Tag Archives: Holiday Entertaining

Maple Butternut Squash & Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Leave a reply
}
Maple Butternut Squash, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Pumpkin Seeds, and Cranberries – a perfect Autumn or Winter side dish, bursting with colors and flavors! Healthy, delicious, gluten free recipe packed with veggies.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed, yellow leaves removed
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 1/2 lb butternut squash peeled, seeded, and cubed into 1-inch cubes (Yields about 4 cups of uncooked cubed butternut squash)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 2-4 tablespoons maple syrup optional

Instructions

Roasted Brussels sprouts:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease the foil-lined baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
  2. Make sure Brussels sprouts have trimmed ends and yellow leaves are removed. Then, slice all Brussels sprouts in half. In a medium bowl, combine halved Brussels sprouts, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt (to taste), and toss to combine. Place onto a foil-lined baking sheet, cut side down, and roast in the oven at 400 F for about 20-25 minutes. During the last 5-10 minutes of roasting, turn them over for even browning, the cut sides should be nicely and partially charred but not blackened.

Roasted butternut squash:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease the foil-lined baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine cubed butternut squash (peeled and seeded),1 tablespoon of olive oil, maple syrup, and cinnamon, and toss to mix.
  3. Place butternut squash in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning once half-way through baking, until softened.
  4. Note: You can roast both Brussels sprouts and butternut squash on 2 separate baking sheets at the same time, on the same rack in the oven.

Assembly:

  1. In a large bowl, combine roasted Brussels sprouts, roasted butternut squash, pumpkin seeds, and cranberries, and mix to combine. (OPTIONAL): For more sweetness, add 2 or 4 tablespoons of maple syrup, if desired – do not add all maple syrup at once, start with 2 tablespoons, then add more, if desired, and toss with the ingredients to combine.

Feeding My Sweetie

Leave a reply

Shrimp carbonaraValentine’s Day…one of those days when we like to go a little above and beyond for those we love. BUT, why wait for February 14 to cook up something elegant and scrumptious. Fill your kitchen with love. Take a recipe that could be loaded with saturated fats and turn it into a beautifully healthy plate of goodness.

Many pasta dishes with white sauces are full of butter and cream, but with a little creativity you can create a dish that is every bit as tasty while cutting fat and calories. This dish boasts a ton of flavor from vegetables and shrimp and is sure to wow your dinner companions. For the sake of Valentine’s day I found a whole grain pasta (shaped like little hearts. Aw!) that was heavier in protein and fiber than the usual “cute” pastas. The white sauce is made from cooking down white wine and then adding 1/2 cup skim milk mixed with 2 Tablespoons flour. Add good spices to the mix and you’ll never miss the heavy cream and butter. Enjoy!

P.S. You can make this recipe your own. Add more vegetables, include zucchini or leeks. Try crab meat or chicken. Go WILD!

Shrimp Fettuccine Carbonara
Serves 2

1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 ounces uncooked fettuccine, or desired pasta, preferably whole grain
boiling, salted water for pasta
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 onion, thinly sliced
½ green pepper, thinly sliced
½ roasted red pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 cloves of garlic, minced and divided
1 cup white wine
½ cup skim milk
2 Tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon dill weed
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch of cayenne pepper or 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Get all ingredients ready before you start. This dish can be prepared in 30-45 minutes.

Thaw shrimp (if frozen), rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.
Bring salted water to a boil for pasta. Cook pasta according to package directions. ONLY COOK the number of servings you need. When done, drain and place back in pan with a small amount of olive oil to keep pasta from sticking together.
Heat a large non-stick sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté onions, green pepper and mushrooms with some kosher salt and ground pepper until soft. Add roasted red pepper and half the minced garlic. Continue to cook another 30 seconds, or until garlic is fragrant. Do not burn the garlic. Remove vegetables from pan and place them in a bowl.
Return sauté pan to heat. Add one teaspoon olive oil and remaining garlic. Sauté garlic in oil for about 30 seconds. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp is pink throughout and beginning to brown. Remove shrimp to a bowl.
Return pan to heat. Add white wine. Heat to bubbling and until wine is reduced by about half. Mix flour and milk together. Add to wine reduction while stirring. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened. Add dill, nutmeg, cayenne and white pepper. Using a micro plane or a cheese grater, zest some of the lemon rind into the sauce. Thinly slice some of the lemon and add about 4 slices into the sauce. Squeeze a few drops of juice from the remaining lemon into the sauce. Stir. Add all the vegetables (plus any juice from the bowl) plus the shrimp to the sauce. Toss to coat and allow to heat for about two minutes.
Divide the pasta evenly onto dinner plates. Equally divide the shrimp mixture on top of the pasta. If desired, grate some fresh Parmesan cheese over the top. Serve.

