Holiday Sides

Turkey may play a starring role at the Thanksgiving table, but the supporting cast of side dishes is what really makes dinner memorable. An ideal menu includes both tried-and-true dishes and those that put a twist on tradition.

Veggies
Thanksgiving is a great time to be creative with salad ingredients and dress up ordinary vegetables. While Thanksgiving meals are often heavy on carbohydrates, bringing more veggies to the table can add appeal to the meal and round out its nutritional content.

Pear and Gorgonzola salad: Toss mixed greens with sliced pears, toasted pecans, crumbled Gorgonzola, and low fat balsamic vinaigrette.

Thanksgiving apple salad: Toss chopped apples, dried cranberries, toasted pecans, and diced celery with a dressing of equal parts low fat vanilla yogurt and thawed light frozen whipped dessert topping. Season with cinnamon to taste.

Black-eyed pea salad: Toss drained black-eyed peas with sliced green onions, tomatoes, and low fat lemon vinaigrette.

Roasted grape tomatoes: Toss grape tomatoes with garlic, your favorite dried herbs (such as basil, oregano, and thyme), salt, pepper, and a little olive oil. Roast just until tomato skins cracks, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Sesame green beans with Portabellos: Sauté sliced Portobello mushrooms in trans fat free margarine; add to steamed green beans. Season with fresh herbs, chopped garlic and top with toasted sesame seeds

Potatoes
It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without mashed potatoes and some kind of sweet potato side dish.

Island-style sweet potatoes: Add raisins, shredded coconut, and chopped macadamia nuts to mashed sweet potatoes.

Mashed red-skin potatoes: Instead of russet potatoes, mash red-skin potatoes with the skin on. Sauté roasted garlic in a small amount of trans fat free margarine. Add to potatoes; season with fresh cracked pepper.
Garlic and cheese mashed potatoes: Add softened garlic, fresh herbs, and low fat cream cheese to hot mashed potatoes.

Roasted winter vegetables: Roast sweet potatoes, carrots, and parsnips. Season with light maple syrup, cinnamon, and a dash of nutmeg.

For more tips, information and healthy recipes, visit the health and wellness section of ShopRite.com