A Low-Fat Thanksgiving Dinner

It may seem un-American, but fitness-conscious guys can slam together an awesome feast for the Day of the Big Gorge. Just follow our no-brainer plan.

You don’t even remember saying it, but you said it. Maybe it was at a family barbecue after one too many Budweisers, or over the phone to Mom, who was laying on the guilt extra-thick. Regardless of when or why you said those words, you said them:

“This Thanksgiving, I’m cooking”.

The Thanksgiving meal is as much about the show as the food. Besides tasty traditional fare, Turkey Day guests expect a good performance, with fine presentation, timing and style. What should you do first? Start by giving thanks that we’re here to pull your bird out of the fire. We’ll show you everything you need to impress even the most skeptical critics and make the audience stand up and applaud: a shopping list, simple yet delicious recipes and even a three-day timetable to follow. All you need do is stick to the plan.

The best part is that your production will have panache but won’t be loaded with fat and calories. The typical Thanksgiving meal can top out at an Ebert-size 2,300 calories and 120 grams of fat. Your low-fat feast will be more on the Siskel side, with only 1,110 calories and 27 grams of fat (a mere 23 percent of total calories from fat).

Start by following the shopping list; you won’t forget a thing if you tear it out and bring it with you to the grocery store. Next, take advantage of time-savers. For instance, plastic oven cooking bags cook turkey faster than traditional roasting does - while keeping it moist and tender. A seven- to nine-pound turkey cooks in 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours with a bag, compared to 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours without one. And there’s no messy pan to clean up afterward.

We’ve also provided a timetable to guide you through each preparation step on Thanksgiving Day. It may take some juggling to get the bird and all the trimmings done at the same time and still have everything hot, but don’t stress out. Even the most accomplished cooks rarely execute perfect timing when it comes to a huge holiday meal and limited oven space. If necessary, just zap potatoes or stuffing in the microwave to rewarm them.

We’ve written the script and you’ve invited the guests. With a little bit of luck, you should have a happy ending on your hands - or at least a good comedy.

The countdown: It’s still a few days away, but the clock is ticking. You’ll make it easier on yourself if you get a few things done beforehand.

Three days before (Monday evening)

* Buy frozen turkey and all ingredients.

* Begin thawing frozen turkey in refrigerator (see instructions).

* Refrigerate all other perishable foods.

* Figure out which serving dishes you’ll use for the meal (paper plates aren’t gonna cut it).

One day before

* Shop for fresh green beans if you didn’t get them Monday.

* Check the turkey to make sure it’s thawing. (If it isn’t, see “Thawing a frozen turkey,” right.)

* Set out all your serving dishes and utensils so you’ll be more organized.

The usual suspects

You know who they are, so go ahead and round them up, but take this shopping list with you to the store. You may remember the turkey, the potatoes and the cranberry sauce, but what about the fat-free gravy and the pie crust? Work off our list and you’ll come home with everything you need.

Frozen aisle

7- to 9-lb. frozen or fresh turkey (figure one pound per person)

1 tub fat-free whipped topping

1 9-inch deep-dish pie crust

Refrigerated section

1 tub olive-oil margarine

1 tub low-fat margarine

1 8-oz. container reduced-fat sour cream

1 quart skim milk

1 dozen eggs

Produce section

5-lb. bag Yukon gold potatoes

2 lbs. fresh green beans

1 6-oz. package portabella mushrooms

Small jar of minced garlic (or fresh if you feel like mincing it yourself)

1 bunch celery

2 large onions

2 or 3 large sweet potatoes

Dry goods

Oven cooking bags (look near the aluminum foil) Foil roasting pan (at least two inches deep)

Vegetable cooking spray

1 16-oz. bag herb-seasoned stuffing mix

3 14.5-oz.cans 99 percent fat-free chicken broth

1 15-oz. can pumpkin

1 14-oz. can fat-free sweetened condensed milk

Spices: ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, salt and pepper

Flour

Meat thermometer

1 or 2 cans cranberry sauce

2 jars fat-free turkey gravy

Thawing a frozen turkey

Refrigerator thawing (safer)

1. Keep the turkey in its original wrapper.

2. Set pit down on a large plate or tray (to catch liquids during thawing).

3. Stick it in the fridge.

4. Thawing will take at least five hours per pound of turkey; a seven- to nine-pounder will take two or three days to thaw properly.

