Holiday entertaining this year? The holidays are chock full of parties, get togethers and various festivities. And the food. The FOOD!
I love party food. Party meals are fun too but can be daunting for a host or hostess. Have no fear! You decide on the main course and dessert, and leave the sides to me! These side dishes are delicious, easy and healthy too.
The first is my mashed potatoes, so good you’d never believe they’re dairy free, gluten free, vegan and paleo. Next is sweet and spicy carrots, followed by bacon and brussels and last but not least, roasted cauliflower.
Emmy’s Mashed Potatoes
- 3 medium sized bakers potatoes, rinsed off and chopped
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 1/3 cup vegetable stock
- 3 tablespoons refined coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Boil the chopped potatoes for about 15 minutes or until you can start to stick a fork through them but they are still firm. Add in the chopped onion for the last 5 minutes or until everything is tender. Drain off the water and add the potatoes back into the pan with the remaining ingredients. Mash everything together and serve hot.
Sweet And Spicy Carrots
- 4 carrots, skinned and chopped into rounds
- 1 cup 100% orange juice of choice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- pinch of ginger
- pinch of cinnamon
- pinch of cayenne pepper
In a small sauce pan on medium/high heat, simmer all the ingredients together until the juice evaporates and the carrots are soft, or about 20 minutes
Baked Bacon And Brussel Sprouts
Baked Bacon And Brussel Sprouts
- 4 slices bacon, fried
- 3 cups of brussel sprouts, ends cut off and quartered
Fry bacon on medium heat while flipping throughout, until preferred crispiness. Take bacon out and set aside. Do not drain the grease from the pan!
Cut the ends off of the brussel sprouts and then cut in quarters, or so that all the brussel pieces are about equal size. Add them into the pan you fried the bacon in and coat the brussel sprouts with the grease.
Place brussel sprouts on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes in a 375 degree oven or until they begin to brown. In the last 5 minutes, crumble the bacon on top of the brussel sprouts and mix.
Tip: When you take the bacon out, lay it on a paper towel and dab off the excess grease.
Roasted Cauliflower
Cauliflower is one of my favorite vegetables, it’s so versatile and can take on different flavors and textures. In this recipe, cauliflower is mixed with garlic and olive oil and becomes almost nutty.
- 1 head cauliflower, chopped or sliced and broken up into pieces
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil (to coat)
Preheat oven to about 375 degrees. Combine ingredients together in a bowl. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil (for the fastest and easiest clean up!) and spread cauliflower evenly on the baking sheet. Bake until it begins to brown on the outside or to your preferred texture- about 25 minutes.
Regulars in my house, these veggies are some of my favorites. From my kitchen to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
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