Bariatric-Friendly
Thanksgiving Menu
Thanksgiving Day DINNER MENU Appetizers Cheese Tray With Marinated Goat Cheese, Assorted Meats And Olives Crunchy Harvest Salad With A Raspberry Vinaigrette Curried Pumpkin Soup
Entrees & Sides Citrus Roasted Turkey With Lemon Cream Sauce Faux Mac And Cheese (Cauliflower And Cheese Casserole) Fresh Green Beans With Mushrooms And Herbed Cheese Cranberry Sauce Lite Deviled Eggs
Dessert Pumpkin Roll With Cream Cheese Filling
Cheese Tray With Marinated Goat Cheese Assorted Meats, Olives & Vegetables Serves 8-12
Cheese Ingredients: 8 oz goat cheese, softened 8 oz fat free cream cheese, softened 2 cloves garlic, smashed 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 sprigs fresh rosemary 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1/2 cup of olive oil
Directions: Mix the goat cheese and the cream cheese together. Form a disk. Place in a small serving dish with sides. Around the cheese place the garlic, rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Sprinkle on the salt and pepper. Gently pour the olive oil over the cheese. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours to one week.
Ingredients for the remainder of the tray: Use an assortment of olives, Italian styled pickled veggies, cured meats such as prosciutto, or thinly sliced ham, along with fresh cherry tomatoes, slices of cucumber, marinated mushrooms or other veggies of your choice.
Crunchy Autumn Salad With Raspberry Vinaigrette Serves 8-12 Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Ingredients: 6 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage 3 cups thinly sliced Brussel sprouts 2 Gala apples very thinly sliced 3/4 cup lightly toasted pine nuts 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots 1 bottle of Skinny Girl Raspberry Vinaigrette
Directions: 2 hours before serving toss all ingredients together except the nuts and the dressing. Cover and return to the refrigerator. Just before serving gently dress the salad then sprinkle on the pine nuts.
Curried Pumpkin Soup Serves 8-12 | Cook Time: 25 Minutes *Makes 16 cups - save some for a remake with leftovers
Ingredients: 1/4 cup olive oil 3 yellow onions, chopped 8 cloves garlic, peeled 2 inches of fresh grated ginger I (4 oz) jar Thai red curry paste 1 (32oz) box chicken broth 1 (29oz) can pumpkin 2 (14oz) cans lite coconut milk 3 limes, juiced 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon each crushed red pepper & fresh ground pepper A few shakes of Tabasco Garnish: 1 cup freshly torn cilantro 2/3 cup chopped roasted peanuts 1 cup Siggi’s plain 0% fat yogurt
Directions: Put oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add in onions and garlic, sauté until soft and translucent. Add red curry paste and grated ginger cook about 5 more minutes stirring often. Add some of the stock to deglaze the pot. Blend in a blender until onion mix is blended adding stock as needed to form a smooth purée. Pour into the large pot turn heat to medium low. Add any remaining stock, the can of pumpkin, the coconut milk, lime juice, salt, peppers and hot sauce. Whisk well and heat about 10 minutes until completely warm. Serve in bowls garnished with a dollop of yogurt, a few cilantro leaves and a sprinkle of chopped peanuts.
Roasted Turkey With Citrus Butter & Lemon Sauce
Serves 10-12 Prep, Cooking & Resting Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Ingredients for the Turkey: 1 (15 pound) fresh or fully thawed turkey, Giblets removed 4 tablespoons citrus butter (recipe below) 3 teaspoons Kosher salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 cups chicken broth 1 med yellow onion. Quartered 1 lemon sliced thin Lemon Sauce (recipe to follow)
Citrus Butter Ingredients: 2 teaspoons lemon zest 1 teaspoon of lime zest Total of 4 Tablespoons of butter
Lemon Sauce Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups of pan drippings from the turkey 8 oz fat free cream cheese, room temperature 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Put all ingredients into a blender blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Roasted Turkey With Citrus Butter & Lemon Sauce Continued...