Cold-water thawing (faster)

1. Keep the turkey in its original wrapper; make sure the wrapper has no punctures or tears.

2. Stick the turkey in the sink and completely immerse it in cold water. (This keeps

3. Change the cold water every 30 minutes. the outside of the turkey from getting warm while the inside continues to thaw - crucial for preventing bacterial growth).

4. A seven- to nine-pound turkey needs 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours to thaw this way.

The Big Day

9:30 a.m.

* Preheat oven to 425 degrees

* Prepare pumpkin pie (see page 91) and bake at 425 for 15 minutes.

* Reduce oven to 350 degrees and continue baking pie according to recipe.

10:00 a.m.

* Prepare turkey (see page 90).

10:30 a.m.

* Pie should be done.

* Turkey goes in oven.

* Set the table.

* Put cranberry sauce in serving dish. Keep cold.

11:00 a.m.

* Prepare the stuffing, but don’t bake it yet.

11:30 a.m.

* Prepare potatoes and begin boiling them.

* Check turkey.

* Begin cutting green beans and mushrooms.

12:00-12:30 p.m.

* Put stuffing in oven along with turkey.

* Use meat thermometer to check turkey temperature (180 degrees means it’s done).

* Steam green beans and saute mushrooms.

* Mash potatoes and cover to keep warm.

* Microwave gravy until hot.

12:30 p.m.

* Remove stuffing from oven.

* Remove the turkey if it’s done.

* Finish preparing beans and mushrooms.

12:45 p.m.

* Set the table.

* Carve turkey after letting it sit for 15 minutes.

* Nuke any food that’s cooled off.

1:00 p.m.

* Sit down and enjoy the feast with your guests.

* Bask in the praise everyone will be throwing your way for a job well done.

* Feign exhaustion and guilt-trip someone else into cleaning up while you watch football.

Perfect Turkey

Makes at least six to eight servings (four ounces roasted turkey meat without skin per serving, plus tons of leftovers).

Assemble:

* One seven- to nine-pound fresh or frozen turkey, thawed

* 1 oven cooking bag

* 1 tbs. flour

* Vegetable cooking spray

* Foil roasting pan

* Meat thermometer

Prepare:

* Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

* Remove the turkey wrapper, then dig into the neck and body cavities to remove the plastic bags containing the neck and giblets (yeah, it’s messy, but you don’t want your guests munching on turkey throat).

* Rinse the bird inside and out with cold water, then drain well, patting the skin dry with paper to towels. Then spray the outside surface with vegetable cooking spray.

* Put the flour in the oven bag and shake it around. Then lay the bag in the roasting pan (don’t let it hang over the sides of the pan.)

* Put the turkey in the bag, breast side up. Close the bag (it should have a nylon tie), then cut some half-inch slits in the top of the bag (six or so should do it). Then stick the meat thermometer (piercing the bag in the process) into the lower part of the thigh meat on the side of the turkey, making sure it isn’t touching the bone.

* Adjust the oven rack so the bird will roast in the middle of the oven, then plop it in. Write the time here: _____

* Roast for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours until the mercury hits 180 degrees. Remove the turkey and let it sit for 15 minutes before opening the bag.

* Carve the turkey and arrange the pieces on a large platter.

Light meat only, no skin: 177 calories, 18 percent fat (3.5 grams), 2 grams carbohydrate, 34 grams protein per serving

Light and dark meat, no skin: 193 calories, 28 percent fat (6 grams), 2 grams carbohydrate, 33 grams protein per serving

On the light side

What would Thanksgiving be without these traditional favorites? They’re lighter than you think, so don’t leave them off the menu.

Gravy: Why hassle with making turkey gravy from scratch? Just buy a couple of jars at the store. They’re stress-free, lump-free and light - most have only 25 to 35 calories and a gram or two of fat per quarter-cup serving. Some are even fat-free. Simply toss the gravy in the microwave till it’s hot.

Sweet potatoes: Power-packed with complex carbs and vitamin A, sweet potatoes add color to your otherwise monochrome meal. Nuke eight small or four large ones together, on high power, for 15 to 25 minutes. Top with low-fat margarine and a sprinkle of cinnamon. A one-cup serving of sweet potatoes adds only 120 calories and no fat.

Cranberry sauce: Adds color, variety and tradition. One quarter-cup serving of canned jellied or whole cranberry sauce will add only 110 calories and zero fat to your feast.

Whipped topping: Top your pumpkin pie with a dollop of fat-free whipped topping. It tastes the same as higher-fat toppings, but with only 30 calories and no fat per two tablespoons.

