Here is a nice side dish for Thanksgiving in lieu of green bean casserole. It is absolutely delicious and quite easy to make. It is also a lot healthier. Here is what you are going to need for this:

2 medium red onions, finely sliced
1 pound green beans, trimmed
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon sugar
1/8 cup Balsamic vinegar
Salt & Pepper

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet. Add the onions and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until dark brown, stirring occasionally. Add remaining butter, sugar and vinegar. Cook for a few minutes until vinegar dries up.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans. Bring water back to a boil and cook green beans for 4 minutes. Drain and run under very cold water to stop the cooking process.

Move the onions to one side of your skillet. Add the green beans and season with salt & pepper. Mix in with the onions and serve. Enjoy

Print the Green Bean & Caramelized Onion Recipe Here

Roasted squash is always a great side dish for anytime in the fall or winter. However, it is perfect for Thanksgiving! Here’s a great recipe for maple roasted squash. This is what you are going to need for this:

1 butternut squash
1 delicatta squash
1 acorn squash
¼ cup olive oil
¾ cup maple syrup
½ teaspoon ground sage
½ teaspoon dried thyme
Salt & Pepper
Heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Wash the squashes well. Peel and dice the butternut squash. Cut the acorn squash into wedges. Peel and seed the delicatta. Cut into thin round shapes.

Place all cut squash in a bowl. Whisk together and pour over the squash. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat well. Place in a roasting pan in a single layer.

Place pan in oven and cook the squash, flipping once very carefully, until tender and starting to brown. Move roasted squash to serving dish. Drizzle with heavy cream. Serve and enjoy

Print the Maple Roasted Squash Recipe Here

I grew up in Bolivia and quinoa was always a normal staple for us. We ate it steamed like rice, as porridge, in soups and in a sort of cakey bread (pastel de quinoa). It is not until recently – and by that I mean maybe 10 years ago – that I started making salads with it. Quinoa was a very important meal for the Incas and is dubbed the ‘golden grain of the Andes’. It is considered a super food and is very high in protein, iron and manganese. It is also free of sodium and cholesterol and contains all 9 essential amino acids the body needs. Quinoa has a nutty, earthy flavor to it. It contains saponins that are released during cooking and will make it bitter; therefore, quinoa must be washed and rinsed thoroughly – a good 3 to 4 times – in order to prevent bitterness. However, most quinoa sold in the US has already had the saponins removed during processing. When you cook it the solid grains become transparent with an exterior ring. This cereal has an ever-growing popularity around the world and is easier and easier to find at your local grocery store.

Check on the box and see if the quinoa you are using had been pre-rinsed. If not, wash and rinse it 3 to 4 times in order to remove the saponins. Here is what you need to do for 3 cups of cooked Quinoa:

3/4 cups raw quinoa
1 1/2 cups water or low sodium vegetable stock
Salt
Olive oil

1. Wash the quinoa very well, scrubbing it between your hands and rinsing often until water comes out clear. This will take 3 to 4 times.
2. Place quinoa in a fine sieve colander and allow the water to drain well.
3. Heat a skillet with some oil, over high heat, until very hot. Add the quinoa and toast, stirring constantly, until quinoa turns golden and starts crackling, about 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Bring the low sodium vegetable stock or water to a boil in a separate pot.
5. Add the toasted quinoa. Season with salt – if using stock use salt sparingly. Cover. Reduce heat to low and allow steaming for approximately 20 minutes. The grains should be soft but not mushy. Add a little bit more water if necessary. You will know it is cooked when you have a translucent center with a ring on the outside. Fluff with a fork and serve.

1/4 cup – CALORIES 174.13; FAT 6.2 grs (sat 0.93; mono 3.4; poly 1.56); PROTEIN 6.39 grs ; FIBER 2.23 grs; CARBS 23.09 grs; CHOLESTEROL 2.25 mg; IRON 1.63 mg; SODIUM 399.59 mg; CALCIUM 17.44 mg

Print the Steamed Quinoa Recipe Here

The whole idea with these little potatoes is to boil them first, smash them and then roast them until they are super crunchy. These really fun to eat and kids love them. They are also a great alternative to deep fried potatoes. They deliver the same amount of crunch at a much lower fat level.

