Thanksgiving Menu

[babice]

I'm in thought mode about Thanksgiving and have found various things on the paid site....thought it would be okay to post here. One is:

Sweet Potatoes With Roasted Fennel and Tarragon
Serves 2
Sweet potatoes, also often sold as “yams,’’ are a fantastic source of antioxidants, but traditional Thanksgiving recipes that call for maple syrup and brown sugar can banish this favorite from your South Beach Diet menu. Instead, complement the natural flavor of the sweet potatoes with the delicacy of fennel and fresh tarragon.

Ingredients
2 sweet potatoes, scrubbed and peeled
1 fennel bulb
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, finely chopped
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop fennel bulbs into small cubes and toss with canola oil, salt, and pepper. Roast fennel pieces on a rimmed cookie sheet for about 20 minutes or until fragrant and pieces start to show some color. Cut sweet potatoes in 2 or 3 pieces lengthwise, and then chop each spear into bite-sized pieces. Roast sweet potatoes for about 40-50 minutes or until fork-tender. Toss roasted sweet potatoes with roasted fennel, vinegar, and fresh tarragon.

[babice]

DAILY DISH
New-and-Improved Thanksgiving Menu
(Published 11/17/04) If you're determined to do Thanksgiving on The South Beach Dietâ„¢, you'll need a plan of attack and a revised menu. Here are South Beach alternatives to all of your favorite Thanksgiving dishes:

Roast turkey = Nothing unhealthy here!

Stuffing = (Phase 2) Use whole-wheat bread and add mushrooms, garlic, nuts, beans, or eggplant.

Gravy = Use the pan drippings with the fat skimmed off, and replace cornstarch with a small amount of arrowroot.

Cranberry relish = Replace sugar with sugar substitute (for a recipe, visit the Thanksgiving section of The South Beach Dietâ„¢ Online). Those in Phase 2 and beyond can try blending other whole fruits, such as oranges, to balance the tart flavor of cranberries.

Mashed potatoes = Whip up a batch of South Beach "Surprise" Mashed Potatoes (you'll find the recipe online).

Side dishes = This is a great opportunity to boost your take of fresh vegetables. Try roasted green beans with slivered almonds, or saute some spinach with garlic and olive oil.

Pumpkin pie = Pumpkin Spice Ricotta Crème (Phase 1) and Individual Pumpkin Soufflés (Phase 2 and beyond) are alternatives.

[babice]

DAILY DISH
New Stuff for Your Stuffings
(Published 11/17/03) Stuffings get their fluff from bread. If you're in Phase 2 or 3 of the diet and want to include stuffing with your Thanksgiving Day feast, choose a whole-wheat variety. Or consider the following ideas, which will reduce the amount of bread or replace it altogether:

Mushrooms: Dice up portobellos or other meaty mushrooms and mix with other stuffing ingredients.

Nuts: Chopped toasted walnuts, almonds, and pecans are used in many stuffing recipes. Try making them the main component with vegetables and whole grains.

Eggplant: Incredibly versatile, eggplant soaks up flavors and liquids like a sponge. Dice up raw eggplant instead of bread and toss with other traditional stuffing ingredients.

Beans and legumes: Mixed canned chick peas, black beans, red beans, white beans, or any combination you can think of with a fluffy lentil pilaf and sautéed vegetables for an exciting new stuffing-like side dish.

Roasted shallots: Roast whole shallots or small onions—even cloves of garlic—in the oven until browned. Then mix together with herbs and dried fruit (like apricots and apples) for a chunky stuffing that will trade flavors with your bird.

[babice]

Pumpkin Spice Ricotta Crème
Serves 2
Pumpkin is a food to avoid during Phase 1 of the diet, and it should be limited during Phase 2 and 3. However, you can capture that pumpkin pie flavor you love with the spice combination below—a Thanksgiving variation on the South Beach Diet classic ricotta creme dessert.

