A festive table, the company of family and friends and an array of delicious comfort foods. Now that’s Thanksgiving! If you have to downsize your guest list this year, we want to help by downsizing some Thanksgiving side dishes.
Our recipe lineup includes Roasted Butternut Squash Soup. Butternut squash is loaded with vitamin A, a key nutrient for good vision and a healthy immune system. A serving of today’s soup has a whopping 400{c33c21346ff5e26ab8e0ae3d29ae4367143f0d27c235e34c392ea37decdb8bed} of your daily need for vitamin A. You can make this soup two or three days in advance. Just heat, add the panko garnish and serve.
Rice Medley Salad with Apples and Raisins is another make-ahead side dish that lightens the food-preparation load. Fall flavors come together perfectly in this salad, which supplies a nice dose of dietary fiber, 3 grams per serving.
A side dish that doesn’t involve the oven or stove top is our Sweet and Sour Harvest Slaw. It’s best tossed with dressing just before serving. I like the mellow flavor of Napa cabbage, but it doesn’t stand up to extended marinating time like green and purple cabbage. Make the dressing a couple days ahead and refrigerate. Chop the cabbage and bell pepper the day before serving and leave the apple and green onion prep for the day of.
Darlene Zimmerman is a registered dietitian in Henry Ford Hospital’s Heart & Vascular Institute. For questions about today’s recipe, call 313-972-1920.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Serves: 6 (1 cup serving) / Prep time: 20 minutes / Total time: 1 hour
8 cups (about 2 small peeled, seeded) butternut squash chunks
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons tub margarine, divided
1 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled, minced
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons sherry
⅓ cup panko bread crumbs
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon snipped chives
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place squash chunks on a sided sheet pan and drizzle with oil; toss to coat. Roast squash for 35 to 45 minutes, or until tender.
In a large stockpot, over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon margarine and sauté onions, garlic and sage about 3 to 5 minutes. Add roasted squash and broth to stockpot and heat to a boil. Remove from heat and using an immersion blender, food processor or blender, puree soup until smooth. If using a food processor or regular blender, puree soup in batches. Return soup to pot and stir in sherry. To prepare soup topping, melt remaining 2 teaspoons margarine in a small sauté pan. Add panko bread crumbs and toast until golden brown. Remove pan from heat and allow crumbs to cool; about 5 minutes. Stir in Parmesan cheese and chives. Garnish soup with bread crumb and cheese topping.
173 calories (26{c33c21346ff5e26ab8e0ae3d29ae4367143f0d27c235e34c392ea37decdb8bed} from fat), 5 grams fat (1 gram sat. fat, 0 grams trans fat), 28 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams protein, 343 mg sodium, 3 mg cholesterol, 137 mg calcium, 4 grams fiber. Food exchanges: 2 starch, ½ fat.
Rice Medley Salad with Apples and Raisins
Serves: 6 (about ⅔ cup per serving) / Prep time: 15 minutes / Total time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
¾ cup uncooked wild and brown rice blend (such as Lundberg Wild Blend rice)
1 ½ cups water
½ cup orange juice
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup diced apple (Honeycrisp or Fuji work well)
½ cup raisins
4 thinly sliced green onions, green and white parts
Prepare rice blend according to package directions using 1 ½ cups water and omitting salt and oil if called for. Once rice is cooked, rinse under cold water until rice is completely cooled. Drain well and set aside. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine orange juice, vinegar, oil, sugar, salt and black pepper. Seal jar and shake until well combined. In a large bowl, combine drained rice, apples, raisins, green onion and dressing. Gently stir to combine. Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight before serving.
188 calories (14{c33c21346ff5e26ab8e0ae3d29ae4367143f0d27c235e34c392ea37decdb8bed} from fat), 3 grams fat (0 grams sat. fat, 0 grams trans fat), 37 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams protein, 170 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol, 20 mg calcium, 3 grams fiber. Food exchanges: 1 starch, 1 fruit, 1 fat.
Sweet and Sour Harvest Slaw
Serves: 6 (3/4 cup per serving) / Prep time: 15 minutes / Total time: 20 minutes
3 tablespoons golden balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon canola oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
5 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage
1 cup diced apple (such as Honeycrisp)
1 cup fresh blueberries
½ cup diced red bell pepper
½ cup sliced green onion
¼ cup pepitas
In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine vinegar, sugar, water, oil, salt and black pepper and shake to combine, allowing sugar to dissolve. In a large bowl, combine cabbage, apples, blueberries, red pepper and green onion. Drizzle slaw with dressing and toss to coat. Top slaw with pepitas and serve.
122 calories (37{c33c21346ff5e26ab8e0ae3d29ae4367143f0d27c235e34c392ea37decdb8bed} from fat), 5 grams fat (1 gram sat. fat, 0 grams trans fat), 18 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams protein, 182 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol, 47 mg calcium, 3 grams fiber. Food exchanges: 2 vegetable, ½ fruit, 1 fat.
Recipes created and tested by Darlene Zimmerman, MS, RD, for Heart Smart®.
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