Not Your Every Year Thanksgiving Dinner My Way
The holidays are the best time of the year for family traditions, or shall I say, “food traditions.” The turkey, the mashed potatoes, the cranberry sauce, and the stuffing are staples for the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Tradition is important, but so is creativity. Since I focus heavily on healthy, Greek inspired dishes, I have created my own recipes as an alternative to some Thanksgiving traditional dishes.
The most classic of Thanksgiving dishes is, of course, the turkey. My recipe, Stuffed Turkey Breast Roulade, is a delicious innovative alternative to the traditional turkey. This low-fat meal is the perfect feast for those who are health conscious. You can view my recipe below. I hope you enjoy it.
Stuffed Turkey Breast Uncooked
Mashed potatoes are the most popular side companion dish to the turkey. But this dish can immediately make you feel as stuffed as the turkey, and it packs a lot of carbs. My Cauliflower Mashed Puree is a fantastic, but healthy alternative to mashed potatoes. This tasty light side dish will delight your guests. And if you never tell them, they will never notice the difference because it tastes so similar!
Cauliflower Mashed Puree
See below for the “Not Your Every Year Thanksgiving Dinner My Way” recipes. Happy Thanksgiving!
Stuffed Turkey Breast Roulade
Notes
Tip
You can prepare the stuffing a day before. This will make it easier for you to roll the turkey into a log.
Serving Suggestions
1. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board to remove the strings. Then slice into 1-inch thick slices.
2. Arrange the sliced turkey on a serving platter with the vegetables around the turkey.
3. Strain the juice from the baking pan into a small sauce pan, and cook over medium heat. If the juice is too thin, add 1 teaspoon of corn starch to thicken. If there is too little liquid, you can add some chicken stock.
4. Serve the turkey with the gravy on top.
Ingredients
- 3-4 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Cup thin-sliced leak thoroughly washed and dried
- 2 Cups diced shitake mushrooms
- 3 Cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- ½ Teaspoon white pepper
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 2 Tablespoon fresh rosemary
- 1 Cup dried figs, stems removed, chopped
- 1 Cup boiled chestnuts, chopped
- 3 Tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
- ½ Cup dry white wine
- ½ Cup chicken broth
- 2 Cups corn bread stuffing seasoning
- 1 Whole (2 halves) turkey boneless breasts
- 3 Large carrots peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 3 Celery ribs cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 Parsnip cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 Cup of chicken stock
- 1 Cup dry white wine
- 1 Teaspoon thyme
- 2 Tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Over medium heat in a large skillet, add olive oil, onion and leeks.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook, stirring occasionally until they are soft (about 8-10 minutes).
- Add mushrooms, garlic, sage, rosemary and cook for 5 minutes more.
- Add wine, dried figs, chestnuts, pine nuts, corn bread stuffing and chicken broth.
- Stir it to combine.
- Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, and let it cool.
- Meanwhile, cut the turkey breast into two separate halves.
- Butterfly each half to make a flat surface.
- Cover each half with plastic wrap. With a meat mallet gently pound each half to flatten. Remove the plastic.
- Lay each butterflied turkey breast on a cutting board. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt and one teaspoon pepper.
- Spread the stuffing mix equally on each turkey breast, and roll them up creating two neat even logs like two jelly rolls.
- Tie the roll firmly with kitchen twine every 1½ inches to make two compact cylinders.
- In a large roasting pan, add carrots, celery, parsnip. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Place the turkey breast on top of the vegetables. Add chicken stock and wine.
- Bake for 20 minutes, and then reduce heat to 375 F, and bake for 35-40 minutes more, or until your instant-read thermometer registers 160 F.
- Remove the pan from the oven. Cover it with foil, and let the contents rest for 10 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
Stuffed Turkey Breast Roulade
Serves: 8
|
Amount Per Serving: 1
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 1176.3 kcal | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 49.23 g | 75.4% | |
| Saturated Fat 11.46 g | 55% | |
| Trans Fat 0.39 g | ||
| Cholesterol 451.53 mg | 150.3% | |
| Sodium 1096.44 mg | 45.7% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 34.83 g | 11.3% | |
| Dietary Fiber 5.4 g | 20% | |
| Sugars 7.53 g | ||
| Protein 140.14 g | ||
| Vitamin A | Vitamin C | |
| Calcium | Iron | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Cooking with Chef Stef
Cauliflower Mashed Puree
Notes
Tip
You can add 1-2 tablespoons of butter if desired. Also, you can make this dish 1 day before, and heat it with a microwave for 2½ - 3 minutes when needed.
Serving Suggestions
Transfer to a serving bowl.
Garnish with chives.
Ingredients
- 1 Head cauliflower cut into florets
- 1 Medium sized Yukon Gold or Russet potato roughly chopped
- 2 Springs rosemary
- 1 Parsnip roughly chopped
- 1 Celery rib roughly chopped
- 6 Garlic cloves
- 4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ Teaspoon ground pepper, freshly ground
- ½ Cup parmesan, grated - Optional
- 2 Tablespoon chives, chopped
Instructions
- In a large pot, with salted boiling water, add cauliflower, potatoes, rosemary, parsnips, garlic and celery.
- Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes until very tender.
- Remove from heat, and let contents cool slightly.
- Strain the contents. Discard rosemary, and squeeze as much water out of the mixture as possible.
- Then transfer the mixture to the bowl of your food processor. Add olive oil. Pulse several times until smooth and creamy.
- Add pepper and parmesan cheese if using. Pulse once to combine.
Nutrition Facts
Cauliflower Mashed Puree
Serves: 6
|
Amount Per Serving: 1
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 159.35 kcal | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 9.49 g | 13.8% | |
| Saturated Fat 1.44 g | 5% | |
| Trans Fat | ||
| Cholesterol | 0 | |
| Sodium 37.67 mg | 1.5% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 17.52 g | 5.7% | |
| Dietary Fiber 3.89 g | 12% | |
| Sugars 3.17 g | ||
| Protein 3.21 g | ||
| Vitamin A | Vitamin C | |
| Calcium | Iron | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Cooking with Chef Stef
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!