Toasting a healthy Thanksgiving: No butter, cream, antibiotics or turkey

A luxurious Wild Red King Crab Salad, dressed with Dijon mustard, extra-virgin olive oil and fresh lime juice, includes sweet peppers, red onion and diced carrots.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

The Red King Crab Salad I just made for Thanksgiving is chilling in the refrigerator, and the Argentine Red Shrimp I plan to grill on the stove top are defrosting next to it.

This year, we didn't make our annual trek to the Goffle Road Poultry Farm in Wyckoff, where we usually buy naturally raised turkey parts -- the flavorful dark meat -- instead of a whole bird.

But to satisfy the meat eaters in the family and a couple of guests I did buy a fully cooked Applewood Smoked Uncured Petite Ham from Whole Foods Market in Paramus ($7.99 a pound).

The 3.4-pound Niman Ranch ham was raised on a vegetarian diet without harmful antibiotics.

The ham is being heated in the oven now, and I've already roasted 2 pounds of fresh Brussels Sprouts with olive oil, sea salt and other seasoning.

That's not all

Meanwhile, my wife has prepared oxtail, barbecued chicken, rice with peas and cole slaw for our son, who is home from college, and two of his friends, who showed up unexpectedly and spent the night here.

I made the Red King Crab Salad from fully cooked legs my wife bought at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro on Tuesday (3.06 pounds at $19.99 a pound).

Each of the four legs, with meaty knuckles, was about 2 feet long.

If need be, we also can have baked organic sweet potatoes or mashed organic sweet potatoes with extra-virgin olive oil I made on Wednesday.

At dinner, we plan to toast our good fortune with a Bellini, a cocktail made with Prosecco and peach nectar, both from Italy.

Argentine Red Shrimp can be deveined or grilled on the stove top head and all. I plan to marinate them in fresh lime juice first.

A great piece of fish and more at Jerry's Gourmet in Englewood

A beautiful piece of grouper with aromatic roasted peppers was the centerpiece of a restaurant-quality takeout dinner from Jerry's Gourmet & More in Englewood.

Editor's note: In Englewood, you can't go wrong stopping for takeout from Jerry's Gourmet & More or enjoying an omelet and home fries in a booth at Jackson Hole.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I was lucky on my Wednesday visit to Jerry's Gourmet & More in Englewood to find four Meals To Go in the refrigerated case, all with fish.

I picked two with a great fish, grouper; tricolor penne in a Bolognese sauce and vegetables ($7.99).

Two other dinners were made with farmed tilapia. 

After 4 p.m., the pork, chicken or seafood dinners are reduced to $5.99, if there are any left. A week earlier, there were none.

This week, my wife had Grouper Oreganato and I enjoyed Grouper with Roasted Peppers, Artichoke Salad and Carrots with Oil and Garlic.

In Jerry's back room, you'll find 2.2-pound bags of coffee beans from Italy for as little as $9.99 a pound; Garofalo whole-wheat pasta, including the hard-to-find, mouth-filling Pappardelle; and Ponti-brand vinegars for 99 cents to $1.99 for a half-liter bottle.

Jerry's Gourmet & More, 410 S. Dean St., Englewood; 1-201-871-7108.

The label of my wife's dinner. At home, I plated and heated up my dinner in the microwave, poured a glass of red wine and finished with a salad of Earthbound Farm Organic Spring Mix and tomatoes.

At Jerry's, the refrigerated case holding Meals To Go also offers salads made with kale or farro, Jerry's Homemade Italian Dressing, sandwiches and other items. In another case, I saw a large Caesar Salad with Chicken for $5.99.

Jerry's Italian Dressing, here with Earthbound Farm Organic Spring Mix and tomatoes from our garden, is made with canola and extra-virgin olive oils, red onion, fresh garlic, anchovy, mustard, red vinegar, salt and pepper ($3.49).

In yet another refrigerated case, I saw this 32-ounce jar of Tripe Soup.

A Bellini cocktail is a mixture of Prosecco sparkling wine and peach puree or nectar, available at Jerry's. I use Kirkland Signature Prosecco, imported from Italy by Costco Wholesale ($6.99).

Jackson Hole may be known for burgers, but its menu also lists more than a dozen omelets, including this Spinach Omelet with Home Fries ($8.50). Toast, coffee or tea and a small glass of orange juice is included.

The beautifully restored classic Jersey diner, above and below, is at 362 Grand Ave., in Englewood (1-201-871-7444), a few blocks from Jerry's. Most of the seating is in booths, and the service is excellent.