7 Tasty and Healthy Holiday Meals To Keep Your Diet on Track

Flank Steak Strips With Spiced Hazelnuts Over Lazy Beans

SERVINGS: 4  |  PREP TIME: 70 min.   |   COOK TIME: 28 min.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp minced ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed or finely chopped
• 2 sweet potatoes, sliced and roasted
• 2 tbsp mustard
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp chopped parsely, plus more for garnish
• 1 1/2 lb flank steak
• 1 small green onion, chopped
• Sea salt and pepper to taste
• FOR HAZELNUTS:
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp honey
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Hungarian paprika
• 3/4 cup shelled unsalted hazlenuts

FOR LAZY BEANS

• 1/4 cup water
• 1 lb fresh haricots verts (small green beans), washed, rough ends trimmed
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions

1. Mix first 8 ingredients for steak in a bowl. Place mixture in a freezer bag, then add steak and seal. Coat well, and let stand at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, prepare hazelnuts and beans. Preheat oven to 375°. Mix oil, honey, salt, and spices in a small bowl. Add hazelnuts, and toss to coat evenly. Spread nuts on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast for 10-12 minutes or until browned. Remove from oven; set aside.
3. Place water in a medium pan on medium heat. Add beans. Cook for about a minute. Add lemon juice and cook another minute. Remove from heat. Beans should be bright green and crunchy. Sprinkle salt on top.
4. Top steak with jalapeño and grill until cooked to desired doneness, about 6 minutes per side for medium-rare. Remove from heat; let sit for 5-10 minutes. Slice steak into thin strips. Garnish with hazelnuts, green onion, and fresh parsley. Serve with lazy beans.

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Maple Chia Sweet Potato Chunks

SERVINGS: 4  |  PREP TIME: 10 min.   |   COOK TIME: 40 min.

Ingredients 

• 2 sweet potatoes washed well, skin on, cut into small chunks
• 1½ tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp sea salt

DIRECTIONS 

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with foil and grease with a small amount of oil.
2. Place sweet potatoes in bowl. Add coconut oil, maple syrup, chia seeds, cinnamon, and salt.
3. Massage the mixture onto sweet potatoes to evenly coat.
4. Bake for 40 minutes or until the outsides are light brown and the insides are tender. Turn the chunks at 20 minutes.

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Sweet & Savory Cranberry Chutney

SERVINGS: 4  |  PREP TIME: 15 min.   |   COOK TIME: 20 min.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 leek, halved lengthwise, washed well, cut into thin slices, and rinsed again
• ½ tsp freshly ground cinnamon
• 1 thumbnail-size piece of fresh ginger, diced
• ½ tsp freshly ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 large tart apple, cored and diced (peel if desired)
• 2 cups fresh frozen cranberries (if frozen don’t thaw)
• ½ cup pure maple syrup
• ¼ cup apple-cider vinegar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 5 tbsp water, divided
• 2 tbsp dried cherries, coarsely chopped (dried cranberries can be a substitute)
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• ¾ tsp sea salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over low heat. Add leek, stirring on occasion for about 5 minutes. Stir in cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
2. Raise the heat to high; stir in remaining ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil and stir so ingredients are well mixed.
3. Reduce heat to simmer and cook mixture until cranberries are split and apple pieces are tender, 10-12 minutes. If mixture is too thick, add 1-2 tbsp water and stir.
4. Remove from heat. Chutney will thicken slightly as it cools. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, maple syrup, ginger, nutmeg, or cinnamon as desired.

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Crimson Cauliflower Mash

SERVINGS: 4 |  PREP TIME: 10  min.  |   COOK TIME: 10 min.

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup chicken broth, divided
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into medium pieces
• 3 Tbsp full-fat plain Skyr or Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp Hungarian paprika
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese; shredded (or Parmesan or Asiago)
• Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp fresh thyme or chives, chopped and set aside for garnish

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, add water and a half-cup of chicken broth. Bring to boil. Add the cauliflower, and cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until tender.
2. Drain well. Pat dry with a dish towel. Add hot cauliflower to a food processor or blender.
3. Add the remaining broth, yogurt, paprika, lemon juice, garlic, cheese, salt, and pepper. Puree until almost smooth. Add a little more water or chicken broth if a thinner consistency is desired. Pour into serving bowl and top with thyme or chives or lemon zest.

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Roasted Chicken With Harissa Tangerine And Mint

SERVINGS: 4 |  PREP TIME: 30 min.  |   COOK TIME: 30 min.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tsp harissa
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 2 large chicken breasts with skin on (or 4 smaller breasts about 4 oz each)
• 1 tangerine, cut into slices, peel intact
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped (save a few for garnish)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Mix oil, vinegar, harissa, and allspice in a small bowl. Add mixture to freezer bag, then add the chicken breasts and seal the bag. Coat well, and let stand at room temperature for 30-60 minutes, or marinade for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Add chicken to a roasting pan with tangerine slices on top and underneath. Roast the chicken for about 30 minutes or until cooked through with a glazed top and tender meat.
3. Remove from oven. Sprinkle breasts with salt, pepper, and chopped mint, plus some full leaves as garnish.

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Bostonian Brussels Sprouts

SERVINGS: 4 |  PREP TIME: 15 min.  |   COOK TIME: 45 min.

Ingredients

• 5 cups Brussels sprouts, bottoms cut off, halved
• 2 cups sliced fresh pears, skin on, halved
• 1/4 cup raw pecans
• 1 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen)
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with foil or grease with a small amount of oil.
2. Combine Brussels sprouts, pears, pecans, cranberries, salt, and pepper on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 35-40 minutes.

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Salmon With Peas And Leeks

SERVINGS: 4 |  PREP TIME: 15 min.  |   COOK TIME: 20 min.

Ingredients

• 3 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 small leeks, washed, chopped (rugged green ends discarded)
• 2 cups peas, fresh or frozen
• 1 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen)
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 4 wild-salmon filets (4 oz each)
• 2 Tbsp fresh basil chopped, plus a few for garnish
• 1/2 fresh lemon, sliced for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add leeks, peas, salt, and pepper, and cook for 10 minutes.
2. In another pan, heat remaining olive oil. Season the salmon with salt and pepper, and cook for 4 minutes, skin-side down. Turn salmon over, and cook another 3 minutes. Add basil to leek mixture.
3. To serve, put leeks and peas on a plate, and place the salmon on top (or top the salmon with leeks and peas). Garnish with fresh basil and lemon slices.

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