| A healthier holiday
healthy living
Turkey smothered in gravy. Candied sweet potatoes covered in marshmallows. Cranberries drowned in a sugary sauce. Apples baked into butter-laden pies. Potatoes mashed and blended with butter and milk, or even cream.
Thanksgiving is the ideal excuse to take perfectly healthy foods and slaughter them in unhealthy recipes loaded with fat, sugar and salt. But there are ways to savor traditional fall flavors in health-conscious recipes. Here, Healthy Living presents a few.
Barley, Turkey and Butternut Squash Casserole
Butternut squash is a complement to barley, onions and mushrooms.
Cooking spray
2 small butternut squash
2 tsp. olive oil
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
½ cup minced onion
1 tsp. dried sage
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
¾ cup quick-cooking barley
½ lb. cooked turkey breast, cubed or diced
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 4-quart baking dish with cooking spray. In a large pot of boiling water, boil squash halves 5 minutes or until not quite tender. Drain. When cool enough to handle, scoop flesh from each half and dice. Set aside. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add green pepper, onion and diced squash. Sauté 3 minutes. Add sage and pepper and stir to coat. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add barley and return to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 10 minutes, until barley is tender and liquid absorbed. Mix in diced turkey. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish and top with feta cheese. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes, until cheese is golden.
Makes 6 servings.
Per serving: 275 calories, 5 g. total fat (2 g. saturated fat), 42 g. carbohydrate, 18 g. protein, 10 g. dietary fiber, 368 mg. sodium.
Source: American Institute for Cancer Research
Potato Soup with Apples and Brie Cheese
Dietitian's tip: Instead of heavy cream, this potato soup uses fat-free evaporated milk for its creamy base.
1 cup chopped yellow onion
¼ cup sliced leeks (whites only)
4 large Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled and quartered, plus 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced thinly, for garnish
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups fat-free evaporated milk
6 small potatoes, peeled and sliced
4 ounces brie cheese, cut into small cubes
Spray a soup pot with cooking spray. Add the onion, leeks and quartered apples. Saute over medium heat until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken broth, bay leaf, salt and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Turn off heat and set the mixture aside.
While the broth mixture is cooking, combine the evaporated milk and potatoes in a separate saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir frequently. Pour the potato mixture into the soup pot. Stir to mix evenly.
In a blender or food processor, puree the soup in batches until smooth, adding the pieces of brie cheese while pureeing. Return the pureed batch to the soup pot and heat until warmed through. Ladle into individual bowls and garnish with thin slices of apple. Serve immediately.
Makes 6 servings.
Nutritional Analysis (per serving): Calories 378 Cholesterol 25 mg Protein 18 g Sodium 514 mg Carbohydrate 65 g Fiber 6 g Total fat 6 g Potassium 1,091 mg Saturated fat 4 g Calcium 438 mg Monounsaturated fat 2 g
Used with permission from the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
Stuffing with Cranberries
Dietitian's tip: Stuffing is usually baked within the food in which it's stuffed, such as a turkey or chicken. This version bakes the stuffing separately, saving calories and fat. If you prefer extra-moist stuffing, add more chicken broth or water.
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped onion
10 slices whole-wheat bread, toasted and cut into cubes
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
½ teaspoon paprika
Þ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup chopped fresh cranberries
1 cup whole water chestnuts
1 cup chopped apple
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly coat a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
In a large skillet, heat the chicken broth over medium heat. Add the celery and onion and saute until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes, parsley, tarragon, paprika, nutmeg, cranberries, water chestnuts and chopped apples. Add the onion and celery mixture. Stir to mix evenly.
Spoon stuffing into the prepared baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes. Serve immediately.
Serving size: ½ cup Calories 147 Cholesterol 1 mg Protein 5 g Sodium 263 mg Carbohydrate 29 g Fiber 5 g Total fat 2 g Potassium 256 mg Saturated fat 0.5 g Calcium 51 mg Monounsaturated fat 1 g
Used with permission from the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
Turkey, Spinach and Apple Wrap
1 Tbsp. reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 tsp. honey mustard
2 whole-wheat tortillas
2 cups (washed and dried) baby spinach leaves, loosely packed, or two large leaves of a soft leafy green lettuce
4 thin slices turkey breast (4 ounces)
¼ Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
Combine mayonnaise and mustard. Lay out both wraps. Spread edges of each with mayonnaise mixture. Leaving a margin free on the side closest to you, arrange a layer of greens on top of wraps. Top each layer with half the turkey. Evenly divide apple slices and lay lengthwise across turkey. Fold over the end of the wrap closest to you, then the two sides. Roll wrap as tightly as possible toward opposite side. Cover each tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate, seam side down, up to 4 hours before serving. When ready to serve, remove plastic and cut each wrap in half.
Makes two wraps.
Per serving: 234 calories, 7 g. total fat (1 g. saturated fat), 27 g. carbohydrate, 20 g. protein, 3 g. dietary fiber, 294 mg. sodium.
Source: American Institute for |Cancer Research
Sweet Potato Casserole
4 medium sweet potatoes
Vegetable oil spray
1 tablespoon acceptable margarine
¼ cup orange juice
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Cook whole sweet potatoes in boiling water |25 to 30 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375. Lightly spray a 1-quart casserole dish with vegetable oil spray. Remove potatoes from heat and add cold water until potatoes are cooled slightly. Peel and mash. Add remaining ingredients and mix. Place in dish and bake uncovered 25 minutes. Serve hot.
Makes 6 servings.
Calories: 116 Protein: 2 gm Carbohydrates: 20 gm Total Fat: 4 gm Saturated Fat: 1 gm Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 gm Monounsaturated Fat: 1 gm Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 9 mg Potassium: 393 mg Calcium: 25 mg
Reprinted with permission from the American Heart Association Low-Salt Cookbook, Copyright 1990 by the American Heart Association.
|
