Classic Green Bean Casserole Come Undone

Believe it or not, with all the gourmet cooking that goes on in my kitchen for Thanksgiving a family staple has been green bean casserole made with condensed cream of mushroom soup and canned fried onion rings. This year I put my foot down and said no to canned soup, salty onion bits and mushy green beans. I have created a recipe that elevates this dish to new gourmet heights by simply taking it apart, treating each component individually and then layering the flavors back together again. In essence, it is called deconstructing the dish. In the end, every fork filled with a sampling each ingredient will taste just like the original, except much, much better.

Classic Green Bean Casserole Come Undone

Ingredients:

2 large shallots, slice thin and separated into rings

canola oil for shallow frying

salt and pepper to taste

6 cups green beans, ends trimmed

3 cups cremini or white button mushrooms, quartered (reserve 1/2 cup after roasting)

1 large head of garlic, cut in half

Sauce:

1 cup half and half

1 tsp. thyme

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. white pepper

1 tsp. reduced sodium soy sauce

roasted garlic

reserved roasted mushrooms

1 egg yolk

1 Tbsp. dry sherry

Fill the bottom of a large skillet with 1/2 inch of canola oil and heat over medium high heat until 360'. Make sure the oil is no more than halfway up the side of the skillet. Oil is hot enough when the end of a wooden spoon is submerged and small bubbles appear around it quickly. Working in small batches, carefully add the sliced shallots and fry until golden and crispy. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Set aside and reserve.

Preheat oven to 425'

Separately toss the green beans and mushrooms with 1/2 Tbsp. each of the oil from the shallots. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Place each vegetable on a sheet pan. Mushrooms can release a lot of liquids during roasting and you don't want to change the texture of the green beans. Place both halves of the garlic on a small piece of aluminum foil and sprinkle with 1 tsp. of the shallot oil. Lightly crumble foil up to seal package and place on sheet pan with green beans or directly on rack in oven. Roast vegetables for about 30 to 45 minutes until lightly caramelized and tender. The mushrooms will likely be done first. Remove and set aside as they are done.

Begin preparing the sauce by gently heating the half and half, thyme, nutmeg, white pepper and soy sauce over low heat in sauce pan. Remove roasted garlic from foil package and squeeze the cloves into the bowl of a food processor along with the 1/2 cup reserved roasted mushrooms. Pour in about 1/2 cup of the half and half mixture and pulse until smooth. Pour mixture back into the sauce pan with the half and half mixture and whisk to combine. While the mixture is heating beat the egg yolk in a small bowl. Slowly whisk the half and half mixture into the egg yolk a tablespoon at a time until the egg yolk is warmed. It may take two or three additions. Keep whisking and pour back into the sauce pan with the half and half mixture. Reduce heat to low and continue whisking until mixture comes to a simmer. Simmer until mixture is reduced by about half, whisking occasionally. The sauce should be velvety, thickened and coat the back of a spoon. Pour through a strainer to remove any cooked egg yolk and mushroom pieces. Stir in the sherry and cook for an additional 2 or 3 minutes.

To assemble, arrange roasted vegetables on a platter and spoon sauce across the top. Garnish with fried shallots.

Nutrition Facts

8 - 1/2 Cup Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 122.1

Total Fat 6.5 g

Saturated Fat 2.6 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1.0g

Monounsaturated Fat 2.6 g

Cholesterol 36.8 mg

Sodium 44.9 mg

Potassium 385.1 mg

Total Carbohydrates 13.3 g

Dietary Fiber 3.3 g

Sugars 0.6 g

Protein 4.4 g

Note ~ The fried shallots and roasted vegetables can be prepared a day ahead and stored individually in air tight containers and refrigerated. The next day set aside mushrooms for sauce and when ready reheat the vegetables and shallots in the oven. Continue as directed.

Turkey Stuffing with Nappa Cabbage, Sausage and Apples

Okay, I admit it. Turkey stuffing is my weakness and for me, it's the best part of the Thanksgiving Day feast. I think that must be true for many of us diabetics and I bet there are many who thought they would never be able to eat stuffing again without spiking their meter. Well, I have taken a blend of homemade, low carb croutons for texture, added lots of delicious vegetables, a little apple and a flavorful sausage, married them with seasonal herbs and spices to come up with this recipe. I baked it casserole style due to the health issues involved when cooking stuffing in a turkey. As diabetics we can't be too careful. I hope you enjoy.

Turkey Stuffing with Nappa Cabbage, Sausage and Apples

Ingredients:

10 slices low carb bread, cut into cubes, 9 per slice

1 cup celery, diced

1 cup leeks, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups nappa cabbage, sliced thin

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 cup apples, chopped

1 Tbsp. poultry seasoning

1 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. ground sage

1 tsp. rosemary

1 - 12 ounce package Aidells Chicken and Apple Sausage, sliced thin (if unavailable you can substitute your favorite mild sausage)

1 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 to 1 1/2 cups low sodium turkey broth

vegetable spray

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400'

Place the bread cubes on a sheet pan and lightly coat with vegetable spray, salt and pepper if desired. Toast in oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until the croutons are golden brown and crisp. Turn once during baking so that they toast evenly on all sides. Remove and set aside.

Pour olive oil into a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the celery, leeks, garlic and saute for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables are translucent and becoming tender. Add the cabbage and saute for another 5 to 7 minutes until tender and the moisture has evaporated completely. If your saute pan is not large enough just do this in batches and reserve cooked vegetables in a large bowl. Add the apples, poultry seasoning, thyme, ground sage and rosemary. Toss well and continue to saute another 5 minutes. Remove to large bowl and set aside.

Lightly coat the same saute pan with vegetable spray and saute the sliced sausage in small batches until caramelized and brown. Place in bowl with the vegetables. Add the parsley and croutons to this mixture and toss to blend. Pour in the turkey stock 1/2 cup at a time, until the mixture is moistened but not soggy. This is where you will need a little kitchen judgement. Since the type of low carb bread croutons will differ they will also accept moisture differently. You do not want to make your crispy croutons too wet as the vegetables will give off a little more moisture during baking. Add the stock a little at a time, tossing to blend well. Make sure no excess liquid is in the bottom of the bowl.

Turn into a 9" by 13" casserole dish that has been lightly coated with vegetable spray. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the stuffing is hot and the top is browned and crusty.

Nutrition Facts

14 - 1/2 Cup Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 180.4

Total Fat 10.3 g

Saturated Fat 1.2 g

Monounsaturated Fat 0.1 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.7 g

Cholesterol 27.1 mg

Sodium 392.6 mg

Potassium 368.3 mg

Total Carbohydrates 11.2 g

Dietary Fiber 2.2 g

Sugars 0.8 g

Protein 14 g

Note ~ There are many varieties of low carb bread available and this recipe along with the nutrition facts are based on one slice containing 8 grams of total carbs with 1 gram of dietary fiber.

No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Just a real quick and easy recipe for the season. This creamy, cheesy pumpkin and spice filling is sure to make you smile and coming in at less than 8 grams net carbohydrates I'm sure you'll want to add this to your list of sweet treats for the season. I hope you enjoy.

No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Ingredients:

6 wonton wrappers
butter flavored vegetable spray

4 ounces low fat cream cheese (not fat free), at room temperature

1/4 cup low fat sour cream (not fat free)

1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

1/2 cup Splenda

1/4 tsp. molasses

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

pinch each ground ginger and nutmeg

To Prepare Crusts:

Preheat oven to 375'

Lightly spray a muffin tin with the vegetable spray. Arrange the wonton wrappers in the cups and spray them lightly with butter spray. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and crispy, Begin checking them at 20 minutes as they can go very quickly once they begin to brown. If the edges are becoming too brown before the bottoms just loosely tent aluminum foil over the muffin tin and continue to cook until browned on the bottom. When they are done set aside to cool. Remove from muffin tin once they have cooled enough to handle and place on rack.

To Prepare Filling

Blend the rest of the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor until smooth and creamy. Place by tablespoon full in each prepared crust until the pumpkin mixture is used. Cover and refrigerate to set up for at least 2 hours. Garnish with whipped topping if desired before serving.

Nutrition Facts

6 Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 67.9

Total Fat 3.1 g

Saturated Fat 1.9 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2 g

Monounsaturated Fat 0.9 g

Cholesterol 10.3 mg

Sodium 80.5 mg

Potassium 78.8 mg

Total Carbohydrate 8.7 g

Dietary Fiber 0.7 g

Sugars 0.7 g

Protein 2.4 g

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Walgreen's Drug Store will be providing free A1c and blood glucose testing this month. For more information about times and locations please visit:

http://www.walgreens.com/

Melange of Fall's Finest Vegetables with Dijon and Thyme

This is a classic recipe that I have been preparing every Thanksgiving for years. It has always been requested by my family and guests alike and disappears like magic. Simple yet full of bold flavor, this recipe will be a sure fire success for your table, too. I have modified it slightly so that it contains less high carb root vegetables and I've replaced them with lower carb varieties with lots of fiber. My cooking sauce has not changed one bit. Thick with a blend of olive oil and Dijon mustard and boosted with the mild sweetness of shallots and the lemony taste of thyme, it naps the vegetables, caramelizes them beautifully and delivers a punch of flavor. I hope you enjoy.

