Small changes to a Thanksgiving menu can make a big difference in providing a more healthful holiday. Here are suggestions to reduce fat, cholesterol, sodium and increase fiber intake:
Appetizer - Serve a fresh vegetable tray with low-fat dip. Skip the celery and carrots and substitute jimaca and red and green bell pepper.
Turkey - Baste the bird with de-fatted chicken broth rather than with butter or turkey juices. To add more flavor, slip fresh rosemary, thyme, sage, tarragon or dried bay leaves under the skin. It will look pretty too. Avoid self-basting turkeys. You're paying for extra fat, not extra turkey.
Stuffing - To lower sodium content, avoid pre-packaged stuffing mixes. For more fiber, use dry whole-wheat bread, cut in cubes. Steam or microwave onions or celery rather than sauteing them in a stick of butter or margerine. Make some stuffing in a separate casserole dish so it doesn't sop up the turkey fat, using de-fatted chicken broth. Add more flavor woth steamed mushrooms and apple. Apple or water chestnuts are a good substitute for nuts. For added flavor and fiber, add cooked brown rice to the stuffing.
Side dishes - For vegetables, try a red cabbage dish instead of the traditional green bean cassarole or some bacon-based vegetable dish. Saute green beans with de-fatted chicken broth and pepper instead of butter. Mash sweet potatoes with orange juice and crispt under the broiler, instead of making the popular marshmellow-sweet potato casserole. Make mashed potatoes with skim milk and better buds, or try a past primavera instead of potatoes.
Relish - For the cranberry relish, chop cranberries with whole oranges and sweeten with orange juice concentrate. Instead of canned cranberries, cook whole fresh cranberries on top of the stove in orange juice instead of water. Sweeten with artificial sweetner.
Dessert - For pumpkin pies, use evaporated milk instead of cream. Prepare fruit pies with one-third to one-half less sugar. Try making pies with alternative crusts, such as whole wheat. Serve non-fat yogurt instead of ice cream. Serve an attractive fruit tray at the same time. Skip the pecan pie.
|