Savory Stuffing

Makes eight to l 0 one-cup servings

Assemble:

* 1 16-oz. package herb-seasoned or cornbread stuffing

* 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups 99 percent fat-free chicken broth

* 1 cup celery, diced

* 1 cup onion, chopped

* 1 tbs. garlic, minced

* 1 tbs. olive-oil margarine

Tip: You can add zing to the stuffing by adding up to three cups of one or more of these ingredients per 16-oz. package of stuffing mix:

* Mushrooms

* Cranberries, dried or fresh

* Dried cherries, figs or apricots

* Raisins or dates

* Chopped pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds or chestnuts

* Oysters

* Applesauce

* Chopped apple or orange

* Lemon or orange rind

* Minced garlic

* Capers (go easy on ‘em)

Prepare:

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

* Pour the dry stuffing mix into a large bowl.

* Saute (fancy word for “cook in a pan”) the celery, onion and garlic with margarine in a large skillet over medium heat, until the vegetables are barely crisp.

* Add the sauteed vegetables, along with the chicken broth, to the stuffing mix, then toss lightly until all the ingredients are moist. (Add a little extra chicken broth if you want a moister stuffing.)

* Pour the mixture into a 9×13 baking pan. Bake until heated thoroughly, probably about 30 minutes.

256 calories, 11 percent fat (3 grams), 49 grams carbohydrate, 7.5 grams protein per serving

Green Beans with Portabella Mushrooms

Makes eight 3/4-cup servings

Assemble:

* 2 lbs. fresh green beans, washed and trimmed of ends

* 1 6-oz. package portabella mushrooms, cut into 1-inch chunks

* 3 tbs. olive-oil margarine

Prepare:

* Place a steaming rack or basket in a large saucepan or stock pot that has a lid. Add water up to, but not beyond, the bottom of the basket, and bring the water to boil.

* Once the water is boiling, arrange the beans in the steaming basket. Cover and cook them for 10 to 20 minutes or until done.

* While the beans cook, melt some margarine in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and saute them until they’re soft and nearly all the liquid has cooked off.

* When done, drain the beans and put them in a large bowl.

* Toss the green beans and mushrooms together.

71 calories, 38 percent fat (3.5 grams), 9 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams protein per serving

Mashed Potatoes Supreme

Makes eight one-cup servings

Assemble:

* 8 medium-to-large Yukon gold potatoes (about 3 1/4 lbs), cut into eighths with the skin left on

* 1/3 1/2 to cup skim milk

* 1/4 cup reduced-fat margarine

* 1/3 to 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

* Salt and pepper

Prepare:

* Put the potato chunks in a large pot or pan and cover them completely with water.

* Bring them to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender. (Potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork when done.)

* Drain the water and place the spuds in a pan or mixing bowl. With a fork, potato masher or electric mixer, mash the hell out of them - nothing’s worse than lumpy mashed potatoes.

* Add margarine, 1/3 cup milk, 1/3 cup sour cream. Use more if the potatoes seem dry. MIX until your forearms cramp.

* Add salt and pepper to taste.

200 calories, 20 percent fat (4.5 grams), 70 grams carbohydrate, 10 grams protein per serving

Pumpkin Pie

Makes eight servings

Assemble:

* 1 15-oz. can pumpkin

* 1 14-oz. can fat-free sweetened condensed milk

* 4 egg whites

* 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

* 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

* 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

* 1/4 tsp. ground cloves

* 1/2 tsp. salt

* 1 tub fat-free whipped topping

* 1 unbaked 9-inch deep-dish frozen or refrigerated pie shell

Prepare:

* Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

* In a large bowl, combine all the filling ingredients and mix ‘era well.

* Pour the mix into the unbaked pie shell and put it in the oven. After 15 minutes at 425 degrees, turn the oven down to 350 and continue baking for another 35 to 40 minutes, or until you can stick a knife into the center and it comes out clean.

* Let the pie cool before cutting it, and serve it with the whipped topping.

295 calories, 25 percent fat (8 grams), 48 grams carbohydrate, 8 grams protein per serving

To the rescue

If you feel your meal is headed for catastrophe, call the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line at 800-323-4848 any time on Thanksgiving. They’ll help you avert disaster, and you won’t have to endure the shame of begging Aunt Agatha for help.

Registered dietitian Kim Galeaz has convinced the man of her house to use an oven cooking bag.