10 Healthier Thanksgiving Side Dishes and Appetizers!

Thanksgiving and healthy don't usually go together. But it doesn't hurt to have a side or two that taste great and is great for you.

1. Baked Apple Chips


2. Roasted Kidney Beans


3. Roasted Pumpkin Chickpeas


4. Parsnip Chips


5. Baked Potato Soup


6. Baked Parmesan Tomatoes


7. Roasted Peas


8. Spinach Balls


9. Salt and Vinegar Roasted Potatoes


10. Sauteed Kale with Bacon




Enjoy!

Spinach Balls with a Spicy Tomato Dipping Sauce

Christmas tree in front of the State Capitol in Lansing, MI

This past Christmas I hosted my first Christmas dinner! It was me and Eric, my parents, his parents, and his grandma. Seven people. I've cooked for more, but never for a special occasion like Christmas. Even though I love to cook, I will admit I was a little nervous and a little overwhelmed. I was testing out several new recipes and I'd never cooked a ham before. But I have to say, everything came together perfectly. Not just the food, but the company. Eric's grandma was smiling and glowing (she told me that she didn't remember the last time she spent Christmas outside of her own home). Our dads were gabbing and so were our moms. And they were all vying for the dog's attention. Arya just has that effect on people.

I prepared chocolate covered cranberries, bacon and cheese deviled eggs, and these spinach balls for appetizers. I had made the other two recipes before (totally addicted to chocolate covered cranberries) but the spinach balls were a first. I can't even begin to tell you how good there were. I can't wait to make them again. Both Eric and I were keeping our fingers crossed that there would be some leftovers so we could munch on them later. And there were, just not as many as we have liked.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
Spinach Balls
1 10-ounce pack of frozen spinach, thawed and drained (making sure spinach is well drained is very
        important)
2 tablespoon onion, minced
1 heaping cup stuffing with herbs
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Spicy Tomato Sauce
1 cup marinara or spaghetti sauce
hot sauce, to taste

Directions:
Spinach Balls
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bow, mix all the ingredients together until they are well combined. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls and place on the cookie sheet.  

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the bottoms of the balls are lightly brown. Makes approximately 30 balls. Serve warm.

Spicy Tomato Sauce
Pour tomato sauce in a bowl, add hot sauce to taste. We like things spicy around here and added quite a bit.

I spent the five days before Christmas baking and cooking in preparation. I made these on Christmas Eve, put then in the fridge over night then popped them back in the oven at 350 for 10-15 minutes. Sadly, things were so hectic Christmas morning/afternoon, I forgot to take pictures of my food. So I don't have a picture of the sauce. But both my mom and my mother-in-law commented more than once how much the sauce complimented the balls.

Dinner table

Dessert table

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Appetizer Recipes:
Cheese Puffs for Cheese Lovers!
Cream Cheese Rangoons
Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Jalapeno Popper Wontons
Parmesan Zucchini Bites
Snowflake Tortilla Chips

The Pizza Quiche

So I have a confession. I didn't actually make this dish. But I did email it to Eric's mom--I get points for that, right? I just haven't had the time or motivation to cook lately. But I wanted to share this recipe because this may just be my new favorite quiche, and if you've had my spicy sausage spinach quiche or Edye's ham and broccoli quiche, you know that's saying a lot. 

This is a slight variation of this recipe.

Ingredients:
1 8-ounce can crescent rolls or store-bought pastry crust
1 medium red pepper, diced
1 tablesppon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup frozen or canned spinach, thawed, drained, and chopped
5 eggs, slightly scrambled
1/4 cup sliced pepperonis, cut into strips
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
pepper, to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Divide the crescent roll dough into eight triangles and line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan with the dough.

Saute the red pepper in the oil until tender. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute; remove from heat. In a bowl combine the eggs, cheese, spinach, pepperoni, milk, and spices. Stir in red peppers and garlic. Pour the mixture into the pie pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of the quiche comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

~Krissy