A Bountiful Harvest Table Doesn’t Have To Mean A Super Sized Waistline

Nearly 400 years ago, a group of immigrants to this country decided to throw themselves a party to celebrate having survived in their new surroundings. They got family and friends together and called in the neighbors, because if it weren’t for the neighbors, they probably wouldn’t have survived, and they created a feast to give thanks.

Now fast forward to 2007. We still love the idea of getting family and friends together to give thanks. In fact we loved it so much, President Lincoln declared it a holiday, and an act of Congress in 1941 forever fixed the celebration as the fourth Thursday in November. However, there is one major difference between those original festivities and our own; that first celebration was healthier. That’s because the Pilgrims only had access to wild birds and game, fish, vegetables, fruits and nuts. Mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy came much later.

As we get ready to re-create the tradition in a world where heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes have become the threats to survival, can we still have our trimmings and eat them too? The answer is yes, if you use a little culinary creativity and cut the fat, sugar and salt, but keep the flavor.

Start with the main event, the turkey. Chef Mark Shook, graduate of the Culinary Arts program at Johnson & Wales University and Executive Chef at The Duke Mansion in North Carolina, says you don’t need to baste your bird with butter or pan drippings to keep it moist. Use turkey or chicken stock that you have reserved for this purpose. You can make the chicken stock yourself in advance. Here’s his recipe:

Turkey Stock

Makes 13 Cups

• 6 lb turkey parts such as wings, drumsticks, and thighs
• 3 medium yellow onions, left unpeeled, trimmed and halved
• 3 celery ribs, cut into 2-inch lengths
• 3 carrots, quartered
• 5 qt cold water
• 6 fresh parsley stems (without leaves)
• 1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
• 10 black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Preparation

1. If using turkey wings, halve at joints with a cleaver or large knife, then crack wing bones in several places with back of cleaver or knife. (Do not crack bones if using other parts.) Pat turkey dry.
2. Put oven rack in lowest position of oven and preheat oven to 500°F. Roast turkey parts, skin sides down, in dry roasting pan, turning over once, until browned well, about 45 minutes. Transfer to an 8- to 10-quart stockpot with tongs, reserving fat in roasting pan.
3. Add onions (cut sides down), celery, and carrots to fat in pan and roast, stirring halfway through roasting, until golden, about 20 minutes total. Add vegetables to turkey in stockpot.
4. Straddle pan across 2 burners, then add 2 cups water and deglaze by boiling, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Add deglazing liquid to turkey and vegetables in stockpot, and then add parsley, bay leaf, peppercorns, salt, and remaining 4 1/2 quarts water. Reduce heat and gently simmer, partially covered, 3 hours.
5. Pour stock through a large fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, discarding solids. Measure stock: If there is more than 13 cups, boil in cleaned pot until reduced to 13 cups. If there is less, add enough water to bring total to 13 cups. If using immediately, let stand until fat rises to top, 1 to 2 minutes, then skim off and discard fat. If not, cool completely, uncovered, then chill, covered, before skimming fat (it will be easier to remove when cool or cold).

If you don’t have time to make your own stock, you can find it in boxes and cans in the soup aisle of your local supermarket. Just be sure you choose a low sodium version so you can control the salt content.

Of course you can’t have turkey without stuffing. This is Chef Shook’s recipe for a healthy and tasty dressing to complement your turkey:

Chestnut, Dried Apple, and Corn Bread Stuffing

Serves 10-12

• 4 cups chopped onions
• 3 cups chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped dried apples
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried rubbed sage
• 2 7.4-ounce jars roasted whole chestnuts, coarsely broken
• 8 cups dried corn bread stuffing mix (from two 16-ounce packages)
• 1 3/4 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) margarine, melted
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Preparation

1. First take a skillet and warm your olive oil. Add onions and celery to skillet. Cover and cook over medium heat until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes.
2. Next mix in the apples, thyme, and sage, then chestnuts with the vegetables. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Reheat to lukewarm before continuing.)
3. Add corn bread stuffing mix to chestnut mixture. Mix in 1 3/4 cups broth. Drizzle with margarine.

To bake stuffing in turkey:

1. Loosely fill main cavity and neck cavity of turkey with stuffing. Add enough broth to remaining stuffing to moisten slightly (1/4 cup to 3/4 cup, depending on amount of remaining stuffing).
2. Generously butter baking dish. Spoon remaining stuffing into prepared dish.
3. Cover dish with buttered foil, buttered side down. Bake stuffing in dish — alongside turkey or while turkey is resting — until heated through, about 25 minutes.
4. Uncover stuffing in dish. Bake until top of stuffing is slightly crisp and golden, about 15 minutes longer.

