We’re continuing the trend of lightening up traditional Thanksgiving dishes for you today! In the spirit of not totally tanking our annual weight loss goals, we’ve got a couple of yummy recipes that eliminate the guilt but still bring all the flavor to your Thanksgiving table.
Did you know that on average, one serving of traditional green bean casserole is over 140 calories? Thought you were doing well eating veggies, didn’t you? We’ve got something for that: Fancy Thanksgiving Green Beans with Almonds and Caramelized Shallots!
These green beans are fresh and crisp with delicious flavors coming from the slightly sweet caramelized shallots, a hint of citrus from the thyme and a little squeeze of lemon, and a warm and toasty almond crunch. So good and under 100 calories per serving! (You do get a little extra fat in there because of the almonds, but fear not… it’s the heart-healthy kind!)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 small shallots, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1.5 lbs green beans, rinsed and trimmed
- Salt and white pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup slivered almonds
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 1 tsp Meyer lemon juice
- Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Sauté shallots until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and green beans and cook, stirring frequently, until green beans are just slightly tender and heated through, about 10 minutes.
- Toss in thyme and almonds and stir to incorporate, cooking until almonds are just toasted, another 5 minutes. Drizzle in lemon juice and toss. Remove from heat and serve.
Alright… We’ve got the green. On to the orange! Let’s talk about candied yams. Oh. Em. GEEE! Definitely one of my favorite dishes any time of year, but certainly around the holidays. The way they’re so sweet and saucy and that syrup just dripppssss when you scoop them onto your plate. Yes please!!! Except here’s the thing… All that butter and sugar starts to add up really quickly. So I found a workaround: these lite candied yams are just as decadent and delicious and save you half the calories.
- 2 lbs sweet potatoes
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp agave, to taste
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- Melt coconut oil and toss in 11x7 baking dish with high sides. Peel sweet potatoes, then quarter and slice then into ¼" thick half-moons. Add to the baking dish and toss with coconut oil. Sprinkle spices over sliced sweet potatoes and pour in maple syrup and agave. Toss to coat potato slices evenly.
- Bake covered in a 400* F oven for 30 minutes, then toss and bake uncovered for another 30-40 minutes until sweet potatoes are fork-tender and the syrup starts to thicken. Allow to cool about 10 minutes before serving.