Stuffing with Sausages, Apples, and Pecans

This is a fun spin on a classic side dish to serve at Thanksgiving or Christmas.  

Rooter's Cabbage Casserole

When I was going to graduate school at the University of Georgia, there was a BBQ restaurant called Rooter's.  Unfortunately the restaurant no longer exists, but at least their amazing Cabbage Casserole recipe lives on!

Corn Pudding

Corn Pudding is one of my favorite easy holiday side dishes.  Super easy to whip up and always a hit. 

Gazpacho with Goat Cheese Salsa

Summer is finally coming to an end, so it's time to hurry up and make your final summer dishes.  Gazpacho is definitely one of those recipes that require in-season produce.  If you tried to make this during the winter, you would end up with a watery flavorless soup.  In the summer this soup is vibrant and fresh and delightful!  It's one of my absolute favorite summer side dishes.  I like to pair it with a BLAT, and it makes for the perfect meal on a hot summer day.  

Mix-Free Homemade Spinach Dip

Recently, I found myself in as situation where I needed to whip up an appetizer for a party, but didn't have the time (or motivation) to run to the grocery store.  I looked at all the ingredients I had on hand, and I realized that I had everything to make a homemade spinach dip.  Everyone loves spinach dip, but have you ever had it made without the store-bought mix?  It is even better!  Honestly, there is no reason for me to ever use a mix again...making it from scratch was just as easy, and it is so much healthier and tastier!

Tasty Traditional Collard Greens

Today's post is a special one!  For the first time ever on my blog, I have a guest poster!  My handsome and clever husband has agreed to write up and share his famous recipe for collard greens.  First off, let me say that I am generally not a big fan of greens.  In fact, I was not a big fan of even my husband's greens for a long time (despite most people loving them).  However, being the amazing husband he is, he worked on the recipe over several years, and eventually created a collard green recipe that even I could love!  This recipe involves a lot of time and effort, but is well worth it.  It makes a fantastic side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas, and is the perfect dish to make to bring you luck on New Years Day.

Cabbage Casserole

In Athens, Georgia, there use to be a great little barbecue restaurant called Jot Em Downs.  Its most famous offering was the Cabbage Casserole; and it was so in demand that it was sold out 90% of the time.  It was seriously that good!  I've been trying to replicate the dish for years, and have yet to nail it down (I'm convinced their trick was using the pork drippings to make a rich gravy/broth to add to the roux), but I think I've finally gotten as close as I can get to the recipe using regular kitchen staples.  However, if you happen to have pork shoulder drippings around, I totally recommend adding it to the recipe to replace the chicken broth!  Regardless, Cabbage Casserole is a fantastic dish to bring to holiday gatherings; I guarantee that no one else will bring the same dish.  I'll be taking it to my family's Thanksgiving this year!

Update:  I have the ACTUAL Cabbage Casserole Recipe from Jot Em Downs now.  I've made the changes below.  Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Buffalo Chicken Dip is literally (LITERALLY!) the greatest dip in the world.  Whenever it is served at a party, it is always the first and fastest to disappear.  In fact, if you need to find me at an event, look for the buffalo dip, and you will find me parked in front of it, eating it with a spoon.  My daughter's third birthday party was last weekend, and I decided to actually make it this time, instead of just being the person who eats it all.  My friend Randi makes an excellent version, so I hit her up for her recipe.  She's an amazing wedding coordinator (Carry Your Heart Events), so this girl KNOWS her party food.  I was so excited about the dip that I completely forgot to take pictures of it before serving (and, as always, it was inhaled as quickly as it was put out), but my husband managed to find a picture with the dip in the background of a party shot.  I zoomed in and cropped it, but it isn't exactly the greatest picture.  But you know what?  Who cares, right?  We all know what it looks like, and more importantly what it tastes like! YUM!

Squash Casserole

As many of you know, I'm pregnant with my second child.  Like with my first pregnancy, I developed gestational diabetes around my 25th week.  As I have mentioned in the past, there are a lot of misconceptions about gestational diabetes; mainly that is caused by something that the mother has done (or not done).  This can lead to a lot of guilty thoughts when a woman is first diagnosed.  The truth is, many cases of gestational diabetes are due to genetics.  I live a very healthy lifestyle: my diet is made up of nutritious and unprocessed foods, I exercise five times a week, and I maintain a healthy weight (and healthy weight gain during pregnancy).  Yet the hormones in my body go crazy when I get pregnant, and my placenta starts having trouble regulating insulin, and unfortunately, there is nothing I can do to prevent it.  What I can do, however, is stay on a very strict diet during my pregnancy, that allows my body to handle the diabetes without medicine.  I'm not going to lie: it's really hard to be on a rigid diet when you are in your third trimester; a time when you are starving and just want to eat what you want to eat, when you want to eat.  Instead, I have to eat a certain amount of carbs (not too much, not too little) on a very strict schedule (every 2-3 hours, no earlier, no later).  

Garlicky Pinto Beans

If you don't love, and I mean love garlic, go ahead and ignore this recipe.  This recipe is for my fellow garlic lovers.  I stumbled upon this recipe in 2009, in the May issue of Real Simple magazine. It embodied what I loved most about Real Simple recipes: the recipe was, well, real simple!  Garlicky Pinto Beans became my go-to side when I needed to whip up something quick and easy.  I almost always have all the ingredients in my pantry, so no running to the grocery store.  Coming up with a fast side dish is one of the hardest parts for me on my healthy eating journey, so I'm always happy to have recipes like Garlicky Pinto Beans in my arsenal.  Without dishes like this, I would resort to eating double the appropriate portion size of my entree (i.e. two burritos instead of one).  What is your go-to healthy and simple side dish? If you have a good one, I'd love for you to share in the comments! 

