Grilled Sweet-Potato Rounds With Chorizo Substitute tempeh for the chorizo to make the perfect vegetarian bite. Get the recipe at “Celebrate! A Holiday Party Menu.”
Zucchini-Ricotta Pinwheels Not a zucchini fan? Try skinny Japanese eggplant instead. Get the recipe at “Celebrate! A Holiday Party Menu.”
Bacon-Wrapped Dates You may also want to try these succulent little bites with dried figs instead of dates. Get the recipe at “Celebrate! A Holiday Party Menu.”
Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus For a sweeter taste, try wrapping prosciutto around melon or even pear slices. Get the recipe at “Celebrate! A Holiday Party Menu.”
White Bean and Roasted Garlic Paté Pair this dip with whole-grain crusty bread or vegetable crudité.
Raw Kale Salad Combining finely chopped kale with lemon and olive oil — then gently massaging them together — breaks down kale’s stiffness and bitterness, leaving you with tender greens bursting with flavor.
Wild-Style Salad Featured in Terry Bryant and Anna Lappé’s cookbook, Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen (Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2006), this salad combines flavor, style and whole foods for a delicious effect.
Winter Citrus Salad This salad from Myra Kornfeld’s The Healthy Hedonist Holidays (Simon & Schuster, 2007) combines parsley, fennel, naval oranges and walnuts for a healthy and flavorful start to your meal.
Sweet Potato and Collard Greens Salad Quick to prepare, this combination of superfoods makes a colorful side dish. You can substitute Swiss chard, spinach or kale for the collards.
Warm Citrus Black Lentil & Quinoa Salad Black beluga lentils are a perfect base for a quick, light salad. As an alternative to citrus, you can try other fruits, such as unsweetened dried apricots, raisins or dates.
Chopped Vegetable and Bean Salad This simple salads is a tasty way to get more vegetables into your meal.
Winter Salad Served over supergreens like baby kale, spinach and beet greens, this hearty salad makes a fresh and flavorful meal. Try dried cherries, blueberries or diced dried apricots in place of the cranberries; substitute toasted pecans, almonds or walnuts for the pumpkin seeds. Get the recipe at “Quinoa: The Super Seed.”
Classic Roast Turkey There’s nothing quite like a classic Thanksgiving meal of turkey, stuffing and gravy. In this case, we recommend choosing a free-range heritage turkey for richer flavor and better nutrition.
Roast Carrots Roasting is a quick and easy way to bring out the flavor and sweetness of carrots. You an also try steaming or glazing them.
Molasses, Miso & Maple Candied Sweet Potatoes Miso gives this dish earthy, savory saltiness, putting a twist on the traditional candied sweet potatoes. A little maple syrup adds a bit of sweetness.
Get the Molasses, Miso and Maple Candied Sweet Potatoes Recipe
Black Bean and Squash Chili With Tempeh Nothing beats vegetarian chili for a protein-packed dinner. This colorful version includes lots of veggies to round out the beans. Get the recipe at “The Hearty Vegetarian.”
Braised Baby Bok Choy With Pancetta, Garlic and Sherry Although bok choy is typically paired with Asian flavors, this recipe shows its versatility. Serve with roasted or grilled meat or seafood. For a vegetarian option, use toasted walnuts instead of pancetta for a rich flavor with some crunch, and a dash of Spanish paprika for a smoky hit. Get the recipe at “Bok Choy.”
Bacon-Braised Brussels Sprouts Bacon and Brussels sprouts is a natural pairing, but if you are a vegetarian, try a vegetarian tempeh bacon or just add a little smoked Spanish paprika. Get the recipe at “Brussels Sprouts: Autumn Jewels.”
Pumpkin Gratin With Pistachios Food critic and cookbook author Patricia Wells adds a new twist to a staple winter vegetable in her cookbook Vegetable Harvest: Vegetables at the Center of the Plate (William Morrow Cookbooks, 2007).
Delicata Squash, Dino Kale & Cranberries This beautiful dish from Deborah Madison’s One Bite at a Time: Nourishing Recipes for Cancer Survivors and Their Friends (Celestial Arts, 2004) is a combination of flavors — a little bit sweet, a little bit astringent.
Get the Delicata Squash With Dino Kale and Cranberries Recipe
Italian Roasted Asparagus With Walnuts and Parmesan Cheese A quick side dish that can be adapted in so many ways. Try a different combination of citrus, nuts and cheese, such as orange zest, pistachio and Pecorino. For a cheeseless version, try lime zest, almonds and fine shredded coconut. Get the recipe at “Asparagus: A Spring Classic.”
Sautéed Beet Greens With Smoked Sausage To turn this hearty main dish into a side dish, cut out the sausage completely or include only half the amount. Get the recipe at “Sweet Beets.”
Kale, Bell Peppers and Pine Nuts This simple-to-make side can become a main dish by adding kidney beans after sautéing the kale. Top with a shaving of Pecorino Romano cheese.
Brussels Sprouts Kimchi With Peppers and Carrots Traditionally made with cabbage or bok choy, the Korean dish kimchi is also a great vehicle for Brussels sprouts. This recipe take a little time but is well worth the effort. Kimchi is wonderful served with meat, eggs, vegetables and rice. Get the recipe at “Brussels Sprouts: Autumn Jewels.”
Slow-Roasted Lamb Shoulder Enjoy this delectable lamb shoulder as an alternative to other meats for the holidays. If you can’t get lamb shoulder, leg of lamb will work nicely; just cook it a little longer. Get the recipe at “Hero Foods.”
Braised Green Beans Chef Nate Appleman features this delicious southern-Italian side dish of green beans with pork and soffrito in his cookbook A16: Food + Wine (Ten Speed Press, 2008).
Beets and Their Greens Chef and author Deborah Madison’s beautiful and delicious recipe for this root vegetable is featured in her cookbook Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating From America’s Farmers’ Markets (Broadway Books, 2008).
Get the Beets and Their Greens With Marjoram and Pine Nuts Recipe
Spiced Caramel Corn This recipe from Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Cooking cookbook (Celestial Arts, 2007) makes a fresh, crunchy, family-pleasing treat that kids can help prepare.
Blackberry and Almond Crumble Chopped almonds give the topping a great little crunch and, along with the berries, offset the pro-inflammatory effects of the sugar. Get the recipe at “Hero Foods.”
Chocolate Mousse A small portion of this rich indulgence is just right. The traditional French method calls for raw eggs, so make sure you use fresh, organic, pastured eggs. Get the recipe at “Redefining Decadence With Gluten-Free Desserts.”
We dug through our archives to gather some of our favorite seasonal recipes for you and yours to enjoy this holiday season.
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