Traditional, holiday meals typically involve meat and carbohydrates. They're almost entirely missing the vegetable-and-fruit additions. It's time to mix up your cooking habits by adding some produce to those meals. Explore these top holiday meals that incorporate vegetables into the delicious ingredients.
Squash, Spinach and Bacon Salad Entree
Butternut squash is easy to find around the holidays. Chop it into small pieces, or use a peeler to create those curlicue shapes. Roast the squash until it has a golden appearance. Toss the squash with some fresh spinach and chopped bacon. You may want to drizzle some balsamic vinegar and oil on this dish, but it might not be necessary. The natural tastes from each food component makes this salad an entree for any holiday table.
Turkey Green Beans
Saute green beans with some onions until everything is crispy. Pull out that leftover turkey, and add it to the vegetables. This quick-serve meal resembles a stir-fry creation, but it simply takes traditional green beans and modernizes them for future holidays.
Au Gratin Brussels Sprouts and Chicken
Get a nutritional blast from Brussels sprouts by serving them au-gratin style. Mix the vegetables with melted cheese, such as Gruyere or cream cheese, along with spices, heavy cream and bread crumbs. Make it a meal by adding cooked, chicken breast to the mixture. Bake it until everything is melted together with a golden color. No one will miss the steamed, Brussels sprouts at the corner of the table.
Cheesy Squash
Slice several, spaghetti squashes in half. Roast them with some olive oil for almost an hour. While this fresh produce is warming, create a roux with up to four cheeses. Pull the squash from the oven, remove half of the pulp from the boat and add this part to the warming roux. Use the roux and squash mixture to fill the boats. You're left with a cheesy delight that thrills everyone at the table. To complete this meal, add a meat of your choice to the roux. Chicken and turkey are popular choices.
Ask your loved ones if anyone is either vegetarian or vegan. Many of these holiday meals can be altered in order to accommodate a particular diet. Fresh produce is good for any age group, especially when you want to control some of those holiday calories before New Year's Day.