The Diet Detective: Healthy Recipes for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving dinner
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By Charles Stuart Platkin
For Active.com

It's just about time for you to start hearing about how many thousands of calories you'll consume at one Thanksgiving meal--and how much weight you'll gain this holiday season. To help you avoid those extra pounds, we went to some of the country's leading nutritionists, chefs and cookbook authors and came up with a few tasty, healthier makeovers of traditional Thanksgiving recipes.

 

STUFFING

Traditional stuffing recipes, which use fatty meat and low-fiber white bread, are not only high in calories but also tend to be low in nutrient value. This healthier makeover substitutes whole-wheat bread to add fiber and leaner turkey in less quantity. It also uses an egg substitute instead of whole eggs and heart-healthy canola oil instead of butter.

Healthy Makeover by: Toby Amidor, M.S., R.D., senior nutrition instructor at The Art Institute of New York City. (www.artinstitutes.edu/newyork)
 
Ingredients:

  • 3/4 pound lean ground turkey
  • 2 tablespoon canola oil
  • 6 stalks celery, chopped
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 30 slices day-old light whole-wheat bread, lightly toasted
  • ½ cup egg substitute, lightly beaten
  • 2 teaspoons ground sage
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup fat-free chicken broth
     
    Directions:
  • Cook turkey in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until evenly browned.
  • Drain and set aside.
  • In a separate saucepan, add oil and cook celery and onions over medium heat until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, combine turkey, celery and onion mixture, bread, egg substitute, sage, salt and pepper.
  • Slowly add just enough broth to make the stuffing moist but not mushy.
  • Press the mixture into a baking dish.
  • Bake 1 hour or until top is brown and crisp.
     
    Traditional: (per 1.5-cup serving): 394 calories
    Healthier Makeover: (per 1.5-cup serving): 219 calories, 7 grams fat, 28 grams carbohydrate, 17 grams protein
    Saving: 175 calories
    Serves: 10

    • SWEET POTATO PURÉE WITH SMOKED CHILI AND MAPLE SYRUP

    You'll need a steamer, a vegetable peeler and food processor to make this recipe. The dish can be made ahead and gently re-warmed in the oven, covered with foil.

    Healthier Makeover by: Katy Sparks, vice president of culinary research and development for Great Performances, a New York catering and events company. (www.greatperformances.com) 
      
    Ingredients:

  • 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon whole coriander seeds
  • 2 strips fresh orange peel
  • 2/3 cup fat-free yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon ground chipotle powder (chipotle are smoked jalapeños)
  • ¼ cup maple syrup (dark, rich grade B if possible)
  • Grated fresh nutmeg, to taste
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
     
    Directions: 
  • Steam the sweet potatoes over boiling water that has been seasoned with the bay leaf, sea salt, coriander seeds and orange peel. 
  • Cook until sweet potatoes are very tender. 
  • Place sweet potatoes in the bowl of your food processor, add the yogurt, chipotle powder and maple syrup and purée until smooth. 
  • Season with the nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. 
     
    Traditional: 282 calories
    Healthier Makeover: (per 2/3-cup serving): 105 calories, 2 grams fat, 363 milligrams sodium, 23.6 grams carbohydrate, 2.2 grams protein, 1.9 grams dietary fiber
    Saving: 177 calories
    Serves: 6 to 8

    • GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

    To lighten up this traditional favorite, we used crushed low-sodium crackers on top of sautéed fresh onions instead of fried onions, which reduced the fat, sodium and calories.  Substituting nonfat milk for whole milk further decreased the fat and calories. 

    Healthier Makeover by: Karen Lush, M.P.H., R.D., corporate dietitian and program development manager for Jenny Craig. (www.jennycraig.com) 
      
    Ingredients:

  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 1 teaspoon soft margarine
  • 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can low-sodium, low-fat cream of mushroom soup
  • ½ cup nonfat milk
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 (9-ounce) packages frozen French-cut green beans, thawed and drained
  • 10 Ritz low-sodium crackers, crushed
     
    Directions:
  • Sauté chopped onion in 1 teaspoon margarine until soft.
  • Combine soup, milk and pepper in a 1 1/2-quart baking dish and stir until blended.
  • Stir in beans and half the sautéed onion. 
  • Top with remaining onion.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot. Stir.  Sprinkle with crushed crackers.
  • Bake 5 minutes longer.
     
    Traditional: (per 3/4-cup serving): 170 calories
    Healthier Makeover:  (per 3/4-cup serving): 105 calories, 3 grams total fat, 0.8 grams saturated fat, 224 milligrams sodium, 17 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams protein, 3 grams dietary fiber
    Saving: 65 calories
    Serves: 6

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