Serves four

16 baby potatoes – any kind will do
Olive oil
Kosher salt/ Black pepper

Scrub the potatoes well to rid them completely of dirt. Place them in a pot and cover with water. Salt it and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until they are cooked through and you can easily pierce them with a fork.

Remove the potatoes from the pot and let them cool down completely.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place the cooked potatoes on a lightly oiled baking sheet – about 2 inches apart. Use a small glass to smash the potatoes. Don’t worry if they break a little.

Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil. Add salt and pepper and place them in the oven. Roast them until they are crunchy – about 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and serve as a side for just about everything. Enjoy!

CALORIES 247.55; FAT 6.97 grs (sat 0.99; mono 4.92; poly 0.81); PROTEIN 4.92 grs ; FIBER 5.36 grs; CARBS 42.62 grs; CHOLESTEROL 0.00 mg; IRON 1.94 mg; SODIUM 524.77 mg; CALCIUM 29.34 mg

Print the Crunchy Smashed Potatoes Recipe Here

This stuffing is one of my very favorite ones! I love the combination of the sausage with the apples and walnuts. Make it ahead of time if you need to – not more than a day – and warm it up before serving. This is what you need for this:

1 small loaf crusty bread, cut into small cubes
4 tablespoons butter
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 pound Italian sausage
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
1 small Granny Smith apple
¾ cup chopped walnuts
2 ½ cups chicken broth
1 egg

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the cubed bread on a baking sheet and place in oven. Bake for 15 minutes, flipping bread after 7 minutes. Place dried bread in a large bowl.

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add the onion and celery and cook for 2 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally. Add the herbs and cayenne if using. Mix well. Cook for 2 minutes.

Add the sausage to the bread in the bowl. Whisk the egg into the chicken broth and add to the bread mixture. Mix well. Add the stuffing to a buttered oven proof dish. Cover with foil and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Bake the stuffing at 375 degrees – covered for 30 minutes, uncovered for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Print the Sausage & Apple Stuffing Recipe Here

Here’s a very easy recipe for making your own cranberry sauce at home from scratch. Quite effortless for a great result! Try it out, you will be pleasantly surprised! Here is what you need for this:

1 cup orange juice
1 cup sugar
12 oz. fresh cranberries
1 teaspoon orange zest

Place orange juice and sugar in a pan and dissolve the sugar, stirring constantly. Add the cranberries and cook, stirring occasionally, until berries start to pop. Add the zest. Bring to a soft boil. Remove from heat and place in a glass container. Refrigerate

Print the Orange Cranberry Sauce Recipe Here

This rice is yellow because of the turmeric. I use long grain rice that I mix with vermicelli. Vermicelli is thin pasta which I cut up into 1-inch pieces. You can buy it cut up already. This is a great side dish for stews or curries. The ration of rice/vermicelli/ water is slightly different than when you are cooking plain rice because the vermicelli cooks faster than the rice.

Whenever you are cooking rice, it is very important that you do not uncover it so that your rice can steam through the whole cooking process. If 20 minutes have gone by and your rice has dried up and is still hard, you are probably cooking it at too high a temperature. Sometimes, stoves are still too hot when they are set at low. If this is the case, add a little more liquid to the rice and let it finish cooking. By a little I mean ¼ cup tops. If it is sticky and soggy you are using too much liquid.

Makes four cups of cooked rice

1 cup white rice
1 cup vermicelli cut up into 1- inch pieces
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
3 cups water
1 tsp. Salt
1 tablespoon butter

Melt the butter in a pan. Add the rice and vermicelli and fry, stirring often, until vermicelli starts to brown.

Add the turmeric and mix well. Add the water and season with salt.

