6 Scene-Stealing Veggie Recipes

Featured Article, Healthy Meal Ideas, Healthy Recipes and Nutrition
on December 8, 2014

In your mama’s era, “vegetables” meant creamed spinach or iceberg lettuce doused in ranch dressing. After years of being the most detested item on the table, veggies are in the midst of a heyday. From spicy roasted Brussels sprouts to Swiss Chard gratin, celebrate winter’s bounty with attention-grabbing takes on nutritious vegetables, courtesy of our friends over at PureWow.

Spicy Roasted Brussels

Spicy_Roasted_Brussell_Sprouts-_549

Fact: Brussels sprouts have made a comeback. And if they’re good enough to serve at restaurants across the country, then they’re good enough to serve at dinner tonight. You just need the right recipe, and we’re here to help. In our version, we toss the sprouts with sweet honey and spicy hot sauce and roast them until caramelized. Another fact: You’ll be devouring this dish all winter long.

Marinated Butternut Squash

MarinatedSquash549x305

You always cook pork in barbecue sauce. You wouldn’t do fish without some sort of marinade. So why are your side dishes still going sauce-free? This citrusy, herby concoction is perfect for squash this fall, but it’s no one-trick pony: Make a double batch and use it as a dressing for greens or a grain salad. Best of all, you can make it in advance–come dinnertime, all you have to do is turn on the oven.

 Broccoli Rabe with Chickpeas & Ricotta

BroccoliRabe301x421

Bread and jam. Bacon, lettuce and tomato. Peanut butter and a drizzle of chocolate sauce on a spoon (right?). You gotta love a perfect food pairing. Along those lines, a new love triangle recently grabbed our attention: spicy broccoli rabe mixed with starchy chickpeas and topped with a dollop of creamy fresh ricotta. It’s a vegetarian meal, but that didn’t stop our meat-loving friends from asking for seconds.

Oven Roasted Beets & Potatoes

Beet_Potato_Roast_301

We slice golden and red beets and Yukon Gold potatoes super-thin, put them into stacks and then arrange them in a skillet to form a spiral. We mean, just check out that photo–vegetables never looked or tasted so good.

Swiss Chard Au Gratin

Gratin549x305

As virtuous as greens may be, this is not the time of year for them to rest on their laurels. Rather, it’s the season for covering them in a creamy white sauce and topping them with buttery bread crumbs and decadent cheese. This au gratin dish is perfect for your holiday table–it can be prepped in advance, in individual portions or in one big family-size baking dish. Diet starts in January.