Healthy Christmas Side Dishes

These recipes can be used at any time of the year but I like them with Christmas dinner because they are …yup, you guessed it….quick and easy!  Traditional carrot recipes call for butter and brown sugar but I’d like to suggest roasting them with just  pure maple syrup, salt and pepper. That’s all you need really – it brings out the natural flavours, it’s calorie smart and the oven does all the work for you.

I used baby carrots so they cooked much faster.  I would suggest you cook regular carrots at 400 F for 35-40 minutes.  Just peel, drizzle with maple syrup and salt and pepper and toss some sprigs of thyme on top.  I cut most of the green off but left a little for a bit of a rustic look.  If you prefer, chop the whole end off.  Your carrots will be glossy and sweet and make a perfectly, easy side dish.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————

The second dish is just as easy but has a few more ingredients.  Roasting brussel sprouts, parsnips and butternut squash is a no brainer because they all take about the same amount of time to cook.  Just toss them in some olive oil and salt and pepper and roast at 400 for 35-40 minutes.  Try to cut them up in the equal sizes to ensure even cooking.  I didn’t do such a good job of that here but when do I ever follow my own advice?   You can buy them pre-cut as well to save time.

Once they are roasted, mix with walnuts and cranberries and serve warm.   For those liking  a little something extra in their veggies, I like to do a Horseradish Dressing that you can drizzle over before serving.  It kicks it up a notch without overpowering the meal.

One of the great benefits of roasting vegetables is that you preserve both the flavour and the nutrients of the vegetable.  The nutrients are not poured down the drain with the water from boiling and there’s no added fat from deep frying – overall, it’s a win/win situation.  And most importantly, you can add that little extra bit of gravy at Christmas time because you’re eating your healthy veggies!  Cheers, everyone.