Podcast 82: Healthy Thanksgiving

by The Meal Makeover Moms on November 23rd, 2009

This week on Cooking with the Moms, we’re talking turkey with two family-pleasing recipes. Clearly we’re not the only ones with turkey on our minds.  According to the National Turkey Federation, every year, Americans consume an estimated 46 million turkeys on Thanksgiving Day alone.

Our first recipe for Golden Mashed Party Potatoes calls for Yukon Gold potatoes, which have a naturally creamy and buttery flavor, and sweet potatoes, packed with immune-boosting vitamin A.  The fat and calories in this simple side dish are considerably less than most traditional mashed potato recipes — typically made with beaucoup butter — because we get away with just one tablespoon.  We hope your dinner guests appreciate our slimmed down mashed potatoes. By the way, did we tell you the average American consumes between 5,000 – 6,000 calories on Thanksgiving?

Golden Mashed Party Potatoes

Makes 10 Servings

  • 3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
  • 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
  • 4 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
  • ½ cup fat-free sour cream
  • ½ cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (2 ounces)
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • Pinch nutmeg
  • A few cranks of freshly ground black pepper

1. Place the potatoes and sweet potatoes in a large saucepan, and add enough cold water to cover. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook, covered, at a low boil until tender, about 10 minutes.

2. Drain well and return to the pan. Add the cream cheese, sour cream, Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, butter, salt, nutmeg, and pepper. Use a potato masher or ricer and mash the potatoes until smooth.

3. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.  Serve out of the saucepan, or spread potato mixture into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes until heated through.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 220 calories, 5g fat (3g saturated), 350mg sodium, 36g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 7g protein, 120% vitamin A, 25% vitamin C, 20% calcium

Print Recipe

On last year’s Thanksgiving podcast (episode #30), we featured a recipe for Rosemary Roasted Turkey, so this year we decided to switch gears with a recipe using turkey leftovers. To do that, we cooked up these Barbecue Pulled-Turkey Sandwiches, adapted from the November 2009 issue of Bon Appétit magazine. The sandwiches were tasty, filling, and best of all, kid friendly!

Barbecue Pulled-Turkey Sandwiches

Makes 5 Servings

  • 3 tablespoons light canola mayonnaise
  • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
  • 3 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
  • 2 slices nitrite-free bacon
  • 1 cup tomato puree
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 3 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 ½ cups shredded cooked turkey (light and dark meat), about 10 ounces
  • 5 soft rolls (such as onion, egg, sesame, or whole wheat)

1. Whisk mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, and celery seeds in small bowl to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add cabbage; toss to blend. Cover bowl and chill. Can be made 1 day ahead.

2.  Sauté bacon in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until crisp and brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from saucepan, pat with paper towel to remove excess fat, and wipe saucepan clean. Coarsely chop the bacon.

3.  Place the bacon back into the saucepan with tomato puree, apple cider vinegar, the water, dark brown sugar, chili powder, and ground cumin. Bring sauce to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4.  Add shredded cooked turkey to barbecue sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until turkey is heated through, stirring occasionally. Split and toast rolls. Divide turkey and slaw among rolls. Press tops down lightly to compress, then serve.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 390 calories, 12g fat (3g saturated), 820mg sodium, 43g carbohydrate, 6g fiber, 30g protein, 45% vitamin C, 10% calcium, 20% iron

Print Recipe

We hope all of you have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving break. Let us know what your family liked best at Thanksgiving dinner, or post photos of your feast to our Facebook Fan Page!

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2 Comments | Filed Under Dinner, Lunch, Poultry, Sides, Vegetables 

2 Responses to “Podcast 82: Healthy Thanksgiving”

  1. Adena on November 28th, 2009

    Just wanted to let you know that I made your Golden Mashed Party Potatoes for Thanksgiving this year, and they were a hit! My son (age 10) was a bit apprehensive about the color, but I urged him to taste them, and he was pleasantly surprised to find out that the addition of a few sweet potatoes didn’t ruin them :-) Thanks so much for the great recipe!

  2. The Meal Makeover Moms on November 28th, 2009

    Glad your family liked the potatoes! We love sweet potatoes and are always looking for ways to incorporate them into our recipes. So yummy and packed with good nutrition!

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