Ingredients
1 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoons ground dried ginger
2 packages sugar substitute

Instructions
Mix together all the ingredients and chill. Scoop into dessert bowls or hollowed-out mini-pumpkins and serve

[babice]

DAILY DISH
Winter Fruits: Cranberries
(Published 11/01/05) Cranberries are good for more than just a tasty Thanksgiving side dish. In addition to being a rich source of cancer-fighting phytochemicals, cranberries can also prevent urinary tract infections. In fact, this age-old folk cure is backed by solid scientific evidence; studies show a group of phytochemicals unique to cranberries prevents harmful bacteria from sticking to the lining of the urinary tract, thereby preventing these painful infections. You can enjoy unsweetened cranberries starting in Phase 2 of The South Beach Dietâ„¢.

Buying
Cranberries are available year-round but are typically cultivated between the months of September and December. You can buy them fresh or frozen; make sure they're firm with a bright-red color and no signs of discoloration.

Storing
Keep fresh cranberries in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, or freeze them in an airtight bag or container for up to a year. (Freezing is an especially convenient storage method for cranberries since they don't need to be thawed before cooking.)

Preparing
Cranberries are too tart to be eaten raw, but become tangy-sweet when cooked. They make a vibrant holiday relish and a great addition to salads or home-baked, whole-grain breads. More delicious options: Add cranberries to homemade compotes or applesauce. However you choose to use them, make sure there's a sweet element in the recipe to offset their tartness.

[babice]

Wow. Someone posted this in another thread and it looks so good, I wanted to post it here so I can easily find it:

CHRISTMAS SALSA

2 medium navel oranges -- whole
1 pound whole cranberries -- washed well
2 jalapenos -- chopped
1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Place the oranges, skin and all, in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and chop very fine. Then add the cranberries, jalapenos, apricots, and the spices and process again. Do not over chop as you want to retain the integrity of the cranberries, apricot, and jalapeno.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Yield: Approx. 4 cups

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: This is marvelous with roast turkey, and I often use it on an English muffin as a substitute for marmalade.

From: The Sizzling Southwestern Cookbook

* I found this over at Prevention.com & thought it looked perfect for a cranberry relish replacement.

[misskt84]

Thanks Babs!! I just bought the new Cooking Light and there is a TON of stuff in it that i'm thinking of making. I think the eggplant stuffing is a BRILLIANT idea, in fact i want to make it before thanksgiving just to try it out!

Oh and I made my own cranberry sauce w/ splenda for a pork loin this weekend, it was wonderful! I'm thinking of adding orange zest and nutmeg to it for thanksgiving. YIPPEE!!

[babice]

I'd forgotten that Ambrosia Salad is a common thing to have on a Southern Table for thanksgiving. I wonder if this recipe can be made more SB friendly?

Ambrosia Salad
Phase 2

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup mixed fruit chunks or fruit cocktail, drained
1/2 cup Mandarin orange sections
1/2 cup pineapple tidbits
1/2 cup minature marshmallows (sugar free maybe?)
3/4 cup sour cream, or as desired, (lowfat for SBD)
1/4 cup maraschino cherries, halved
1/4 cup red seedless grapes
lettuce leaves

Not sure if the maraschino cherries are okay for phase 2...the paid site says that "sweet" cherries are ok. So, maybe actually buying some fresh cherries and using those would be best.

[babice]

SUCCOTASH
(Phase 2)

4 strips turkey bacon, diced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 10-oz. package frozen corn kernels
1 16-oz. package frozen baby lima beans
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
3/4 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Fry bacon in large saucepan until crisp; drain thoroughly, reserving enough grease to sauté the onions. Sauté the onion until soft. Add the lima beans and water per package directions. Cook until slightly tender; add the corn and cook until beans are done. Thoroughly drain the water. Add the bacon bits and butter; combine until melted. Add the milk and stir throughly. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Note: The amount of milk used depends on how milky you prefer the dish.

[bobojd05]

These recipes are compliments of LegalBeagle. I found them in a journal and thought we should all get to see them.
This will make it much easier to stay beachy on t-day. They look yummy. Thanks, LeagalB!

Lemon-Sage Turkey

3 T grated lemon rind
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
3 T dried thyme
2 T dried rubbed sage
1 T cracked black pepper
1 t salt (sub. lite salt)
1 twelve pound fresh or frozen turkey (thawed)
2 sixteen oz. cans fat free, less sodium chicken broth
cooking spray

1. Combine first 6 ingredients and set aside.

2. Remove and discard giblets from turkey, reserving neck for gravy. Rinse turkey with cold water and pat dry. Trim excess fat.

3. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under turkey. Rub spice mixture under loosened skin and in body cavity.

4. Preheat oven to 350 F.

5. Pour 1 can of broth into shallow roasting pan. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack coated with cooking spray. Place rack in roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer into meaty part of thigh, making sure probe does not touch bone. Bake at 350F for 1 1/2 hours. Carefully pour remaining can of broth into pan. Bake an additional 1 1/2 hours of until meat thermometer registers 180 degrees.

6. Remove turkey from oven. Reserve pan drippings to make gravy. Cover turkey loosely with foil and let stand 15-20 minutes before carving. Discard skin. Serve with wild mushroom gravy.

But LegalBeagle, we don't know how to make wild mushroom gravy?!?!?! Oh, yes, you do...

Wild Mushroom Gravy

Pan drippings
2 c water
3/4 c thinly sliced shallots
1/2 c thinly sliced carrot
1 turkey neck
1 c sliced button mushrooms
1 c thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 3.5 oz)
5 T all purpose flour (sub ww flour)
1 t red currant jelly (sub sf jelly)
1/4 t black pepper

1. Place a large ziplock plastic bag inside a 4 cup measure. Pour drippings from turkey roasting pan into bag; let stand 10 mins. and fat will rise to top. Seal bag; carefully snip off 1 bottom corner of bag. Drain drippings to measure 2 cups, stopping before fat layer reaches opening in bag. Reserve 2 T fat in bag (sub EVOO if you don't want to eat turkey fat); set aside.

2. Combine water, shallots, carrot, and turkey neck in med. saucepan and bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 mins. Strain cooking liquid through a sieve over bowl, reserving 3/4 c cooking liquid. Discard solids, reserving turkey neck. Remove meat from neck; chop. Add meat and reserved 3/4 c cooking liquid to defatted 2 cups of drippings in 4 cup measure.

3. Heat reserved 2 T fat (or EVOO) in a saucepan over med high heat. Add mushrooms, saute 2 mins. Add flour; coook 1 min. Gradually add cooking liquid mixture; cook 10 mins or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, stir in jelly and pepper.

Yield: 3 c (1/4 c = serving size)

[H]ere's my recipe for sausage and herb dressing. I am typing the recipe as it is, then in parenthesis, I am putting in the SB substitutions, where applicable:

2 T butter or stick margarine (substitute Smart Balance or EVOO)
2 four-ounce links Italian turkey sausage, crumbled
2 c chopped onion
2 c chopped fennel bulb
1/2 c chopped celery
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 c fat free, less sodium chicken broth
1/3 c chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 t dried thyme
1 1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 t salt (lite salt)
12 c (one-inch) cubed French bread (about one 1 lb. loaf)(substitute sourdough or whole wheat or whole grain - IMO sourdough is best in this recipe)
1 c thinly sliced green onions
1 large egg, lightly beaten
cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Melt marg. (or heat EVOO) in dutch oven over med-high heat. Add sausage and cook 4 mins or until browned. Add chopped onion, fennel, celery, and garlic; saute 8 mins. Stir in broth and next 4 ingredients, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.

3. Remove from heat. Stir in bread cubes, green onions, and egg.

4. Spoon into 13 X 9 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375 F for 35 minutes. Yield: 13 servings (serving = 3/4 c)



Green Beans with Pan Roasted Red Onions

5 c water
1 lb green beans, trimmed (I like to leave them whole and just trim the ends off, but you can cut them up into small pieces if you desire.)
1 T EVOO
3 red onions, each cut into 8 wedges
1/2 c fat free, less sodium chicken broth
1 T balsamic vinegar
2 t brown sugar (substitute brown sugar twin or even splenda)
1/4 t salt (lite salt)
1/4 t fresh cracked black pepper

1. Bring water to a boil and add beans. Cook 6 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and keep warm.

2. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add onion wedges, saute 8 mins or until browned. Add broth, cook 3 mins, stirring occasionally. Stir in vinegar and remaining 3 ingredients. Stir in beans, cover, and cook 2 minutes.

Yield: 12 servings (1/2 c each)


And how about a nice starch side dish as a complement?

