Small Changes to Recipes Maintain Your Health and Your Thanksgiving Traditions

A few changes to traditional recipes will allow you to serve Thanksgiving dishes that are more health protective, more moderate in fat and calories, and still great tasting. Pumpkin pie, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and gravy can all take their place at the healthful table without offending the traditionalist in your family.

"There are ways to make healthy pumpkin and sweet potato pies," says Polk. "With a few easy techniques, these pies can be made without sacrificing rich flavor. You can enhance the naturally sweet, rich taste of these vegetables if you briefly cook canned pumpkin or bake sweet potatoes before you make the pie filling."

• 2 cups canned pumpkin
• 1 12-oz. can evaporated skim milk
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground or freshly grated nutmeg (about 15 gratings)
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 1 ready-made 9-inch pie crust
• 1 1/2 tsp. flour mixed together with 1/4 tsp. each nutmeg and cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large frying pan, cook the pumpkin over medium-high heat, stirring often so all the pumpkin comes in contact with the pan, until pumpkin is reduced to 1 3/4 cups, about 5 to 10 minutes. Turn pumpkin into a large bowl and let it cool slightly.

Add milk, sugar, egg, egg white, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and allspice. Mix well until sugar dissolves and the mixture is well blended. Sprinkle flour mixture evenly over bottom of pie shell. (This helps prevent the shell from becoming soggy and adds flavor as well.)

Pour filling into pie crust and bake 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake 30 minutes more or until filling is set. If edges of pie crust brown too quickly, use strips of foil as a loose cover. The pie filling is done when filling looks set and a knife comes out clean.

Set on a rack and allow to cool completely before serving. Makes 8 servings, each containing 254 calories and 6 grams of fat.

• 4 cups prepared bread cubes for stuffing
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• 1 medium leek, white part only, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. chopped shallot
• 1 cup cooked European chestnuts, coarsely chopped (see Note)
• 1 cup diced dried fruits (apples, pears, peaches and/or apricots)
• 1/4-1 tsp. poultry seasoning, to taste
• 1 1/2 cups defatted chicken stock or nonfat canned broth
• salt and pepper to taste

Add sautéed vegetables to bread cubes. Add chestnuts, dried fruits and poultry seasoning. Pour in broth and mix to combine all ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Press stuffing lightly into a greased, oven-proof dish and bake at 350 degrees, covered, for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer for fluffy, crusty dressing.

Note: In place of raw chestnuts, which take time to shell and cook, commercially prepared (cooked) chestnuts may also be used. They are sold vacuum-packed in jars and plastic pouches, as well as canned.

Makes 7 to 8 cups or about 10 servings. A 3/4 cup serving contains 141 calories and 4 grams of fat.

To boost their natural sweetness without over-reliance on extra sweeteners, bake sweet potatoes before using them in a traditional holiday dish. This technique greatly intensifies their sweetness, and very little extra is needed as a result. The following recipe uses pure maple syrup, which packs more sweetness per ounce than table sugar or marshmallows, and adds extra richness despite the small amount used.

• 3 1/2 pounds Garnet or Jewel yams, about 6 medium
• 2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. unsalted butter or margarine
• 2 Tbsp. pure, dark maple syrup
• 1 Golden Delicious apple

Bake yams until soft, 40 to 60 minutes, depending on size. Peel yams as soon as they are cool enough to handle. Place flesh in a food processor or large bowl.

Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and maple syrup to hot yams. Process to puree, or mash with a fork, until yams are smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread yams into prepared baking dish, making an even layer.

Peel, halve and core apple. Place each half cut-side down on a cutting board and cut it crosswise into thin slices. Arrange slices in overlapping rows to cover yams. Brush apples lightly with the melted butter.

Bake uncovered until yams are heated through and apples have softened, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 8 1/2-cup servings, each containing 267 calories and 4 grams of fat.

The modest amount of advance planning and cooking needed is more than compensated by a healthful, low-fat gravy, plus extra stock for making gravy for leftovers or a rich turkey soup. The advance preparation has additional benefits, by reducing the amount of last-minute cooking and pressure to get all the meal's hot dishes on the table at the same time.

Turkey Broth

• 2 pounds turkey parts, including neck, wings, thighs and giblets
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced
• 1 celery stalk, halved crosswise
• 1 medium leek, chopped
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 1 small parsnip, peeled and sliced
• 3-4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley sprigs
• 2 large garlic cloves

• 2 cups turkey broth
• 1 Tbsp. turkey fat
• 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Strain broth into a bowl. Reserve carrot, onion, parsnip and garlic. Discard other vegetables and turkey. Cool broth to room temperature. Refrigerate, overnight if necessary, until fat congeals. Lift off fat, using a spoon, and reserve it in a small bowl.

Purée reserved carrot, onion, parsnip and garlic in blender or food processor, along with 1/2 cup of turkey broth. Blend in remaining broth.

Heat the tablespoon of turkey fat in a saucepan. Using a wooden spoon, mix in flour, which will gather into a soft ball with the fat. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until mixture is fluffy and looks moist, about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in 1/4 cup broth/purée until mixture is smooth. Add remaining purée.

Bring gravy to a boil, then immediately remove from heat. Season gravy with salt and pepper to taste. Makes 2 3/4 cups or 11 1/4-cup servings. Each 1/4 cup serving contains 43 calories and 1 gram of fat.

Each year, Medical College of Wisconsin physicians care for more than 180,000 patients, representing nearly 500,000 patient visits. Medical College physicians practice at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital, the Milwaukee VA Medical Center, and many other hospitals and clinics in Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin.