I’m not going to lie, for years the idea of cooking an entire holiday dinner seemed too daunting to overcome, but once Doug and I got married I made it my mission to master a few mouth watering recipes that were perfect for entertaining our family and friends around the holiday time. After many failed attempts at cooking a whole turkey in our tiny oven (newlywed problems) or accidentally burning the gravy at last years Friendsgiving, I’ve finally nailed down a few go-to recipes that are fail proof. Today I wanted to share four holiday inspired recipes that are made with fresh ingredients, are semi-healthy and still delicious.
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Spinach, Pear, & Walnut Salad With Pomegranates
Now onto the recipes! This first one may be my number one favorite salad…ever. It’s definitely a year round staple and I don’t just make it during the holiday season! The crunch of the pear and walnuts combined with creamy feta cheese and garlic balsamic vinaigrette is to die for.
Ingredients:
- 10 oz fresh spinach
- 2 ripe, yet firm, pears, sliced
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta
- 1/4 cup pomegranate airls
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- Balsamic vinaigrette
Directions:
- Place the spinach, walnuts, pomegranates and feta in a large salad bowl.
- If preparing ahead of time, dip each pear slice into a small bowl of orange juice and then add to the salad bowl, otherwise, add the pears with the other ingredients.
- Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette just before serving.
The Easiest Honey Glazed Ham Ever!
This is by far the EASIEST honey glazed ham I’ve come across. Since it’s pre-cooked, you just have to doctor it up a bit by adding on the honey glaze and popping it into the oven for a few hours and after all the flavors of the glaze have melted into the ham, you’ll want seconds!
Ingredients:
- 1 (10-pound) smoked, bone-in ham
- 1 cup honey
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
Directions:
1. Remove plastic packaging or netting from the ham. Rise ham under running cool water. Pat dry with paper towels.
2. Set ham aside to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
3. Line a sided baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil or several layer of regular aluminum foil (it will make clean up much easier). Place the ham, cut side down on baking sheet. Add 1/2 cup water around the ham. Tightly cover the ham with foil.
4. Bake 2 hours.
5. During last 15 minutes of cooking. In a small skillet or sauce pan, over medium heat, add the butter, brown sugar and honey. Stirring occasionally until brown sugar has dissolved, about 3-5 minutes. Set aside until lukewarm.
6. Remove ham from oven. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Remove foil from ham. Using a sharp knife score a 1-inch wide diamond pattern over the entire ham, Make sure not to cut more then 1/2-inch deep into ham.
7. Brush ham with a quarter of the honey glaze (about 1/4 cup), return to oven, bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Again remove ham from oven to brush with 1/4 cup of glaze and bake another 15 minutes. Repeat this two more times until the ham has baked a total of 1 hour.
8. Let the ham rest for 30-40 minutes before slicing.
Roasted Green Beans With Parmesan & Basil
These green beans have become a year round staple in our home as they are super easy to make and I usually already have the ingredients in my kitchen!
Ingredients:
- 3/4 to 1 pound of fresh green beans (stem end snipped off), trimmed
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
- 2 tablespoon grated parmesan
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Dry green beans well and spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Toss with olive oil so that all the beans are coated. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, basil. Toss again to coat.
- Roast for 10 minutes, toss, and continue to roast for 5 more minutes. Immediately sprinkle with parmesan and serve.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Brussel Sprouts
In my opinion the best part about this recipe is the garlic. I can never have enough! Okay, maybe that’s not true, but seriously it adds such a kick and blends all the flavors perfectly.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound Brussel sprouts, trimmed
- 1 large sweet potato (1 pound)
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon salt
- pepper to taste
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Trim your Brussels by cutting off the ends. If there are any yellow leaves, pull them off. Cut any large ones in half. Add to a large bowl.
- Peel your sweet potato and chop into 1-2 inch pieces. Add to the large bowl.
- Smash 2 cloves of garlic and add it to the bowl.
- Pour 1/3 cup olive oil over the vegetables.
- Add cumin, garlic salt, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir to coat.
- Pour the veggies onto the pan.
- Roast at 400 for about 40-45 minutes. The veggies are done when they are brown and a fork slides into them easily.
*A big thank you to iHerb for sponsoring this post!
I love this!