By Connie Sarros

Thanksgiving is one holiday that we definitely associate with eating… GOOD eating! In most households, the menu is fairly standard~~ roast turkey, gravy, potatoes, cranberry relish, salad, rolls, and pumpkin and pecan pies for dessert. Since Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks for all the abundance in this country, and for sharing some of that bounty, we should enjoy this holiday without a guilty conscience. While the menu may not change, you can present a meal that is far healthier for your family just by making a few adjustments to the ingredients, like ‘hiding’ vegetables in the stuffing, in the cranberries, and even in the gravy.

The accolades of adding fiber to your diet should be taken seriously. It is relatively easy to add fiber without any of your guests realizing it. Golden flax meal has virtually no taste and no color when added to other foods. It is readily available at health food stores and some regular grocery stores.

Below are suggestions how to lower the fat and sugar content and increase the fiber count of your Thanksgiving meal without sacrificing any of the delicious taste. Presentation will make your foods look as good as they taste, so garnishing ideas are also included. Enjoy!

APPETIZER. Think outside of the box. Make your favorite filling and serve it in baby portabella mushroom caps, or a hollowed-out potato skin, or a Belgium endive boat. Serve dips inside an orange bell pepper. If you are serving a hot appetizer, consider baking it in half clamshells.

TURKEY. When purchasing your turkey, read the labels. Many brands have gluten hidden in their basting liquids. To cut down on fat and calories, consider baking turkey breasts instead of the whole turkey. (White meat has lower cholesterol and fat content.) In many households, the turkey is sliced in the kitchen and placed on a serving platter, so no one may even realize that the whole turkey wasn’t cooked. If you opt to cook just the breast meat, bake it with the skin—side down. No, the skin will not get crisp that way, but the meat will be much more moist. Instead of using butter, spread a little olive oil over the meat. Add carrots, onion, celery, parsley and lemon slices around the turkey while it bakes for added flavor, and pour GF chicken broth into the pan for your basting liquid. For garnish, dip thin slices of lemons in finely minced parsley; cut each slice almost in half, then twist the slices and lay around edge of dish.

GRAVY. Make your gravy healthier by placing the vegetables from your roast, along with the broth, into a blender. Add a little cornstarch and blend until pureed. Brown sliced mushrooms in a skillet, then add the pureed broth and stir over medium heat until thickened.

STUFFING. Delicious stuffing can be made from porous GF bread. Assemble the dressing the day before, cover, and refrigerate so the bread has time to absorb the moisture. Sauté celery, sliced green onions, sliced mushrooms, parsley and shredded carrot in olive oil instead of butter. Use GF chicken broth for your liquid instead of water. And add _ cup golden flax meal to the bread mixture — NO ONE will taste it and they will reap the benefits of the fiber. Cut several 3-inch pieces of green onions and slice the green portion lengthwise to a 2-inch depth. Place green onion pieces in ice water to curl. At serving time, insert green onion curls (uncut side down) into the center of the stuffing to create a ‘fountain’.

WHIPPED YAMS IN ORANGE SHELLS. Yams tend to be a little sweeter than sweet potatoes and they are considerably healthier for you than white whipped potatoes. Instead of slathering the yams

with brown sugar and butter, cut oranges in half and scoop out the centers. Put the orange pulp and juice plus cinnamon sticks into a small saucepan and reduce it (reduce to about 3 Tbsp. for 4 orange halves). Strain this mixture into a mixing bowl. Add your cooked yams (or drained, canned yams), a little olive oil (instead of butter) and maple syrup (instead of brown sugar). Stir in some chopped pecans, then spoon mixture into the orange halves. If you are ambitious, pipe potatoes into shells for a spiral effect. Sprinkle the tops with cinnamon. Bake just till heated through. Insert a cinnamon stick into each half before serving.

CRANBERRY RELISH. If using fresh cranberries, they will definitely need some sweetening. You can reduce the amount of sugar used by adding reduced orange juice and cinnamon. Add lots of chopped nuts, celery and orange zest for added fiber. Garnish relish with the orange shreds.

CALIFORNIA SALAD. Iceberg lettuce has negligible nutritional value. The darker the green the more nutrients you will receive. A California Salad makes an impressive presentation with the variety of color and textures and it is filled with fiber and nutrition. Mix together dark mesclin greens, toasted walnuts, sunflower seeds, sliced onions, sliced strawberries and kiwi. Use a blend of olive oil and balsamic vinegar for the dressing. For an added treat, blend the dressing with one Tbsp. of all-fruit strawberry jam before tossing the salad. Add the finishing touch to the salad by tucking in a few organically-grown sprigs of snapdragon or nasturtiums on the side.

