"In-Betweener" Diet Thanksgiving Recipes from Gender Dreaming!

[atomic sagebrush]

Before we get to the recipes, first a word from our "sponsor!"

If you haven't done so already, I'd like to urge everyone to buy a Dream Membership to Gender Dreaming. It's $12 for a full YEAR, a dollar a month, (not $12 a month like some people have thought.) This money goes to support the site, helps keep atomic unemployed so she can help swayers as a full time job, and keep things up and running for everyone. The site owner has a lot of expenses affiliated with keeping the site functional, and I for one really appreciate having a site that WORKS.

Basically, it's not really about what you "get", it's about supporting the site. But here's what you get anyway. Dream Members have access to private forums so you can post about personal issues privately. Trolls and spammers will be banned IMMEDIATELY rather than allowed to run amok for days like on some sites. We have a few paid-for studies that you can check out (including the Dutch study and the Oxford study) and hopefully more of these to come in the future. The complete French Gender Diet and the complete IG FAQ for the benefit of IG-style swayers, because no one can get onto IG any more (and if they don't like it, they can fix their site LOL).

And if in the future you do decide to go HT, there are extensive private forums for HT and also perks involved with some doctors offering discounts to Dream Members.

I will always post basic swaying information to be free for everyone, but I am currently working on 3 cookbooks, the Low Everything Diet for pink, the High Everything Diet for blue, and an In-Betweener Diet for pink swayers who don't need to/want to cut back too much, and blue swayers who are vegetarian. These will be 200-300 pages long with hundreds of recipes, and are designed to be healthy, delicious, gourmet diets that you can stay on indefinitely, rather than exercises in slow torture that will endanger your health. (I hope to have way more time to work on these now that I've cut back on my q and a in the other sections.) Dream Members have access to my complete diets and I will post the recipes in the DM section as I go the cookbooks are completed.

Anyway, on to the recipes!!!

[atomic sagebrush]

What’s the point of the In-Betweeners Diet? If you’re swaying blue and you’re a vegetarian, or pink and you’re very thin or just not ready to cut back too much, this is the diet for you!!!

Mac and Cheese and/or Veggies Au Gratin instead of turkey? Wild rice instead of Stove-Top? Why not?? Definitely tastier than “tofurkey”!! Every one of these dishes is packed with nutrients, healthy fats, and protein, despite being meat-free.

You will still need a relish tray stocked with an array of pickles, carrot sticks, and if you’re a blue swayer, don’t forget the olives and celery with peanut butter!! Have your relatives supply the rolls and pie, and turkey and gravy if you’re dining with carnivores. Pick up a carton of eggnog and some sparkling cider for beverages.

-- Blue Cheese Walnut Dip

Serve with Wheat Thins or other nutritious cracker.

8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz crumbled blue cheese
1/2 c sour cream
2/3 c chopped walnuts
2 T fresh chives, minced
2 T fresh parsley, minced
Squirt fresh lemon juice, if desired

Blend together cream cheese, blue cheese, sour cream. Stir in walnuts and herbs and put into serving dish. Garnish with additional fresh herbs, nuts, and/or crumbled cheese. Chill at least an hour before serving.

--Sour Cream and Grape Salad

4 lbs red grapes, washed and plucked from stems (or mix red and green for more festive look)
8 oz full fat cream cheese
8 oz. full fat sour cream
½ c sugar
1 t vanilla

1 c brown sugar
1 c pecans

Mix sour cream, cream cheese, white sugar and vanilla (by hand) until blended. Stir grapes into mixture, and pour in serving bowl. Combine brown sugar and pecans, and sprinkle over top of grapes. Chill several hours before serving.

--WASABI-GARLIC MASHED POTATOES (adapted from Guy Fieri)

1 head garlic, peeled and minced (can use less if you’re not a garlic lover)
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 pounds potatoes (peeled if desired and quartered)
4 teaspoons wasabi powder (plus water to mix it with)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon water
1 cup butter
1/2 cup heavy cream, plus more if needed
Salt and pepper, if desired

Bring potatoes to a boil in a pot of water, over high heat and simmer until fork tender, about 20 minutes.
Saute garlic in olive oil over med-low heat until just softened (the amount of time varies depending on the size of your garlic…do NOT let garlic brown!!)

Mix the wasabi powder with 1/2 teaspoon of water to start, adding any additional water by drops until a thick paste is created. Cover and set aside at least 5 minutes.

Drain potatoes and return to the pot, allowing excess water to evaporate. Warm butter and cream in a small saucepan over low heat until butter is just melted. Add mixture to the potatoes, with wasabi and garlic, and mash. Season to taste.

--SWEET POTATO PECAN CASSEROLE

3-4 boiled and mashed sweet potatoes (sweet potatoes are better than yams but you could use yams)
1 c brown sugar (if your potatoes are super huge, you might want a hint more)
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla (I prefer this without vanilla)
1/2 c butter
1/2 c whole milk

Mix and pour into buttered casserole.

