A 7 Bites Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is the bane of a person that's had weight loss surgery. Weather you're brand new to the game and still on liquids or soft foods or you're an old hat, the fat, sugar, carbs, and portion sizes alone are overwhelming! This week, we've managed to lighten things up a bit lowering the fat and carbs by using a whole turkey breast rather than a whole bird, using a sugar free glaze instead of gravy, and making our dressing portion-controlled!

The Turkey

This is Hildegard. She made a wonderful main course this year!

 1 Whole Turkey Breast (find it in the poultry aisle alongside the other turkeys and the ham!)

1 stick butter, softened

1/4 C chopped fresh herbs (we used rosemary, thyme, and chives!)

Couple of teaspoons dried marjoram and/or savory

Wash turkey breast and pat dry. Set in roasting pan. 

Combine softened butter with herbs. Slather on turkey skin. Using your finger, gently separate the skin from the meat slightly and add more herb butter under the skin. 

Cover the bird with foil and roast at 325 for 2 hours, remove foil and finish cooking 30 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 155-160. Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before carving - this will allow any carry-over cooking to finish and for the meats juices to redistribute.

Glazes:

Orange Glaze option                                                                        Apricot Glaze option

1 C orange juice                                                                             1 C apricot nectar

1 C orange marmalade                                                                    1 C apricot jam

2 T orange liqueur                                                                           2 T Amaretto liqueur

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring often, until reduced by half and thickened. Serve warm alongside meat of choice.

The Dressing

1 recipe Cornbread

1 onion, chopped

1 rib celery, chopped

1/2 C chopped pecans

1 T fresh rosemary

1 tsp of the following: Dried parsley, dried marjoam, dried thyme (you can add sage if you like it. We don't because Mom's allergic to it!!)

salt and pepper to taste

1 egg

1 C chicken broth

Cornbread:

1 C cornmeal

1 C flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 T sugar substitute (optional)

1 T melted butter

1 egg

3/4 C milk

Combine dry ingredients in large bowl. Whisk wet ingredients in smaller bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Pour into sheet pan. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

*NOTE* You can make this gluten free by substituting 1 C gluten-free baking mix for the flour OR by using all cornmeal!

Cut cornbread into cubes

Allow cornbread cubes to sit out overnight to dry OR dry in a 250 degree oven for about 2 hours

Chop one onion and a couple of ribs of celery and saute them in 1 T olive oil plus 1 T butter

Add to a large bowl with cornbread cubes and toss gently to combine.

Toss in some chopped pecans ...

Add 1 T chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp ground marjoram

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp dried parsley

and toss to combine

Beat an egg into a cup of chicken broth and add to the bread cubes

*NOTE* I added WAY too much liquid and this is how it turned out. Yours will NOT be this loose!!!

Use a spoon to fill some greased mini muffin tins ...

You can also use individual-sized ramekins OR you can pour it into a 9X9 baking dish ...

Bake them up at 350 degrees:

Mini nuggets: 10-15 minutes

Individual ramekins:  20-25 minutes
9X9 baking dish:  30-35 minutes

Allow to cool for about 5 minutes before serving!

This is Pete. He's the official 7 Bites taste tester ...
Okay not really, but isn't he cute? Don't you just want to toss him some turkey?

Now set the table!

We found these dishes at the dollar store! Can you believe it?? Aren't they CUTE??

Happy Thanksgiving from 7 Bites!