To bake stuffing in dish:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish.
2. Add enough extra broth to stuffing to moisten (3/4 cup to 1 1/4 cups). Transfer stuffing to prepared dish.
3. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down. Bake until heated through, about 40 minutes.
4. Uncover and bake until top is slightly crisp and golden, about 20 minutes longer.

The final element of the perfect turkey is the brown gravy, which is usually a significant source of fat. To keep the fat content down, Chef Shook says, “When you have your gravy in the pan, right before thickening it with cornstarch, skim it with a spoon and take fat off the top. Then take a little bit of white wine to stretch it out a bit and add a rich flavor; or add a little bit of stock.”

Next on the menu are the mashed potatoes. Chef Shook recommends using Parmalat, the shelf-stable milk that’s usually in the bakery aisle at the store, instead of heavy cream. Because it’s shelf-stable, the Parmalat milk doesn’t have the fat and proteins in it that regular milk has. You get the richness and creaminess with less fat.

If you prefer sweet potatoes to mashed, instead of all the marshmallows and brown sugar, why not try Chef Shook’s savory recipe:

Tarragon Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Serves 6-8

• 4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 cubes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup fresh tarragon leaves, plus 6 tarragon sprigs for garnish
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. In large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and toss.
2. Arrange the diced potatoes in single layer on heavyweight rimmed baking sheet or in 13x9-inch baking dish.
3. Place on top rack of oven and roast until tender and slightly browned, about 40 minutes.
4. Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with tarragon sprigs.

When it comes to preparing vegetables for the Thanksgiving table, Chef Yvon Goetz says that using seasonal vegetables is the simplest way to prepare dishes that will appeal to the palate and keep the salt content low. This Strasbourg-educated Executive Chef and partner of The Winery Restaurant & Wine Bar in Orange County, California believes in using organic and heirloom veggies that have so much flavor and natural sweetness. Organic vegetables are grown without the use of conventional pesticides. An heirloom vegetable is "open-pollinated”, meaning it produces a plant like its parents from seed, generation after generation. It never udergoes any kind of change or hybridization. These types of vegetables have a delicious flavor that doesn’t need a lot of enhancement. In fact, you can reduce the amount of salt in half, says Chef Goetz, and add lemon juice to taste. Also herbs such as thyme, sage, rosemary, and tarragon perk up the flavor of the traditional winter vegetables served at Thanksgiving.

Of course, every Thanksgving meal needs a sensational finish, but don’t confuse sensational with high calorie. Chef Phil Andriano, graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and Corporate Executive Chef of Chefs Diet (www.chefsdiet.com), a company that prepares and delivers gourmet, healthy meals to your home, has provided the following low calorie recipes to help you add that final “wow”:

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

By Executive Pastry Chef James Couto of Chefs Diet

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8" round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Sift together and set aside:

• 3/4 cup cake flour
• 1/4 cup soy flour
• 1/2 cup soy protein (if not available, soy flour can be substituted)
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• pinch ground clove

In a large bowl, whisk together the following ingredients until frothy (approx. 1 minute):

• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/3 cup egg substitute
• 1/4 cup egg whites

Whisk in the following ingredients into the egg mixture until completely smooth:

• 1 1/4 cup Splenda (artificial sweetener)
• scant 1/4 cup brown sugar

Then whisk in the following ingredient until completely smooth:

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree

Whisk in:

• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup nonfat milk
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Add the sifted flour mixture into the liquid and whisk together until smooth.

Pour into cake pan and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely and ice only the top of the cake with cream cheese icing. Serves eight.

Cream Cheese Icing

With an electric mixer, cream together the following ingredients until smooth:

• 8 oz. nonfat cream cheese
• 1/4 cup Splenda
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar

Then beat in:

• 2 tbsp. vanilla extract

Very Berry Blintz

By Chef Phillip Andriano

• 2 oz Blueberries - Frozen
• 1 oz Strawberries - Frozen
• 1 oz Cranberries - Frozen
• 3 oz Ricotta Cheese
• 1- Crepe, 6inch round
• 1 tsp Lemon Juice
• 1 tbsp Corn Starch
• 1/2 cup Cranberries - Strawberries - Blueberries – Fresh as Garnish

Preparation

1. Make compote using frozen berries, lemon juice and cornstarch
2. Wrap Cheese in crepe, cover half of the crepe with compote
3. Garnish with fresh berries