Thanksgiving done Healthy

For many of us, the Thanksgiving meal, or meals, can really put our good intentions and well laid plans to the test.  However, it doesn't necessarily have to be filled with unhealthy, sugary, fat foods.  Many Thanksgiving side dishes can be tweaked a little to shave off the fat, salt and sugar, so that you can indulge, enjoy and be proud of your success at the end of the day.  Here are a few recipes that help support the choices you have made, but still taste really yummy!

Yam Bake with Maple Syrup and Cinnamon Pecans
3-4 yams
1 cup raw cranberries, sliced in half
1/2 tsp soy sauce or tamari sauce
1 egg **See substitution below if you are going egg free
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup pecans
3 medium sized tangerines
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Bake the yams in oven at 370 degrees until soft in the middle.  Lightly coat skillet with oil, place pecans, maple syrup and cinnamon in pan. Cook and stir often until toasted, about 5 minutes, remove from pan and allow to cool.  When pecans are cool enough, break them apart into small pieces and set aside.  Set oven to 350 degrees.  Puree tangerines in a food processor or blender.  When Yams are cooked and have cooled, remove skin and mash in a large bowl. Add tangerine puree, egg, nutmeg and Soy sauce or Tamari and stir. Fold in the cranberries and transfer to a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish coated lightly with oil.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Top with pecan mixture and bake for another 10 minutes.

Grain Free and Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie  As many of you know I cook dairy and gluten free because my daughter has some food intolerances.  Here is a great recipe that fits the bill and tastes great.  It is a little higher fat, but the fat is from nuts and not partially hydrogenated fats, as would be the case of a store bought pie.  

Crust:
1 cup of almonds or pecans, or mixture, finely ground in blender until flour consistency
3 Tbl coconut oil or other oil
1 egg
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Filling:
1 15oz can of pumpkin, no sugar added
1/4 cup honey
1 Tbl pumpkin pie spice
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
coconut milk to thin - not more than 1/3 cup

Preheat oven to 325.  Grease pie pan with oil and mix crust ingredients by hand in a medium sized bowl.  Press crust into bottom and sides of pie pan and put in the oven for 10 minutes while making the filling.  In the same bowl, combine the filling ingredients, except coconut milk and mix using a blender.  It should be smooth and spreadable, but not pourable.  Add coconut milk if needed to thin slightly.  Remove crust from oven as it barely starts to turn brown.  Pour/smooth the filling over the crust and return to the oven for about an hour or until the center is no long jiggly.  It will set more as it cools.