Sandra Lee's Stress-Free Holiday Recipes

It's holiday time. Here comes the shopping, the parties, and the food. "Decking the Halls" can be stressful, but the Food Network's Sandra Lee has some great tips on how to eat a healthy holiday meal without the hassle.

“So whether you are using an heirloom recipe or something a little bit more modern, the point is to cut down on the time with semi-homemade without sacrificing any flavor” according to Lee, which gives you more time to make the holidays memorable with your family and friends.

Click here to watch a cooking demonstration with Sandra Lee

To get ready for your own stress-free healthy holiday, Lee shares some semi-homemade recipes:

Hot Artichoke Dip

Serving Size: 10

2/3 cup fat-free Italian dressing - Kraft

1/3 cup light mayonnaise - Best Foods

1/3 cup fat-free sour cream - Knudson

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese - DiGiorno

2 cans (15oz) artichoke quarters in water - Maria — drained and chopped

5 ounces low-fat Swiss cheese - Alpine Lace — grated

1 can (15oz) organic diced tomatoes with basil and garlic - Muir Glen — drained

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce — or more if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 1-quart baking dish with olive oil cooking spray; set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together salad dressing, mayonnaise, sour cream, and parmesan until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Transfer to prepared baking dish. Bake in preheated oven 40 to 45 minutes, until set and top is golden brown.

Serve with crudités or baked corn chips.

Yield: "1 quart"

You will need:

1-quart baking dish

Olive oil cooking spray - Mazola Pure

Medium bowl

Whisk

Haricots Verts with Shaved Parmesan

? pound ready to cook haricots verts

2 tablespoons sour cream, or low-fat sour cream

1 teaspoons lemon juice

? cup shaved parmesan

Freshly ground black pepper

Place haricots verts in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover and cook on HIGH for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove and drain, if necessary. In a small bowl, whisks together sour cream and lemon juice. Pour over haricots verts and toss to coat. 2. Serve immediately with shaved Parmesan and Freshly ground pepper.

Crown Roast w/Sourdough Dressing

5 tbsps Worcestershire sauce

1 packet (1.2 oz) green peppercorn marinade mix

1 packet (1 oz) zesty herb seasoning mix

1 7 to 8 pound pork crown roast

Sourdough Dressing

4 sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

1 packet (0.9 oz) onion mushroom soup mix

1 can (16 oz) fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth

1 can (10 oz) condensed golden mushroom soup

6 cups sourdough croutons

1/3 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves, chopped

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. For crown roast, in a shallow roasting pan, combine the Worcestershire sauce, green peppercorn marinade mix, and herb seasoning mix. Place crown roast, bone ends up, in pan. Wrap bone ends with aluminum foil to prevent them from browning too quickly. Using a pastry brush or spoon, coat the entire meat surface with the sauce mixture. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes per pound of meat (2 ½ to 3 ½ hours). For sourdough dressing, in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, brown the sausages. Add the onion mushroom soup mix, broth, and soup. Stir in crouton, parsley, thyme, and marjoram. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove roast from oven about 45 minutes before it is done. Fill the cavity with sourdough dressing. Retune roast to oven and cook for remaining 45 minutes. Transfer roast to a platter and remove foil from bone ends.

Note: Bake any left over stuffing in a separate dish alongside roast for remaining 45 minutes.

Almond Joy Layer Cake

2 (8-inch) round, sore bought chocolate cake layers

2 cans (16 oz. each) chocolate frosting, divided

2 teaspoons almond extract, divided

1 cup flake coconut

1 package (2 oz) nut topping

Cut each cake layer in half horizontally to make a total of four layers. In a small bowl, stir together 1 container of chocolate frosting, 1 teaspoon of the almond extract, the coconut and nut topping. To assemble cake: Spread chocolate-coconut filling mixture evenly on 3 of the layers. Place the fourth layer on top. Stir remaining 1 teaspoon almond extract into remaining container of chocolate frosting and frost outside of cake.

For more recipes and information go to www.semihomemade.com