2010 Thanksgiving Feast

Here's my suggestions for a sugar free Thanksgiving Day Feast that will please all: ( you know the portions that you can eat! )

Horesderves : Cut up Veggies served with a Yogurt Dip

Yogurt Dip ( make ahead of time and let sit for a day )

1 16 oz plain yogurt (Greek Style)

Dried Dill ( mix in to taste )

Chop 4 Green Onions, onions and greens

1 Tablespoon Tabasco Sauce

Main Course :

Roasted Turkey seasoned with Salt (at least 1 day ahead of time ) and stuffed with an Orange or two and Rosemary - or season your way! Roast as directed and check temperature

Whole Grain Stuffing

1 package of Ezekiel whole grain bread dried in the oven ( do this a day ahead, or two days ahead ) cut up into cubes

Heat 4 Tablespoons of Olive Oil plus 1 Tablespoon Butter for at least 10 minutes with

1 Tsp Sea Salt

1 Tsp Pepper

6 cloves garlic cut up

After 10 minutes or so, mix in the celery and onion ( you could also do some mushrooms if you want ) and cook until aldante (keep a bit crispy)

Chop up 6 stalks celery

Chop up 1 small yellow or white onion

Put this mixture with the chopped dried bread and mix thoroughly

Add:

Chop one can of Chestnuts

1 cup pine nuts or chop 1 c walnuts

Add: 1/2-1c Turkey drippings for flavoring - you don't want your dressing too mushy

Optional Add : Cooked Veggie Italian Sausage or Regular Italian Sausage

Place the mixture into a medium roasting pan

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes

Baked Butternut Squash (instead of Yams with marshmellows!)

Cube Peeled Butternut Squash and place in shallow glass pan with a small amount of

water on the bottom -

Sprinkle nutmeg and cinnamon on top and dizzel with a sugar free sweetener ( I use Agave ) Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes ( test for tenderness) -

Blanched Green Beans (or Brussel Sprouts ) and Carrots ( for color )

You can blanch these in Orange Juice in a non stick frying pan

Green Salad if you need one but just use oil and red wine vinegar for the dressing

Dessert ( yes - dessert! ) Fruit Bars served with a small side of Pumpkin Custard

Flour Free Fruit Bars : preheat oven to 350 degrees and Pam an 8X8 shallow square pan

Place these ingredients into a blender or food processor and chop until fine - but not a paste consistency: 1/3rd cu of each: shreaded coconut, unsalted walnuts, unsalted cashews, unsalted sunflower seeds, tamari almonds

just less than 3 Tablespoons of Agave ( or other sweetener ) and 5 Tablespoons of Water

Remove this chopped stuff a bowl

Chop the following into small pieces : 1/3rd cup each of raisins, figs, dates, apricots -

Mix this into the Nut Mixture with a spathula

Put final mixture into the square pan prepped above and bake for 30 minutes or until sides are browned - take out of oven, let cool slightly, and cut into small squares

Pumpkin Custard

1 15 oz organic pumpkin in a can

1 c greek plain yogurt

2 eggs

1 tsp nutmeg, tsp cloves, 1 tsp ginger

1/3rd c. agave

Mix all ingredients and bake in any dish 450 degrees for 15 minutes and then reduce heat to 350 for up to 45 minutes - test to make sure it is not liquidy

Braised black cod

Here's a recipe from Home&Garden (1985 Sunset Publishing Corp and 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning ) with a little twist and heavier hand with the garlic by my dear hubby - it's delicious and different -

  With our seas being depleted of food source, black cod is being looked upon as a very edible fish.  It is my favorite smoked fish.  On the east coast of the USA is is sold as butterfish, sablefish, or Alaskan cod.  

Serve this dish with boiled new potatoes or brown rice.  Also a side salad of sliced cucumbers and fresh tomatoes is fabulous with this dish.

Ingredients: ( 4 servings )

1/2 c minced green onion

1/4 c each soy sauce and dry sherry ( use no sugar soy sauce and remember as you cook the sherry the alcohol dissipates. )

1 lg clove garlic minced or pressed ( we used 3-5 cloves garlic )

1/2 tsp grated fresh giner

1 1/2-2 lbs black cod fillets that are about 3/4 inch thick

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil ( we only used 1/2 Tablespoon of this oil)

1 Tablespoon sesame oil (we substituted 1.5 Tablespoons Hot Chili Oil - which we highly recommend )

Wok or Frying Pan

Wide Spatula

In a bowl, mix onion, soy sauce, sherry, garlic, and ginger.  Add fish turning to coat all sides.  Cover and chill 1-1.5 hrs turning occasionally.

Place 10-12 inch frying pan ( we used our wok ) on high heat.  When the pan is hot add the oils.  Lift the fish carefully out of the marinade, draining it; reserve this marinade.  Add fish to the hot pan and cook, uncovered to brown on both sides ( This takes only about 5 minutes total! ). Use the spatula to turn the fish carefully or it will fall about easily.  

To the reserve marinade, add the sesame oil ( this is where my husband substituted the hot chili oil ) then pour over browned fish in the pan.  Cook on high heat, uncovered, until marinade is almost evaporated.

Carefully lift fish from pan and serve with pan juices, the small potatoes or rice.

Zucchinni Pancakes

These I developed as a side dish - and are yummy! A great Maintenance or 30day+ side dish!

