Guilt-Free Thanksgiving Recipes

Many Collegiettes view Thanksgiving break as a welcomed opportunity to surround themselves with family, old friends, and all of the other wonderful comforts of home. In addition to Pilgrims and cornucopias, however, Thanksgiving is also associated with delicious home cooked-meals and decadent desserts.

Although it may be tempting to serve yourself seconds (or thirds!) of every delicious portion of Thanksgiving dinner, overindulgence can result not only in stomachaches, but also societally influenced guilt. But fear not – it is possible for a dish to both taste amazing and be good for you! With these low-fat, low-sugar recipes, you can mindfully enjoy how good the food you are eating tastes, rather than worrying that you are disappointing the nutrition gods.

Skinny Pumpkin Pie

(from alidaskitchen.com)

Because this pie is made with actual pumpkin and skim milk, it presents a less caloric alternative to the higher fat and sugar content or traditional pumpkin pie.

Yield: 8 Servings

Ingredients

Brown Sugar Topping:

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup rolled oats

1 tbsp. light butter, softened (suggestion: Smart Balance light)

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Pie:

1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin purée

1 can (12 oz.) evaporated skim milk

2 eggs  (or 3 egg whites)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350°. 

2) Spray 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray. Set pan aside.

3) Prepare brown sugar topping:  mix oats, brown sugar, oats and cinnamon until combined. (Don’t be afraid to get a little messy and use your fingers to mix the topping!). Set topping aside.

4) In a large bowl, mix the pumpkin purée, evaporated milk, eggs, and sugar until combined evenly.

5) In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and spices together.  Add in the mixture from step 4, and gently fold until smoothly incorporated. 

6) Pour pumpkin mixture into prepared pie plate.  Sprinkle brown super topping over the top.

7) Bake for 50-55 minutes.  Cool for 15 minutes, and then move to refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours (but no longer than one night).

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Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Garlic & Sage

(from muchinwithmunchkin.com)

Instead of serving yams with marshmallows, try this recipe, which has plenty of taste and nutrients, without any of the marshmallows’ extra sugar.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly

1/3 cup sage, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp. olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 400°.

2) In a large bowl, toss thinly sliced sweet potatoes with olive oil, sage and garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3) Transfer sweet potatoes to a large roasting pan.

4) Bake on middle rack for 30-35 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender. Serve warm.

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Low-Fat Mashed Potatoes

(from www.dishingthedivine.com)

The trick to keeping mashed potatoes delicious and creamy without all the fat is to use a little less butter, and to substitute skim milk for heavy cream.

Ingredients

2 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes (4-6 medium), peeled, cut into 1-in. chunks

1/4 cup sour cream (room temperature)

1/2-3/4 cup skim milk (room temperature)

1 tbsp. unsalted butter (melted)

1/2 tsp. salt (plus more to taste)

Directions

1) Rinse and drain potatoes.

2) Place a metal colander or steamer in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add enough water to barely reach the bottom of the colander/steamer. Place pot/Dutch oven on stove, turn heat to high, and bring water to a boil.

3) Add potatoes to pot/Dutch oven, cover, and reduce heat to medium-high. Cook potatoes for 10 minutes. Remove potatoes from colander and rinse under cold water until no longer hot (1 to 2 minutes).

4) Return potatoes and colanders to pot/Dutch oven, cover, and continue to steam until potatoes are soft (10 to 15 minutes longer).

5) Place potatoes in the bowl of a standing mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat until only a few chunks remain. Stir in sour cream, skim milk, melted butter and 1/2 tsp. salt until evenly incorporated.

6) Continue to whisk on high until completely smooth (about 1 minute). Season to taste with salt, pepper, and additional butter; serve immediately.

With these simple, healthy Thanksgiving recipes, it should be easy to enjoy your holiday without the added stress of trying to maintain a nutritious diet. That being said, remember that Thanksgiving only comes once a year and everything is fine in moderation, so don’t feel as though you need to reprimand yourself for having a serving of your favorite fall dessert, or an extra few slices of turkey. After all, finals are right around the corner, so you can just think of it as a little extra brain food!