Having a difficult time coming up with healthful, delicious recipes for the holiday season? Stress no more! Below is a list of wonderful recipes, websites and cookbooks that have healthy ideas for a great Thanksgiving feast or Christmas celebration. I even included a Thanksgiving Day menu you can use as a guide for your own menu.
Appetizer: Kale Salad
Recipe: Courtesy of Leann Brown, Good and Cheap Cookbook
Ingredients: Salad: 1 large bunch kale, 2 cups croutons, 2 tbsp butter, salt and pepper, freshly grated Romano or parmesan cheese.
Dressing: 1 egg yolk, 2 tsp lemon juice, 2 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 clove garlic (minced), 1 anchovy (finely chopped), 3 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper.
*** If immune compromised buy a commercial dressing***
Directions: Dressing: drop the egg yolk into a large mixing bowl and add the lemon juice, mustard, garlic and anchovy. Whisk briskly until the dressing is light and frothy. Slowly add the olive oil and whisk the whole time. Once everything has been incorporated, add the salt and pepper and adjust to your taste. You can add more of whatever ingredient you would like.
Salad: Cut the kale leaves to remove the large stem in the center. Slice the leaves into small strips and toss the kale in a bowl to coat it with dressing. Set aside for 10 minutes and allow the kale to marinate in the dressing. Before serving, toss croutons and top with cheese.
Entrée: Roast Chicken
Recipe: Courtesy of Leann Brown, Good and Cheap Cookbook
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken, 1 tbsp butter or olive oil, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 lemon, salt and pepper
Directions: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Remove neck and giblets from the chicken (save for gravy). Rub the entire bird with butter and salt and pepper. Mince the garlic and cut your lemon in half, then put both the garlic and lemon inside the chicken’s belly. Cook the chicken in a roasting pan for one hour. Check to see if the chicken has reached 165 degrees F, if so, take the chicken out of the oven and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. You can season more if needed with Lemon, salt and pepper.
Other ideas: add a rosemary sprig with the lemon and garlic for more flavor.
Sides (2): Roasted Vegetables
Recipe: Courtesy of Ree Drummond, Pioneer Woman
Ingredients: 1 eggplant, 1 red pepper, 1 bunch asparagus, 1 red onion, 8oz mushrooms, ½ of a whole butternut squash, 3 cloves garlic, salt and pepper, 1 tsp any seasoning of your choice, 1/3 cup olive oil
Directions: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Cut all of the vegetables into bite size pieces. Add minced garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and choice of seasoning to the vegetables (it’s best to mix all ingredients in a large bowl). After all the vegetables are mixed well, place them evenly on a baking sheet lined with foil. Cook for about 20-30 minutes or until vegetables are nicely roasted.
Other Ideas: Instead of seasoning, try 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (REALLY GOOD).
Sweet Potato Casserole with a Crunchy Pecan Oat Topping
Recipe: Courtesy of Erin, Well-Plated Blog
Ingredients: For the Sweet Potatoes: 4-5 Large sweet potatoes, 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 2 vanilla beans/2 tablespoons vanilla extract, 2 tbsp coconut oil (melted), ¾ tsp ground cinnamon, ¾ tsp salt, ½ tsp nutmeg, ¼ tsp white pepper.
For the Pecan Oat Topping: 1 1/3 cups old fashioned rolled oats, 1 cup chopped pecans (untoasted), ½ cup almond meal, ¼ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp salt, 5 tbps coconut oil (melted), 1 tbsp maple syrup.
Directions: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and lightly grease a 9×13 casserole dish. Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork and place them on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake the potatoes until tender (about 1 hour), remove from oven and let cool (about 5 mins). Peel and discard the skins and break the potatoes in large chunks with a fork. Put all the chunks in a bowl. Pour the almond milk into a small saucepan. Split the vanilla beans and scrape the seeds into the pan and add the empty pods into the pan too. Simmer the milk over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not let the milk boil. Remove from heat and let the vanilla steep. Remove the vanilla bean pods from the saucepan, and pour the almond milk into the bowl with the potato chunks. Add the melted coconut oil, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and white pepper. Mash the potatoes together with milk and spices or beat gently with the mixer until fairly smooth. Put the potato mixture into the casserole dish and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the topping ingredients: oats, pecans, almond meal, cinnamon, salt, coconut oil, and maple syrup until moist and evenly mixed. Sprinkle over sweet potatoes and bake until topping is toasted (about 20 minutes).
Dessert: Pumpkin Pie
Recipe: Courtesy of Minimalist Baker
Ingredients: Crust: 6 tbsp cold butter, 1 ¼ cup Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Flour, ¼ tsp salt, 4-6 tbsp ice cold water.
Filling: 2 ¾ cups pumpkin puree, ¼ cup maple syrup, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup unsweetened plain almond milk, 1 tbsp olive oil, or melted coconut oil, 2 ½ tbsp cornstarch, 1 ¾ tsp pumpkin pie spice, ¼ tsp sea salt.
Directions: For the crust, add gluten free flour and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine the ingredients. Slice the butter and work gently into the flour mixture. Next, add the ice cold water a little at a time and stir with a wooden spoon. Once dough is formed, transfer a it to a piece of plastic wrap and cover completely. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Next, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare the pie filling. Add all the pie ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Next unwrap the dough and place between two pieces of wax paper. Use a rolling pin to gently roll out the pie crust to fit the pie dish. Place the crust in the dish and put the filling on top. Bake in the oven for about 1 hour or until the crust is golden brown. Remove and let cool, then cover and place in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours to completely set.
For other great recipes, check out Food Network, eatingwell.com, cooking light, Good and Cheap Cookbook, and Good Housekeeping Cookbook.
Blog by: Emily Hamm, MS Candidate in Nutrition at UNCG