Delicious Healthy Additions to Your Holiday Dinner Table

We know that during the holidays it can be difficult to eat healthy. All those meals filled with gravy-covered carbs can be irresistible… and don’t forget the pies, cookies, and candy canes — oh my!

The healthy dishes on holiday tables are often afterthoughts, or ignored altogether. That’s why we’ve collaborated with a few of our amazing partners on appetizing and beautiful recipes that’ll be an awesome healthy addition to your dinner table this season.

Erin, blogger at The Almond Eater, used Taylor Farms pre-cut butternut squash to make a rich and creamy Caramelized Onion Butternut Squash Mash.

“I certainly do NOT have the time—ok, the patience—to cut up butternut squash,” says Erin. “Pre-cut squash is where it’s at, and theirs is organic and cubed into smaller pieces, meaning it cooks even faster.”

Butternut squash mash is a slightly healthier take on mashed potatoes, and the caramelized onions add a delicious flavor to the squash.

Erin also served a simple (and dairy-free) Apple Pecan Salad — to please even those with dietary restrictions —  using Taylor Farms 50/50 Salad Blend with baby spinach and baby spring lettuce, topped with apples, pecans, and pomegranate seeds!

“If you’re looking to add something else to this salad, I’d recommend some goat cheese!” notes Erin. “And the lettuce is organic and it’s stored in a plastic container rather than a plastic bag, which I’ve found keeps it fresh for longer.”

Haley, blogger at Brewing Happiness, made a vibrant and tasty Winter Beet and Grapefruit Baby Kale Salad with chickpeas, quinoa, and pepitas using Taylor Farms Organic Baby Kale as the base.

“Baby Kale is a great leafy green with tons of health benefits, but you don’t have to de-stem it like regular kale,” said Haley. “It’s health without the work.”

Haley topped the baby kale with roasted beets (“because they’re the healthy winter candy”), quinoa, roasted chickpeas, and roasted grapefruit (“yeah – it’s delicious.”)

Interested in another beautiful salad? Check out our blogger takeover post from Rainy Day Bites and her Pacific Northwest Pear, Hazelnut, and Blackberry Salad with Honey Pear Vinaigrette.

Everyone here are Team Taylor wishes you a happy and delicious holiday!

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CARAMELIZED ONION BUTTERNUT SQUASH MASH

Ingredients:

3 yellow onions

2 tbsp butter (use dairy free to keep these vegan)

2-3 tbsp olive oil

2 packages (30 oz.) Taylor Farms Organic Butternut Squash

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Peel and slice the onions and set them aside.
2. Next, heat butter and oil in large skillet over medium heat and then add the onions. Stir in the onions until they’re coated with oil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer onions for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they’re soft and translucent.
3. Place squash in a large pot and fill the pot with water. Cook squash over the stove on high heat until they’re soft.
4. Drain the water and then use a potato masher or a fork to mash the squash until it’s smooth.
5. Next, stir in the cooked caramelized onions and any leftover oil by hand, along with the salt and pepper.
6. Serve & enjoy!

APPLE PECAN SALAD

Ingredients:

4 cups Taylor Farms 50/50 Salad Blend

2 apples, sliced

½ cup pecans

2 tbsp pomegranate seeds, or more to taste

1-2 tbsp olive oil, or more to taste

Optional: 2-4 tbsp goat cheese

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a bowl and stir to combine. If you’re planning on making this ahead of time, wait until right before you serve it to add the apple slices.
2. Serve & enjoy!

WINTER BEET AND GRAPEFRUIT BABY KALE SALAD

Ingredients:

11 oz Taylor Farms Organic Baby Kale

2 red beets

2 golden beets

2 grapefruits, segmented

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon ginger powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup tri-color quinoa, rinsed

1 cup veggie broth or water

1/4 cup pepitas, roasted and salted

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Wrap your beets in tin foil, and place them on a baking sheet. Bake for 50 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, add your drained and rinsed chickpeas to a baking sheet along with segmented grapefruits. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with ginger, cinnamon, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes.
4. While your beets, chickpeas and grapefruits are roasting – rinse your quinoa and add it to a pot along with 1 cup broth or water (if using water, sprinkle with salt). Bring quinoa to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, take off heat, fluff with a fork, cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
5. In a jar with a lid, add all dressing ingredients and shake vigorously.
6. When beets are ready, peel them, slice them into thin moon shapes and add to a large bowl along with Taylor Farms Organic Baby Kale. Top with roasted grapefruit and chickpeas, quinoa, pepitas, and drizzle with dressing. Toss.
7. EAT UP.