Diet dilemma
Dealing with low-carb desires during the holidays
November 11, 2004
By Jane P. Marshall
On Thanksgiving Day, 30 million Americans will grimace at marshmallows oozing seductively into steamy sweet potatoes. They will shed tears over syrupy mahogany pecans glistening from Grandma's traditional pie.
Then most of them will fall off the low-carb wagon.
An estimated 30 million Americans are on low-carbohydrate diets, trying valiantly to eradicate as many sugars, starches, fibers and starchy vegetables that the body converts to glucose as possible.
A cup of healthy choices and a tablespoon or two of self control will help take the asceticism out of the annual 3,000-plus calorie turkey meal.
A quick equation for healthy low-carb eating: fill half your plate with vegetables, a quarter with turkey or other protein and a quarter with stuffing or other grains.
"If there is something wonderful, take a bite and really think about it, savor it. If you have to have a second bite, that's fine. If you have to have a third, stop," advised Fran McCullough, who wrote "Living Low-Carb" (Little Brown, $25.95), "The Low-Carb Cookbook" (Hyperion, $7.99 paperback) and others.
The single hardest item for low-carb cooks is turkey dressing, she said. McCullough always makes two: a regular stuffing and one made with low-carb bread. "Better than no stuffing at all," she said.
But beware. "Some manufacturers, either innocently or not, are taking advantage of the net carb formula. In whole foods you can subtract the fiber carbs from the total carbs. They add tons of fiber to their products and fail to list it on their carb counts," she said.
If the fiber count exceeds the carb count, something is amiss.
McCullough suggests cooks anticipate that some of their guests will be on low-carb diets. For them, have appetizers such as cheese, olives, nuts and deviled eggs.
She pointed to her Thanksgiving cauliflower.
"I always have two mashed potatoes," she said. One is actually cauliflower.
"Cauliflower is so misunderstood," she said. "It's so delicious." A serving has 3.9 grams of carbohydrates.
Her potato-substitute became so popular at Thanksgiving dinner she now makes extra.
The American Dietetic Association has this advice, good for dieters and non-dieters alike:
Say "No thank you, I'm too full."
Decide ahead of time what and how much you will eat and how you will handle social pressure.
Know what's ahead and be prepared, McCullough added.
And that 600-calorie carb-heavy piece of pecan pie? Take a nibble and a long walk.
MASHED "POTATOES"
1 large head of cauliflower, tough stem removed, cut into florets
3 tablespoons sour cream or ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
Big pinch of ground cumin (optional)
Horseradish to taste (optional)
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Put florets in a steamer basket inside a large saucepan. Add an inch of water to the pan, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 12 to 15 minutes, or until cauliflower is just tender. Drain very well. Puree cauliflower in a food processor, than add sour cream, cheddar, Parmesan, salt and cumin or horseradish as desired. Puree until smooth.
Scoop into warm serving bowl and garnish with parsley if desired. Serve hot.
Makes 4 servings.
SWEET POTATO GRATIN WITH SHIITAKES AND PARMESAN
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
3 pounds sweet potatoes
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into chunks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Oil a 2-inch deep 10-cup gratin or casserole dish.
Heat oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat and cook mushrooms just long enough to soften them. Remove from heat.
Peel potatoes and slice thinly. Layer a third of them in the dish, dot with a third of the butter, add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with a third of the cheese. Follow with a layer of half the mushrooms. Repeat layers: potatoes, butter, salt, pepper, cheese and mushrooms. End with a layer of potatoes topped with last of cheese. Dot with remaining butter.
Cover dish with boil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot.
Makes 10 servings.
APPLE, PEAR AND CRANBERRY CRISP WITH WALNUTS
3 medium baking apples (such as Rome or Empire), cored
2 firm but ripe Bartlett pears, cored
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened dried coconut
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut apples and pears into 1-inch pieces and transfer to a large bowl. Add cranberries, zest, lemon juice and sugar. Toss to combine. Pour into a 9-inch square glass baking dish.
Combine butter, walnuts, rolled oats, coconut, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Spread evenly over the fruit. Bake until fruit is soft and the topping is crisp, about 30 minutes.
Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve with low-sugar ice cream or cream.
Makes 6 servings.
TURKEY GIBLET GRAVY
Turkey neck and giblets, or package of chicken livers
2 stalks celery with leaves, chopped
2 bay leaves
1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
Separate liver from giblets and refrigerate.
Put remaining giblets and turkey neck in large saucepan and cover with 6 cups water. If using chicken livers instead of turkey giblets, use only neck right now. Add veggies and spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 2 hours.
After roasting turkey, remove fat and juice drippings to saucepan and set aside.
Add liver and cook 15 minutes more.
Remove giblets/livers from liquid. Remove bay leaves, then using blender or food processor, "blenderize" liquid with veggies. Chop giblets and add to liquid.
Stir in drippings, thicken with xanthan gum and heat just before bubbling.
Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
Makes 6-8 servings.
PUMPKIN CASSEROLE
6 cups raw cubed pumpkin
1 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 cups real mayonnaise
1/2 cup heavy cream
pepper, onion powder, salt and garlic - to taste
3 green onions sliced
1/2 stick butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter, add wet ingredients, mix thoroughly. Spray casserole dish with nonstick spray. Mix pumpkin with wet ingredients, pour into dish. Season and place green onions on top. Bake covered with foil 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes more.
This taste is reminiscent of scalloped potatoes.
Serves 8.
JELLIED CRANBERRY SAUCE
1 pint fresh cranberries
1/2 to 1 cup non-sugar sweetener
1 small box Jell-o Sugar Free Cranberry Gelatin
Dash of allspice
Dash of cloves
2 drops of red food color (optional)
Liquid sweetener (sacharine, cyclamate, etc.) equal to 2 teaspoons sugar
Cook cranberries in water for ten minutes, or until they "pop." Add non-sugar sweetener and spices. Cook an additional 15 minutes, keeping water level covering berries.
Press through a colander, strainer or cheesecloth, or add entire mix to blender or food processor. Set aside.
Prepare cranberry gelatin according to directions on package, skimping on the cold water just a bit. Add liquid sweetener and then mix well with cranberry mixture. Add food coloring if desired.
Pour into mold or loaf pan and refrigerate well till set.
Slice and serve with Roast Turkey or chicken dishes.
Makes 6 servings.
TIPS FOR A LOW-CARB THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY:
• For guilt-free gravy, use cornstarch instead of flour - 1/4 cup to every 4 cups of liquid - low-fat broth and defatted pan juices. A 1/4 cup serving will have about 2 grams of carbohydrates.
• It's the portions - not the food - that can be devilish. Learn to judge two serving sizes: visualize a deck of cards, the size of 3 ounces cooked meat, poultry or fish; a small fist is the size of a half-cup serving of fruit, vegetable, cooked cereal, pasta or rice.
• Remember, a carbohydrate is a broad category of food that includes sugars, starches, fibers and starchy vegetables. Make little choices count - grab an olive not a cookie, grapes not potato chips, peanuts not pie.
• Most low-carb diets recommend at least 64 ounces of water a day. That's enough to fill a 2-liter soda bottle. Try keeping a glass of ice water handy when you are cooking. Helps prevent nibbling, too.
• Keep healthy low-sugar snacks on hand. Read the label, especially serving size. "Free foods" and "low carb" doesn't mean you can eat the whole package.
Source:www.starbanner.com
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