeled baby carrots or regular carrots, peeled, cut into 2 inch pieces, halved lengthwise
6 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add carrots and saute 5 minutes. Cover and cook until carrots are crisp tender, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. Stir in sugar and vinegar. Cook uncovered until carrots are tender and glazed, stirring frequently, about 12 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add chives and toss to blend. Transfer to bowl and serve.
2 points per serving
OVEN FRIED SWEET POTATOES
7 servings (1/2 cup is a serving)
4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
vegetable cooking spray
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1 small garlic clove, minced
combine the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; toss gently to coat. Arrange sweet potato slices in a single layer on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degree for 30 minutes or until tender, turning the potato slices after 15 minutes.
Combine parsley, orange rind, and garlic in a small bowl; stir well. Sprinkle parsley mixture over sweet potato slices.
176 calories; 2.5g fat; 4.5g fiber; 104mg sodium, 3 points for 1 cup.
PUMPKIN FLAN
8 Servings
1 cup sugar, divided
1 (16 ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon maple extract
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated fat free milk
1/2 cup fat free milk
1/4 cup orange juice
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
cinnamon sticks (optional)
Orange rind curls (optional)
Preheat oven to 350
Place 1/2 cup sugar in a small, heavy saucepan. Place over medium heat, and cook until sugar dissolves, stirring frequently. Continue cooking until light brown, stirring constantly. Immediately pour into a 9 inch round cake pan, tilting quickly until caramelized sugar coats bottom of cake pan. Set aside.
Combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar, pumpkin, and next 3 ingredients in a bowl; stir well. Add milks, orange juice, eggs and egg whites; stir well. Pour pumpkin mixture into prepared pan; place in a large shallow pan. Pour hot water into large pan to a depth of 1 inch. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove cake pan from water, and let cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill at least 4 hours.
Loosen edges of flan with a knife or rubber spatula. Place a serving platter, upside down, on top of cake pan; invert onto platter. Drizzle any remaining caramelized syrup over flan. Garnish with cinnamon sticks and orange rind curls, if desired. Cut into wedges.
POINTS: 3 CALORIES 184; FAT 2G; FIBER 2.4G; SODIUM 88MG
ORANGE WHIPPED SWEET POTATOES
Makes 10 servings
3 pounds sweet potatoes (about 6 medium-large)
2 cups orange juice (could use 3 cups)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks. Place the potatoes and the orange juice in a 4 quart pot. Cover the pot, and bring the potatoes to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 25 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Stir occasionally.
Drain all but 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid from the potatoes reserving the drained liquid. Add the nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger and mash the potatoes with a potato masher or beat them with an electric mixer until smooth. If the potatoes are too stiff, add a little of the reserved cooking liquid or more orange juice. Serve immediately.
POINTS: 2 PER 1/2 cup
CALORIES 120; FAT .3g; FIBER 2.5g
Happy Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
