I am the one who traditionally cooks Thanksgiving dinner, and this year is no exception. I am cooking for a "mixed" crowd. By this I mean I am eating low carb, hubby, while not hard core, is also eating low carb, but my sons (and some of their friends) are not.
Cooking for non-low carbers and not having them notice is a challenge, but it is also a good test of your cooking skills. If you can get some sugar junkie to eat a sugarless dessert, ask for seconds, and then beg you for the recipe...that recipe obviously rocks. I only have one of those so far, but I am hoping to add to the list with my Thanksgiving edibles.
On the menu so far is Turkey, a stuffing made with sausage and Winter squash, gravy made from Campbells Chicken Mushroom soup (quite low carb) plus added spices and pan drippings, a large green salad with homemade vinegar and oil dressing, a sugar-free pumpkin cheesecake with almond meal crust, and plenty of cheese cubes, olives, pickles, pickled peppers, and fresh veggies to nibble on while watching football and playing Nintendo Wii.
I doubt my substitutions will even be noticed by the ravaging horde and the only things conspicuously missing will be crackers, rolls and mashed potatoes. I will miss the crackers, hubby will miss the rolls, and our oldest will really miss the mashed potatoes. I did take a bit of pity on my son and warned him that I would not be making potatoes this year, but he is more than welcome to bring his own.
Adaptations are possible without throwing the family in to total chaos, or the low carber falling off the wagon. Just realize that not everyone is going to be joining you on the low carb journey and get a bit creative. Try new recipes, change the quantity of bad foods vs. good foods, make sure the low carb items are easy to grab and munch on (like my cheese, olive and veggie platter). Or just let your guest use your cookware and they can make their own poison all for themselves.
3 comments:
I have to make the whole Thanksgiving dinner myself this year, my parents had to travel out of state suddenly. I have always made a lot of good carby stuff. I still do, I just only do it on holidays, now. I have always made the cream pies, hand made rolls, corn bread dressing and deviled eggs. I'll make the potatoes, too, this year but I won't be eating those. I'll put mostly sucralose and stevia in the pies instead of sugar, cream and calorie countdown instead of evaporated milk. My jello salad will be made with sugar free gelatin and canned fruit sweetened with splenda. I'll eat a little of the carbs but even on holidays I don't eat anything like I did before. I already made a cheesecake with almond meal and artificial sweeteners, 4g carb per slice. I'm not on a diet to lose weight, just manage blood sugar. I've lost some anyway.
Hey Wifezilla, you can also make cranberry sauce with Splenda, and, if you really want to fool that college crowd of yours, steam cauliflower, puree it and add butter. It looks and tastes a lot like mashed potatoes.
I already bought my bag of cranberries and I am looking forward to making those (with added chia seed for a good jelly base..along with the protein and calcium!)
I have tried the cauliflower "fauxtatoes" before and they didn't buy it. I have noticed they tend to be better when you use cream cheese, so I may do that.
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