Healthy Holiday Recipes

With the Holidays approaching I had an idea to whip up some healthy alternatives to some traditionally unhealthy holiday favorites.

I would like to take these to family gatherings to show them that eating healthy food can be just as enjoyable as eating fattening food.

Does anyone have any healthy holiday recipes they would like to share?

Maple Mashed Sweet Potatoes (P+C)

Ingredients:

2 1/4 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 tablespoon Smart Balance Omega-3 (or Smart Balance Light – or butter, if you really must)[Note: You can cut this out if the presence of any fat annoys you]

1/2 cup fat-free Half-and-half

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup (or use Log Cabin Sugar Free Syrup, which is sweetened with Splenda)

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

Preparation:

Cook potatoes in pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain. Return potatoes to pot; mash to desired lumpiness or smoothness. Mix in other ingredients. Season with salt and pepper (or California Garlic Pepper if it suits your tastes).

WILD RICE, APPLE, AND DRIED-CRANBERRY STUFFING (P+C)

Ingredients:

1 cup wild rice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 lb bread [I like whole-wheat sourdough - corn bread can also work well - but you can also use a crusty white-bread], cut into 1/2-inch cubes (6 cups)
1 tablespoon melted Smart Beat Omega-3
2 cups diced (1/3 inch) onion
2 cups diced (1/3 inch) celery
2 cups diced (1/3 inch) apple
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried, crumbled
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh marjoram or 1/2 teaspoon dried, crumbled
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup dried cranberries (5 oz)
5 cups fat-free turkey stock or fat-free chicken broth

Preparation:

Bring 4 cups broth/stock to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, then add rice and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until rice is tender and most grains are split open, 1 to 1 1/4 hours (not all liquid will be absorbed). Drain well in a colander and spread out in a baking pan to cool completely.
Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 350?F.

Spread bread cubes in a shallow baking pan and bake in upper third of oven until dry, about 20 minutes.

Coat large non-stick skillet with olive-oil or canola-oil cooking spray, then cook onion and celery, stirring, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add apple and cook, stirring, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in herbs, pepper, and remaining teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with rice, bread, and dried cranberries.

Increase oven temperature to 450?F and coat (using the Canola/Olive oil spray) a shallow 3-quart baking dish (13 by 9 inches).

Spread stuffing evenly in baking dish and drizzle with remaining cup of turkey stock/chicken broth and melted Smart Beat Omega-3. Bake, covered tightly with foil, in upper third of oven until heated through, about 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake until top is browned, 10 to 15 minutes more.

Cooks’ notes:
? Rice can be cooked 2 days ahead and cooled, uncovered, then chilled, covered.
? Instead of drying bread cubes in oven, they can be spread in a shallow baking pan and dried, uncovered, at room temperature 1 day.
? Stuffing can be assembled (without drizzling with stock and melted Smart Beat), but not baked, 1 day ahead and cooled, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

thanks for the recipes!

Does anyone have a recipe for low-fat low-sugar eggnog?

Or How about a low-fat low-sugar pumpkin pie recipe?

Pumpkin Pie - I don’t think you’re going to get low fat and low carb in the same recipe – at least not if you want a crust…

Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsp apple juice
1 tbsp Smart Beat Omega 3 (or light), melted

Filling
2 cups canned pumpkin
1 egg yolk (Omega-3 egg)
2 large egg whites
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp allspice

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350?F. Lightly coat a 9" pie plate or tin with canola oil spray. In a medium bowl, mix together crumbs, juice and Smart Beat until moistened. Press mixture evenly into bottom and sides of pie plate. Bake 15 minutes, until golden. Cool. Place filling ingredients in a food processor (or use an electric mixer) and pulse a few times until just blended and smooth. Pour filling into cooled pie shell. Bake 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve warm, with or without a dollop of fat-free whipped cream.

BTW, I don’t think you’re going to get a low-carb Thanksgiving unless you really want to go away from traditional dishes.

A couple things I do for a big P+C meal like this: Make sure I train that day, preferably a few hours prior to the meal, and take a fiber supplement (I like the one from Vitamin Shoppe) with the meal.

I wasn’t asking for “low-carb” recipes.
I was asking for “low-sugar” versions.

For “low-sugar” versions, simply substitute Splenda for sugar at a 1-to-1 ratio, and use “diet” or “no-sugar” ingredients, such as the Log Cabin No Sugar Syrup I specified for the Maple Mashed Sweet Potatoes above.

Low-fat, Low-sugar Eggnog

1 small pack of diet instant vanilla pudding mix
4 cups skim milk (Use Hood Low Carb Skim Milk if you can find it)
3 Cups Fat Free Half-and-Half
1/3 cup Splenda
3 egg whites
1 1/2 teaspoons real vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Prepare pudding mix according to directions on package adding extra milk, vanilla and Splenda. Fold in Fat Free Half-and-Half, egg whites, nutmeg and salt. Let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, stir before serving, if it is too thick, just add more milk. Can sprinkle with nutmeg and/or cinnamon.

Also, if you want it to be more like REAL eggnog, add rum and bourbon at a one-to-three ratio, to taste.

Just came up with this one…

Pumpkin Pie Oats
-1c cooked oats w/ equal parts water
-let cool
-1 scoop protein powder(I used vanilla)
-2-3 tbsp canned pumpkin
-sprinke of pumpkin pie spice
-sprinke cinamman
-squirt sf maple sryup
-few tsp sf pb davinci sryup
-lil splenda(optional)
-stir and enjoy

I freeze it for an hour cus I like oats cold but you don’t have to.

