‘HEALTHY THANKSGIVING FEASTING’

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! Most of us will be feasting on the traditional Thanksgiving fair-turkey, stuffing and cranberries. Turkey is such wonderful low fat meat and makes great leftovers. Don’t know what else to prepare? For those of you that would like to lighten up the fair take a look at these great recipes.

Winter Greens with Ginger and Mint

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped, about 2 2/3 cups
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 walnut-sized piece of ginger, grated, about 1 tablespoon
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 2/3 pounds well-washed greens, such as dandelion, kale, chard or mustard greens, cut into 1/2-inch wide strips
8 tablespoons chopped, fresh mint.

Heat olive oil in a lrg sauté pan. Add onion & cook for 8 minutes-until soft. Add garlic & ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add vinegar and greens- cover pan. Steam until greens are wilted, stir occasionally for 5-8 minutes. Season with salt & pepper. Toss with fresh mint

Sweet Potato Soufflé

4 large sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup frozen orange juice from concentrate
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch salt
4 large egg whites
2 tablespoons sugar
2 oranges cut in thin slices

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a lrg pot, cover the sweet potatoes with water and bring to a boil-until tender. Drain and peel the potatoes and place in a large mixing bowl. Mash well. Add the olive oil, milk, sherry, brown sugar, orange juice, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and salt. Beat well with a mixer. Spoon mixture into an oiled ovenproof gratin dish. Bake until the potatoes are hot, about 25 minutes. While the soufflé is cooking, make the meringue. In a clean bowl, whip egg whites until almost stiff. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until soft peaks form. During the last five minutes of cooking the soufflé, top with the meringue mixture. Return to oven and remove when the meringue is lightly browned. Garnish with the sliced oranges.

Chestnuts with Onions & Thyme

1 pound chestnuts
1 pound pearl onions
2 to 3 cups chicken stock, or as needed to cover the chestnuts
2 pounds brown mushrooms
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped thyme
salt and pepper
Cut a cross on the flat side of each chestnut. Place in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer about 10 minutes. Peel off the shell and remove as much of the thin brown layer on the chestnut that will easily come off. Set the cooked chestnuts aside. Trim the roots of the onions carefully without cutting across the ends. Cut a cross on the bottom of each onion. Cover the onions with water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until firm/tender. Drain and remove peels. Set aside. Clean mushrooms and cut into thick slices. Warm half the oil in a large sauté pan and sauté the mushrooms. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine chestnuts, onions and mushrooms in a large casserole. Toss with thyme, adding chicken broth if the mixture seems dry. Season with salt and pepper, bake 15 minutes until hot all the way through. Serve hot.

These are healthy, fairly straightforward easy to fix recipes that will add some color, herbs to ease digestion and lessen total calories. Feast and be well, till next time, Rebecca

11/15/07