Trim Your Dishes This Holiday. Plan A Better-For-You Holiday Feast

Come holiday season meals are so heavy you vow to make each one your last supper. What if you could keep things light this year without compromising flavor and taste? These trimmed down recipes are great crowd pleasers and can be served a la carte or full course.

Shrimp Brandy Bisque

(Serves 4)

This thick, creamy soup isn’t made with a traditional roux (a thickener made with butter and flour), but it still boasts richness beyond belief! Loads of shrimp in every spoonful.

Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil
1 leek (white part only), finely
chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
2 cups lowfat (1%) milk
2 bay leaves
12 oz. small cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp cornstarch
Salt and ground black pepper
2 Tbsp brandy
1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives

Directions
1.    Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add leek and cook 3 minutes, until soft.
2.    Add thyme and stir to coat.
3.    Add milk and bay leaf and bring to a boil.
4.    Add shrimp and simmer 5 minutes.
5.    Dissolve cornstarch in chicken broth and stir into shrimp mixture.
6.    Simmer 2 minutes, until mixture thickens. Stir in brandy.
7.    Remove from heat, remove bay leaves, season to taste with salt and black pepper. Ladle into bowls, top with chives.

Filet Mignonettes with Horseradish Sauce

Don’t take iron-rich, lean beef off your menu. These winners are crusted with coarse black pepper for added flavor. Creamy horseradish sauce is spooned over top, making this dish elegant and light.

Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil
4 x 4 oz. filet mignon steaks (each about 1-inch thick)
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
or cracked black pepper
4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup non-fat sour cream
1 Tbsp prepared horseradish
1/4 tsp paprika

Directions
1.    Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2.    Season steaks all over with salt and coarse black pepper.
3.    Drizzle Worcestershire sauce over steaks (1/2 teaspoon per side).
4.    Add steaks to hot pan and cook 5 minutes per side for medium-rare meat, or longer for more fully cooked meat.
5.    While the steaks are cooking, in a small bowl, whisk together sour cream, horseradish and paprika.
6.    Serve steaks with horseradish cream spooned over top.

Scalloped Potatoes

(Serves 8)

A winter favorite that’s been lightened up with low-fat milk and lowfat sour cream. Even better? Thanks to sharp Wisconsin cheddar, it still tastes as sinfully rich as the original!

Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 cup low-fat (1%) milk
1 cup (about 4 oz.) shredded
Wisconsin  cheddar cheese
3 Tbsp low-fat sour cream
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 large Idaho potatoes (1 lb.),peeled and sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices
1 cup thinly sliced onion

Directions
1.    Preheat oven to 375. Coat a shallow baking dish with cooking spray.
2.    In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, 3/4 cup of the cheese, sour cream, Dijon mustard, and pepper. Set aside.
3.    Arrange half of the potato and onion slices in the bottom of prepared baking dish.
4.    Pour over half of the milk mixture. Top with remaining potatoes and onions, and pour over remaining milk mixture.
5.    Top with remaining 1/4 cup of cheese.
6.    Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes.
7.    Uncover and bake 30 more minutes, until potatoes are tender and cheese is golden and bubbly.

White Powder Snow Cake

(Serves 12)

A cherry-infused white cake that’s sweet, moist and wonderful. Serve this cake at holiday gatherings or any special occasion. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top for extra flavor and appeal.

Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup light butter
2 1/4 cups cake flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup low-fat (1%) milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large egg whites
21 oz. can cherry pie filling
2 Tbsp confectioner's sugar

Directions

1.   Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan.

2.  In a large mixing bowl, beat together sugar and butter until blended. Beat in flour, baking powder and salt. Beat in milk and vanilla until blended. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and set aside. Clean mixing bowl and return to mixer. Add egg whites and beat until stiff peaks form.

3.  Fold 1/3 of the whites into flour mixture. Fold in remaining whites. Fold in cherry pie filling until just blended (leave red swirls instead of folding pie filling completely into batter).

4. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 30 to 35 minutes.

5. Cool on a wire rack. Sift confectioners’ sugar over cake.