Lighten Up Your Holiday Menus
Food has long been the centerpiece of celebrations. Win a victory—prepare a feast, get married—have a banquet, observe a holiday—enjoy a buffet. In biblical times when a prodigal son returned home or some other reason to rejoice with food presented itself, the host always asked for a fattened calf to be brought—not a lean chicken, right? That is because fat equals flavor.
You and I are free to enjoy an over-the-top meal from time to time too, but with so many of us struggling with over-the-top (of our pants) bellies, it may be time for a little “nip and tuck” of our menus this holiday season.
While we have been trained that fat equals flavor, I must say that spices, herbs, and fresh citrus can often rival fat in the flavor category. Now I am not suggesting you go to the extreme and remove all the holiday indulgences from your table. I am simply suggesting that you look over your traditional menu and see where you might substitute fresh flavors for fatty side dishes or heavy mainstays.
Here are some suggestions/substitutions for your holiday spread:
| Instead of… | Try this… |
| Green bean casserole | Steam green beans, toss with lemon zest |
| Sweet potato casserole | Bake sweet potato and apple slices topped with cinnamon |
| Creamed mushrooms | Sauté mushrooms with garlic and shallots |
| Stuffing/dressing with sausage | Substitute poultry sausage, shredded yellow apples, fresh sage |
| Mashed white potatoes with gravy | Mash half white with half sweet potatoes (cook separately)—So much flavor you won’t need gravy! |
As my Sicilian grandfather used to say before we dug into our holiday feasts—MANGIA!
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