Bring rice to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 20 minutes until liquid dries up and rice is cooked. Fluff with a fork, serve and enjoy!

½ cup rice – CALORIES 205.05; FAT 2.17 grs (sat 0.97; mono 0.43; poly 0.36); PROTEIN 5.22 grs ; FIBER 1.47 grs; CARBS 39.52 grs; CHOLESTEROL 3.81 mg; IRON 2.24 mg; SODIUM 295.01 mg; CALCIUM 11.25 mg

Print the Turmeric Vermicelli Rice Recipe Here

Brussels sprouts look like miniature cabbages and are actually a little discriminated against. I think it has to do with the odor they expel when you cook them. However, these little sprouts are not only very healthy for you; they are also quite a delight to eat. You can boil, steam, stir-fry and roast these. We will roast ours with some balsamic vinegar. The balsamic vinegar enhanced the sprouts natural flavor and adds a hint of sweetness to these. Make sure you always place your vegetables in a single layer in your roasting pan. You want them to caramelize and brown and if they are piled up on top of each other they will steam instead. These make a great side for Holiday dinners.

Serves six

1 pound Brussels sprouts – trimmed and cut in half
2 TBS olive oil
2 TBS Balsamic vinegar
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Place your halved sprouts in a bowl and generously drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add salt and pepper.
Place the sprouts on a roasting pan, cut side down and in a single layer, and roast for about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and carefully flip the sprouts.

Return the pan to the oven and roast for an additional 10 to 12 minutes until they are all nicely browned. Serve and enjoy!

CALORIES 79.70; FAT 4.73 grs (sat 0.67; mono 3.3; poly 0.59); PROTEIN 2.59 grs ; FIBER 2.96 grs; CARBS 8.2 grs; CHOLESTEROL 0.00 mg; IRON 1.21 mg; SODIUM 601.51 mg; CALCIUM 34.33 mg

Print the Roasted Brussels Sprouts Recipe Here

This dish is great as a vegetarian meal with a side salad or as a side dish for any kind of meat. Serve it with roasted or grilled chicken or with beef. Either way, it is delicious!

This is what you will need for this recipe:
6 Russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
8 white mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 tablespoon dries basil leaves
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup water
1 cup grated white fresh cheese (Farmers, Panela, etc.)
Salt & Pepper
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a skillet with some olive oil. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally until they start browning, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and mix well. Cook for one minute until fragrant. Add the mushrooms, oregano, basil and the tomatoes. Stir well. Move all the veggies aside forming a well in the middle. Place the tomato paste in the well and add the water. Mix well to dilute and then mix with the rest of the vegetables. Bring to a soft boil, lower the heat, and cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Coat the bottom of a casserole dish with some olive oil. Arrange a layer of potato slices. Pour some of the tomato sauce on the potatoes and arrange a second layer of potatoes on top of that. Cover with the rest of the tomato sauce and top with the grated cheese.

Place the potato casserole in the oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until potatoes are cooked, sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted and browned.

Serve and enjoy!

Print the Potato, Onion & Tomato Casserole Recipe Here

I use this dressing both for Cole slaw and broccoli slaw interchangeably. It goes wonderfully with both of them. Although it is more affordable to slice your own cabbage and shred your own carrots, I find that buying the prepackaged slaw is not all that more money. You can usually purchase a 16 oz.bag for around $1.99. It will save you lots of time!

Here is what you are going to need:
1 16 oz. bag of prepackaged Cole slaw or broccoli slaw
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds

Place the mayonnaise in a bowl. Whisk in the sugar until smooth. Add the horseradish and the vinegar, whisking constantly. Add the celery seeds and mix well.

Place the vegetables in a bowl. Add the dressing and coat well. Place in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Serve with barbecued ribs, hamburgers, chicken or any of your favorite dishes! Enjoy!

Print the Cole Slaw Recipe Here

Other Slaw Recipes:
Cole Slaw Dressing Video
Broccoli Slaw
Jicama Slaw