Show me your Christmas and/or Thanksgiving Menus

[PrettyInTink]

Ok, I am DETERMINED to show my family how GREAT a low carb Christmas can be! Without even telling them that it's LC! I'm looking for some ideas and insight for the holidays. Lay it on me, share your menu's

[emel]

Well, an easy one is LC pumpkin pie, just make it crustless, with Libby's pure pumpkin. Substitute half water and half cream for the evaporated milk, substitute granular splenda for the sugar. I like to make it in little custard cups, but you can use a well-sprayed glass pie pan.

Here's my tentative game plan:
Make turkey ahead of time, reduce broth and add sausage or oysters, mushrooms, sage, and cream, enhance with egg yolk, for sauce for the birdmeat.....mashed cauliflower or squash with diced roasted red pepper garnish... string beans with bacon and onion... SF raspberry jello with 4 oz softened cream cheese, splenda sweetened chopped cranberries, orange zest, and walnuts...broccoli, a few carrots, and cauliflower steamed and then tossed with 1/2 can campbells cream of chicken and mushroom with some sour cream and cheddar.

oops forgot last year's big hit--pureed pumpkin with butter, bourbon, splenda, salt, pepper, and a touch of ginger and cloves, baked and topped with toasted pecans.

[PrettyInTink]

Wow! Amazing menu! I am inspired!: I KNOW that I can prepare a LC menu that will satisfy my cravings and be on my diet. Thank you for sharing. I'm making notes.....

[Charski]

Mmmm, my favorite holidays!

For thanksgiving, I make jalapeno cranberry sauce with Splenda, mashed caulitaters, rotisseried turkey breast, gravy thickened with ThickenThin Not/Starch, roasted butternut squash, and LC pumpkin and pecan pies. I use a nut crust on both - ground pecans, Splenda, a bit of whey protein powder, and melted butter, pressed into a pie pan and baked about 10 minutes, then filled and baked as usual. Splenda-sweetened whipped cream to top it off.

Christmas eve, we have peel 'n eat jumbo prawns, cracked Dungeness crab, steamed artichokes with garlic aioli, and LC artisan flatbread with garlic and herbs.

Dinner my Dad usually cooks, we have roasted prime rib, baked sweet potato, veggies, and LC desserts of one sort or another.

Yum and it's comin' up fast too!

Char

[SugarBabi]

*drooling* here...My fave thing about any holiday is the food, and these days the low carb foods are just as appealing as the old high carb ones were.

I just love to hear about what everyone is making or eating. Yum!! (I'm not a foodie or anything... )

[PrettyInTink]

Great ideas! I'm definitely gonna use some of these. Keep em comin!

[LibertyJen]

Originally Posted by emel

oops forgot last year's big hit--pureed pumpkin with butter, bourbon, splenda, salt, pepper, and a touch of ginger and cloves, baked and topped with toasted pecans.

I love sweet potatoes ... emel, I make my sweet potatoes with two baked and mashed sweet potatoes (mash with evaporated milk, or butter, or cream), a can of pureed pumpkin (on sale now, I have over 20 cans now in my food stock!), some splenda, a bit of cloves, allspice and cinnamon, some bourbon (some for the recipe, some for the cook ... I do live in Kentucky!), and a beaten egg (gives it some body). I put it in a casserole dish with a thin layer of crushed pineapple (canned in its own juice) and bake it for at least 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Top it off with toasted pecans (or make cinnamon pecans and use those babies!), bake another 5-10 minutes.

I just smells and tastes like heaven ... and it super low in carbs ... good carbs from the sweet potatoes and pineapple (I eat some fruit on my WOE ... honestly it curbs the sweet tooth and keeps things moving!).

I made this recipe this weekend with MUSTARD SAUCED HAM and green beans ... took leftovers to work yesterday for lunch and everyone was jealous!

I told them all they should join me on my WOE, so they can suffer through my Diet Foods ...

Tee Hee!

[LibertyJen]

MUSTARD SAUCED HAM

so simple: I bought a quarter ham, already sliced. I coated the outside of the ham with a jar of mustard (this time I used a gourmet Orange Cranberry mustard ... WOW, it was perfect for this! Be adventurous, there are endless varieties of mustards out there!). Wrap it in foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Yummy ... yummy ... yummy!

DH is using all my leftovers for breakfast ... stop that ... leave some for the rest of us! He makes his version of an Egg McMuffin (poaches an egg and tops the ham with a slice of cheese and then the egg). He loves to say that it is a "meal that would make Dr. A proud!"

[emel]

Jen-
I once saw a recipe book with every recipe starting, "First, pour two ounces of bourbon into the chef."

Agree on the egg in the pumpkin/sweet pot casserole...i forgot that part. I rarely use recipes, i just dump stuff in (baking excluded...baking is chemistry, cooking is joy).

Ham..... consider your recipe stolen! haven't had baked ham in ages and am adding it to my grocery list.... maybe horsesradish mustard with apricots or seeded hot mustard with cranberry and lemon......

