Classic Thanksgiving Dishes to Keep in Your Diet

August 27, 2019
Make these healthier alternatives to traditional Thanksgiving dishes to save calories.Download a FREE Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipe Cookbook!Watch Video
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Creamed Onions

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A holiday staple in many households, creamed onions are usually bathed in a rich white sauce made with heavy cream. In this version, we roast the onions for an added layer of flavor and lighten up the sauce with low-fat milk. The result is a luxuriously silky sauce with a sweet roasted onion flavor for far fewer calories and less fat. We like the smaller size of pearl onions, but boiling onions also work well.

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Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake

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A spectacular, graceful ending for a holiday feast or any elegant fall or winter meal.

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Cider Gravy

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Make this low-fat gravy in the roasting pan while the turkey rests. Apple cider adds rich fall flavor.

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Meringue-Topped Sweet Potato Casserole

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This lightened-up take on the classic Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole is spiked with crushed pineapple and toasted pecans. We top it with an airy, slightly sweet meringue. You can pipe the meringue to make it look fancy or simply spread it neatly with a rubber spatula.

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Green Bean Casserole

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This healthy revision of green bean casserole skips the canned soup and all the fat and sodium that come with it. Our white sauce with sliced fresh mushrooms, sweet onions and low-fat milk makes a creamy, rich casserole.

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Vermont Cheddar Mashed Yukon Golds

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Extra-sharp Cheddar and buttermilk add a tangy punch to these mashed potatoes. And, yes, we may be a bit biased, but we prefer Vermont Cheddar cheese.

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Herbed Pan Gravy

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The giblets and neck from a turkey make a great flavorful stock that helps ensure a rich, tasty gravy, but you may substitute more chicken broth if you prefer.

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Roasted Garlic & Meyer Lemon-Rubbed Turkey

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Mellow white miso paste is the secret ingredient in this amazing roast turkey rubbed with Meyer lemon and roasted garlic. The miso gives the turkey a mildly salted taste without the hassle of brining.

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Wild Mushroom Stuffing

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Wild mushrooms make an amazing, rich base for a stuffing for Thanksgiving dinner. This stuffing includes diced turkey liver, which gives it an intense, deep flavor. If you're not a liver lover or if you're serving vegetarians, you can omit it from the recipe. Recipe adapted from Alice Waters.

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Cranberry, Cherry & Walnut Marmalade

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Fresh cranberries get crunch from walnuts and an infusion of sweetness from dried cherries in this take on a classic marmalade. Leftovers are great on a turkey sandwich.

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Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Onions

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Fresh herbs, onion and bacon sauté alongside Brussels sprouts in this easy vegetable side dish recipe. This savory dish is delicious in the fall and winter months, when Brussels sprouts are in season. If you can find them still attached to the stalk, don't be intimidated--buy them, as they're likely more fresh. Recipe adapted from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters.

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Soft Whole-Wheat Dinner Rolls

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Finding tasty, healthy, whole-grain dinner rolls in the supermarket or even at a local bakery can be a challenge. Here's a not-too-big dinner roll you can feel good about serving for the holidays or any special occasion.

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Lemon-Dill Green Beans

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This lemon and dill vinaigrette is a natural complement to green beans. It's also great tossed with steamed asparagus or drizzled over sliced fresh tomatoes. To make this recipe serve 10, multiply all the ingredients by 2 1/2: Use 2 1/2 pounds green beans, 3 tablespoons dill, 2 1/2 tablespoons each shallot, oil and lemon juice, 2 1/2 teaspoons mustard and 3/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper.

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Maple-Pumpkin Custards with Crystallized Ginger

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A Thanksgiving meal wouldn't be complete without pumpkin, and here in Vermont we wouldn't dream of excluding our beloved maple syrup. We've combined the two in these elegant custards, featuring the best part of a pumpkin pie and saving calories for a luscious finish of real whipped cream. If you can find it, use Grade B dark amber syrup to get the best maple flavor.

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Whole Roasted Lemon-Herb Chicken on a Bed of Vegetables

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When you season roast chicken under the skin, as in this recipe, the meat itself gets flavored and the skin becomes nicely browned and crisp. Here, the chicken is roasted on a bed of carrots, turnips and celeriac--but any mixture of root vegetables will work. You'll need about 8 cups of chopped or cubed vegetables.

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Sausage Stuffing

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This classic stuffing pairs turkey sausage with the tangy sweetness of apples. By using turkey sausage instead of pork, we cut the fat content from 19 grams to 4.

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