By Orlando Ramirez
The Press-Enterprise

 As good as the stars may be, the supporting players often steal the show. It's the same with the Thanksgiving meal.

 Turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes hog all the attention, but often it's the side dishes that kick the meal up a notch.

 Because stuffing and mashed potatoes are heavy and mushy in texture, when planning Thanksgiving side dishes look for bright flavors and crisp textures to offer contrast.

 Following are a collection of side-dish recipes that cover a range of styles, from low-fat to luxurious.

 And they can be made ahead and transported if a Thanksgiving potluck is part of your plan.

 Herbed Cheese Dip

 2 cups low-fat cottage cheese

 3 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise

 1 tablespoon coarse Dijon mustard

 1 tablepoon and lemon juice

1/2 cup chopped scallions

 2 tablespoons parsley

 Salt and pepper

 In a food processor, combine cottage cheese, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard and lemon juice. Process until smooth. Stir in scallions, parsley and salt and pepper.

 (Recipe from "American Medical Association Family Health Cookbook: Good Food That's Good for You" -- Pocket Books).

 Grapefruit, Avocado and Spinach Salad

 1 large bunch fresh spinach (about 1 1/2 pounds)

 3 Texas red grapefruit

 2 ripe avocados

 2/3 cup Grapefruit Vinaigrette, or equal portions of bottled poppyseed dressing and balsamic vinaigrette

 Remove stems from spinach. Wash spinach thoroughly and spin or air dry; tear leaves into bite-size pieces. Wrap gently in paper towels and refrigerate in zip-top bags until ready to toss salad.

 Peel and section grapefruit. Slice avocados into quarters, then cut each slice into 2-inch chunks.

 At serving time, toss spinach with vinaigrette. Add grapefruit and avocados and gently toss again. Or, arrange grapefruit and avocado slices decoratively on bed of dressed spinach on individual serving plates. Pass additional dressing, if desired. Makes 8 servings.

 Grapefruit Vinaigrette

 Juice of 1 grapefruit

 Juice of 1 lemon

 Juice of 1 orange

 1 teaspoon sugar

 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar

1/2 cup corn oil or half corn oil and half olive oil

 Salt to taste

 Place juices and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat; reduce to 2 tablespoons. Transfer to a glass bowl and add champagne vinegar. Whisk together while drizzling in corn oil or half corn oil and half olive oil. Salt to taste. Makes about 1 cup.

 Nutrition information per serving: 264 calories, 22 grams fat, 0 cholesterol, 340 milligrams sodium.

 (Recipes from Dallas Morning News.)

 Carrot Soup With Coriander

 1/3 cup (3-ounce) unsalted butter

 1 small yellow onion, diced

 1 tablespoon chopped garlic

 2 pounds carrots (12 to 14), peeled and cut crosswise into slices ?-inch thick

 1 baking potato, 8- to 9-ounce, peeled and cut into small cubes

 1 teaspoon coriander

 4 cups (32-ounce) chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

 2 cups milk or as needed

 Freshly ground pepper

 2 to 3 tablespoons dry sherry

1/2 cup (4-ounce) sour cream

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

 In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. When hot, add the onion and saute, stirring occasionally until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute, stirring, until beginning to change color, 20 to 30 seconds. Add the carrots, potato and coriander and saute, stirring a couple of times, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the stock, sugar and salt and raise the heat to medium. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover partially and continue simmering until the vegetables are soft when pierced with the tip of a knife, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the heat.

 In a food processor fitted with the metal blade or in a blender, process the vegetables in small batches with their stock until smooth (the soup may be made ahead to this point, covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days).

 Return the puree to the saucepan and add the 2 cups milk and pepper to taste. Place over medium heat and heat almost to a boil. Taste and adjust the seasonings. If the soup is too thick, add milk as needed to thin. Just before serving, stir in the sherry to taste.

 To serve, ladle into warmed soup bowls. Top each bowl with a spoonful of sour cream and a sprinkling of cilantro. Serve at once. Serves 6.

 (Recipe from "Celebrating the Pleasures of Cooking," by Chuck Williams -- Time-Life Books).

 Molded Cranberry Sauce

 1 cup sugar

 1 cup water

 1 envelope unflavored gelatin

 1 (12-ounce) bag (about 3 cups), rinsed and picked over

 1 teaspoon grated lime rind

 Combine the sugar and water in a medium-size nonreactive saucepan and serve until the sugar is dissolved. Sprinkle the gelatin over the sugar water and let stand for 5 minutes to soften gelatin. Set pan over low heat and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Raise heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Stir in cranberries and lime rind and return mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

 Puree half the cranberry mixture in a food processor or blender, then stir back into whole berry mixture. Turn the berry mixture into a well-oiled 2 cup mold. Cool to room temperature, then cover an refrigerate until firm, at least eight hours or overnight.

 To unmold, invert the mold onto a serving plate, then cover mold with a warm, damp towel until cranberry mold slides out easily. Makes six servings.

 (Recipe from "The Thanksgiving Cookbook" by Holly Garrison -- Macmillan).

 Kiwicranpickle

 2 valencia oranges, cut into halves and seeded

 1 1/2 cups fresh dark red cranberries

1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind

 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or to taste

 Sugar

 Salt

 4 large kiwi, peeled and diced into 1/4-inch cubes

 Slice the orange halves, then chop them into large chunks. Put the cranberries into a food processor and pulse 15 seconds twice. Add the oranges and pulse another 15 seconds. The particles of cranberries and orange should not be smaller than 1/8 inch. If the mixture is uneven, remove the larger pieces and finish them by hand. Avoid over-processing to prevent the mixture from liquefying.

 Turn into a small bowl, add the lemon rind, vinegar, sugar and salt to your personal taste, and mix well to homogenize. Keep refrigerated and just before serving, mix in the diced kiwi to prevent it from bleeding its juices. This relish is to be consumed on the same day as it is made.

 (Recipe from "The New Making of a Cook," by Madeleine Kamman -- Morrow).

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