Atkins' diet has place at holiday table.

Byline: Karen McCowan The Register-Guard

If you're among the many Americans on the Atkins' or other low-carbohydrate diet, Thanksgiving may seem a far spookier holiday than Halloween.

Starchy white mashed potatoes. Bread-laden turkey stuffing. Sugary cranberry-orange relish. Eeeek!

But there are ways to adapt even this traditionally carb-crammed feast to the popular diets, say a local chef and the owners of two low-carbohydrate markets.

"The problem is that too many people limit themselves to the basics of meat, cheese and nuts," said John Weakland, a professional chef and assistant manager at Springfield's Sizzler Steakhouse. "But the Atkins' diet actually lends itself to gourmet dishes because of the amount of heavy cream and butter you can use. It's not nearly as restraining as a low-fat diet."

Dan Ries, co-owner of two new Castus Low Carb Superstores at Delta Oaks and Southtowne, agreed.

"He hit it right on the head," Ries said. "It's not that restrictive at all. In fact, you can adapt almost any favorite recipe - substituting almond flour for wheat flour, for instance, or sugar-free sweeteners for sugar."

Co-owner Janet Ries and Brynn Hildebrand, manager of the Castus store at 23 E. 28th Ave., used such adaptations to prepare some Thanksgiving recipes incorporating items from their stores. The markets also sell ready-made starch alternatives, such as "Ketato Low Carb Mashed Potato Mix."

Weakland created other low-carb holiday recipes by combining more widely available ingredients.

"I have a friend on the diet who paid $7 for a loaf of Atkins' low-carb bread," he said. "What people need to do, though, is get back into the kitchen and create their own foods. There's so much you can do to combine (allowed) ingredients and have a really good time."

The low-carbohydrate approach remains controversial in nutrition circles. When asked for such recipe suggestions, nutrition specialists at both McKenzie-Willamette and Sacred Heart hospitals argued against Atkins'-style diets - on Thanksgiving or any other day.

"Adequate servings of fruits, whole grains and vegetables are part of a well-rounded diet," said Karen Booth, a clinical dietician at McKenzie-Willamette.

Sacred Heart clinical dietician Barbara Bajec agreed.

"There's nothing wrong with reducing carbs if you're eating a whole lot of them," she said. "But to do it long term, or to try to eliminate them altogether, is very difficult. Especially on Thanksgiving. This is a feast. You're in a celebratory mode with friends and family. ... Have a lot of turkey, have a lot of vegetables, then know what your carbs are and eat a small amount of those foods and enjoy them."

Low-Carb Stuffing

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup diced onion

20 slices low-carb bread (such as Franz 7.7.60), crumbled

3 stalks celery

1 1/2 tablespoons ground sage

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Water or broth, if desired

Melt butter in large heavy skillet. Add onion and cook until yellow, stirring occasionally. Add half of bread crumbs, stirring to prevent excessive browning.

Fold into deep bowl. Lightly mix in remaining ingredients except for water or broth. For moister stuffing, add hot water or broth, mixing with fork to moisten bread crumbs.

Cool. Place stuffing in bird when ready to cook. Makes 10 servings, 8 carbs each - enough for a 15-pound turkey.

From Janet Ries.

Rollingstone Dressing

1/2 loaf dry low-carb bread (such as Franz 7.7.60)

1 pound hamburger

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon butter

2 eggs

1/2 cup celery, finely chopped

2 tablespoons Summer Savory (prepared spice mix)

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup cream

Submerge bread in cold water - squeeze dry. Put in large mixing bowl and add raw hamburger. The squeezed bread should equal the volume of the hamburger.

Saute the onions in butter and place in the mixing bowl along with the eggs, celery, Summer Savory and salt. Mix well, then brown the mixture in a large skillet. Add cream and pour into a 1 1/2 -quart casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Makes 10 servings, 5.6 carbs each.

From Janet Ries.

Creamy Fake Mashed Potatoes

4 or 5 medium to large turnips

4 ounces cream cheese

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon parsley, chopped

Peel and dice turnips. Add to 6 cups boiling water. Boil until tender - do not overboil. Strain in sieve. Start to mash in sieve to remove as much water as possible. Mash until smooth. Return to pot and add remaining ingredients. Heat for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

From John Weakland.

Low-Carb Gravy

1 tablespoon butter

4 medium onions, sliced

2 cloves garlic, peeled

2 bay leaves

1/2 pint chicken or turkey stock

1 pint heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon chives 

Melt butter in saute pan. Add onions, garlic and bay leaves. Saute until light brown.

Add stock and boil until liquid has reduced by half. Add cream, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove bay leaves.

Allow mixture to cool, then whir in blender or food processor. Pass gravy through a fine sieve. Season with salt and pepper. Reheat gravy but do not boil. Sprinkle with chopped chives.

From John Weakland.

Mock Mashed Potatoes

2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen cauliflower or 3/4 head fresh cauliflower

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules 

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)

2 tablespoons butter

2 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons heavy cream or sour cream

Butter for baked version (optional)

Paprika for baked version (optional)

Preheat oven to 375. Cook cauliflower in microwave or on stove top until very done. (It should fall apart, fork tender.) Drain well and mash with potato masher. Add bouillon, pepper, garlic powder, 2 tablespoons butter and cream cheese. Mix in a food processor or with a hand mixer. Add heavy cream or sour cream slowly (you may not need it all) and mix again.

You may stop at this point and serve, or continue on with this baked version: Coat an ovenproof dish with butter and add mixture. Top with pats of extra butter and sprinkle with paprika for color. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until hot. Makes 4 to 6 servings, 5 to 7 carbs per serving.

From Brynn Hildebrand.

Spiced Cranberry Sauce

1 pound fresh cranberries

1 1/2 cups water

2 teaspoons grated orange peel

1 dash allspice 

1 dash cloves

10 drops orange extract

5 drops red food coloring (optional)

1 cup Splenda

8 ounces Maltitol Vanilla Syrup

In medium sauce pan, bring cranberries, water and orange peel to a boil. Boil until berry skins pop open (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat, add remaining ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Cool in refrigerator before serving. Makes 3 cups, 1 carb per tablespoon.

Note: You can use all Splenda as your sweetener, instead of the Maltitol.

From Brynn Hildebrand.

Holiday Pumpkin Pie

For the pie shell:

4 tablespoons melted butter

1 cup almond flour

1/4 cup Splenda artificial sweetener

For the pumpkin filling:

1 can (8 ounces) pumpkin (not pie filling)

1/2 cup Splenda

1 tablespoon Maltitol brown sugar substitute

2 eggs

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon unsweetened vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamon or allspice (optional)

To make the pie shell, melt butter, add almond flour and sweetener. Mix well. Press firmly into bottom and up sides of an 8-to-9-inch pie plate and refrigerate until firm.

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, mix all filling ingredients in order given. Pour mixture into prepared pie shell. Bake until center tests done, about 45 to 55 minutes. Cool completely.

Makes 8 servings, 8 carbs per serving.

From Brynn Hildebrand.

Whipped Cream

4 packets Splenda

1 tablespoon DaVinci sugar free vanilla syrup

1 cup heavy whipping cream 

Combine Splenda and syrup. Add mixture to whipping cream in a large cold metal or glass bowl. Whip until soft peaks form. Makes 2 cups, about 9 carbs per serving.

From Brynn Hildebrand.

Karen McCowan can be reached at 338-2422 or kmccowan @guardnet.com.