Thanksgiving Alternatives

It's that time of the year again for us in the United States where the more fortunate one's get to spend time with their family and having an amazing meal together.   Of course there are many that aren't as fortunate so please donate some food to a local food bank, even if it's a few cans so a family or people can have a nice meal too!

Anyway back to cooking!  As much as I love the food at Thanksgiving I don't like the pounds it can put on, no matter how good it tastes.  SO here are two dish alternatives to the famous candied sweet potatoes (315 cal a serving) and the green bean casserole (my personal favorite  but it can be up to 175 cal a serving).

Don't let the phrase "  its better for you" deter you from trying these dishes because they taste just as good as the original dishes, if not better!   I made these two recipes along with the Brined Turkey recipe, which is also on this blog, and everyone's tummies and mouths were happy in the end.


The first recipe is the alternative to my favorite dish, this recipes is simple, and not time consuming which is always good when cooking holiday dishes.  It can get overwhelming trying to prepare more than one dish at one time!  This is a great dish for those that can't have the dairy in the casserole version or are cutting back on their sodium intake.   Use veggie broth if you are a vegetarian or vegan, or have some coming over to eat.

Green Beans with Shallots

photo credit: womens health.com

Ingredients
1/4 cup of olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 large shallots, peeled, and quartered
2 Tbsp reduced-sodium chicken broth or veggie broth
2 lbs of green beans, trimmed


Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil

2. While the water is heating, pour the olive oil into a large sauté pan over a medium heat.  Add the shallots.  Reduce the heat to a medium-low and sauté until the shallots are soft, about 10 minutes.  Add the broth, 3/4 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 tsp of pepper, stir well.  Remove from heat.

3. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook them for 5 mintues. Drain and toss the beans the shallot mixture.  Serve immediately and enjoy! 

serving: 1/2 cup = 107 cal, 7 g fat, 12 g carbs, 4 g fiber, 2 g protein




Now onto our second dish!  Candied yams or sweet potatoes are amazing, who doesn't love melted marshmallow and brown sugar?   Well, as much as I do, I'm trying to make better choices with food in my life.  For those of you that are on a diet, want to eat more healthy, or maybe have restrictions like diabetes this is a great alternative!  It has chili and cinnamon in it, both which help break down fat-cells and help you consumer fewer calories!  Cinnamon is a great natural way to keep you blood sugar down, plus it tastes and smells delicious in this dish!

Chili Spiced Mashed Sweet Potatoes

 photo credit: everyday health.com 

Ingredients

4 large sweet potatoes ( 3 1/2 lbs total)
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 tsp orange zest
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp chili powder


Directions


1. Bake the sweet potatoes in a 425 F oven until they are soft, about 70 mins (test them with a fork, if they are soft they are done).  Remove the sweet potato from the oven and allow them to cool before handling them.  No one want to play hot potato and burn their hands!
2. In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, orange zest, brown sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, cinnamon, and the chili powder.

3. Scoop out the insides of the potato and place them into a larger mixing bowl.  Pour the orange juice mixture over the sweet potatoes and mash well, then serve.






serving size : 1/2 cup > 191 cal, 1g fat (0 sat fat), 45 g carbs, 6 g fiber, 3 g protein






(Recipe credit: women's health magazine)