Adapt Thanksgiving favorites to reduce fat and calories

Adapt Thanksgiving favorites to reduce fat and calories

We've all heard about portion control at the conventional Thanksgiving feast. But cooks able to do their part to make the holiday a bit healthier without ruffling any feathers at the dinner table.

Cut calories and fat -- without sacrificing flavor -- by using healthier alternatives in place of high-fat ingredients whenever possible. This could help minimize the affect of a meal that can pack at least 1,500 calories and 65 grams of fat. Ouch!

That's exactly what Karen Gard, 46, of Troy wanted to do when she attended a Mirepoix cooking class last week at Holiday Market in Royal Oak. There, chef instructors put a healthier spin on traditional Thanksgiving fare.

"I am originally from New Orleans," says Gard. "All I know how to cook is Southern food, which is not particularly healthy."

Gard typically prepares a Thanksgiving meal that includes turkey with pats of butter under the skin, stuffing made with high-fat sausage and a sweet potato casserole with plenty of cream and butter.

"In the class, they showed us how to tweak and modify ingredients and still get good taste out of the dish," she says.

Take the sweet potato casserole, for example. Instead of marshmallows and lots of cream and butter, Mirepoix's recipe has healthier ingredients like whole wheat flour, orange juice concentrate and pecans.

Stacy Sloan, director of culinary education at Mirepoix, says there is nothing "inherently wrong with the typical foods in a Thanksgiving meal."

"If you learn how ... to pair foods together, you can learn how to prepare healthier foods," Sloan says.

She recommends using reduced-fat products (not fat-free) to make healthier versions of many dishes.

The exception, Sloan says, is plain nonfat Greek-style yogurt.

"You can use it in dips and to create a creamy texture in many dishes," says Sloan. "It adds a nice tang."

Her advice to holiday cooks: Focus on the vegetables.

"With the stuffing that we prepared in the class, you wouldn't think it's low fat," says Sloan. "It has lots of vegetables, a nice flavor, a little sweetness from the pear."

It is the high-fat ingredients, she says, "that causes the whole thing to completely derail."

Side dishes can do the most damage, says Gail Posner, a registered dietitian and president and owner of Healthy Ways Nutrition Counseling in West Bloomfield.

"The huge calories are not because of the turkey, which is a fabulous lean protein, especially the white meat," says Posner. "It's the side dishes that go with it."

Green bean casserole, for example, is high in calories and not a "nutrition all-star," says Posner. She suggests boosting its nutritional value by topping the casserole with grilled fresh onions instead of canned fried onions and low-fat cream of mushroom soup or less soup overall.

Posner also advises producing vegetable dishes e.g. roasted butternut squash and serving salads with dressing on the side.

Recipe: Turkey Italian Sausage Stuffing
Turkey sausage stuffing (SUSAN TUSA/Detroit Free Press)


Serves: 12 (about 3/4-cup servings) / Preparation time: 20 minutes Total time: 1 hour


8 cups (1/2-inch) cubed sourdough bread (about 12 ounces)


1 pound turkey Italian sausage


Nonstick cooking spray


5 cups chopped onion (about 2 pounds)


2 cups chopped celery


1 cup chopped carrot


1 package (8 ounces) pre-sliced mushrooms


2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed, peeled Bartlett pear (about 2 medium)


1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil


2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon


1 teaspoon salt


1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth


1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.


Arrange the bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 9 minutes or until golden. Leave oven on. Place in a large bowl.


Remove casings from sausage.


Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add the sausage, and cook for 8 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add the cooked sausage to bread cubes, tossing to combine. Set aside.


Return pan to medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and carrot; saute' 10 minutes or until onion begins to brown. Stir in the mushrooms; cook 4 minutes. Stir in pear, basil, tarragon and salt; cook 4 minutes or until pear begins to soften, stirring occasionally. Add pear mixture to bread mixture, tossing gently to combine. Stir in broth and pepper.


Coat a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place the bread mixture in the dish and cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake stuffing an additional 15 minutes or until top of stuffing is crisp.


From Mirepoix cooking school at Holiday Market, Royal Oak. Tested by Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen. 199 calories (24% from fat), 5 grams fat (1.6 grams sat. fat), 29 grams carbohydrates, 11 grams protein, 694 mg sodium, 22 mg cholesterol, 3 grams fiber.

Recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole
Sweet potato casserole (SUSAN TUSA/Detroit Free Press)


Serves: 12 (about 1/2 cup each) / Preparation time: 10 minutes Total time: 1 hour


Nonstick cooking spray


2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks


2 large eggs


1 tablespoon canola oil


1 tablespoon honey


1/2 cup low-fat milk


2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest


1 teaspoon vanilla extract


1/2 teaspoon salt


TOPPING


1/2 cup whole-wheat flour


1/3 cup packed brown sugar


4 teaspoons frozen orange juice concentrate


1 tablespoon canola oil


1 tablespoon butter, melted


1/2 cup chopped pecans


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8-inch square or similar 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.