BASIL BREAD STICKS. If you are making GF rolls or bread sticks, add some almond flour to your flour mixture to reduce the carb count and increase the fiber. Roll the sticks or rolls in seeds before baking (sunflower, poppy, sesame, or a combination of all three). The seeds make the rolls look more inviting plus they add fiber. If you opt for GF cornbread, fold in finely minced jalapeno peppers and whole kernel corn for added fiber and flavor.

PUMPKIN PIE. Add fiber to your crust by folding in toasted, chopped walnuts or pecans plus 2 Tbsp. golden flax meal. Replace some of the granulated sugar in the filling with maple syrup (for _ cup white sugar, use 6 Tbsp. maple syrup). Instead of 1 whole egg, use 2 egg whites. Make a little extra piecrust and cut out leaves; place the leaves around the outside edge of your pie. Use a toothpick to draw on the veins of the leaves before baking. Top the pie with GF nondairy whipped topping in place of whipping cream and a light sprinkling of cinnamon. Just a hint ~~ If this is your first attempt at a GF piecrust, try rolling your crust between two sheets of plastic wrap (instead of wax paper) that have been sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar (instead of flour mixture).

PECAN PIE–NOT! Pecan Pie and Thanksgiving go hand in hand. Unfortunately, the filling is LOADED with sugars. To replace the sugars alters the taste of the finished product. In place of the pecan pie, consider a fresh fruit bowl. Cut up seasonal fruits, then fold in additional ingredients that will add both color and fiber, such as chopped dates, dried cranberries, walnuts, pomegranate seeds, and toasted coconut. Pour apricot nectar over the fruits and stir to distribute evenly. Garnish with cinnamon sticks and fresh mint leaves. After a heavy meal, your guests will appreciate the fruit.

CARROT CAKE. Carrot cake screams ‘autumn dessert’! Below is a recipe for a moist, delicious carrot cake that NO ONE will know is gluten-free. It may be made the day before, covered, and refrigerated and it will remain moist for Turkey Day. It is loaded with fiber and the taste is awesome!

ADDITIONAL HINTS. Thanksgiving is embodied in the autumn aroma of cinnamon. Be generous with the spices you use and remember to garnish. Prepare as much as possible the day before so you will have time to enjoy your guests. Don’t forget to garnish your table~~ Fill a hollowed-out pumpkin with fresh auburn or gold mums for the center of your table and scatter artificial fall leaves around. Or hollow-out mini pumpkins for each place setting and fill with marigolds. Another centerpiece idea is to float cranberries, orange slices and lit tea lights in a glass bowl. Roll napkins then tie with raffia, perhaps tucking in a sprig of rosemary. Pinecones make the perfect place card holder. Collect some lighter-colored fall leaves from the yard; cut off the stems and write the names of each person on a leaf, and then carefully insert the leaf into the pinecone.

CARROT CAKE

• 2 cups GF flour mixture*
• 3 tsp. GF baking powder
• 1 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. corn oil
• 4 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 Tbsp. GF mayonnaise
• 2 cups grated carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 can (8 1/2 oz.) crushed pineapple, with juice

Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 X 13-inch baking pan. In a large bowl, sift together the flour mixture, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add the sugar, corn oil, eggs, and mayonnaise. Stir well to combine ingredients. Stir in the carrots, nuts and pineapple until evenly blended. Spread batter in prepared pan and bake 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (Do not overbake.) Cool, then frost with Cream Cheese Frosting. Makes 18 servings.

*My GF flour mixture includes the xanthan gum. If you are using a different mixture, add 3/4 tsp. xantan gum.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

• 1/2 cup butter
• 8 oz. GF cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Whip all ingredients together until fluffy. If the frosting is too thick, add a few drops of milk.

Happy Eating and Happy Thanksgiving!

Connie Sarros

Connie Sarros is the author of four gluten-free cookbooks and a DVD:

• Wheat-free Gluten-free Dessert Cookbook
• Wheat-free Gluten-free Reduced Calorie Cookbook
• Wheat-free Gluten-free Cookbook for Kids and Busy Adults
• Wheat-free Gluten-free Recipes for Special Diets
• And a 72-minute DVD, "All You Wanted To Know About Gluten-free Cooking"

These books are available at most bookstores or may be purchased on her web site at http://www.gfbooks.homestead.com. The DVD is also available through her web site.