Lower the carbs for a diet-friendly holiday
There is perhaps no time when food is a greater embodiment of love than on Thanksgiving. Cooks spend countless hours planning, shopping for, cooking and serving a meal to those nearest and dearest to their hearts.
The meal itself lasts mere minutes, but the memories (and leftovers) linger, keeping us sustained as the days grow cooler and darker.
Sometimes, this labor of love requires extra attention when family members follow special diets. Whether it’s a vegetarian cousin, a gluten-free aunt or a parent with diabetes, tweaking the traditional takes some creativity.
Flavorful side dishes that cut back on simple carbs and forgo grains meet several dietary needs but can be enjoyed by the whole table.
The recipes I chose for this menu are all adapted from the cookbook “Milk Street Kitchen: The New Home Cooking” (Little, Brown and Co., 2017).
Some might argue that classic mashed potatoes just shouldn’t be messed with. I would counter that plain old spuds are kind of boring.
To infuse depth of flavor into the classic mash while slashing the carb content, celery root (celeriac), is just the right root for the job. Celeriac and Potato Puree, creamy with butter and milk and scented with thyme, is so good it doesn’t even need gravy. Amazingly, this smooth, silky side dish has half the carbs as the standard.
Another blood sugarfriendly side dish that’s sure to satisfy is Apple, Fennel and Hazelnut Salad, with that note of freshness
Lower Carb, Grain-Free Thanksgiving Sides
Celeriac and Potato Puree
Apple Fennel and Hazelnut Salad
Stovetop Charred Brussels Sprouts
Crustless Bourbon Pumpkin Pie with Maple Whipped Cream that your menu needs.
Lending some crunch to your spread as well, the tart matchsticks of apple, more celeriac and thinly sliced, sweet fennel are tossed with a shallot-cidervinegar-horseradish vinaigrette. This lively union of flavors, flecked with fresh mint and crushed hazelnuts, won’t fade into the background.
As an added benefit, apples, fennel, mint and celeriac are all foods that help improve digestion, easing the toll of the heavy Thanksgiving meal.
On to brussels sprouts. “Charred, sweet, and nutty, when cooked properly, brussels sprouts are the star of the Thanksgiving spread,” says James Beard Awardwinning chef J. Kenji López-Alt.
Late fall is the ideal time of year to enjoy this vegetable, once it’s been sweetened by a cold night’s frost. Rather than roasting in the oven, Milk Street uses a searing hot pan on the stovetop to caramelize the sprouts without overcooking them. Aromatic garlic, salty anchovies and tart lemon provide a beautiful flavor balance to the golden-brown vegetable sweetness. You don’t have to tell your guests about the anchovies;
More diet-friendly, lightened up Thanksgiving ideas
Trade heavy dips and fried appetizers for a fruit and cheese platter.
Leave the white rolls behind; they’re just filler, anyway.
Offer sparkling water to make wine spritzers.
Instead of a second plateful, finish with a crisp green salad dressed with vinaigrette. their savory note melts into the background.
The dessert we enjoy but once or twice a year must be better than store-bought. It should sing with pumpkin flavor and melt in your mouth. Baking a crustless pumpkin pie not only cuts way down on the work of rolling your own piecrust, but it also makes the dessert lower in carbs and gluten-free. Blending up freshly whipped cream with a hint of maple syrup more than makes up for the missing crust; the luscious density of the pie and lightness of the cream strike a perfect balance.
The best Thanksgiving feasts are a blend of new This recipe is adapted from two recipes from “Milk Street: The New Home Cooking” and Epicurious.
Celeriac and Potato Puree
1 1⁄2 pounds celery root (celeriac), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1⁄2 pounds gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1⁄2 cups half-and-half cream
1 12 ⁄ cups whole milk
Prep time: 20 minutes. 45 minutes. 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
4 sprigs of fresh thyme, destemmed
⁄4 cup (1⁄2 stick) butter 1
25 minutes.
Place celery root and potatoes in a large saucepan. Add half-and-half, milk, salt, garlic and thyme leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover, leaving a small opening for steam to escape. Cook vegetables until very tender, about 25 minutes. The milk mixture will be foamy as it cooks; this is normal.
Remove from heat and puree using an immersion blender until smooth. Return puree to saucepan and stir in butter. Taste and add additional salt as needed. Sprinkle with additional thyme leaves for garnish.
232 calories, 25g carbohydrate, 5.5g protein, 13g fat (8g saturated), 431mg sodium, 3.5g fiber. and traditional flavors and recipes. This year, why not try a low-carb side that everyone can enjoy?
These lighter recipes mean more room for sampling lots of tasty dishes and possibly escaping that weighed-down, need-a-nap feeling. Maybe you’ll even enjoy a brisk after-dinner stroll, taking in a fresh, grateful breath with the people you spend hours cooking for without a second thought.
Ashleigh Spitza is a registered dietitian and freelance writer in Wauwatosa who blogs at funkybeetsblog.com.