Good substitute to kill those pumpkin pie cravings.

I personally think that the granular splenda(for baking) is junk. It is 95% maltodextrin whose GI is over double of sucrose.

[quote]fedorov91 wrote:
I personally think that the granular splenda(for baking) is junk. It is 95% maltodextrin whose GI is over double of sucrose.[/quote]

I just use regular Splenda – is that different?

BTW, I guess you could use Stevia extract as well.

Here’s another side dish – not necessarily Holiday-specific, but I plant to have it on Thursday…

Spicy Sauteed Broccolini

2 lb Broccolini* (sometimes called baby broccoli) or broccoli rabe, ends trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1/4 cup non-fat chicken stock

Cook Broccolini in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until stems are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain in a colander, then plunge into a large bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking. Drain again and pat dry with paper towels.

Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add half of garlic and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes and saut?, stirring, until garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Add half of Broccolini and 2 tablespoons stock and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, then repeat with remaining oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, Broccolini, and stock. Season with salt.

  • Available at specialty produce markets and many supermarkets.

Each serving contains about 32 calories and 1 gram fat. You can cut that even further down if you use Olive-oil cooking spray in lieu of the oil.

Makes 8 servings.

Damn, BB - your quite the epicurian.

I’m just going to lift hard, eat hard and sleep hard Thursday,

[quote]BostonBarrister wrote:
fedorov91 wrote:
I personally think that the granular splenda(for baking) is junk. It is 95% maltodextrin whose GI is over double of sucrose.

I just use regular Splenda – is that different?

BTW, I guess you could use Stevia extract as well.[/quote]

Splanda in packets is much better for you. The sweetness is more concentrated than the granulated version.
I use it everyday.

I just made some damn tasty “egg nog” –

2 scoops vanilla Grow!
12 oz. low-carb fat-free Milk
4 oz. fat-free half-and-half
1 packet Splenda
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 shakes cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Blend and enjoy.

[quote]fedorov91 wrote:
thanks for the recipes!

Does anyone have a recipe for low-fat low-sugar eggnog?

Or How about a low-fat low-sugar pumpkin pie recipe?

[/quote]

Ask and ye shall receive. I had this pumpkin cheescake yesterday. I finished it off at lunch today. It tastes just like pumpkin pie. The second recipe tastes just like potato salad. Without all the carbs and sugar. Well, enjoy:

SPICED PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

cooking spray
1/2 cup pecans coarsely chopped
2 8 oz packages of FF cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup Splenda
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup FF sour cream
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Pre heat oven to 300F. Spray bottom and sides of 9 1/2" springform pan. Sprinkle bottom of pan with pecans, distributing evenly.

In a large bowl, use electric mixer to beat cream cheese, splenda, vanilla extract until fluffy, stopping occasionally to scrap the side of the bowl and beaters.

Add pumpkin and sour cream, mixing thoroughly on medium speed. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing between each one. Mix in cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.

Pour batter over nuts in pan. Bake 60 to 70 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes before removing from pan. Cover and chill at least 2 hours before serving.

SWEET POTATO SALAD

Basic recipe

One cold cooked sweet potato; skinned and chopped
one celery rib, chopped
one tablespoon of chopped peppers (red, yellow or green)
one tablespoon of mayo
two halves of pecan nuts, chopped

Now adjust to your family’s taste by adding any of these:

1 tablespoon of pineapple, chopped
pinch of fresh ginger
peanuts or almonds
a pinch of chopped hot peppers
add chopped cold cooked chicken or pork
1 teaspoon of chopped onion
dash of garlic or some chopped fresh garlic
sprinkle of celery seed
dash of cinnamon or pumpkin spice
sprinkle of fresh cilantro
just a squeese of lime juice
add a little mustard

SPICED PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

cooking spray
1/2 cup pecans coarsely chopped
2 8 oz packages of FF cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup Splenda
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup FF sour cream
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Pre heat oven to 300F. Spray bottom and sides of 9 1/2" springform pan. Sprinkle bottom of pan with pecans, distributing evenly.

In a large bowl, use electric mixer to beat cream cheese, splenda, vanilla extract until fluffy, stopping occasionally to scrap the side of the bowl and beaters.

Add pumpkin and sour cream, mixing thoroughly on medium speed. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing between each one. Mix in cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.

Pour batter over nuts in pan. Bake 60 to 70 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes before removing from pan. Cover and chill at least 2 hours before serving.

SWEET POTATO SALAD

Basic recipe

One cold cooked sweet potato; skinned and chopped
one celery rib, chopped
one tablespoon of chopped peppers (red, yellow or green)
one tablespoon of mayo
two halves of pecan nuts, chopped

Now adjust to your family’s taste by adding any of these:

1 tablespoon of pineapple, chopped
pinch of fresh ginger
peanuts or almonds
a pinch of chopped hot peppers
add chopped cold cooked chicken or pork
1 teaspoon of chopped onion
dash of garlic or some chopped fresh garlic
sprinkle of celery seed
dash of cinnamon or pumpkin spice
sprinkle of fresh cilantro
just a squeese of lime juice
add a little mustard

Hey, these look kinda like Dr John recipes!