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A nice indulgence, but not a healthy lifestyle. It’s easy to down thousands of calories in that one meal.
A cup of cranberry sauce can pack 440 calories alone. Two rolls with butter — 270 calories. A large serving of turkey — 318 calories. A slice of pumpkin pie with whipped topping — 416 calories. A large serving of mashed potatoes — 237. A cup of stuffing — 400 calories. And we haven’t even talked about drinks and starters.
I doubt if I’d ever be able to bypass the turkey, stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce. But that doesn’t mean I can’t lighten them up. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
To scale things down, I’ve used turkey breast, whole-wheat bread for the stuffing, a cranberry sauce made with agave nectar rather than sugar, and a delicious low-fat gravy. This recipe will satisfy anyone in your family for just 303 calories and 6 grams of fat. A comparable regular dinner would weigh in at 1,450 calories and 58 grams of fat.
There are many ways to cook a turkey. Here, you poach it. It keeps meat moist without any added fat. Plus, the poaching liquid is used for the stuffing and gravy. I like to bring the temperature of the poaching liquid to 165 F and let the meat cook slowly — the longer, the better.
As long as you stick to white-meat turkey and don’t eat the skin, turkey is one of your best nutritional bets.
It has less saturated fat, less total fat and less cholesterol than chicken, pork or beef. Skinless turkey breast also is an excellent source of niacin, vitamins B6 and B12, iron, selenium and zinc. Best of all, it tastes great.
This meal takes roughly an hour and a half to make, far less than typical turkey dinners. That means you also can avoid some of the holiday cooking frenzy.
Remember that Thanksgiving isn’t about celebrating the perfect turkey or the smoothest mashed potatoes. It’s a time to think about family and togetherness.
And football.
Rocco DiSpirito is author of the “Now Eat This!” and “Now Eat This! Diet” cookbooks.
Thanksgiving Dinner
Start to finish: 1-1/2 hours Servings: 4
3 cups low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth, divided
1 pound fresh or thawed boneless, skinless turkey breast, trimmed of visible fat (or turkey breast chops)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
Salt and ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
2 cups (about 4 ounces) cubed stale whole wheat bread
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup no-sugar added cranberry sauce
In a medium pot with a deep-fry thermometer attached, heat 2-1/2 cups of broth over medium-high. When liquid reaches 165 F, with barely any bubbles at the surface, add the turkey. Adjust heat to maintain temperature at 165 F.
Using foil, cover the pot (leaving the face of the thermometer exposed) and poach turkey for 30 minutes. Uncover and use an instant thermometer to check the temperature at the center of meat (not liquid). Meat should read 150 F. If not, cover and continue to poach for another 10 minutes, or until the meat reaches temperature. When meat hits 150 F, turn off the heat and let turkey rest, covered, in poaching liquid for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium. When hot, add olive oil. Add celery and onion and saute until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add poultry seasoning and bread. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to low and add 1/2 cup of turkey poaching liquid. Stir, then add another 1/2 cup. Bread should be moist, not wet. Cover, then cook until bread is hot, about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley and adjust seasonings. Set aside.
Remove turkey from the remaining poaching liquid and cover meat with foil to keep warm. Remove thermometer from the pot and bring poaching liquid to a boil. Cook until reduced to about 1 cup; this should take only a few minutes. In a small bowl, mix together the remaining 1/2 cup of reserved cool broth and cornstarch. Whisk into hot broth, then return to a boil and cook for 1 minute.
Serve turkey with stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce.
