Disney Institute chefs helped us lighten up Thanksgiving dinner

This holiday meal has so much flavor, you won't miss the fat.

In 1997, we asked the creative culinary team at the then open to the public Disney Institute to help us breeze, not waddle, through the holidays. We love the menu now just as much as we did then.

The meal features jerk-cirtus roasted turkey breast, a low-fat chestnut stuffing, mashed sweet potatoes, a cranberry side dish, baby green beans and pumpkin pie.

 Citrus and jerk seasoning may not sound quite like traditional holiday ingredients, but they are more traditional than one might think. Before coming to America, the settlers stopped in the Caribbean where jerk seasoning is commonly used in all kinds of cooking and citrus is in abundance. ‘What could be more traditional.
Here are some of the tips those chefs use when preparing the healthful menu:
1. Remove the skin from the turkey breast, rub spices directly on the meat and replacing the skin before roasting to keep the meat from drying out. After roasting, remove the skin again, and you’ll have a juicy jerk-roasted breast.
2. Use orange juice and Butter Buds instead of regular butter to make the gingersnap and graham cracker pie crust moist and flavorful.
3. Sweat the vegetables (a process of steaming the vegetables with stock) instead of sauteing with butter or oil.
4. Cook with the wine that you will serve with the meal instead of using cooking wine, which contains lots of salt.

Jerk-Citrus Roasted Turkey Breast
Yield: 10 servings

1/4 cup jerk seasoning (available in the spice section of gourmet stores and most supermarkets)
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
4 pounds turkey breast

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Mix spice mixture with orange juice. Rub the spice and orange juice mixture over the turkey breast. Let marinate for an hour.
2. Place turkey in oven on a rack. Cook for 10 minutes. Add 2 cups of water to pan rack is resting in. Roast for 20 minutes per pound in a conventional oven.
3. Remove turkey from oven and allow breast to rest for 10 minutes. Slice with a sharp knife and serve with Chestnut Stuffing and Cranberry Compote.

Cranberry Compote
Yield: 10 servings

1 (12-ounce) package cranberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup kumquats, sliced thin
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/2 cup sugar

1. Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and place over medium heat. (If using fresh cranberries add 2 tablespoons of water.) The cranberries will begin to split and the sauce will begin to simmer.
2. Stir the sauce over the heat for 15-20 minutes until the flavors are developed.

Chestnut Stuffing
Yield: 10 servings

8 cups whole wheat bread, cubed in 1-inch pieces
1 cup onions, small diced
1 cup celery, small diced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/2 cup wheat germ
2 cups defatted chicken stock
1/2 cup roasted chestnuts, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Sweat the onions and celery in a saucepan with 2 tablespoons of chicken stock over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until fully incorporated. Adjust seasoning if desired.
2. Place in pan or in a mold and bake, covered, until heated through, about 20 minutes.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Yield: 8 servings  

8 sweet potatoes
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup skim milk
1 tablespoon cinnamon

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Bake sweet potatoes for 50 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
2. When cool enough to handle, scoop out the inside of the potatoes with a spoon or peel off the outside skin with a knife. Place the soft potatoes in a large mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients.
3. Mix together using a wire whip or an electric mixer until potato mixture is smooth. Place in piping bag and pipe on plate or simply serve in a bowl.

Haricot Verts (Green Beans)
Yield: 10 servings
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
20 ounces haricot verts (see note)

1. Heat wine and garlic in saute pan.
2. Saute haricot verts in white wine until al dente.
Recipe note: Haricot vert is the French term for green string bean.

Pumpkin Pie With Ginger-Graham Crust
Yield: 10 servings

1 (16-ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated skim milk
3/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup egg whites
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Graham cracker-gingersnap-flavored pie crust (see note)

1. Heat oven to 325 F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine pumpkin puree, skim milk, sugar, egg whites, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and vanilla.
3. Put mixture into a prepared pie crust (see note). Place pie in oven and bake until firm, about 25 minutes.
How to make a ginger-graham crackercrust: In the work bowl of a food processor, blend 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 1/2 cup gingersnap cookie crumbs, 3 tablespoons Butter Buds Mix, 2 tablespoons orange juice and 2 tablespoons sugar. Mixture should have a cornmeal texture when well-blended. Spread mixture in a 9-inch pie pan, using a rubber spatula to spread the crumb mixture evenly. Crust can be stored wrapped tightly in the freezer for one month.