Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and if you are like me, you worry that all that luscious food will be taking up residence on your hips after the event. Over the years I have found a few recipes that help reduce this possibility, and are just as delicious as their full calorie counterparts. I even started sneaking them into potluck events around the holidays, and not a single person has ever noticed that the calories have been trimmed.
Substitute one or more of these recipes at your family feast, and see if anyone notices. I can practically guarantee they won't!
Low Sugar Cranberry Relish
Ingredients:
12 ounce cranberries - fresh or frozen cranberries.
1 whole orange with skin If you are not a fan of oranges, they can be changed out with any crispy, tart apple that is cored, peeled and sliced.
1/2 cup almonds, chopped medium. If you aren't partial to almonds, you can use walnuts or if you prefer softer nuts, use pecans.
1/2 cup to 3/4 cups sweetener. I use Splenda, not in packages, but loose.
Instructions:
1. Wash the orange and cut it in half. Peel one half and discard the peel. Peel the other half and put the peel into the food processor or blender. Separate the orange sections and cut each in half and set aside.
2. Turn on the food processor or blender and chop the orange peel as small as you can without pureeing it.
3. Wash and drain the cranberries well. Make sure they are all firm. Put in the food processor or blender.
4. Put the almonds and 1/2 cup sweetener in the food processor or blender.
5. Pulse the food processor or blender until the pieces of the mixture are smallish chunky, and the sweetener is well mixed in.
6. Add the orange pieces and pulse a few more times till the oranges are well mixed in with the other ingredients.
7. Try the relish for sweetness and and add more if needed.
8. This relish should be stored in a covered bowl in the refrigerator for 8 hours before serving.
Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients:
1/3 cup chopped onions
1/3 cup bread crumbs
4 slices turkey bacon
1 can (10 ounce) of 99%fat free cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup plain fat free yogurt
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (I use Stubbs Hickory Liquid Smoke from Amazon)
3 9 ounce packages of frozen French cut green beans, frozen
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Lightly spray a cookie sheet with no stick spray
3. In a small bowl, stir together the onions and bread crumbs.
4. Evenly spread the mixture on the cookie sheet and bake about 12 minutes until golden brown.
5. Remove from oven and set aside.
6. Cook the the turkey bacon (I use the original Makin Bacon Microwave Dish to make mine)
7. Chop the bacon and set aside.
8. In a large bowl, stir together the condensed soup, yogurt and liquid smoke.
9. Then stir in the beans and bacon.
10. Lightly spray a glass baking dish (11" x 7" or 9" x 13") with no stick spray.
11. Transfer the bean mixture to the backing dish.
12. Top with the onion mixture to the glass dish.
13. Top with the onion mixture and back for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly.
Makes 6 servings, 103 calories per serving.
Pumpkin Pie
If you prefer, you can make your pie shell from scratch. I always use a premade pie shell to save time.
Pumpkin Pie Filling:
15 ounce can of pure pumpkin - Not pumpkin pie filling
12 ounces of fat free evaporated skim milk
2 eggs or 1/2 cup of Egg Beaters
1/2 cup granulated sugar - I substitute Splenda for this
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves - this is optional, as some don't like the taste
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves in a small bowl.
3. Beat eggs lightly in a large bowl.
4. Stir in pumpkin and spice mixture.
5. Gradually stir in evaporated skim milk.
6. Pour in to a pre-prepared pie shell.
7. Bake pie in the oven for 15 minutes.
8. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Remove from oven and let cool for at least two hours, serve immediately or refrigerate before serving. DO NOT chill before the pie has set, if you do it can begin to weep moisture on the top of the pie. If this happens, blot the top lightly with a paper towel.
Makes 8 servings, about 150 calories each.
I especially love the relish. It is so sweet and crunchy! I always had eaten regular jellied cranberry sauce until about 10 years ago when my sister brought some relish to our Thanksgiving dinner. I tried it and just never looked back. It is YUMMY!!
The pumpkin pie is a recipe that I made myself when my husband developed diabetes and could not have sugar anymore. While I was tweaking the recipe I decided to try to cut some calories too which is why I started using fat free evaporated skim milk. I really cannot taste the difference.
I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I have and you and yours have a
Happy Thanksgiving!
Photos by Pixabay and eatloveeats
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