When the temperature drops, having healthy winter recipes on hand is a great way to stay warm and eat at home! We all crave cozy dishes when it’s cold outside, but most comfort foods are high in calories, fat and carbs. These healthy winter recipes will not only do the trick but also help you stay on track with good-for-you ingredients.
Lemon Thyme Green Tea
Recipe from TasteofHome.com
Prep/Total Time: 20 mins | Servings: 8
Ingredients:
- 2 quarts of water
- 8 individual green tea bags
- 12 fresh lemon thyme sprigs or 8 fresh thyme sprigs, plus 1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3 tbsp. lemon juice
Directions:
- Boil water and remove from heat.
- Add tea bags and lemon thyme sprigs.
- Cover and steep for 3 minutes.
- Discard tea bags. Cover and steep for another 3 minutes.
- Strain the tea and add honey and lemon juice.
- Stir until honey is dissolved.
- Serve and enjoy immediately.
Fluffy Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Carrots
Recipe from MinimalistMaker.com
Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 20 mins | Total Time: 30 mins | Serves: 8
Ingredients:
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into large bite-sized pieces
- 4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into large bite-sized pieces
- Water
- 2-3 tbsp. butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
- Sea salt to taste
Directions:
- Rinse, peel and chop potatoes and carrots into large bite-sized pieces and add to a large pot. Cover with water by about 1 inch to ensure they are submerged.
- Bring water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, slightly reduce heat to medium-high and continue cooking at a slightly less rapid boil for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes and carrots are very tender. (They should easily fall off a knife when pierced)
- Drain carrots and potatoes and add back to the pot. Add butter of choice, minced garlic, ginger, turmeric and sea salt to taste. Mash or puree until smooth.
- Add more butter (or a bit of water) as needed to get it creamy and smooth. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more butter for creaminess, spices to taste, or sea salt to taste.
- Serve hot. Once you are ready to serve, garnish with additional butter of choice, fresh parsley and salt and pepper to taste.
Vegetable Pot Pie
Recipe from ForksOverKnives.com
Prep Time: 45 mins | Ready in 1 hour | Makes 9 cups
Ingredients:
- 3 cups sliced fresh cremini mushrooms
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1/2 cup celery
- 3 1/4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 cups of 1/2 inch pieces peeled butternut squash
- 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 15. oz can of no-salt-added chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup of frozen corn
- 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 lb. refrigerated whole-wheat pizza dough
- 1 tbsp. unsweetened plant milk (i.e. almond, soy, cashew or rice)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. For filling, in a 4-quart saucepan, cook mushrooms, carrots and celery over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding water (1-2 tablespoons at a time) as needed to prevent sticking. Add 3 cups of the broth, the squash, onions, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer while covered for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are nearly tender. Stir in chickpeas, peas and corn.
- Whisk together flour and the remaining ¼ cup broth, then stir into vegetables. Cook until thick and bubbly, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
- Remove and discard bay leaf. Season filling with salt and pepper. Spread into a 2 ½ to 3–quart round or oval baking dish.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll homemade oil-free pizza dough into a circle or oval slightly larger than the dish. Cut several slits in dough, then place on filling and seal. Brush with milk. Bake 15 minutes or until crust is browned and filling is bubbly.
Stay warm, stay healthy and bon appétit!
