Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas
 

I'd love to hear your ideas for OP Thanksgiving side dishes and desserts that don't seem like "diet food." I want to bring some stuff that I can eat (and that will keep me away from the off-plan temptation) but that others would enjoy as well.

Suggestions please?

There is a quinoa and zuccini gratin that is really delicious. You can find lots of good recipes on the New York Times website. They have a section called "Recipes for Health" that will contain lots of good side dishes. www.nytimes.com.

Kalyn's kitchen has some awesome recipes. There's one for cauliflower au gratin that has I've adapted that's become a staple food in our house, and will definitely be making an appearance at Thanksgiving. It seems sinfully delicious, but is surprisingly light (as long as you don't go crazy with portion sizes) I'm also going to make a sugar free crustless pumpkin pie to have for dessert. We'll also have some veggies and dip (still trying to find a good dip recipe to mimic my favorite high fat parmesan and artichoke) with the appetizers.

Green Bean Casserole

Kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds fresh French green beans, ends trimmed
4 tablespoons Smart Balance, divided
2 tablespoons finely chopped Vidalia onion
4 ounces baby portobello mushrooms, cleaned and finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1 cup (8 ounces) LF sour cream
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups All Bran Complete Wheat Flakes
1/2 pound grated LF mozzarella cheese

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.


Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add the beans and cook for until just tender but still firm, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the beans from the water to a large bowl of ice water to preserve color and stop the cooking. Drain the beans and set aside.


Melt 2 tablespoons of the Smart Balance in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent. Stir in the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and saute about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir for another minute, to cook out the raw flour taste, and then whisk in the sour cream. Simmer for just a couple of minutes to bring the flavors together and taste for seasoning.


Cut the green beans into 2-inch pieces. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of Smart Balance in a small pan. Crush the cereal flakes in a resealable plastic bag and add them to the pan with the butter. Toss to coat. Spread the green beans over the bottom of a 9-inch casserole dish. Pour all of the mushroom sauce mixture over the beans and top with the grated cheese. Sprinkle with the cereal flakes and bake in the preheated 400 degree F oven, until light golden brown and bubbly, approximately 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.

My Thanksgiving menu is going to be:
Roasted Turkey
SB Mashed Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole

And the part I'm most excited about - I think this is going to be my dessert indulgence:

http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/20...raspberry.html

Thanks to Zef's suggestion, I'll be making this pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving.

Ingredients:

1 deep dish pie shell (haven't decided if I will use a ww shell from the health food store or just go crustless).
3 large eggs, beaten
1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
1 (12 ounce) can fat free evaporated milk
1 cup Splenda granular sugar substitute
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Allow pie crust to thaw at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Combine eggs, pumpkin, evaporated milk, Splenda and pumpkin pie spice in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed for approximately one minute.

Pour this pumpkin mixture into the thawed pie shell. Bake pie on center oven rack for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool before cutting into 8 servings.

Note: one reviewer said it took an hour to bake her pie.

I am doing appetizers and will take shrimp with cocktail sauce, crudites, and deviled eggs. We always have a veggie side and salad, turkey of course, and I bake some sweet potatoes to have plain and avoid the sugary ones.