During the holidays, we tend to eat a lot of tasty, thought not-so-healthy foods. I like to balance that with some healthy holiday recipes. In recent years, I have become increasingly aware of the concept of eating with the seasons – a topic I’ll come back to at a later date. For now, I’ll just let you know that bitter greens, such as kale, and cruciferous veggies like cauliflower and broccoli are in season here in South Texas.
Kale – Healthy Holiday Recipes
I’ll be honest and tell you that before I started visiting farmers markets on a regular basis, I knew very little about kale. In fact, I was not very good at cooking vegetables at all. I bought vegetables primarily in the freezer section of the store. Now, I cook vegetables all the time and love it. I’m even working on a vegetable cookbook for the non-veggie cooker. It’s called Veggies 101.
For now, I have two kale recipes for you. The first one is called Braised Kale. It involves bacon, which makes almost anything better. Recently, I have used the same basic recipe for other greens including bokchoy and mustard greens. Yum! You can find my braised kale recipe here.
The other kale recipe is for Easy Kale Salad. This is a festive looking salad that is best made in advance so that the flavors get a chance to mingle and get to know each other. It’s a great salad because kale doesn’t like to wilt! You can find my recipe here.
Some Healthy Recipes for the holidays! #healthyrecipes #happyhealthypositive Click To Tweet
Cauliflower – Healthy Holiday Recipes
I never knew what to do with cauliflower for years. I had two options: steam it or cut it raw and put in salads. Steaming was ok, but bland. And a single head of cauliflower would go a very long time when used only for salads.
Our go-to cauliflower recipe now is Garlicky Roasted Cauliflower. It’s fast and easy to prepare and always tastes delicious. You can find the recipe here.
Do you like Macaroni and Cheese but wish it were healthier? You may want to try this Cauliflower and Cheese recipe. It uses cauliflower in place of the macaroni. Find that recipe here.
Lastly, I have a suggestion without the actual recipe. This idea comes from my sister. Whenever she makes mashed potatoes, she uses half cauliflower and half potatoes. Shhh, don’t tell her kids. In fact, one time she was out of cauliflower and her son remarked that the mashed potatoes didn’t taste right!
What health holiday recipes do you plan to make?
- Cole Slaw – For Your Picnic or Barbecue - July 15, 2021
- Sautéed Squash Medley – Yellow Squash and Zucchini - July 8, 2021
- Making Ratatouille - July 7, 2021