Place the sweet potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over medium high temperature until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain well and return to the pan. Mash with a potato masher. Measure out 3 cups. (Reserve any extra for another use.)


In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, oil and honey. Add mashed sweet potato and add well. Stir in milk, orange zest, vanilla and salt. Spread the mixture in the prepared baking dish.


To prepare topping: Mix flour, brown sugar, orange juice concentrate, oil and butter in a small bowl. Blend with a fork or your fingertips until crumbly. Stir in the pecans. Sprinkle over the casserole.


Bake the casserole until heated through and the top is lightly browned, 35 to 45 minutes.


From Mirepoix cooking school at Holiday Market, Royal Oak. Tested by Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen. 242 calories (37% from fat), 10 grams fat (2 grams sat. fat), 36 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams protein, 170 mg sodium, 46 mg cholesterol, 4 grams fiber.

Recipe: Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake
Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake (SUSAN TUSA/ DFP)


Serves: 16 (1-inch slices) Preparation time: 35 minutes Total time: 1 hour, 45 minutes (plus chilling time)


2 cans (15 ounces each) pure pumpkin


1 1/2 cups finely crushed gingersnaps (about 24 cookies)


3 tablespoons melted butter


2 tablespoons packed brown sugar


CHEESECAKE


1 cup nonfat or 1%-fat cottage cheese


2 packages (8 ounces each) reduced-fat cream cheese, softened


1 cup packed light brown sugar


1/4 cup all-purpose flour


2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice


2 eggs


2 egg whites


Cranberry Topping (optional) or fat-free whipped cream


Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.


Drain the pumpkin by lining a fine mesh sieve with 100% cotton cheesecloth or paper coffee filter over a bowl. Spoon in pumpkin; set aside while preparing crust.


For crust, in a small bowl stir join togethergingersnaps, butter and brown sugar. Press mixture onto bottom and about 1 inch up sides of 9-by-3-inch springform pan. Bake 5 minutes or until firm. Cool completely on rack.


For the cheesecake: In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, process the cottage cheese until smooth. Add the cream cheese and process again until smooth.


Place the drained pumpkin (discard the liquid) in a mixing bowl and mix in the 1 cup brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the cream cheese and cottage cheese mixture, the flour and pumpkin pie spice until combined. Stir in eggs and egg whites by hand.


Pour the filling into the prepared crust, spreading to sides of pan. Place in the oven and bake 70 minutes or until filling appears set when gently shaken. Turn off oven; let cheesecake stand in oven 30 minutes. The top may crack as it cools.


Cool in pan on wire rack 15 minutes. With small sharp knife, loosen crust from sides of pan; cold 30 minutes. Remove sides of pan; cool completely on rack. Cover and chill at least 4 hours before serving. Serve with Cranberry Topping.


To make Cranberry Topping: In small saucepan, combine 1 cup fresh cranberries and 1/2 cup light-color corn syrup. Cook and stir over medium heat 4 to 5 minutes or until berries begin to pop. Remove from heat; stir in 1/2 cup cranberry sauce or relish.


Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens magazine, November 2009. Tested by Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen. 219 calories (32% from fat), 8 grams fat (4 grams sat. fat), 31 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams protein, 280 mg sodium, 48 mg cholesterol, 1 gram fiber.

Recipe: Mashed Potato Casserole
Mashed potato casserole with sauteed onions (REGINA H. BOONE/Detroit Free Press)


Serves: 12 / Preparation time: 10 minutes / Total time: 1 hour, 30 minutes This casserole can be prepared up to one day ahead. Because these are mashed, then baked, they are a bit drier than stovetop mashed potatoes. A small amount of melted butter can be drizzled on top before serving.


5 pounds favorite baking potato


Salt to taste


1 tablespoon unsalted butter


8 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese


3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream


1/2 cup 2% milk, warmed


1/2 teaspoon white pepper or to taste


Chopped fresh chives, optional


To prepare the potatoes: Fill a large pot at least halfway with cold water. Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices and place in the pot. Stir enough salt into the water until it tastes mildly salted. Cover tightly and bring to a entire boil over high heat, reduce to medium so the water is just over a simmer; set the lid askew. Cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.


Butter a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish. Drain the potatoes and return them to the warm pot. Add the cream cheese and, using a handheld mixer, mash the potatoes until the cream cheese melts. Beat in the sour cream and milk. Season with salt and pepper.


Transfer to the prepared dish and completely cool. The potatoes can be prepared at this point up to 4 hours ahead; cover them loosely with plastic wrap. Or they can be made one day ahead at this point. Cool, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.


To heat the potatoes: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the casserole until the potatoes are heated through, 30 to 40 minutes. Serve hot, sprinkled with chives, if desired.


Adapted from "Thanksgiving 101" by Rick Rodgers (Broadway Books, $15). Tested by Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen. 213 calories (20% from fat), 5 grams fat (3 grams sat. fat), 37 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams protein, 90 mg sodium, 16 mg cholesterol, 0 grams fiber.