Thanksgiving Alternatives

The Grandma's Kitchen Recipes' looks forward to the holiday family feasts with a song in our hearts and drool on our chins.  We enjoy the meal, have a great time teasing and catching up, then we feel the guilt that comes from overeating too many carbs and too many calories.  My youngest brother and his wife have taken over hosting the Thanksgiving meal from our mother.  They usually prepare the traditional bird in the oven, and also deep fry a turkey.  I also believe they are having ham this year, too.  There are numerous sides, cheese platters, fruit plates, fresh veggies and dips and a decadent amount of rich desserts.

Grandma’s Kitchen Recipes would like to share the traditional meal that I used to fix for my children and grandkids and then offer some healthy substitutes. Grandma's Kitchen Recipes will show that you don’t have to indulge in all those calories and still have a very elegant holiday meal.  We all know that we are going to overeat. It’s the American way.  But this year, try to substitute some healthy food.  Make subtle substitutions a year at a time.  Then, voila! You have started healthy family traditions.

Here is the menu for my traditional Thanksgiving Feast.

Roast Turkey

Mashed Potatoes (from scratch)

Turkey Gravy

Stove Top Stuffing

Very Candied Sweet Potatoes

Green Bean Casserole

Gelatin Fruit Salad or a Variety of Fresh Fruits

Home made Cranberry Relish

Fresh Vegetable and Relish Tray

Home made Dinner Rolls or Breads

Pumpkin and Pecan Pie

A Home made Bundt Cake or Apple Cake

Coffee and Iced Tea

What’s wrong with this picture?   It looks delicious, right?  But I can guarantee that we are miserable after we eat.  And we always wait a couple of hours before we have dessert!

Grandma’s Kitchen Recipes wants to tackle some of the side dishes.  There are a number of ways to cut down on the carbs, get some whole grains and curb the sugar.  Take a look at the mashed potatoes.  Grandma's Kitchen Recipes makes mashed cauliflower as a substitute for potatoes.  Everyone that has tried it likes it with the exception of my son. 

Grandkma's Kitchen Recipes' Mashed Cauliflower

4-6 servings

 Ingredients

1 large head cauliflower, divided into florets

2 teaspoons margarine

Enough low fat milk to make proper consistency

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Wash the cauliflower and steam in a pot of boiling water, just until tender.  Drain completely and mash.  Add the margarine and milk, a little at a time.  Season and serve.  

The only down side to this dish is that the mashed cauliflower tends to be runnier than the mashed potatoes.  There is still a hint of cauliflower flavor, but not as much as you would think.  Grandma's Kitchen Recipes says don't knock it 'till you try it.  Did you you know that potatoes count the same as bread in a diabetic diet?  By preparing the cauliflower in diabetic cooking, you can substitute some other starch.

We all love stuffing, but why not nix that and buy a quality wild rice mix and try that.  If you are watching that sodium, you will want to make your own, but that is very simple, too.  Now, Grandma’s Kitchen Recipes is substituting carbs for healthier whole grains.  The Grandma's Kitchen Recipes' family loves this wild rice recipe.  I use Uncle Ben’s Long Grain and Wild Rice mix.

Grandma’s Kitchen Recipes Wild Rice

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 (6 ounce) box of long grain and wild rice mix

2 ¼ cups chicken broth

3 stalks of celery, sliced on the diaganol

½ small onion, chopped

½ cup sliced mushrooms

1 tablespoon butter, margarine, or olive oil

Pour the chicken broth into a sauce pan, add the rice and seasoning packet and cook according to package directions.  Meanwhile, prepare vegetables.  Heat a skillet over medium heat, add the butter, margarine or oil.  Add the celery and sauté for 2 minutes.  Add the onion and mushrooms and sauté for 1 minute.  When rice is done, add the vegetables and heat all ingredients.

The wild rice is a huge hit in our family.  This recipe provides the whole grains in the meal that are essential to a proper diet.  Another alternative for the whole grains is to substitute the white dinner rolls for a tasty whole grain bread.

Are you finding that eating healthy is not so difficult?  Be creative, look on line or in magazines and experiment in your kitchen to see what suits your family’s taste.  Think of it as an adventure-and Grandma's Kitchen Recipes will be your guide.
Here's a tip from Grandma's Secret Recipes:  if you are trying a new recipe you might want to prepare it before your holiday feast and serve it to some volunteers.

Are you worried about carving your bird?  Take a look at this instructional video Grandma's Kitchen Recipes found for some great tips.

So, for now, Grandma’s Kitchen Recipes says have fun preparing your Thanksgiving Feast and, enjoy life!

Nanna Dorie