5 Holiday Feast Foods to Feel Good About
The Holidays have become a high stress situation, it seems in the last decade or so, it’s become harder and harder to enjoy the cozy vibes and the family time. Whether it’s from job issues, income issues, family issues, or food and gifts, there’s always a reason to wring my hands during the Holiday season.
So let’s take the stress of eating well off that list.
Holiday foods are tricky to swap or replace, because many of them are traditional, whether that’s Tradition in the family or of the season. A great many people don’t even want to mess with it, forbidden from altering Great Aunt Mary’s famous Holiday Feast. I’ve even had people tell me they don’t ever cook for this feast because So and So does it all and they’re not allowed to!
I say, make your own traditions. I say, you can have all the wonderfully delicious Holiday feast without an ounce of guilt, and knowing that your plate is not only piled high with an array of special homemade goods, but also nourishing and good for you- thats the vibe we want. Without further adou….
Maple Pecan Sweet Potato Bake
In America households everywhere top their sweet potatoes with pounds of butter, brown sugar, and enough marshmallows to make your teeth hurt. I’ve never been a fan, favoring sweet potatoes on their own vs with all that extra stuff. Last year I came up with this version that is still sweet, satisfying, and something I can feel good about eating.
Ingredients
4-5 large sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced thick, or cubed up into bite sized chunks.
2 tablespoons coconut oil, or ghee.
1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, pinch of ground cloves.
6 tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup, divided into 4 and 2.
1 cup of Pecans, whole or rough chopped.
Directions
Preheat your oven to 400°F
First, we need to candy those pecans in the maple syrup. So in a bowl. Pour in your Pecans and pour 2 tbsp of maple syrup over the top. Toss them until they’re well coated, and then, using a fork or slotted spoon, grab them out and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, checking on them often. You don’t want them to burn, but you do want the maple syrup to caramelize onto the pecans. When they’re getting a little crispy but also bubbly with maple sugars, pull them out and let them cool.
Turn your oven down to 350°F
You’re going to need to melt that ghee or coconut oil next. Once its melted, place your sweet potatoes in your baking dish, and toss until everything is well coated.
Now drizzle the 4 tbsp Maple Syrup over the sweet potatoes, and add in the spices. Toss again and get them evenly coated in the syrup-ghee-spices combo.
Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are fork tender. Top with the Pecans, bake for another 10 minutes, and remove from the oven.
Maple sugars have a lower glycemic index than let’s say, marshmallows, which are the traditional topping for sweet potatoes during American holidays. I love sweet potatoes without any added sugars, but paired with pecans and maple syrup, they are absolutely divine. You can definitely eat a serving of this without feeling guilty about all the sugar.
Spiced Cranberry Sauce
We don’t do that weird, canned jelly here. It legit creeps me out when I see it sliced like a loaf to serve. No thanks, I prefer whole berries and to know what that is, exactly.
If you’ve never tried making your own Cranberry sauce, do not fear, I got you. It’s so ridiculously easy and simple, it’s literally 3 ingredients and maybe 20 minutes of your time, and voila! Homemade, and delectable.
Ingredients
2 bags of Whole Fresh Cranberries, roughly 4.5 cups
1- 1.5 cups of brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon, or 1 cinnamon stick.
4 cups of water
Directions
Get yourself a pot big enough to hold all those berries and a little extra. Please, make sure you wash the berries before use. Those things are filthy sometimes. When your berries have bathed, get them in the pot and top them with the brown sugar. Turn your heat onto medium low. Yes, dry in the pot like that, you’ll see.
As your pot begins to heat, grab a spoon, fork, or a potato masher, and begin smashing those berries just a bit, we want to release the juices a little. Now add the cinnamon, and keep stirring, we don’t want caramel but we do need the sugar to melt into the berries.
Get your water, and slowly add in 1 cup, and stir until all the sugar has dissolved and you’re a little closer to berry stew consistency. Add another cup and stir. Depending on how juicy your berries are, you may need to add some more water, or you may be okay with just 2 cups of additional water. You want your berries to be slightly suspended in the water, but we’re not bobbing for cranberries, so not too much loose space between or under them.
Stirring often, bring the heat up to medium and get your berries simmering. There may be foam that rises to the top, scoop it off and dump it.
After about 10 minutes you’ll see that your berry soup is thickening and becoming more jam like. Thats what we want. When you’ve reached ham consistency, turn off the heat and let it cool.
My favorite part about homemade Cranberry sauce is the versatility of the leftovers. If you even have any, we almost never do. But if you do, all it takes is a splash of white wine vinegar and some olive oil and you have an amazing dressing for salads. You can spread it on toast for all the leftover turkey sandwiches, or use it as a garnish for turkey soup. Cranberry sauce can totes be used in cocktails or mocktails too, with a little creativity. Just believe me when I say that canned stuff is overrated and you should try making your own, you won’t be disappointed.
Herbed Goat Cheese Dip/ Spread
This recipe is 100% about pleasure. Goat cheese is creamy, rich, velvety goodness, and it should not be slept on. Spruce up the appetizer table, and eat it on crackers, with veggies, potatoes, crostini, fresh warm bread, or even with the meat from your meal- whether that’s Turkey or Filet Mignon, or Ham- it’s all amazing. Seriously, make this one. Thank me later.
Ingredients
8oz of Plain Goat Cheese
1/4 Cup Cottage Cheese
1/2 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
Dry or Fresh Herbs- Rosemary, Oregano, Sage, Thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 tsp+ Garlic Powder
Directions
If your goat cheese comes as a log, get it out about 20 min before you’re going to make this so it can soften a little. Less stress on the equipment the better.
