With the holiday approaching, I've been scouring the internet for inspiration to create a low-carb, low-sugar menu that satisfies my family's desire for traditional dishes without compromising our commitment to healthier eating. This summer, we gave up refined sugar and switched to a carb-moderate diet for the good of the entire family.
I know, those fluffy mashed potatoes, sticky rolls, and rich side dishes are SO yummy, but with a little imagination and some creative substitutions, you can serve a great meal that won't spike your blood sugar and put you in a food coma for the rest of the afternoon. Stay awake for the game! Play a game of football with your kids! Get the table cleared and the leftovers stashed with energy to spare...
I found hundreds of recipes and tips online, and through trial and error, I came up with a combination of dishes and deserts that fit the bill.
Menu
Roasted Turkey Breast
Cornbread Dressing
Butternut Squash Casserole with Pecans
Braised Asparagus with Roasted Garlic and Shallots
Deserts
Very Berry Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Chocolate Silk Pie
Now for the good stuff, recipes! No, they aren't all my original creations. Yes, I'll tweak them a little to suit my taste and style, I hope you will too.
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For the turkey, you can't beat Betty Crocker! Those recipes in the big red and white checkered notebook aren't ALL bad. Stay out of the desert section though. A Betty Crocker turkey is always a hit with the family!
My personal tweak: Brine, for moisture and flavor. Here's my favorite recipe, with 1 cup of raw honey or molasses instead of the brown sugar.
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The cornbread dressing is really simple to execute. I use a regular bag of Pepperidge Farms cornbread and low-sodium chicken stock, but the addition of apples, onions, celery, garlic, and sausage with sage completely changes the carb count by thinning and spreading the carbs out evenly through the dish. To the recipe on the bag, add 1 cup of celery, one whole sweet onion, and one green apple (skin on), all diced, 6 cloves of roasted garlic, and one half pound of your favorite breakfast sausage with sage. I like the blend from our butcher, I know it's fresh and it isn't full of MSG.
I brown the sausage first, drain it, and set it aside. Next, brown the vegetables in two tbsp. of unsalted butter. It's important to warm them up to soften them and release the flavors before you add them to the cornbread. Add the apples after the onions turn clear, or they'll be too soft in the dressing. Saute them for a few minutes, then add the sausage and 2.5 cups of chicken stock to your saute pan, bring to a low boil, then pour it into a bowl and incorporate the cornbread. Bake it in a buttered casserole dish for about 30 minutes in a 350 oven.
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Butternut Squash Casserole with Pecans.
3 cups of cooked, mashed butternut squash.
1/2 cup of Stevia Brown Sugar Blend or Purvia.
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup apple cider
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup of chopped pecans
Combine everything but the pecans and pour into a greased casserole dish. Top with the pecans and bake at 325 F (165 C) for 40-45 minutes.
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Slow Braised Asparagus with Roasted Garlic and Shallots
1 lb Asparagus with woody stalks removed, 1 tbsp minced shallots, 1 tbsp of sweet roasted garlic, 4 tbsp butter, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar.
Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and melt butter. Add the shallots and garlic to the heat and cook until fragrant. Add the asparagus and and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook on low for 10 minutes, or to taste. I like to test the stalks by picking them up by the middle, if they have a lot of spring when you shake your hand, they're just right. You don't want to cook them until they're limp.
Remove from heat and toss with the balsamic before serving. I like to top them with toasted, shaved almonds.
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Very Berry Pie
My almond pie crust is 1.5 cups of almond flour, 2 tbsp Stevia baking blend, and 3 tbsp melted butter. I mix it with a fork and then press it into a 9" pie plate, and bake at 350 for about 10-12 minutes.
For the filling, I used one bag of frozen mixed berries, 4 tbsp tapioca flour or cornstarch, 1/2 cup stevia baking mix, 1 and 1/3 cup water, and 1 tbsp butter.
First, pour the berries into a saucepan with 2/3 cup of water. Add the butter and sweetener, and stir until the berries are thawed and the sweetener dissolved. Whisk the tapioca with 2/3 cup of water until smooth, then add to the berries. Cook and stir over medium heat until the tapioca clears and the liquid is thick and dark. Pour into the prepared pie shell and chill before serving.
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Pumpkin Pie
Use the almond pie crust again, but substitute 1/2 cup of almond meal with finely chopped pecans.
1 lb (or 15 oz can) pumpkin puree
2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk + 1/3 cup cream
3 eggs
1/2 cup Stevia Brown Sugar Blend
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Pinch of salt
Mix it up and pour it in the prepared pie shell. For the pumpkin pie, I suggest a very light pre-bake (5 minutes, tops) because the crust will brown further during the baking process. If you use a dark pie plate, it won't darken as quickly. If you're using clear glass, put the pie on a cookie sheet. Bake at 325 F (165 C) until set, about 50 minutes.
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Chocolate Silk Pie
Same pie crust, with a twist! I use straight almond meal for this because I like the cookie type texture, and added a tbsp or so of ground ghiradelli unsweetened cocoa and 1 more tbsp stevia baking blend to the crust. Mix before adding the butter.
To make the filling, I cheat. Jello brand instant sugar free chocolate pudding. You really have to make it with regular skim milk or it won't set up properly. I went with almond milk the first time and added tapioca, but it set up VERY soft. It was still delicious, but I like it less soupy. I poured the pudding mixture into a CHILLED crust, let it set, then topped with hand-whipped cream, (add 1 tsp vanilla and 1.5 tbsp stevia blend.)
Top with shaved toasted almonds, or indulge with a little shaved dark chocolate.
For my vegan friends, here's a recipe for Chocolate Silk Pie straight from Bob's Red Mill, the source for Almond meal, coconut flour, and all sorts of healthy alternatives to bleached white flour.
So, there you have it! A few ideas for low-carb, low-sugar dishes and deserts for your Thanksgiving meal. I know you want those yeast rolls... I couldn't find a single whole-grain, high fiber recipe that satisfied my picky requirements. I'm still looking, though. :) And yes, I'm going to miss those fluffy mashed potatoes and doughy rolls, but I'm not going to miss the food coma and bloat that follows.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