Topping:
1/2 c brown sugar
1/3 c flour
1/3 c butter
1 c. pecans, chopped
Cinnamon and nutmeg (I prefer this dish without these)

Mix above ingredients and sprinkle on top of sweet potatoes. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes.

--OLD SCHOOL MAC AND CHEESE

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1/4 c butter (margarine if you MUST)
1/4 c flour
1/2 t salt (pink swayers can skip this)
1/4 t pepper
A healthy squirt mustard (yellow is ok, but Dijon is WOW)
2 c whole milk
2 c ****d American cheese (8 ounces)

Heat oven to 350ºF. Cook macaroni as directed on package. While macaroni is cooking, melt butter in 3-quart saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constanly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in cheese. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted.
Drain macaroni. Gently stir macaroni into cheese sauce. Pour into ungreased 2-quart casserole. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly.
Makes 6 servings (about 3/4 cup each)

--AUTUMN VEGGIES AU GRATIN

1½ c Swiss cheese, shredded
3 cloves chopped garlic

Mix together and set aside.

1 acorn squash, peeled, seeded, quartered, cut into 1/8 in slices
½ lb. parsnips, peeled, halved, and sliced into 1/8 in. slices
½ lb carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/8 in. rounds
1 turnip, peeled, chopped, and sliced 1/8 in thick
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 can chickpeas, drained
¼ cup chicken broth (pink swayers may use low-sodium)
1 t salt (pink swayers may omit)
Pepper, cayenne, nutmeg to taste (use just a PINCH of cayenne and no more than ¼ t nutmeg)

1 c bread crumbs
2 T olive oil

Grease a 13x9 inch pan. Alternate layers of vegetables, sprinkled lightly with desired seasoning, and topped with ½ cup cheese/garlic mixture. Example, a layer of squash and parsnips topped with cheese, then a layer of carrot and chickpeas topped with cheese, then turnips and more squash, then cheese again, etc until all ingredients are used.. The top layer should be just the onions. Pour broth over all and cover with foil. Bake at 375 for 60 minutes, then remove foil and bake an additional 30 minutes.

Combine bread crumbs with olive oil and sprinkle on top of the onion, and spread carefully over the top of the hot casserole. Return to oven and bake until the crumbs are browned.

--WILD RICE CRANBERRY STUFFING (adapted from Whole Foods Market)

2 T olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
7 cups broth (pink swayers may use low-sodium)
2 teaspoons salt (pink swayers may omit)
2 cups uncooked wild rice or wild rice mix
2 cups uncooked basmati rice
2 cups dried cranberries (or golden raisins_
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 1/2 cups walnuts (or pecans), toasted and chopped
Pepper to taste

Cook onions over med. heat in oil until soft , 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add broth and salt if desired and and bring to a boil. Stir in wild rice, cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 45 minutes.

Stir in basmati, cover and simmer until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes longer. Stir in cranberries, parsley, thyme, and walnuts, cover and cook for 5 minutes more. Season with pepper and additional salt to taste.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9- x 13-inch baking dish. Transfer rice mixture to dish and bake until light golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

--CRANBERRY CHIPOTLE RELISH (adapted from the Neely’s)

2 T butter (or margarine if you MUST)
1 shallot, chopped
¼ t salt (pink swayers can eliminate this)
4 c (1 pound) cranberries
1 c golden raisins
½ c orange juice
½ c water
1 c sugar
1 chipotle chili (in adobo) seeded and minced

Saute shallot in butter till soft. Stir in salt till dissolved. Add remaining ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 12-15 minutes until cranberries pop and sauce thickens.

--CARROT CAKE

(note - the original recipe I adapted this from, called for 3, 8 inch cake pans, but most people only have two. I made it successfully in my lasagna pan.)

2 ½ c flour
2 t baking soda
1 t pumpkin pie spice
1 t cinnamon
½ t salt (pink swayers may omit)
11/2 c sugar
1 ¼ c veg oil
4 eggs
1 ½ t vanilla
3 large shredded carrots
1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple (undrained)
1 c walnuts
1 c golden raisins

1 lb cream cheese
4 T butter (softened)
1 t vanilla
3 c confectioners’ sugar

Chopped walnuts

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside. With a handheld mixer, cream together sugar, oil, and 1 ½ t of the vanilla. Gradually add dry ingredients until smooth (don’t overbeat.) Fold in carrots, pineapple, raisins, and the 1 c walnuts. Pour into prepared (greased and floured pans, either 3 8 inch pans or one really big lasagna-sized pan. Bake at 350 until done and cool.

While cake bakes, beat cream cheese, softened butter, the 1 t vanilla, until fluffy. Add confectioners’ sugar a bit at a time until it’s incorporated. Once cake is cool, frost and sprinkle with additional chopped walnuts if desired.

[Out of the Blue]

YAY! More recipes!!! I'm an "in-betweener" for 2 meals on the weekend and also for special occasions so this is awesome!

[atomic sagebrush]

ooo I almost forgot that I made this thread too! Bump!

[djmommy]

YUM! Some good stuff on here. Not even dieting either

[atomic sagebrush]

There should be two other ones that I bumped, one in the blue section and one in pink.