Maple-Glazed Sweet Potatoes

8 c (1 inch) cubed peeled sweet potato (about 3 lbs)
4 c water
1/4 c lemon sections (about 1 large lemon, peeled and sectioned (be sure to remove white membrane from each section and use only flesh of lemon))
1/4 c packed dark brown sugar (substitute brown sugar twin)
3 T maple syrup (sub sugar free maple syrup)
2 T butter or stick margarine (sub Smart Balance)
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/8 t ground red pepper
dash of salt (sub lite salt)

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to boil. Cook 20 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove sweet potatoes from pan with slotted spoon, reserving cooking liquid.

2. Bring cooking liquid to a boil, cook until reduced to 1/3 c (about 12 minutes). Stir in sugar and remaining 5 ingredients. Stir in sweet potatoes, and cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Yield: 12 servings (1/2 c each)

Cranberry Apricot Sauce

1/2 c thinly sliced dried apricots (about 3 oz)
1/4 c sherry or orange juice (sub lemon juice)
3/4 c water
2/3 c sugar (sub splenda)
1/4 c honey
1 (12 oz) package fresh or frozen cranberries

1. Combine apricots and sherry (sub lemon juice) in small bowl; cover and let stand 8 hours.

2. Combine water and sugar (sub splenda) in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Add apricot mixture, honey and cranberries. Cook over meium heat 8 minutes or until slightly thick. Spoon into a bowl, cover, chill.

[babice]

I've GOT to make this...my BF would like it I think...

The Sultan's Salad
serves 2

Ingredients
1/2 cup water
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup bulgur
3 tablespoons red lentils
3 tablespoons chopped dates
3 tablespoons chopped dried apricots
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon olive oil, preferably extra-virgin
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted and chopped

Instructions
Bring water, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt to a boil in a small saucepan; stir in bulgur, remove from the heat, cover the pan, and set aside for 30 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed. Spread the bulgur out on a baking sheet until cooled to room temperature, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine lentils and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a saucepan; add enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a simmer and cook until the lentils are just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water, pressing firmly to remove excess water.

Combine the cooled bulgur and lentils in a serving bowl with dates, apricots, parsley, mint, oil, lemon juice and zest, and half of the pine nuts. Toss well. Sprinkle with the remaining pine nuts. (The salad can be made up to 1 day ahead and kept, covered, in the refrigerator.)

[Toria]

OMG, you guys are awesome. These recipes look fabulous. I may have to re-think my Thanksgiving menu. Thanks for all the great ideas!!!

[babice]

My BF is making "his" version of stuffing...I'm going to make this and see how it turns out:

Whole-Wheat and Sage Stuffing (Serves 8. )
(phase 2 and beyond)

Ingredients
1 16-ounce can fat-free chicken stock
1 cup onion, diced small
1/2 cup celery, diced small
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
8 slices whole-wheat bread (crusts removed), cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat oil in skillet and sauté onions and celery until translucent. Remove from heat and let cool. Cut bread into 1/2-inch cubes and set aside. In a large bowl, mix bread, vegetables, egg, sage, salt, and pepper. Spray 1 1/2-quart casserole dish with nonstick spray. Bake until done, about 30 minutes.

[babice]

DAILY DISH

Autumn-Spiced Sweet Potatoes
(Published 11/13/05) Whipped sweet potatoes are a great side dish for South Beach Dieters (Phases 2 and 3). They're nutrient-dense, flush with fiber, and rich in beta-carotene and vitamin C. Most importantly, they won't set off cravings like traditional mashed potatoes can. Plus, they're absolutely delicious for Thanksgiving dinner — or any time at all!

2 Servings

Ingredients
1/2 pound sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons low-fat buttermilk
1/4 tablespoon trans-free margarine
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
2 tablespoons chopped pecans (optional)

Instructions
Peel potatoes and chop into medium-sized chunks. Cover with water in large pot and boil until pieces are easily pierced with a fork. While sweet potatoes cook, toast pecans on rimmed cookie sheet. Remove sweet potatoes from water, add buttermilk, margarine, and spices, and mash together. With hand mixer or immersion blender, whip potatoes until smooth. Transfer potatoes to serving dish and top with chopped pecans. Serve immediately, or keep warm, uncovered, in a 200° F oven.

[babice]

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