Thanksgiving is only a week away and we all know what’s coming: FOOD. And lots of it. But this doesn’t mean you have to throw your diet out the window (although, it’s totally acceptable if you do, it’s Thanksgiving). The dishes listed below are simple, low calorie, and delicious. So if you are really trying to stay away from those buttery mashed potatoes and that carb-filled stuffing, check out these alternative Thanksgiving meal ideas.
Starter:
Mixed Greens with Berries & Honey-Glazed Hazelnuts
Serves 4; Calories: 232; Fat: 17 g
Nuts:
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts, or walnuts
Dressing:
1/3 cup raspberries, blackberries and/or blueberries
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 small clove garlic, crushed and peeled
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
Greens:
10 cups mesclun salad greens, (about 8 ounces)
1 cup blackberries, raspberries and/or blueberries
1/2 cup crumbled feta, or goat cheese (4 ounces)
Side Dishes:
Cider Glazed Roots with Cinnamon Walnuts
Serves 6; Calories: 290; Fat: 9 g
Ingredients:
3 pounds assorted root vegetables, peeled (see Tip) and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup apple cider
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon butter
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. If using parsnips, quarter lengthwise and remove the woody core before cutting into 1-inch pieces. Whisk cider, brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish until the sugar is dissolved. Add root vegetables and toss to coat. Cover the baking dish with foil.
3. Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and stir the vegetables. Continue cooking, uncovered, stirring every 20 minutes or so, until the vegetables are glazed and tender, about 1 hour more.
4. Meanwhile, place walnuts in a small skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and add butter, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Stir until the butter melts and the nuts are coated. Spread out on a plate to cool slightly.
5. Transfer the vegetables to a serving dish and sprinkle with the cinnamon walnuts.
Cranberry Salsa
Serves 4; Calories: 78; Fat: 0 g
Ingredients:
1 12-16 oz bag fresh cranberries
3 green onion stalks, finely chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp salt (or more to taste)
Juice from 1 lime
Directions:
1. In a food processor, chop the cranberries
2. In a medium sized bowl, combine the chopped cranberries and all other remaining ingredients
3. Cover, and refrigerate overnight, or at least 3 hours
Main Dish:
Pomegranate-Glazed Turkey with Roasted Fennel
Serves 4; Calories: 287; Fat: 7 g
Ingredients:
4 medium fennel bulbs, cored and thickly sliced
5 teaspoons canola oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, plus 1 sprig
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
4 turkey cutlets, 1/4 inch thick (1 pound)
1 cup pomegranate juice
1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth, or water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 450°F.
2.Toss fennel, 3 teaspoons oil, chopped thyme and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring twice, until tender and golden, about 25 minutes.
3.Meanwhile, sprinkle both sides of turkey with the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and cook until browned, 1 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
4. Add pomegranate juice and thyme sprig to the pan; bring to a boil. Boil, stirring often, until reduced to 1/4 cup, 6 to 10 minutes. Discard the thyme. Whisk together broth (or water) and cornstarch; add to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 15 seconds. 5. Reduce heat to medium, return the turkey and any accumulated juices to the pan, turning to coat with sauce, and cook for 1 minute. To serve, top roasted fennel with turkey and sauce.
Dessert:
Mini Apple Pies
Calories: 86; Fat: 1 g
Ingredients:
4 sheets whole wheat filo dough
4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and finely diced
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp light butter, like Brummel & Brown
Fresh squeezed juice from 1 small orange
Fat free Reddi-wip
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with butter flavored non-fat cooking spray.
3. Lay out 4 sheets of filo dough in one, neatly stacked pile, and cut out 12 circles. I just used a large circle shaped cookie cutter. Gently press each circle of filo dough into the muffin pan, creating a bowl for the apple pie filling.
4. In a medium sized bowl, combine apples, orange juice, sugar, flour, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.
5. Using a spoon, fill up each “pie shell” with the apple filling, until all the filling is gone. Don’t be afraid to heap it high…the apples will bake down a lot.
6. Top each mini pie with a ½ tsp of the light butter.
7. Place in the oven and bake for about 30 – 40 min. Take out of oven and let cool in pan for about 10 -15 minutes.
8. Gently take one of the mini pies out of the pan, and inspect. If the filo shell still seems very soggy on the bottom, place it back into the oven for another 10 minutes. And then let it cool in the muffin pan for another 10-15 minutes.
9. Top each mini apple pie with a dollop of fat free Reddi-wip before serving.
Sources:
http://www.laaloosh.com/ct/health-and-food/food-recipes/holiday/thanksgiving-recipes/
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/collections/thanksgiving_collection_1
Photo Sources:
http://www.laaloosh.com/2012/11/13/cranberry-salsa-recipe/
http://www.laaloosh.com/2012/10/01/mini-apple-pie-recipe/
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/cider_glazed_roots_with_cinnamon_walnuts.html
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/pomegranate_glazed_turkey_with_roasted_fennel.html