Directions: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray the rack of the roasting pan with cooking spray. Place the rack into the pan and set aside. Pat the turkey with paper towels to dry the skin. Gently pull the skin away from the breast and thighs by using you hand to form a pocket. Rub the citrus butter under the skin. Put 1 teaspoon of salt into the cavity of the bird, add the lemon slices and the onion as well. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Fold the wings. Sprinkle remaining salt and pepper on the outside of the turkey. Place the turkey breast side down on the rack and put into the oven. Add the chicken broth to the pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Turn the temperature down to 350 degrees. Flip the turkey over breast side up, legs toward the back of the oven, for even baking. Bake until the meat thermometer reads 165 degrees, approximately 3 more hours. If the turkey is getting too brown before fully cooked add a tent of aluminum foil. Baste the bird every 45 minutes from the pan juices. When fully cooked remove from the oven and cover loosely with aluminum foil, allow to rest at least 45 minutes before carving. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of pan dripping for use in the sauce.
Faux Mac & Cheese Casserole Serves 10-12 | Prep & Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients: 2 bags of fresh ready to steam cauliflower florets 2 8oz blocks of reduced fat cream cheese 1 cup chicken broth 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 2 cups reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded and divided 1 teaspoons kosher salt 1/2 cup crushed pork rinds 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Directions: Steam both bags of cauliflower, one at the time according to the directions on the bag. Place in a colander to drain. Mix crushed pork rinds and smoked paprika together set aside. In a blender place broth, cream cheese, garlic powder, salt, mustard and pepper. Blend until smooth. In a large casserole dish place the steamed drained cauliflower florets. Mix into the blender sauce one cup of the shredded cheese. Pour over the cauliflower. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the sauce. Top with the pork rinds. Bake at 350ยบ 20-25 minutes.
Green Beans With Mushrooms & Garlic Herbed Cheese Serves 12 | Prep & Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Cheese Ingredients: 12 oz fat free cream cheese (softened) 2 tablespoons herb de Provence 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh garlic 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar Salt and pepper to taste
Beans & Mushroom Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans trimmed 2 tablespoon olive oil 8 oz. Mushrooms trimmed and sliced 1/4 cup shallots finely chopped Salt and pepper to taste
Directions: Cheese: Beat all ingredients together until smooth, chill. Beans: Parboil beans in a large pot of salty water 5-6 minutes, immediately place into an ice bath to stop cooking and cook, and retain the bright green color. Drain and set aside.
Mushrooms: Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add Mushrooms and shallots. SautĂŠ stirring often. 3-4 minutes. Add beans and sautĂŠ to heat through. About 4 minutes stirring often. Season with salt and pepper. Serve on a serving platter topped with herbed cheese.
Cranberry Sauce No Sugar Added Serves 10-12 | Prep & Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients: 12 oz fresh cranberries, reserve 1/2 cup of berries 1 c. xylitol granulated or Splenda for cooking equal to 1 cup of sugar Zest of 2 lemons Juice of one lemon 3 tablespoons water 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring 1 stick of cinnamon (optional)
Directions: In a medium sauce pan put all the ingredients except for the reserved berries, turn heat to medium high. Stir and cook until berries pop and start to get thick. Stir in the reserved berries and turn off the heat. Allow to cool. Refrigerate for one week or freeze up to one month.
Lite Deviled Eggs Prep & Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients: 12 eggs, boiled, cooled and peeled 1/3 cup plain Greek or Icelandic yogurt 1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons chives or chopped scallions
Directions: Slice eggs in half lengthwise, remove yokes, mash yokes with a fork or food processor, mix with yogurt, mustard and salt. Pipe into whites and garnish with scallions or chives.
Pumpkin Roll With Cream Cheese Filling
Prep, Cooking & Resting Time: 1 hour Note: This can and should be made a few days in advance and refrigerated. A dusting of Swerve Confectioners Sugar just before serving make a beautiful presentation.
Ingredients: Sponge: 4 large eggs , room temperature 1 cup of granulated swerve 2/3 cup of pumpkin purĂŠe 3 teaspoon fresh squeeze lemon juice 1/4 cup all purpose flour 1/2 cup almond flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum 1/2 teaspoon salt Swerve confectioners sugar for the towel
Filling: 12 oz fat free cream cheese, room temperature 1 cup swerve confectioners sugar, plus more for sprinkling 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoons butter, room temperature 1 tablespoons pure vanilla flavoring.
Pumpkin Roll With Cream Cheese Filling Continued...
Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 12 x 16 inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Line the pan with parchment paper then spray again. Beat eggs and swerve granulated until well beaten and about doubled in volume. Add in the lemon juice and pumpkin. Stir in. In a separate bowl mix the flours, baking power, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt and spices together. Adding about 1/3 of the flour mixture at the time gently fold into the wet ingredients. Pour batter into prepared pan. Spread evenly with a spatula. Bake until the cake springs back when gently touched. (about 12 minutes) Cool for 5 minutes. Using a clean kitchen towel, laid flat, dust well with swerve confectioners sugar. Turn sponge onto the towel. Peel off the parchment paper. Allow to cool to room temperature. Beat all ingredients of the filling together well. Spread onto the room temperature sponge leaving an 1/2 border unfrosted all around. Lifting from the towel on the short side start rolling, continue rolling to the end and the seam is on the underside. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until time to serve. Dust again with swerve confectioners sugar and slice with a serrated knife. May serve with a dollop or cool whip and a sprinkle of toasted pecans.
Leftovers MENU Breakfast Turkey Leek and Goat Cheese Frittata (Using left over goat cheese and turkey)
Lunch Massaged Kale and Turkey Salad (Using leftover turkey)
Dinner Curried Turkey Stew with Basil and Cashews (Using leftover soup & turkey)
Frittata
With Leeks, Goat Cheese & Turkey Serves: 4 | Prep & Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon butter 3 large leeks (white & light green parts) halved lengthwise Sliced into half moons, 1/4 inch thick & rinsed well Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper 6 eggs 3 oz goat cheese mixture from the cheese tray 1/2 cup chopped leftover turkey
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the butter into a 10 inch nonstick oven proof skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks, cook until transparent and soft. About 5 minutes. Cut the cheese into small pieces, and chop the turkey. In a medium mixing bowl beat eggs, salt and pepper together. Sprinkle turkey and cheese over the leeks, gently pour the eggs over other ingredients. Transfer to the oven baking 7-10 minutes or until the center is set. Remove from the oven and rest the frittata for another 2 minutes. Use a spatula to loosen the edges of the frittata and slide it on to a plate. Slice and serve with chicken bacon, or turkey sausage. *A leek is part of the onion family. It is mild in flavor, inexpensive and easy to work with. They tend to be gritty inside so be sure to rinse them well.
Massaged Kale & Turkey Harvest Salad With Sea Salt & Lime Dressing Serves: 6 | Prep & Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Ingredients: For the salad:
1 tablespoon, finely chopped rosemary 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 bunches of kale 1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped (Plus extra for garnish) 1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped 1/2 cup pomegranate arils (seeds) 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut 1 avocado, thinly sliced 1-1/2 pounds of left over turkey
For the dressing:
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice ( about two limes) 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp fine sea salt
Massaged Kale & Turkey Harvest Salad With Sea Salt & Lime Dressing Continued...
Directions: Prepare the dressing. Whisk together all ingredients and set aside. Prepare the kale. Remove the stems, stack 4-5 leaves together, roll tightly together, cigar fashion, then slice then in 1/4 inch slices crosswise, into ribbons. Put the ribbons into a large bowl. Pour 1/2 of the dressing over the kale. With clean hands rub the dressing and kale together so that each ribbon in well coated with the dressing. Toss the parsley and rosemary in with the dressed kale. Place on a serving dish, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and pecans. Add the turkey, (turkey can be warmed first or served cold). A final sprinkle of coconut and the remaining dressing will have it ready to serve. Garnish with extra parsley and a few grinders of sea salt if so desired. *You may serve with a few curls of fresh cut Parmesan as well,if you like.
Curried Turkey Pumpkin Stew With Basil & Cashews Serves: 8 | Prep & Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Ingredients: 5 cups of left over pumpkin soup 3 cup turkey 1/2 cup cashews 1 large onion cut into 1/2 inches wedges 1 T Olive oil 2/3 cup torn basil leaves
Directions: Toasted cashews over medium heat. Watch careful as not to burn. About 4 minutes. In a large pot heat oil, add onions and cook until soft and fragrant. Add turkey and stir fry turkey until warm through. Add soup and turn heat down to simmer. When warmed through serve with torn basil and cashews.