All the trimmings, none of the glut: Super Healthy Sides

We’re taking a cue from Joan Lunden this Thanksgiving.  ABC TV morning show legend and founder of Camp Reveille is the inspiration for our healthy side-dish expose.  Straight from Joan Lunden’s Healthy Cooking, we’re offering up four side-dishes for Thanksgiving that are sure to add some healthy but delicious flavor to your family’s feast.  Enjoy the recipes for Butternut Squash Soup, Cornbread Stuffing, Mom’s Roasted New Potatoes, and Roasted Vegetables, and skip the glut!  Plus get a peek at Camp Reveille, a summer camp for women.

GET THE RECIPES BELOW.

Watch Joan’s Summer Camp For Women (02:09)

Butternut Squash Soup

1 medium butternut squash (about 2 ¼ pounds)

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger, optional

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

3 cups Chicken Broth (page 203) or canned reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 to 2 cups water, or as needed

Salt and Pepper to taste

Low-fat or nonfat sour cream and apple slices for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 400 F

Cut the squash in half lengthwise, an scoop out and discard the seeds. Arrange the halves cut side down in a roasting pan that has been sprayed with the nonstick vegetable oil spray.

Bake the squash in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until it is very tender.  Once the squash is finished baking, set aside to cool.  While the squash is baking, cook the onion and the ginger (if using) in the butter in a saucepan, over moderately low heat, for 5 minutes or until the onion is softened.  Add the broth and simmer the mixture for 10 minutes, covered.  When the squash is completely cool, scoop the flesh from the skin.

Add the squash pulp to the saucepan.

Transfer the mixture to a blender or a food processor, in batches, and puree until smooth.  Add enough water to achieve the desired consistency, and salt and pepper to taste.  Return the soup to the saucepan and cook it over moderate heat until it is hot.

Garnish each portion with a heaping teaspoon of low-fat sour cream and a few apple slices if desired.

Nutritional Information: per 1-cup serving: 85 calories; 25% calories from fat; 3 grams of fat; 354 milligrams of sodium

Cornbread Stuffing

(makes about 2 quarts)

For the Cornbread

1 cup cornmeal

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon canola oil

One 8 ½ ounce can cream-style corn

1 teaspoon dried sage

1 teaspoon dried rosemary or thyme

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

For the Stuffing

2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 cups)

2 cups peeled and finely diced butternut squash (about ½ medium)

1 Golden Delicious or Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and finely diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 ½ chopped celery

1 large egg, lightly beaten

½ cup apple juice

¼ cup chicken broth or canned-reduced sodium broth

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 F

Make the cornbread: Sift the first five ingredients into a large mixing bowl.  In another bowl whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, oil, corn, and dried herbs, and stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture, stirring until it is just combined.  Pour the batter into an 8-inch square baking pan that has been sprayed with the nonstick vegetable oil spray and bake the cornbread in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until a skewer, when inserted, comes out clean.  When it is completely cool, cut it into cubes or coarsely crumble it and transfer it to a mixing bowl.

Make the stuffing: Arrange the onion, squash, and apple in one layer in a shallow roasting pan, toss with the olive oil, and roast them in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.  Add the celery and roast the vegetables for an additional 5 minutes.  Transfer the vegetables to the bowl with the cornbread, along with the egg, the apple juice, the chicken broth, salt and pepper to taste then stir gently.  Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish that has been sprayed with non-stick vegetable oil spray.  Cover tightly and bake for 20 minutes at 350 F.  Turn up the heat to 450F and bake, uncovered, for 10 more minutes or until golden on top.

Optional: If you want to make the dish more hearty, add 1 pound crumbled, cooked, and drained lean turkey or chicken sausage.

Mom’s Roasted New Potatoes

“We all take different food memories from our childhood.  My Mom’s roasted potatoes still vividly remind me of her cooking and her comforting presence in the kitchen.  They’re so easy to make and can be served with just about anything. “

(Serves 4 to 6)

1 ½ pounds small red potatoes (about 1 ½ to 2 inches in diameter), scrubbed and patted dry

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (or 2 teaspoons dried)

Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Cut the potatoes in half.  Pour the oil into a jelly roll pan or small baking pan in which the potatoes will fit in one layer.  Heat the pan in the over for about 3 minutes or until the oil is hot, and swirl the oil to coat the bottom of the pan.  Add the potatoes, cut side down, sprinkle them with the rosemary and salt to taste.  Roast them for 15-20 minutes or until they are tender and the cut side is golden brown.

Nutritional Information per serving: 120 calories; 18% calories from fat; 2 grams of fat; 5 milligrams of sodium

Roasted Vegetables

(Serves 6)

2 carrots, peeled and cut into sticks (about 3×1/2 inches)

2 parsnips, peeled and cut into sticks (about 3×1/2 inches)

1 zucchini, cut into sticks (about 3×1/2 inches)

1 red pepper, cut into strips

1 bunch asparagus (about 12 stalks), the tough ends removed and the stalk peeled

Florets from 1 head broccoli

2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Arrange all vegetables in one layer in a large shallow roasting pan, sprinkle them with the oil, and salt and pepper to taste.  Roast them, stirring once, for 10 minutes or until they are tender.

Nutritional Information per serving: 139 calories; 30% calories from fat; 5 grams of fat; 41 milligrams of sodium

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