Healthy Holiday Recipes

Healthy holiday recipes are everywhere for the cook who enjoys preparing wonderful meals for the family. A trip to both the organic section of the grocery store and the health food store should yield all of the needed ingredients one needs to create the dish correctly. The taste buds will have quite an awakening if healthy recipes are a new introduction into the family diet. Fixing holiday appetizer recipes will be a great way to introduce not only the family, but friends and co-workers as well into the world of healthful eating, but in a fun and relaxed way.

Holiday appetizer recipes are available for any holiday throughout the year, whether for New Years Day, St. Patrick's Day, and Memorial Day, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas. Many appetizer recipes which are not considered to be healthy can be made so simply by changing out a few of the ingredients for more healthful ones. For example, instead of sour cream, use plain yogurt. Instead of using refined sugars, use honey or fruit juice. Instead of using white bleached flours, the cook can use natural whole wheat, ground Quinoa, or buckwheat flours. Throwing in a little ground up flax seed will make the recipe especially vitamin enriched, and can serve to bolster the memory too! By using ingredients that are not processed so much, more flavor and vitamins are introduced into the food making it taste better, and the body will love it too.

Healthy holiday recipes don't have to be loaded with salt, sugar and fat to be tasty. Take some time before the holidays to begin experimenting with those traditional recipes to see what changes can be made to reduce the salt, fat and sugars. Instead of using real butter or vegetable oils, use olive oil and olive oil based fats which are much healthier. Instead of using salt, experiment with herbs to give the recipes special distinctive flavors that complement the food in which it is being used. Try using natural fruits when baking meats. For example, adding prunes, apples and some citrus fruits to the baking pan with the meat will help the meat to come out with a wonderful sweet flavor without it becoming dry. The moisture in the fruits retains the moisture!

Remember all those years of mashed potatoes and sweet potato casseroles? How about switching this year to a wonderful risotto made with brown or basmati rice? Make the rice dish with low-sodium broths and add winter squash and green peas for a colorful substitute for boring mashed potatoes. The dish will be much healthier too! Creating new dishes makes the cooking experience much more fun and interesting. Who doesn't appreciate variety in what is eaten during the holidays? Serving healthy holiday recipes in imaginative serving ware will set the mood for a festive time around the dinner table. For that special home made aroma and touch at dinner time, be sure to serve up some hot home made wheat rolls with herbs in them!

Holiday appetizer recipes can be whipped up in a jiffy by using fresh fruit spread, hummus, herbed olive oil and pita bread, fresh yogurt or a variety of other ready to use ingredients. How about stuffed mushroom caps for a tantalizing start to a meal? Why not whip up some home made bruschetta with goat cheese, or wrap up some fresh steamed seasoned vegetables with dill sauce? Just a little imagination and a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables can be the foundation for some wonderful original holiday appetizer recipes that guests will be knocking down the cook to take home with them! God has provided a wonderful array of food choices for mankind. "Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth forever" (Psalms 136:25 KJV).

Fixing healthy holiday recipes do not have to be contained to dinners. When guests are staying for the holidays, a wonderful breakfast can be offered up with in a fresh new way. Use olive oil to create a great omelet with organic eggs, summer squash and Romano cheese. Mix it up a little bit and make the omelets to order using different kinds of vegetables and cheeses to please all the palates in the house. Use asparagus, carrots, fresh herbs like dill and basil, add chopped tomatoes on the top with fresh scallions. In order to boost the iron content of the food, add some fresh spinach. Yum, yum! For a nice change in beverage, try serving fresh cold vegetable and fruit juices like mango, papaya or tomato juice. If someone decides to skip the omelets, suggest whipping up a fruit yogurt smoothie that is refreshing and will satisfy the most stubborn hunger. This drink is a great way to begin the day on a healthy note.

When it is time to serve dessert, use fresh fruits for that too. Healthy holiday recipes are filled with anti-oxidants that repair the tissues of the body and can even slow the aging process! Use walnuts, cinnamon, figs and maple syrup for baked apples instead of fattening apple pie or heavy cakes. This dessert is light but satisfies that craving for apple and cinnamon found in many heavy traditional desserts. For an especially easy dessert for vegetarians, blend bananas and tofu for a refrigerated pudding dessert that is cholesterol free and tasty too. Creating healthy holiday appetizer recipes and healthy dishes in general will help anyone with allergies that may be hesitant to dig in when visiting homes for meals over the holidays. What better way to put guests with allergies at ease than to offer allergy-free versions of favorite holiday meals? The guests will love the cook and will appreciate the extra special effort that went into the preparation of the food.

No matter what the meal or time of the year, there is always a healthier alternative to those traditional fat and sugar laden recipes to turn to. Start the next New Year right and begin eating right for a long and healthful life!

Add to: File Insurance Business article Teen Photo Images