Happy Humpday POU family! We are one day away from stuffing our faces with Big Mama’s sweet potato pie and cornbread dressing. Thanksgiving is a time where family and friends get together over good food and drinks and spend time with each other and give thanks. Oh, and where the women gossip over red velvet cake in the kitchen and the men eat sweet potato pie in the den while watching the football game. At least that’s how it happens in my neck of the woods. For those of you who are thinking about your waistline and want to watch your calories, I’ve searched around the “innanets” to find recipes that should taste good and not break your caloire deficit. Check out these recipes and even if you don’t make all of these, there may be one or two you can add to your yearly traditional meal…..
(Warning: Food porn to follow after the jump. LOL.)
This recipe yields about six servings and is relatively easy to make. After using a calorie calculator for this recipe, it’s estimated to be about 147 calories per serving (It may be more or less).
Ingredients
1 whole bone-in turkey breast, 6 1/2 to 7 pounds
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons good olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup dry white wine
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place the turkey breast, skin side up, on a rack in a roasting pan.
In a small bowl, combine the garlic, mustard, herbs, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice to make a paste. Loosen the skin from the meat gently with your fingers and smear half of the paste directly on the meat. Spread the remaining paste evenly on the skin. Pour the wine into the bottom of the roasting pan.
Roast the turkey for 1 3/4 to 2 hours, until the skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted into the thickest and meatiest areas of the breast. (I test in several places.) If the skin is over-browning, cover the breast loosely with aluminum foil. When the turkey is done, cover with foil and allow it to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Slice and serve with the pan juices spooned over the turkey.
Source: Ina Garten of Barefoot Contessa (Food Network)
Ingredients:
2 cups turkey drippings (from a roasted turkey)
1/8 tsp ground, black pepper
1/2 cup skim milk
2 Tbsp cornstach
Salt to taste
Directions:
1. Strain turkey drippings through a sieve, reserving the liquid, and discard any solids.
2. Pour the drippings into a fat separator, and allow to sit until the fat rises to the top. To speed up the process, you may add a couple ice cubes to the drippings.
3. Pour the liquid drippings from the fat separator (leaving the solid fat behind) into a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the black pepper, and bring to a heavy simmer.
4. In a separate dish, mix together the cornstarch and milk, and slowly pour the mixture into the drippings, stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Continue cooking until thickened.
5. Season with salt to taste as needed.
Source: About.com Low Calorie Cooking
As a starch-aholic I love mashed potatoes. With this recipe, you’ll get a tasty treat without all the guilt. This recipe yields eight servings and comes in at 101 calories per serving.
Ingredients:
2 pounds medium red boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
4 large cloves garlic, peeled
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives (optional)
Directions:
1.Place potatoes and garlic in large saucepan. Add enough water to cover; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 20 to 30 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender. Drain.
2.Place potatoes and garlic in medium bowl. Mash with potato masher or beat with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth.*
*For a smoother texture, force potatoes through potato ricer or food mill into medium bowl. Finish as directed in step 3.
3.Add buttermilk, salt and pepper. Stir with fork until just blended. Sprinkle with chives.
Source: TLC Cooking
Ain’t nothing like some collard greens with hot sauce and cornbread. I might try this recipe, it sounds pretty good. The preperation time for this recipe is about 30 minutes and the cooking time is 2 1/2 hours or until greens are tender. It yields about 10 servings and is 142 calories per serving.
Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
5 cups chicken stock
1 smoked turkey drumstick
5 bunches collard greens – rinsed, trimmed and chopped
salt and black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Directions
1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic, and gently saute until light brown. Pour in the chicken stock, and add the turkey leg. Cover the pot, and simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Add the collard greens to the cooking pot, and turn the heat up to medium-high. Let the greens cook down for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionall
y.
3. Reduce heat to medium, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook until the greens are tender and dark green, 45 to 60 minutes. Drain greens, reserving liquid. Mix in red pepper flakes if desired. Use liquid to reheat leftovers.
Source: AllRecipes.com
This recipe is a lighter way to satisfy that sweet tooth, and would be great for entertaining. This recipe yields 12 servings and comes in at 151 calories per serving (2 mini pies).
Ingredients:
8 oz phyllo dough, thawed
2 c sweet potato, steamed or roasted, flesh only
1/2 c dark brown sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pumpkin pie spice mix, plus additional 1/2 t for dusting
1/4 c low-fat evaporated milk
1 t vanilla
1/2 c egg substitute or 2 egg whites
1/2 c fat free whipped topping
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 24 mini muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray. Remove phyllo dough from packaging. Slice into 1 inch strips, then cut each strip into 2 inch segments. Using 3 layers at a time, fill the cups, spraying cooking spray between each layer. Repeat process three times. Remove skin from sweet potatoes and allow to cool to room temperature. Place sweet potatoes, sugar, spice mix, milk, and vanilla in the bowl of a food processor. Blend until smooth. Add eggs and blend just to incorporate. Fill cups to the top of the muffin pan. Bake 18-20 minutes, until custard is set and pastry starts to brown. Once cooled, top with 1 teaspoon of fat-free whipped topping and a dusting of pumpkin pie spice mix.
Source: Chef Meg of SparkPeople
If you had all of this for Thanksgiving your total meal tally would be around 558 calories- and you’d still have room for a nice glass of wine. 🙂 So, Obot fam even if you don’t try any of the recipes listed above, what do you have planned this Thanksgiving? Will it be a traditional turkey dinner or will you be cooking outside the box (we’re doing that for Xmas)? Do you know of any other recipes that can be modified to lower the calories, fat, sugar, and sodium content? I want you all to have a happy and safe Thanksgiving. I’ll be traveling today and throughout the weekend to see family and friends in SC so I’ll be offline. Be blessed y’all.