Ingredients needed for pancakes:

1/2 c corn meal

1 large eggs

2 medium zucchini's grated

1/2 onion chopped

1 medium tomato chopped

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/8th cup brown rice flour or soy flour

( optional: 1 tsp hot sauce or small chopped up jalepeno )

Olive oil spray for the pan plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

1 Non stick large frying pan

Mix all of the above and let sit for a bit. Spray the pan with olive oil and add the olive oil and heat. Drop the mixture by 1/2 c. measurements into the heated pan. Brown on both sides.

Topping ( Optional )

1/2 c. non fat yogurt

1/4 c chopped parsely

pinch of salt

splash of hot sauce

chopped up cucumber

I served this with fish as a side dish and it was wonderful.

To make a sweet zucchini pancake don't add the other veggies beyond the zucchini or the hot sauce/jalepeno, nor the pepper. Do use sweetener - such as 3 Tablespoons of Agave, and 1/4 c dried cranberries - for those that can have some nuts - add some walnuts about 1/4 cup chopped. Now fry these up browned on both sides.

For the topping use the non fat yogurt mixed with 1/4 c sugar free raspberry or maple syrup.

Whoppee!!!!!!!!!!!!

TODAY'S MENU

One of my friends wanted to know what I eat in a typical day - I take one day and one meal at a time, but I do plan these out daily.

Today -

Breakfast

1 piece of French Toast ( recipe here )

1/4 c. yogurt

1/4 banana

Dollop of Agave

Lunch

4 oz fish dredged in ground, but grainy sorgum, salt and pepper to taste

Non stick pan fry fish in 1 Tablespoon olive oil with diced garlic

2 cu mixed and raw vegetable salad

( I put the fish on top of my salad and I don't need any dressing )

Dinner

1 c. Cauliflower soup

2 c. mixed vegetable salad

4 oz grilled pork

2 tablespoons oil/vinegar salad dressing

FRENCH TOAST

My husband made me French toast today that was truly yummy!

Ingredients:

1 egg mixed with 1 heaping tablespoon yogurt and a pinch salt

1 piece of Ezekiel cinnamon raisin bread

Soak the bread in the egg mixture.  Using a non-stick pan grill on both sides until done.

Use any of the following on top:

Sugar free syrups

1/2 portion of fresh fruits

1/4 c yogurt

CAULIFLOWER AND CHARD SOUP WITH TEMPE

Winter finds me craving soups, especially for lunch.  I like hearty soups.

Ingredients:

1 med. sweet potato or white potato - peeled and chunked

3 cloves garlic - diced

Pinch of Cardamon

1 Jalapeno 

1 large cauliflower - chunked

1 onion - sliced

1 carrot - sliced

Sea salt

Pepper

1/2 bunch chard - diced even the stem

8-12 oz Tempe broken into pieces

1 quart chicken broth or vege broth

In a large sauce pan, combine broth with cauliflower, potato, garlic, onion, carrot, jalapeno, cardamon, salt and pepper. Bring to boil then reduce to simmer ( uncovered ) until cauliflower and potato are very tender.  Remove mixture from heat and put in a blender.  Blend to mix everything into liquid form.  Return to sauce pan and to simmer.

Now add the Chard and the Tempe.  Cook until Chard is tender or longer as we want to reduce the liquid to a rich soupy mixture.

I'm making this today!

HARVEST GRAINS SALAD

  I usually don't tout a pre-packaged mixture, but Trader Joe's offers a bagged Harvest Grains that is great!  Use by itself or in this Salad....

Ingredients:

1 c. dried beans - any

2 c. Harvest Grains

1/2 onion - diced

1 cucumber - diced

1 tomato - diced

1 green or red pepper - diced

1 bunch Italian Parsley - diced

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Red Wine and Rice Vinegar to Taste

1/2 cu. Lemon Juice

Read the backside of the Harvest grains package for cooking directions - this only takes a max of 10 minutes so you must first cook the dried beans.  Measure the liquid and use a mixture of vegetable broth and water ( or just water ).  Salt and Pepper the water.  Bring to boil and reduce to simmer.  Cook the beans until just tender - NOT MUSHY.  While still simmering, add the Harvest Grain mixture, cover and cook not more than 10 minutes - test at 8 minutes.  You want this firm not MUSHY.  Remove from heat and drain.  Wash with cool water. Drain.

In a large bowl, mix all the diced vegetables. Salt and pepper to taste.  Add oil and Lemon Juice.  Add very little Red Wine and Rice Vinegar.  Mix.  Add the grains and beans, mix.  Eat warm or refrigerate.

RAW GRANOLA

I've been making my own granola - don't ask me why... in any event, I like RAW and seeds in my diet.  For me, it lightens the load ( so to speak - lol ).

         

Ingredients: ( all RAW )

2 lbs Large Raw Oats

1 c. flax seed

1 c. pepitas

1 c. sunflower seeds

Just mix these in a plastic bag and use by measuring your portion.

Optional:

Dried Raisins, Cranberries, Cherries, and blackberried

What I do is take my yogurt or skim milk and 1/2 c of my raw granola mixture.  Use 1 Tablespoon of Agave or Stevia to sweeten, then sprinkle my dried fruit on top.

For those that was to experiment further....

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Measure out 2 cups of the granola and add 1/3rd cu dried fruit. Spray a cookie sheet with Pam.  Mix 1/4 c agave with 1/2 c water.  Pour this over the ingredients.  Bake, turning often, to toast the cereal and to absorb the water.

It's really good.