The Healthy Holiday Buffet

Leave a reply

Elegant and Easy

Elegant and Easy

My house is still decorated for the Holidays. In my mind, Christmas starts somewhere around December 24 and carries on until about the 2nd week in January. I love Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at our house, when all the lights are newly lit and quiet Christmas music plays. A tradition started a few years ago includes inviting some close friends and family to our home on Christmas night, where we enjoy each others’ company, enjoy a glass of wine and a simple buffet while visiting.

Even though we are generally healthy eaters, I have to be honest in saying that by the time Christmas night rolls around, several interesting high fat, sugary items have fallen into my mouth, and I DID enjoy every bite, thank you very much. BUT, the Holiday Buffet can be an excellent time to be elegant while starting to get it all back under control.

One good point is that most of these foods can be prepared ahead of time, so you can kick off your shoes in the afternoon and relax for a few hours.

Our buffet this year was so simple and included: assorted raw vegetables with a dill dip (lightened up by using fat-free Greek  yogurt and light mayonnaise), a delightful cranberry salsa (recipe below), a hummus platter (idea stolen from “Zeppelin’s Bar and Grill in Cedar Rapids), low-sodium pita chips, jalapenos, stuffed with low-fat turkey sausage, low-fat cream cheese and Parmesan then baked, meatballs made with half ground turkey breast and half 90% lean ground beef, accompanied by sugar-free marinara sauce and BBQ sauce, and last, but not least, some holiday cookies and those yummy little chocolate kisses, both strategically placed at the far end of the table in the corner. We also had some fresh fruit, but it never made it to the table. Guests wandered through the kitchen and nibbled before photo time.

Make sure your beverages include good water, diet sodas, fruit juice or some lower-calorie punch. Now, put out some small plates, point everyone in the right direction, take your own plate, relax and move away from the table. Your eating is now happily back under control. Happy Holidays!

Cranberry Salsa This recipe was adapted from one given to me by my niece, Tina. It is served on a dinner-sized plate and actually makes enough to make two plates (have one tucked in the fridge for refills). Both the bottom layer and top layer can be made ahead. Assemble before guests arrive.

Bottom layer:

12 ounces low-fat cream cheese, softened                                                                                                                                                              1/3 cup diced green onions

Mix softened cream cheese and diced green onions together.

Top Layer:

One 12-ounce package FRESH whole cranberries                                                                                                                                         1/3 cup sugar (you can use Splenda, Truvia, or any other sugar substitute. It makes a lot, so getting a little sugar may not be  such a bad thing. Your choice.)                                                                                                                                                                               1 large jalapeno, seeded                                                                                                                                                                           2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice                                                                                                                                                                               1/2 teaspoon ground ginger                                                                                                                                                                                      1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Place cranberries, sugar, jalapeno, lime juice and ginger in food processor. Pulse until cranberries are finely chopped. Do not over process. Remove from food processor and stir in chopped cilantro.

Spread 1/2 the cream cheese/onion mixture on a pretty dinner-sized plate. Top with 1/2 the cranberry mixture. OR use a 9 x 13 pan and use all of the recipe. You can make both the bottom and top layers several hours ahead. Just do not assemble until ready to serve. Serve with pita chips.

NOTE: Be a label reader. Many pita chips are made with whole grain, low in fat and sodium. Read the nutritional labeling to find the healthiest ones. Know how many chips equal one serving.