Whatever you do…don’t drown your green beans in creamy fat this Thanksgiving. The secret to eating less calories on turkey day is to pile on the low calorie vegetable/fruit sides such as green beans, carrots and cranberry sauce; eat lean white meat turkey and take small amounts of the heavier favorites like stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, and rich desserts. Here are three delish recipes for light green bean sides.

Green beans, another traditional holiday favorite, are naturally low in calories and fat-free. Just be sure not to ruin a perfectly light and healthy side dish with creamy soup and fried onions! Instead…try steaming the green beans and then top with this delicious vinaigrette that will both please your palette and curb your holiday weight gain. Remember…double up on the green beans and cranberries and eat smaller portions of the “heavier” holiday foods!

Light & Healthy Green Beans with Vinaigrette

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: ~ 1 cup)

2 pounds trimmed fresh green beans
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup minced shallots
3 Tbsp coarsely chopped almonds
2 Tbsp brown sugar
¼ cup white balsamic vinegar

Steam green beans for ~5 minutes or until done. Drain and set aside. In a small skillet, sauté shallots in olive oil for ~ one minute until lightly browned. Add almonds, sauté one minute. Remove from heat, let cool then add sugar and vinegar—stirring until sugar dissolves.
Pour vinaigrette over beans, tossing gently to coat.

Nutritional Information per Serving:
Calories: 210, Fat: 10 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 15 mg,
Carbohydrate: 28 g, Dietary Fiber: 7 g, Protein: 6 g

Roasted Green beans with Shallots

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: ~ 1 cup)

2 pounds fresh trimmed green beans
2 shallots, minced
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
2 Tbsp sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 400 ºF.

In a large bowl, toss green beans, shallots, oil and salt and pepper. Spread on a cookie sheet. Roast at 400 ºF for ~ 20 minutes until beans are lightly browned (stir halfway). Put in a serving bowl and toss with almonds.

Nutritional Information per Serving:
Calories: 160, Fat: 9 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 15 mg,
Carbohydrate: 19 g, Dietary Fiber: 6 g, Protein: 5 g

EZ and Delicious Green beans

Yield: 4 servings

2 pounds trimmed fresh green beans
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 teaspoons Dijon or stone ground mustard
freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste, optional

Cook beans in a large pot of boiling water until tender crisp (approximately three to four minutes). Drain beans and transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Drain well and pat dry. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sauté green beans with mustard and salt and pepper to taste, stirring until heated (approximately four minutes). Serve hot.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (approximately 1 cup):
Calories: 140, Fat: 7 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 135 mg, Carbohydrate: 17 g, Dietary Fiber: 6 g, Protein: 4 g

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Recipe Source: An excerpt from the book Cholesterol Down. To learn more about this book please visit http://www.CholesterolDownBook.com.