Thanksgiving is right around the corner, but you might not have a hankering for the traditional fat and caloric dinner. So what are you going to cook? If you are looking for healthy alternatives, here are three yummy recipes to satisfy that skinny tooth!
1. The Big Turkey
For the ones who want to have a traditional (but healthy) turkey, here’s what you can do:
Turkey breast meat is lower in calories than dark meat; buy just the breast instead of the whole bird. Also avoid the “self-basting” turkey, as it often comes with added fat.
First remove the giblets and rinse the turkey inside out. While preheating the oven at 350 degrees, you can stuff the turkey with healthy alternatives such as halved onions, halved lemons or apples and sprigs of fresh herbs. Instead of rubbing the skin with butter, just spray it with oil and season it with salt and pepper. Don’t forget to insert a meat thermometer.
Place the turkey in a roasting pan into the oven. Roasting time is about 4 hours unstuffed and about 5 hours stuffed, and may vary 1 hour depending on the size of the turkey.
When the skin is a golden color, cover the turkey with a foil tent. Remove the foil tent 45 minutes before you want to eat it. Finally, when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F at the thigh, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for 20 to 30 minutes before carving. Ready to be served!
2. Green Bean Casserole
First preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Then, heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Stirring, cook 1/4 cup shallots sliced into rings, until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes . Transfer them to paper towels to drain, and repeat the process.
Place the 1 1/2 pounds of fresh green beans in a basket over a pot of boiling water. Cover and steam about 3 minutes. Then cook (with little oil) 1 pound of sliced mushrooms, about 12 minutes. Add 6 large cloves of garlic and thyme and cook 1 more minute. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.
Mix 3 cups of low-fat milk and 3 tablespoons of flour until the flour is dissolved. Add the mixture to the skillet and cook, whisking all the time, until thickened over low heat. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the beans, mushroom mixture, 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, nutmeg, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Coat a 2-quart baking dish with olive oil spray. Transfer the mixture into the dish and sprinkle the top with the crispy shallots and 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese. Finally, bake about 20 minutes until golden on top. Enjoy!
3. Crustless Pumpkin Pie
Most of the fat in a pie comes from the crust. So why not making a crustless pumpkin pie?
To do that, first preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Since we have no crust, we will requiere a longer baking time. Then we will spray the bottom of the baking pan and prepare the mixture (it can be bought as all-in-one or we can prepare it with 16 ounces of pumpkin puree, 12 ounces of evaporated milk, 1/2 cup of fat-free eggs, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, 1 1/2 pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, flour and salt). Also add orange slices for a fat-free garnish.
Place all ingredients in blender, and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a pie plate, until topping.
Baking time is about 50 minutes, and we can test if it’s done by placing a knife in the middle; if it’s done, it comes out clean. Finally, we let it cool for 15 minutes, refrigerate during about 4 hours and we are ready to serve! Happy healthier eating! Do you have a favorite healthy Thanksgiving recipe?
Written by Pol Smith
