fat-Free Orange Yams in Orange Cups' r ommosommiwwwwwwwwwwwwww, 0 U 0 Where We Eat! Vintage wine, great burgers O Nectars Wine Bar 4135 Orchard Lake Road Orchard Lake (248) 851-7777 Open: 5 p.m.-midnight Monday-Tuesday, 5 p.m- ' 2 a.m. Wednesday-Saturday; food served until 10:30. Cuisine Type: Upscale bar food Highlights: Nectar burger, wine selection Vegetarian Choices: Cheese platter, crostini and bruschetta appetizers Atmosphere: Intimate, cosmopolitan wine bar, can be smoky Service: Laid back and clubby V! Price Range: Appetizers, $6-$16; entree, $10- $20; wine by the glass, $8.754 15 10 great and guilt-free side dishes for the festive meal. ANNABEL COHEN Special to the Jewish News C hef Julia Child once remarked that most American restaurants serve three times the amount of food one should eat at a meal. The result is that since we eat so many meals away from home, when we actually cook at home, we feel that these home portions should be big — in fact, just as large as what we're served at restaurants. What's more, restaurants have more fat in their dish- es than we would ever add at home. Why? Because they don't care how fat we are; they care about how good the food tastes. It's no secret what all this extra food — and extra fat — is doing to our collective waistlines. This Thanksgiving, let's step back on portion size and fat content to give thanks to our own bodies. White meat turkey (without the skin) is lean, lean, lean. Ever wonder why gravy is hard the day after Thanksgiving and must be thinned before eating it? Fat. Use this dieter's trick to limit the amount of fatten- ing gravy you consume: Serve the gravy in a small side dish for dipping instead of ladling on over your pota- toes and turkey. When it comes to side dishes, fat is often hidden throughout many of the traditional foods we make or buy. I know some people who actually add cream cheese to mashed potatoes. Yummy, but deadly. Give thanks there are recipes like these to the rescue. Serve any combination of the following side dishes and you'll have an even leaner holiday meal. The recipes are very low in fat and don't contain any of that evil white flour, white rice or white anything (though we do use some Yukon Gold potatoes in one recipe). Though most of the recipes are for about eight peo- ple, that's assuming you're serving only one side dish. Because this holiday is about abundance, if offering more than just a side dish or two, each recipe will serve more. Thank goodness you won't have to undo that top button after eating this year's Thanksgiving meal! FAT-FREE ORANGE YAMS IN ORANGE CUPS Not as much work as it seems, this is just another inter- esting way to serve yams. And the orange cups look stunning served next to the sliced turkey. 4 thick-skinned, navel oranges, cut in half 4 pounds yams, peeled and cut into 1-inch slices 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt, to taste Pepper, to taste Cut a small slice from the bottom of the oranges so that they can sit flat on a plate. Over a small bowl, cut around the inside rim of the orange to release the orange from the rind. The bowl will catch the juices. Use a spoon to scoop out the remaining flesh. You don't need to remove all the orange. Set the oranges aside or place in a glass or plastic container and cover well with plastic wrap for up to one day ahead. Bring a pot of cold water to a boil over high heat. Add the yams and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Nectars trine Bar offers 40 wines by the glass. Who Eats There: A stylish crowd of 30- to 50- something adults Reservations: None Liquor: Up to 40 wines by the glass, hundreds by the bottle plus full bar Nectars Wine Bar is an unexpected, sophisticat- ed little gem nestled in a strip mall on Orchard Lake at Pontiac Trail. Though popular in big cities and Europe, we haven't seen this sort of place locally. Seems like Nectars has been a secret among its small crowd of upscale patrons. The long bar has a warm, cherry wood finish, and there are only four high top and four round tables. Behind the bar, the shelves are lined with hundreds of wine bottles that make use of the small space to create a larger, very hip-looking backdrop. Mike and John Karcho own both the bar and Vintage Wine Shoppe next door. The businesses share the same dividing wall with the wine bottles • NECTARS on page 95 THANKSGIVING on page 92 11/15 2002 91