Makeover my Thanksgiving dinner

Thanksgiving is a holiday famous for over-indulgence. The typical holiday meal usually spans several hours and can easily exceed a day's worth of calories. By making a few simple substitutions, you can reduce calorie and fat intake while still enjoying traditional favorites. 

• Appetizers: Try pairing raw vegetables with salsa, or lighten up dip mixes with fat-free sour cream instead of cream cheese. Serve this with a fresh fruit assortment and light vanilla yogurt for dipping to hold off even the hungriest of guests.
• Meats: Roast meats on a rack to allow excess fat to drip off, and try basting with fat-free Italian dressing or broth instead of oil-based rubs. Also, remember to trim excess fat and skin before serving. 
• Side Dishes: Always use skim milk instead of whole milk when cooking. Mashed potatoes and other casseroles will taste just as creamy without the extra fat. To lighten up stuffing and vegetable dishes, use chicken broth instead of water and skip the butter.
• Gravy and Sauces: Top your meat and sides with 98 percent fat-free cream of chicken or mushroom soup instead of gravy made with meat drippings.
• Dessert: Slim down baked goods with unsweetened applesauce instead of oil (equal portions) and egg whites instead of eggs (1 whole egg = 2 egg whites). Also, you can lighten up creamy desserts by serving them "naked"- without the crust, that is! Portion your favorite pie filling into individual custard dishes and top with fat-free whipped topping for a sweet finish to a delicious day.

Christina Rollins is a Clinical Dietitian III at Memorial Medical Center. For more information on dietary health, call 788-3333 to set up an appointment with one of Memorial's registered dietitians. Rollins' column originally ran in the October 2009 edition of Memorial Health System's Live Well magazine.

RECIPES:

Not-So-Sinful Sweet Potato Casserole

Potato Mixture

3 cups Sweet Potatoes (cooked, peeled and cubed)

4 Egg Whites

1/4 cup Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

2 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour

Pecan Topping

1/2 cup Packed Brown Sugar

3 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour

2 Tbsp Margarine

1/3 cup Chopped Pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 1¼-quart casserole dish with nonstick spray. Set aside. Using a food processor or electric mixer, mix the sweet potatoes, egg whites, sugar, vanilla and flour until smooth. Transfer the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Set aside. In a small bowl, use your fingers to rub together the brown sugar, flour, and butter until crumbly. Stir in the pecans. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the potatoes. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 6 servings. Nutrition facts: Calories 296, Fat 6g, Cholesterol 10mg. 

Southern Sweet Corn Pudding

2 cans (11 ounces each) Vacuum-Packed Whole Kernel Corn (no salt or sugar added and with juice)

1/4 cup Buttermilk

4 Egg Whites, Lightly Beaten

1 cup Fat-Free Plain Yogurt

1/4 cup Unsweetened Applesauce

1/2 cup Sugar

1 package (8½ ounces) Corn Muffin Mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a three-quart casserole dish with no-stick spray. Set the dish aside.

In a blender or food processor, pulse, blend or process one of the cans of corn (with juices) and the buttermilk until creamy but slightly lumpy. (The mixture will resemble the texture of cottage cheese.) Set the pureed corn mixture aside.

In a large bowl, stir together the egg whites, yogurt and applesauce until combined. Drain the remaining can of corn. Stir the drained corn, pureed corn mixture and sugar into the yogurt mixture. Add the muffin mix and stir until just combined.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish. Bake about one hour or until golden brown and set. Makes 8 servings. Nutrition facts per serving: Calories 249, Fat 4g, Cholesterol 1mg.

Pumpkin Cake Roll

1 pkg. Angel Food Cake Mix

1 cup Canned Pumpkin

2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/4 cup Powdered Sugar

2 Tbsp Chopped Walnuts

Filling

1/2 cup Soft-Style Light Cream Cheese

1 cup Fat-Free Ricotta Cheese

1 tsp Vanilla

1/2 cup Powdered Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 15-by-10 inch jelly-roll pan with foil. Foil should extend 1 inch above the edge of the pan. Sprinkle a clean towel with powdered sugar.

Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Fold in canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Spread into prepared pan.

Bake for 30 minutes until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off foil. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with wide end. Cool on a wire rack.

In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese, ricotta cheese and vanilla until blended and smooth. Stir in powdered sugar.

Unroll the cake. Spread filling on the cake to within ½ inch of its edges. Sprinkle with walnuts then roll up the cake without the towel. Transfer to a serving plate. Cover with plastic wrap or foil and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving. Makes 16 servings. Nutrition facts per serving: Calories 189, Fat 2g, Cholesterol 8mg.

Creamy Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

2 tsp Margarine

1 cup Chopped Carrot

1 cup Chopped Onion

1 cup Chopped Green Pepper

1 tsp Chopped Fresh or ¼ tsp Dried Rosemary

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

2 Garlic Cloves, Minced

1 1/2 cups Chopped Turkey Breast (½ pound)

1 cup Uncooked Wild Rice

1/3 cup All-Purpose Flour

2 3/4 cups 1 percent Reduced-Fat Milk

2 Tbsp Cooking Sherry

1/2 tsp Salt

Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add carrot, onion, green pepper, rosemary, black pepper and garlic. Sauté 8 minutes or until browned. Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in turkey and rice. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until rice is tender.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and milk in a small bowl. Stir with whisk. Add to pan. Cook over medium high heat until thick (about 8 minutes), stirring frequently. Stir in sherry and salt. Makes 8 servings. Nutrition facts per serving: Calories 194, Fat 3g, Cholesterol 25mg.

Turkey Crescent Wreath

2 Tubes Refrigerated Reduced-Fat Crescent Rolls

1 cup Shredded 2 percent Colby-Monterey Jack Cheese

2/3 cup Condensed Reduced-Fat Cream of Chicken Soup

1 Tbsp Cooking Sherry

1/2 cup Broccoli Florets

1/4 cup Chopped Sweet Red Pepper

2 Tbsp Chopped Onion

1/2 cup Chopped Water Chestnuts

1 1/2 cups Chopped Turkey (8 ounces)

Arrange crescent rolls on a 12-inch pizza pan, forming a ring with the pointed ends facing the outer edge of the pan and wide ends overlapping. Combine the remaining ingredients; spoon over wide ends of rolls. Fold points over filling and tuck under wide ends; filling will be visible. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 16 servings. Nutrition facts per serving: Calories 152, Fat 6g, Cholesterol 14mg.

Recipes provided by MMC Food and Nutrition Services.