7 Delicious Vegetable Dishes for Your Holiday Table
(Gabriel Bucataru/Stocksy)
When it comes to holiday meals, my foodie family isn’t interested in tinkering around with lighter spins on the classics. We use real cream in our mashed potatoes, regular sausage in our stuffing, and plenty of butter in the pie crusts (along with vodka … but that’s a story for another blog).
Despite the decadent offerings, I’ve found an easy way to achieve balance and a semblance of moderation using a strategy I actually rely on year-round. I dedicate half of my dinner plate to vegetables (and fruits, such as cranberry relish), so I start out with a healthy and filling base layer. The remaining half gets filled with turkey, of course, along with modest portions of heavier sides like mashed potatoes and stuffing. Some of the veggie dishes may be a bit richer than those I typically make at home — since there’s often butter, cheese, or bacon involved — but they’re still a lower-calorie alternative to starchy fixings.
To help you round out your holiday table with more nutrient-rich produce options, I’m sharing eight scrumptious, seasonal recipes and ideas that I’ve tried and loved, or plan to make this year. I hope they inspire you to go heavy on the veggies and fruit, and to treat your friends and family to the delicious bounty the season brings.
1. Brussels Sprouts
Crispy, roasted Brussels sprouts are a mainstay at our holiday feasts, and I find that they’re equally appreciated by both veggie lovers and the meat-and-potatoes crew alike. My basic method is to trim the stems, halve the sprouts, and roast at 425 degrees for about 20 to 25 minutes, giving the veggies a toss halfway through for even browning. You can add pizzazz with any number of tasty accoutrements: toasted walnuts, hazelnuts, bacon, pancetta, blue cheese, balsamic vinegar, or maple syrup.
2. Winter Salad
Starting the meal with a generous serving of salad — or a broth-based soup, like pureed butternut — is a smart way to take the edge off your hunger, especially if your holiday schedule has you eating later in the day than you usually do. This bitter and sweet blend of kale, radicchio, raw Brussels sprouts, cranberries, and shaved Parmesan from Ina Garten caught my eye. You can easily slim down the dressing by using less olive oil and more lemon juice, and it will be just as tasty if you use a lighter hand with the dried fruit and cheese.
3. Crudités
As an alternative to a salad course, you could also prime the big meal with a giant crudités platter piled high with colorful raw veggies. In addition to the usual suspects, consider mixing in seasonal offerings like endive leaves, blanched green beans, fennel, radishes, and cauliflower florets. For a figure-friendly dip, I love the looks of this healthy spin on blue cheese dressing made with low-fat yogurt in place of sour cream or mayo.
4. Best-Ever Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Last year, my husband tried a new technique for making mashed sweet potatoes from Serious Eats’s acclaimed blogger and culinary genius J. Kenji López-Alt. Kenji slow-roasts the spuds whole in a 300-degree oven for two hours to facilitate the conversion of their starches into sugar. The finished product is mind-blowingly good (seriously). The potatoes are so insanely sweet and silky smooth that you don’t need to add anything other than a splash of milk or orange juice to achieve the perfect whipped consistency — and maybe a garnish of toasted, chopped pecans for crunch. This recipe is a must-make, trust me.
5. Roasted Delicata Squash
This winter squash is a new favorite of mine. It has an addictively sweet, caramelized flavor, and the skin is thin enough that you don’t have to peel it (three cheers for easy prep). I split the squashes lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and cut each piece into half-inch-thick crescent shapes. Arrange the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast at 425 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes per side. I serve them straight-up, but the roasted slices (or cubes) would also make a great addition to a leafy salad.
6. Green Beans
For a simple dish that highlights rather than masks the vegetable’s natural flavor and crisp texture, sauté some thinly sliced shallots and maybe some mushrooms in olive oil in a large pan, deglaze with a little sherry, and toss in a big bunch of blanched green beans. This side is ready in a flash and doesn’t take up any precious oven space.
7. Veggie-Stuffed Mushrooms
This year, I’m planning to make my own spin on these spinach-artichoke stuffed mushrooms à la Rachael Ray as an addition to our appetizer spread. Earthy criminis are filled with a blend of frozen, chopped spinach, artichoke hearts, and nutty Parmesan instead of the typical sausage (there’s more than enough of that in the stuffing!). I’ll likely go short on the cheese and use whole milk in place of heavy cream to make them a touch trimmer, and substitute walnuts for the pine nuts, since high demand for the latter is threatening their sustainability.
And One More Fruit Option: Pear and Goat Cheese Bites
I couldn’t resist sharing this fruit-forward app from the food blog Sweet Potato Chronicles since it was such a hit at the New Year’s Eve feast my husband and I hosted last year. They look elegant and chic arranged simply on a platter, but could not be easier to throw together: Just spread thin slices of pear with a dab of goat cheese, and sprinkle with pistachios and dried cranberries. I love that fiber-rich fruit replaces the usual refined carb cracker. You could even serve these two-bite treats alongside pie for a lower-sugar addition to your dessert offerings.
This article originally appeared on EverydayHealth.com: 7 Delicious Vegetable Dishes for Your Holiday Table
By Johannah Sakimura, RD, Everyday Health Columnist
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