Thanksgiving Recipe Makeover

Give your Thanksgiving dinner a #H3ALTHY Makeover! Enjoy traditional dishes with a healthy take such as Whole Wheat Apple and Rosemary Stuffing, Green Bean Casserole with H3 Cream Sause, Spiced Apple Cider Compote, and Mini Pumpkin Pies. Enjoy the holidays with loved ones and remember to eat mindfully!

Whole Wheat Apple and Rosemary Stuffing

Traditional stuffing is a staple for the fall holidays, and we add some flavor and nutrients by using fresh apples and rosemary.

Ingredients:

6 pieces	Whole wheat bread, diced (day old is preferred)
1 Tablespoon	Butter, unsalted
¼ cup	Onion, diced
¼ cup	Carrot, diced
¼ cup	Celery, diced
1 cup	Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
1 cup	Chicken broth, low-sodium
½ cup	Apple juice
1 Tablespoon	Rosemary, fresh, chopped
2 teaspoons	Thyme, fresh, chopped
¼ teaspoon	Kosher salt
½ teaspoon	Black pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Arrange bread in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add butter and then sauté onion, celery, and carrots. Sauté mirepoix for 3 to 5 minutes or until translucent and tender.
Add apples and herbs to pan.
In a large bowl, combine toasted bread, chicken broth, apple juice, vegetable mixture, salt, and pepper.
Arrange in a 13×9 inch baking dish.
Bake in oven for 30 to 40 minutes, covered. Then uncover for about 5 to 10 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the top is golden brown.

Green Bean Casserole

Our Green Bean Casserole with H3 Cream Sause, when compared to a traditional green bean casserole, is lower in calories, sodium, and fat, but not flavor!

Ingredients:

8 cups	Green beans, cleaned, cut into 1″ pieces
2 cups	H3 Cream Sauce (Recipe below) or cream of mushroom soup
1 cup	Skim milk
¼ teaspoon	Salt
Pinch	Pepper
2 teaspoons	Onion powder
2 cups	Panko breadcrumbs
2 Tablespoons	Parsley, fresh, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons	Butter, unsalted

Method:

Preheat oven to 350˚ F.
Place all cut green beans in mixing bowl.
In a smaller sauce pan, warm H3 cream sauce or cream of mushroom soup, and add skim milk.
Warm sauce until hot and season with salt, pepper and onion powder.
Lightly spray a 15×10 casserole dish with non-stick pan spray.
Then add cut green beans to baking dish. Pour “cream” mixture over green beans.
Wrap casserole dish with plastic wrap and foil, bake for about 20 minutes.
In another bowl melt butter and mix with panko breadcrumbs and parsley.
Remove casserole from oven and sprinkle panko mixture over top. Bake in oven for about another 15 minutes or until panko crust is golden brown.

H3 Cream Sauce for Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

2 cups	Vegetable stock, low sodium
1 teaspoon	Olive oil
¼ cup	Shallots, small dice
1 teaspoon	Onion powder
3 Tablespoons	Garlic minced
1 teaspoon	Garlic powder
½ teaspoon	Salt
¼ teaspoon	White pepper
1 ½ cups	Skim milk
2 Tablespoons	Half and half
2 Tablespoons	Fat-free cream cheese
2 Tablespoons	Cornstarch
2 Tablespoons	Water, cold

Method:

Heat medium size sauce pot to medium heat.
Add olive oil.
Add shallots and garlic sauté until caramelized, about 3-4 minutes.
Add stock, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Turn heat down to medium-low and simmer.
All mixture to reduce until about 1 cup.
Then add skim milk, half and half, and cream cheese.
Whisk until all ingredients are evenly mixed.
In a separate small bowl combine cornstarch and cold water, mix well, creating a cornstarch slurry.
While milk mixture is simmering slowly whisk in cornstarch slurry.
Add as little or as much cornstarch slurry until desired consistency is reached.

Spiced Apple Cider Compote

This is a great substitution for the traditional gravy we like over our Thanksgiving turkey. This can also be used a stuffing for pork; just minus the apple juice. If this compote recipe is too spicy, cut with more apple cider and apples, but if you want it spicier you may add more red pepper flakes. Remember that because they are dry spices, they will take a few minutes to rehydrate and release their flavor.

Ingredients:

¼ teaspoon	Olive oil
2 each	Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored, cubed
1 each	Shallots, chopped
1 ½ cups	Apple juice or apple cider
1 Tablespoon	Brown sugar
½ teaspoon	Cinnamon, ground
½ teaspoon	Red pepper flackes (use 1/4 tsp. at a time)
2 teaspoons	Cornstarch
2 teaspoons	Water

Method:

Warm saucepan and oil to a medium heat.
Once pan is hot, add shallots and cook until tender, then add apple cubes.
Let apples cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Then add apple juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, and red pepper flakes.
Stir frequently and bring apples to a simmer until apples are tender and sauce has a slight thickness to it. If more thickness is desired, add small amounts of cornstarch in cold water until you have reached your desired consistency.
Serve over pork tenderloin or any other protein of your choice.

Mini Pumpkin Pies

Ingredients:

Pie Crust

1.3 ounces	Cream cheese, fat-free, cold
4 Tablespoons	Sugar
Pinch	Salt
Pinch	Baking powder
1 teaspoon	Apple cider vinegar
4 teaspoons	Water, ice cold
2/3 cup	Flour
4 teaspoons	Flour for rolling out dough
1.3 ounces	Butter, unsalted, cold

Pie Filling

1 cup	Pumpkin
1 cup	Eggbeaters
1 cup	Evatorated milk, fat-free
3/4 cup	Brown sugar
¼ cup	Sugar
½ teaspoon	Ginger
¼ teaspoon	Cloves, ground
¼ teaspoon	Allspice
1 teaspoon	Cinnamon
¼ teaspoon	Nutmeg

Method:

Preheat oven to 375˚F.
In a mixing bowl – with a paddle attachment, mix all dough ingredients.
Sprinkle clean counter with a small amount of flour. Roll dough out on counter, making sure dough is not too thick.
Then place the large rolled out dough over the pie pan. Press dough down into pie pan to make a good fit. Cut off excess dough that drapes below the edge of the pie pan. Make sure to give yourself a little dough on the edges so you can crinkle the dough around the edges.
Once you have cut the extra dough off, roll that dough back into another ball and repeat if you are making multiple pies – otherwise, freeze.
Crinkle the edges of the pie dough around the edges of the pan to make a nice design for your pie. Then place in refrigerator to chill for about 15 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl beat all filling ingredients on high for one minute.
Pour into pie pan and bake 60 minutes or until firm and toothpick comes out clean.