Get yourself a mixing bowl, because we’re whipping this up with a mixer. Or if you’ve got a food processor, that’s also spectacular. If you’ve got neither, but you’ve got some feelings to work through and a sturdy fork, that will get the job done too, though the result might not be super fluffy. It’s okay, it’s still delicious.
Get your cottage cheese in the bowl or processor first, because we’re gonna smooth it out. Then we’re going to add our goat cheese and yogurt and spices, and blend again. Taste test and adjust spices and salt as needed. When it’s as smooth as smooth gets, it’s ready.
Serve with literally anything. In fact, just show up to dinner with this and set it with the rolls. Everyone will be asking about it once they’ve taken a bite, and you’ll secretly wish you hadn’t shared it with anyone, because it’s so, so good.
Sadly, I don’t have any pictures of this amazing thing, because I’m always too enamored by it to remember until we’re all scraping the bowl. You’ll just have to trust me.
Root Veggie Stuffing
I know, I know, for a lot of people, the bread stuffing in the bird is the best part, and for years it was mine too. But it’s also the one that gave me the most guilt, because I will literally eat a mountain of it, and then feel absolute terrible while my body tries to ingest so many fat soaked carbs.
It took me a while to figure out a healthy alternative, but I developed this recipe years ago, and it’s now a staple that everyone enjoys. Winter is a time for root veggies, and those root veggies happen to have some incredible benefits. We have long referred to winter as Cold Season, and not just because of the temperatures, but because of the influx of bacteria and infections. Guess what is high in Vit A, Zinc, and Vit D, all immune boosting necessities? Root vegetables like Rutabaga, Turnip, Carrot, and Parsnip. Those old school veggies that Granny used to grow in her garden, are immune support powerhouses, not to mention high in fiber, helping you digest the heaping tables of Feast Foods. It’s time to get into some vegetables you may not have ever bought before, and trust the process. ]
Ingredients
1 large Rutabaga, you can easily find them softball size
1-2 Purple Top Turnips- these can also be pretty huge, but we’re trying for equal parts to these root veggies
1 Parsnip- these are really strong in flavor, so only one is needed.
Rainbow Carrots- you can use regular orange ones, but I like the colors. you need about 3
1 large white sweet potato
1 large yellow onion
2 tbsp melted ghee
1/4 cup vegetable broth, or chicken bone broth, or Turkey broth.
Seasoning- 1 tablespoon celery seed,1 tablespoon dried marjoram,1 tablespoon dried rosemary,1 tablespoon dried sage, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tablespoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1.5 Tsp Salt- you will have extra, do not just add all of this.
Photo by Uriel Mont on Pexels.com
Directions
Seasoning- gather all the dried herbs and salt and pepper.
Preheat Oven to 375F
Wash and peel the turnip, rutabaga, parsnip, and carrots. Cube up the turnip and rutabaga, and slice up the parsnip and carrots. Dice or chop your onion. Add all of this to a bowl, and cover with the melted ghee. Add in 1-2 Tablespoons of the seasoning blend, and toss well to coat everything.
You can absolutely stuff a turkey with this, or you can bake it in a separate dish, but there is an extra step before you stuff your bird, if that’s the route you want to take. I’ll put those directions on the bottom of the recipe.
Before you bake this, you need to par cook it in a skillet for about 10 minutes. These root veggies are very dense, which I’m sure you noticed while peeling and chopping them. Their dense texture will soften up really nicely, but they do take a little bit more time to cook. Par cooking them in the skillet also gives them a really beautiful coloring and sets them up for a beautiful crisp edge when they’re done cooking. So heat a large skillet to medium, and get that bowl of veggies in there. Spread them out evenly in the pan and cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring often so everything gets a good start.
Now transfer those babies into a baking vessel of your choice, and add the 1/4 cup of broth to them, pouring over the top so everything gets some moisture. Cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, consider brushing with some extra ghee or broth, and let cook for another 10 minutes or until the top of the dish has become golden and crispy.
Bird Variation: Once your veggies have par-cooked and gotten a little tan, you can scoop them into your bird, making sure to really get all the way in to the back. Fill the cavity with your root veggies just like you would bread stuffing, and bake with your bird for several hours. When they’re done, the front will be crisp and the insides soft and laden with turkey juices.
Serve with Gravy and Cranberry Sauce and eat your heart out.
Roasted Butternut Squash, Kale Salad with Pomegranate Dressing
Hot Salads are a thing, and I think we should stop sleeping on them. They’re delightful on a cold day, and the bright Pomegranate dressing livens things up a bit when you’re tired of the same heavy stuff every Holiday. Bring this to the table and marvel at it.
Photo by Antoni Shkraba on Pexels.com
Ingredients
3 cups Kale, removed from the stem and rough chopped into bite size pieces
2 cups of Cubed Butternut Squash
1 Pomegranate, or 2 POM containers of Pomegranate beads
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil
White Wine vinegar
1/4 tsp sugar or honey
2 tbsp POM juice
Directions
Preheat your oven to 400F
Lay a sheet of parchment paper on your baking pan, and spread out your butternut squash and kale. Drizzle generously with Olive Oil, and massage that kale for 3 minutes until it softens up and is well lubricated. Salt lightly.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
While the main stars of the show are getting baked, lets work on that dressing. In a bowl, start with 1/4 cup Olive Oil, and about half of that in White wine vinegar. Add in the sugar or honey, the POM juice, and about 1/4 tsp of Salt and pepper. Wisk together and taste, you should have a tart but semi sweet dressing.
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
When the oven roasted veggies are tender and yet also crispy on the edges, pull them out and add to a large bowl. Cut open your pomegranate and remove the fruit beads within, or use the POM Beads from the store and add them to the salad, along with the walnuts, green onions, and half of the dressing. Toss well and then taste test and adjust dressing amount as needed.
Tart, Semi-Sweet, Warm, Rich, and your new favorite winter time salad.
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