Squash with Apples and Pears, Broccolini with fried Onions and Maple Tofu Cheesecake with butterscotch sauce- Yes this is Thanksgiving!

You know how I love to shop the supermarket and I have some great products to feature this month and one of them did surprise me too! The products we are featuring are the Watkins extracts. They make all your dessert dishes special!

As a Registered Dietitian I am always looking to help all of you discover great foods which are low in calorie but are really satisfying. The squashes do that for me. Butternut squash has a glycemic index of 57, based on 1/3 cup, which is a scale from 1-100 rating the foods with the lowest impact on your blood sugar. The foods which raise blood sugar highest are closer to 100. The squashes  have vitamin A and fiber and fill you up but not out. In the following recipe, the natural sugars from the fruit add sweetness to the squash when roasting. You can add  little brown sugar or you may use maple syrup or stevia if preferred.

Butternut Squash, Apple and Pears Roasted

• 4 cups of butternut squash peeled and cubed
• 2 Bosc pears cored and sliced with skin on
• 2 apple cored sliced with skin on
• a1 teaspoon of olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of brown sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.   Pour contents onto a baking sheet, spread out and bake for 30 minutes or until the squash and fruit are fork tender. Cool slightly and serve or make 2 days in  advance and store in a plastic container until the big dinner. reheat in a pan on the stove.

Tofu? again? We featured a pumpkin pudding in my last blog, and my boyfriend thought it was impressive so I thought I would try a recipe that has  been in my culinary family for many, many  years. My ex-husband even liked it!   We are trying a walnut (can use hazelnuts)  graham crusted crust tofu cheesecake pie with the wonderful flavors of maple, walnut and vanilla.

Maple Walnut Tofu Cheesecake

• 8 ounces firm tofu
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon Watkins vanilla extract 
• 1 packet of graham crackers
• 2 drops of Watkins Hazelnut extract
• 2/3 cup of walnuts or hazlenuts
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter or 2 tablespoons of oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/4 cup soymilk or milk
• 1/4 teaspoon instant coffee granules

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the Cuisinart chop walnuts or hazelnuts and crackers until bread crumb consistency and place in a bowl, adding the cinnamon, a drop of hazelnut extract and the melted butter or oil and mix together. In a 9 inch pie plate or springform pan, press the crust into the pan and up the sides 2 inches. In the Cuisinart, or food processor add the tofu, cream cheese, maple syrup, eggs extracts, coffee and brown sugar, mix until smooth. Pour into the pie shell and bake for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. cool on a rack.

This was the surprise; with only 60 mg of salt in 2 tablespoons of fried onions, their flavor in a casserole or sprinkled on steamed vegetables is a great addition with low salt and calories.

Broccolini Gratin with Onions and Gruyure

• 1 lb of broccolini steamed
• 1 – 1/2 cup shredded Gruyure, Swiss or non dairy soy cheese
• 3 tablespoons French’s Fried Onions
• 1/4 cup cream
• 1/2 cup of chicken broth
• 2/3  cup breadcrumbs
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix breadcrumbs, cheese and onions together. Pour cream and broth over the vegetables, sprinkle the topping over the entire dish and drizzle olive oil on top of the breadcrumb topping. Cover with foil and bake for 10 minutes, uncover and continue baking for 10 more minutes until topping is crunchy and golden.