[Delairen]

I don't really celebrate Thanksgiving, but for Samhain, a holiday I do celebrate, we often have Thanksgiving-type food, and along with some steamed Broccoli, this is what we had this year.

Curried Pumpkin Soup

1 tbls Butter
2 cups pureed Pumpkin
3 cups Chicken Broth
1 Onion
3-4 cloves Garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 tbls Better Than Boullion Chicken flavor
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh Basil
Curry Powder
Kosher Salt
1 very finely chopped Serano or jalapeno pepper
1/2-1 cup Heavy Cream (to taste)

Melt butter in large sauce pan. Puree Onion and Garlic in Food Processor. Pour in to pan, along with Pumpkin, Broth and boullion. Add curry powder to taste. (Make it a wee bit stronger than you might like, as the lime will cut it). Add lime. Simmer for for 15 minutes to let flavors meld, then add cream, basil and cilantro. Heat gently and taste. Add minced pepper, salt, and more curry powder (if desired) to taste.

Grilled Lamb Steaks in mint Yogurt dressing

1/2 cup Plain, full fat, yogurt
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
2-3 cloves Garlic
1-2 tsp Garam Masala
1/4 tsp Fresh ground Cardamon
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Curry
1/8 cup fresh Basil leaves
1 tbls Dijon Mustard
1 boneless leg of lamb, cut in to steak-sized portions.
Kosher Salt

Puree all ingredients except lamb in food processor. Pour over lamb, coating evenly. Marinate atleast 3-4 hours. Bring to room temperature, and then just before grilling, sprinkle with kosher salt. Grill to desired doneness over hot coals.

Grilled Halloumi Cheese

1 block Halloumi Cheese, cut in to fourths tossed in Olive Oil

Grill over indirect coals until warmed through with golden brown grill marks. Eat while warm!

Pumpkin 'Cake'

6 egg whites
6 egg yolks
pinch of cream of tartar
4 tsps Splenda
Pinch or two of Kosher Salt
1/2 - 1 tsp Vanilla
1/4-1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4-1/2 tsp Ginger (or use about 1 tsp finely shredded fresh ginger, if available)
1/4-1/2 tsp Nutmeg
3 tbls Cream Cheese
3/4 cup mashed pumpkin

Blend yolks, cream cheese, spices, pumpkin, salt and Vanilla together. Whip egg whites. Fold yolk mixture in to whites. Pour in to a parchment lined cake pan and bake in 300 degree oven until goldeny brown. *note - This turned out rather moist, but was still quite good. Recommend baking a little longer than normal, or refridgerating, and toasting the next day. Also plan to try as 'muffins' at some later date*

[PrettyInTink]

Originally Posted by Delairen

I don't really celebrate Thanksgiving, but for Samhain, a holiday I do celebrate, we often have Thanksgiving-type food, and along with some steamed Broccoli, this is what we had this year.

Curried Pumpkin Soup

1 tbls Butter
2 cups pureed Pumpkin
3 cups Chicken Broth
1 Onion
3-4 cloves Garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 tbls Better Than Boullion Chicken flavor
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh Basil
Curry Powder
Kosher Salt
1 very finely chopped Serano or jalapeno pepper
1/2-1 cup Heavy Cream (to taste)

Melt butter in large sauce pan. Puree Onion and Garlic in Food Processor. Pour in to pan, along with Pumpkin, Broth and boullion. Add curry powder to taste. (Make it a wee bit stronger than you might like, as the lime will cut it). Add lime. Simmer for for 15 minutes to let flavors meld, then add cream, basil and cilantro. Heat gently and taste. Add minced pepper, salt, and more curry powder (if desired) to taste.

Grilled Lamb Steaks in mint Yogurt dressing

1/2 cup Plain, full fat, yogurt
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
2-3 cloves Garlic
1-2 tsp Garam Masala
1/4 tsp Fresh ground Cardamon
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Curry
1/8 cup fresh Basil leaves
1 tbls Dijon Mustard
1 boneless leg of lamb, cut in to steak-sized portions.
Kosher Salt

Puree all ingredients except lamb in food processor. Pour over lamb, coating evenly. Marinate atleast 3-4 hours. Bring to room temperature, and then just before grilling, sprinkle with kosher salt. Grill to desired doneness over hot coals.

Grilled Halloumi Cheese

1 block Halloumi Cheese, cut in to fourths tossed in Olive Oil

Grill over indirect coals until warmed through with golden brown grill marks. Eat while warm!

Pumpkin 'Cake'

6 egg whites
6 egg yolks
pinch of cream of tartar
4 tsps Splenda
Pinch or two of Kosher Salt
1/2 - 1 tsp Vanilla
1/4-1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4-1/2 tsp Ginger (or use about 1 tsp finely shredded fresh ginger, if available)
1/4-1/2 tsp Nutmeg
3 tbls Cream Cheese
3/4 cup mashed pumpkin

Blend yolks, cream cheese, spices, pumpkin, salt and Vanilla together. Whip egg whites. Fold yolk mixture in to whites. Pour in to a parchment lined cake pan and bake in 300 degree oven until goldeny brown. *note - This turned out rather moist, but was still quite good. Recommend baking a little longer than normal, or refridgerating, and toasting the next day. Also plan to try as 'muffins' at some later date*

WOW! I think I might add this Pumpkin Curry recipe to my christmas meal. Forgive my ignorance, but what is Samhain? I am curious to know.

