Health & Fitness

FOOD

Thanks A Little

Let's take the "heavy" out of that wonderful Thanksgiving meal.

Annabel Cohen
Special to the Jewish News

I

once read that the average
Thanksgiving dinner hits around the
3,000-calorie mark. That's one meal.
For one person.
One slice of pumpkin pie alone is more
than 300 calories. Change that to a typi-
cal serving of cheesecake and double the
calories and fat. And, vegetable casseroles
that start with soup and end with fried
onion rings on the top — do I have to
spell it out?
There are some small things you can
do to whittle down the calories without
feeling a thing: Cut portions. Eat what you
want, but less. Half the food, half the calo-
ries, half the fat. And substitute. Start with
the turkey. Eat white meat instead of dark.
Don't eat the skin.
Mashed potatoes often have hidden
butter, cream and who-knows-what. Make
them yourself and use broth and herbs for
flavor and creamy texture. Or, include a
wild and brown rice dish that has lots of
fiber and some protein as well.
In desserts and side dishes that contain
sugar and lots of fat, start by cutting the
amounts in half. Most times, the foods will
actually taste better.

GARLIC AND HERB ROASTED
TURKEY BREASTS
2 boneless turkey breast halves (about
6-7 pounds total)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 /4 cup soy sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
Garlic and herb rub:
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1 tsp. dried sage
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
Preheat oven to 375F. Place turkey
breast, skin side up, in a roasting pan or
baking dish. Combine oil, soy sauce and
lemon juice in a small bowl and rub over
the breasts. Combine the garlic and herb
rub and use your hands to rub over. Roast,
uncovered, for 40 minutes. Reduce heat to
375E and roast for another 11/2 to 2 hours
or until a meat thermometer reads 170-
175°F, basting two or three times during
the cooking.
Remove turkey and place a foil "tent"
over to keep warm (the turkey will remain
hot another 20-30 minutes). Slice the tur-
key and serve with pan drippings drizzled

over or gravy, recipe below. Makes 8-12
servings.
For gravy, combine 2 tablespoons flour,
any turkey pan drippings and 1 cup water,
white wine or a combination, in a medium
saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk
continuously for two minutes. Whisk in 1
cup of chicken broth, bring to a boil over
medium heat, and cook to desired consis-
tency. Season to taste with salt and pepper
and serve. Makes 3 cups of gravy.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH
CRUMBLE
I've served this as a side dish and a des-
sert, with a touch of fresh whipped cream
on the side. Both ways were delicious.
Crumble topping:
1 cup crushed bran flakes
1 /2 cup chopped pecans
1 /4 cup (1/2-stick) melted butter
1 /4 cup brown sugar
Squash:
4 cups cooked mashed butternut or
acorn squash or sweet potatoes
3 /4 cup sugar
8 egg whites
1-cup low fat evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350E Spray a 6-cup or
larger attractive baking dish with nonstick
cooking spray. Set aside.
Combine crumble topping ingredients
in a medium bowl and stir well. Set aside.
Combine remaining ingredients in
a large bowl and stir well. Transfer the
squash mix to the prepared baking dish
and smooth the top. Bake for 30 minutes.
Sprinkle the crumb topping over the
squash and bake for 15-20 minutes
more, until the topping is golden. 8-12
servings.

APPLE CRANBERRY
GINGER CHUTNEY
1 bag (12 oz.) fresh or frozen cranber-
ries
2 cups diced golden delicious apples
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. fresh minced ginger
Combine all ingredients in a large
saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to
a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 min-
utes or until apple is tender. Remove from
heat and cool completely. Chill until just
before serving. Serve at room temperature.
Makes 12 servings.

GARLIC AND RAISIN BROWN
AND WILD RICE
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
1 cup brown rice
1 cup wild rice
6 cups chicken broth or water
1 /2 tsp. dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1 /2 cup finely chopped parsley or 2 Tbsp.
dried parsley flakes
1 cup golden raisins or dried cherries
Heat oil in a large saucepan or pot over
medium-high heat. Add the onions and
garlic and saute until soft and translucent,
about 8 minutes. Add the brown and wild
rice, broth and thyme and stir. Bring to a
boil, reduce heat and cover the pan. Cook
for about 40-45 minutes until the rice is
tender and the liquid is absorbed. Season
to taste with salt and pepper.
While the rice is still hot, stir in the
parsley and raisins. Serve hot or keep
warm until ready to serve. May be pre-
pared the day before and reheated for 10
minutes on high in the microwave oven.
Makes 8 servings.

MARINATED VEGETABLES
Use a variety of vegetables or choose just
one. Here is a good mix (color and flavor
wise), for Thanksgiving:
1 pound green beans
1 pound carrots, cut into thin diagonal
slices
4 cups cauliflower or small florets
1 red or yellow bell pepper, cut into
thin strips
2 cups (1 pint) grape tomatoes, halved
lengthwise
Marinade:
1 /4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 /2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce, such as
Tabasco
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Fill a large pot with water and bring
to a boil. Add all the vegetables (except
tomatoes) to the water and cook for about
2 minutes (do not overcook or the green
beans will lost their bright color). Drain,
rinse under cold water and rinse well
again. Transfer to a large bowl.
Whisk together marinade ingredients
in a medium bowl. Add to the vegetables
and toss well. Just before serving, add the
tomatoes, adjust salt and pepper and toss

well again. Serve at room temperature.
Makes 12 servings.

APPLE CRUMB PIE
1 prepared pie crust or homemade pie
crust (see recipe below)
Filling:
6 cups thin sliced peeled Macintosh
apples
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
Topping:
3 /4 cup rolled oats
1 /2 cup packed brown sugar
1 /4 cup flour
1 /4 canola oil
Drizzle:
1/4 cup fat free caramel or butterscotch
ice cream topping
Preheat oven to 375E Line a pie plate
with crust. Set aside. Combine filling
ingredients and toss well. Transfer the fill-
ing to the prepared crust.
Combine topping in a medium bowl
and stir well. Sprinkle the topping over
the apples. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce
heat to 350F and bake for 30 minutes
more, until golden (if the crust begins to
become too brown, cover the edges with
foil). Allow to cool completely. Up to a few
hours before serving, drizzle the caramel
topping over the pie. Makes 8-12 servings.

FOOD PROCESSOR
PIE CRUST
1 cup flour
1 /4 tsp. baking powder
1 /4 tsp. salt
5 Tbsp. butter or margarine, cut into
pieces
1 /4 tsp. lemon juice
Ice water
Place flour, baking powder, salt and
sugar in the bowl of a food processor and
pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter
and pulse several more times until the
mixture is crumbly. With the processor
motor running, add the lemon juice and
the ice water a few drops at a time until
the dough forms a ball on top of the blade.
Remove the ball and flatten a bit to make
a dish. Cover in plastic and chill for one
hour, up to a day ahead.
On lightly floured surface, with a floured
rolling pin roll out the dough to fit into 9"
pie plate, leaving about a 1-inch overhang.
Roll the edges under and flute or press with
a fork against the rim of the pie plate. Chill
until ready to use. Makes 1 pie crust. ❑

November 13 • 2008

B9