Melange of Fall's Finest Vegetables with Dijon and Thyme

Ingredients:

2 cups butternut squash, cut into 1" cubes

2 cups turnips, cut into 1" cubes

1 cup sweet potato, cut into 1" cubes

1 cup cauliflower, cut into 1" pieces

1 cup carrots, cut into 1" pieces

6 garlic cloves, sliced

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tsp. thyme

2 Tbsp. shallots, chopped fine

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400'

In a small bowl whisk the olive oil, Dijon mustard, thyme and shallots together. Add salt and pepper if desired. Set aside.

Place vegetables and garlic slices on a sheet pan and pour the olive oil mixture over them. With clean hands, toss the vegetables to coat and arrange in a single layer. Bake for about 50 minutes to one hour until the vegetables are caramelized and tender, carefully turning a few times with a spatula during cooking time. Remove from oven and toss with parsley just prior to serving.

Nutrition Facts

8 - 1/2 Cup Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 129.6

Total Fats 7.0 g

Saturated Fat 0.9 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.7 g

Monounsaturated Fat 5.0 g

Cholesterol 0.0 mg

Sodium 222.2 mg

Potassium 356.9 mg

Total Carbohydrate 14.9 g

Dietary Fiber 3.5 g

Sugars 2.0 g

Protein 1.7 g

Pumpkin Creme Brulee

Thanksgiving is a day of family, friends, celebration and feasting. It has always been my favorite holiday for cooking, with fabulous aromas wafting out of the kitchen. I had always prepared extraordinary meals with almost every exotic ingredient you could think of magically converted into souffles, mousslines and deuxelles. Happy days of family and friends. This Pumpkin Creme Brulee is fitting of those days past. It is not for the faint of heart by any means. This is truly a rich, luxurious custard and it packs on the calories. Coming in at about 300 calories per serving, it is not something you will want to eat very often, but rather savor every creamy spoonful on a special occasion. You can share this with someone, but you won't want to. So, if you can tolerate the abundance of calories and all the egg yolks and heavy cream, this little treat is just for you. Even though it is packed with calories, Pumpkin Creme Brulee is not packed with carbohydrates and comes in at about 10 grams in each sinful serving. I hope you enjoy.

Pumpkin Creme Brulee

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

pinch each ginger and nutmeg

4 egg yolks

1/2 cup + 4 tsp. Splenda

1/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

1/2 tsp. molasses

Preheat oven to 300'

Pour the heavy cream and milk into a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk in the cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Heat the mixture until it just bubbles, whisking occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl whisk the egg yolks and 1/2 cup Splenda until smooth and lemony in color. Keep whisking and slowly pour in the cream mixture a tablespoon at a time. After a few additions pour in the rest of the cream mixture while continuing to whisk. Whisk in the pumpkin puree and continue to whisk until the mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture through a strainer into a large measuring cup for easy pouring. Pour 1/2 cup of pumpkin mixture into each of five medium sized ramekins or custard cups that are oven safe. Place the ramekins in a large roasting pan and pour hot water in until it is halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes or until the custard is about set. The custard should be firm but a little giggle in the center. Carefully remove ramekins and place them on a rack to cool. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours but overnight is best.

Just prior to serving blend the 4 tsp. of Splenda with the molasses in a small bowl until sand like in texture. Sprinkle about 3/4 teaspoon of this mixture evenly across the top of each custard. Place the ramekins on a sheet pan about 6" under the broiler for about 2 minutes. Watch carefully so they do not burn. If you have a small, hand held kitchen torch now is the time to use it rather than your broiler.

Nutrition Facts

5 Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 316.4

Total Fat 30.9 g

Saturated Fat 18.2 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1.6 g

Monounsaturated Fat 9.4 g

Cholesterol 264.1mg

Sodium 45.1 mg

Potassium 163.7 mg

Total Carbohydrate 10.0 g

Dietary Fiber 0.7 g

Sugars 3.0 g

Protein 4.5 g