[Delairen]

Originally Posted by PrettyInTink

WOW! I think I might add this Pumpkin Curry recipe to my christmas meal. Forgive my ignorance, but what is Samhain? I am curious to know.

Thats a short question, with a very loooong answer and it depends on who you ask. LOL For me, a short answer would be it's a combination end of the year, honoring and communing with those who've passed from this world, and harvest celebration. ;-)

Del

[PrettyInTink]

Originally Posted by Delairen

Thats a short question, with a very loooong answer and it depends on who you ask. LOL For me, a short answer would be it's a combination end of the year, honoring and communing with those who've passed from this world, and harvest celebration. ;-)

Del

Cool. Thanks for the ideas

[Tuscanytrace]

I don't have the whole menu for either one down yet, but it will likely include our family's many-generations-old Chicken Chestnut Pie for Christmas Eve, started with peel n' eat prawns, and usually a soup--I'm going to suggest our pumpkin soup that is simple that we had for dinner the other night, with onion sauted in butter, chicken stock, thyme, pumpkin, and Dreamfields linguine broken small.

I'm planning on taking a couple of pumpkin pies, or possibly a pumpkin pie and a pumpkin cheesecake laced with some interesting Davinci's or Torani syrup, as well as a thermos full of almond milk frappes made with those syrups for when I have pitchins where I can't be sure of something delicious for dessert.

We have a giant free range turkey we plan to cook. I will miss the dressing; my favorite part; unless I can figure out how to LC it.

[HarleyLady]

i am eating what ever i want, taters, corn, stuffing, potato salad
for thanks giving and christmas...

the day after i will eat meat cheese and eggs... it works for me

i will eat no deserts...

i can not wait...

i have lost 7 more pounds..... as of this photo

[Tylar_Connar]

so, how was it??

[Tuscanytrace]

Originally Posted by Tylar_Connar

so, how was it??

FABULOUS! I posted on another thread, but for Thanksgiving I took a Pumpkin Layer Cheesecake, James' Sausage Stuffing, my own version of Fake-Ahead Mashed Potatoes, and green beans with sauteed garlic and almonds. And a couple SF syrups, from which I made French sodas, and some spinach dip, which we didn't open and I accidently left behind.

We are doing two Christmases: my husband's family's traditional one at his grandmother's house. It has always been loads of peel-n-eat shrimp, a spiral-sliced spiced ham, and usually baked brie with apples, cheesecakes, chicken and noodles, and a variety of homemade desserts, cookies, etc. My kids always each make a dessert to take. It's a dress buffet. Most of it we should be able to do without going off the diet; I will likely take a dessert or two so we can have something sweet.

Usually we drive to my parents the next morning for a sit-down meal, but they now live 3 hours away. My kids wouldn't like leaving new toys behind to sit in a car for three hours, so we are going the next weekend. So I'm not sure what we're doing Christmas day, other than finally being able to have our own Christmas at home!

So we're going up to my parents a few days later. We're going to pretend we have Christmas Eve and day. When I was a kid it was always Christmas Eve that we had our own celebration, with candlelight, china, etc. and a nice meal that always started with shrimp cocktail; we made a two-hour trip the next morning to my mom's folks nearer where she lives now. When we started going to DH's for Christmas Eve that fell by the wayside.

If we do what we did last Christmas, it will likely be the shrimp cocktail and chicken chestnut pie (old, old recipe at least 130 years old in our family) for "Christmas" Eve. I really don't know what we'll do the next day, but I can guarentee it will include LindaSue's Just Like Stuffed Potatoes that Mom made for Thanksgiving!

I'll probably add to this thread as I know more. I know we're going to be making some cookies and desserts for the holidays!

[chef spicey]

i love all these dont know which ones i will do as yet!!

[Barbo]

Thank you for the tip on Linda Sue's almost stuffed b. potatoes.

[LowCTammy]

HI everyone :-) I love the holiday ideas ! I got hungry just reading all those goodies . I have been so worried about the holidays because this my 1st year going LC . I was wondering if any of you so have any cookie or dessert recipes (specially for Christmas) . I love to bake (specially when I am stressed,lol). Right now I bake but I can't eat any of it ,LOL....it would be really nice if I could eat it without any guilt . Thanks a bunch ! TTFN ,(new on the block ) Tammy

[MsPitt]

Hi! I am also going to do a full LC Thanksgiving menu but I'm not telling anyone that's what it is! hee hee!
I found LC Breadcrumbs here in Dallas for dressing (or stuffing as some people say). I'll also be making the Atkins Creamy Curried Pumpkin soup! I'll probably also deep fry a small turkey. So. Good!
Here's a link to the breadcrumbs is anyone is interested: Francis Simun Bakery: Bakery, cafe, store. Dallas, Texas