Cream of Asparagus Soup

I've always loved Cream of Asparagus soup, but indulge only rarely, because it's so high in calories.  However, with asparagus being in season, I kept finding myself craving that rich, creamy soup.  So I decided to rework the recipe and create a healthier version.  I reduced the amount of butter and cream, and upped the veggies, but I promise you can't tell.  My version of Cream of Asparagus Soup tastes just as rich and creamy as its higher calorie counterpart.  This recipe also gets high marks in my other two important areas:  it's easy and quick to make, and it's kid friendly.  If you find yourself craving this soup when it's no longer asparagus season, don't fret:  it works wonderfully with frozen asparagus too.  

Kale & Pear Salad

My good friend recently had a beautiful baby girl.  When they left the hospital and returned home, our group of friends set up a schedule for each of us to bring their family a dinner each night, to help them through that tough first week of new-baby transition.  I immediately decided to make them one of my newer recipes, my Homemade Hamburger Helper, but then got stuck trying to come up with a tasty side that would transport well.  So I went to my trusty Pinterest boards to get inspired, and was quickly smitten by a Kale and Pear Salad by the blog Taste Love and Nourish.  I adapted the recipe a little, and it turned out delicious!  It's light, and fresh, and tangy.  It's filled with super foods, and it's a breeze to make.  Transports great too! :)

Sautéed Kale

Kale continues to be the superstar of the health food world, and I'm continuing to try to find ways to make this vegetable more lovable.  To be frank, I often find kale to be bitter in taste and unpleasant in texture.  After numerous kale encounters, I've learned that it is absolutely vital to get as fresh as kale as possible.  Skip the already prepared kale bags sold in your grocery store, and grab the large unwashed and uncut bunches instead.  The older kale gets, the more bitter it grows.  So stick with fresh!  Sure, it takes a bit longer to prepare, but it is certainly worth it.  This recipe below is simple and savory, and when used with fresh kale, creates an actually tasty kale side dish.  I actually went back for seconds, which is almost unheard for me when it comes to greens!

Savory Roasted Butternut Squash

Last week I decided to make butternut squash for my toddler; it sounded like the perfect healthy finger food.  However, I found myself sneaking piece after piece with my adult fingers, and decided that it was definitely good enough for grown-ups too!

Crack Macaroni and Cheese

I have spent the last few years trying to find THE best macaroni and cheese recipe.  I've come close, but hadn't quite found the one.  I scoured the interwebs, searching through culinary message boards, when I first heard it referenced... "Crack Mac and Cheese".  I blew it off the first time I saw it, but when I saw it mentioned again, my interest was piqued.  Apparently this mac and cheese was so delicious, it was more addicting than crack.  I soon discovered that "Crack Mac and Cheese" was really Martha Stewart's more classily named "Perfect Macaroni and Cheese".  (Maybe there can be some sort of happy medium for its name...like Cocaine Macaroni and Cheese?)  I decided to make it for my family's hugely attended Thanksgiving dinner, where I would get a lot of good feedback.  Of course anything referenced as "crack" and is also made by Martha Stewart was going to be delectable, and it sure as heck was.  It was ahhhh-mazing. I had found the ONE.  My mac and cheese soulmate!  Here's my one big tip: don't be lazy with the topping.  I usually just sprinkle on some panko crumbs or crushed Ritz Crackers, but decided to go all out for Martha's sake, and by golly, it was worth the extra 5 minutes of effort.  

Sautéed Spinach & Mushrooms

The other day I was trying to decide which side to have with my meal:  sautéed mushrooms or wilted spinach?  I ended up throwing caution to the wind and decided to combine both, and voila, my Sautéed Spinach & Mushrooms recipe was created.  This is a very simple and very nutritious side that can be whipped up in ten minutes, and tastes pretty scrumptious too. 

(No) Cream of Broccoli Soup

I'm a sucker for creamy vegetable soups.  Its richness makes you completely forget that it's filled with healthy vegetables.  However, these type of soups are often made with heavy cream and loads of butter (yum, I know), making it awfully high in fat and calories.  Well, this particular (No) Cream of Broccoli Soup has all the richness that you know and love, but is actually made with no cream or milk at all.  You'd never know by the taste though; it's just as velvety and creamy as the higher calorie version.  Plus, it has the benefit of being full of not one, but two, healthy green veggies.  So slurp away without guilt!

Zucchini Tots

I had another great Pinterest find this month: Zucchini Tots.  The recipe is from The Curious Country Cook, and was described as a healthy snack for adults.  However, I took one look at the recipe and decided that those tots were also the perfect side dish for, well, tots.  Tots for tots!  They are the perfect size for little hands, and contain just enough cheese and bread to hide their nutritious secret.  Plus the recipe can be made in bulk and frozen, and reheated as needed.  So basically the Zucchini Tot recipe had everything I look for in toddler food. The only problem?  They were so good that I found myself eating half of every batch I made.  Oops!  Well, at least they are healthy for children and adults.

Broccoli Bites

I am constantly trying to come up with creative ways to sneak more vegetables into my toddler's diet.  Recently I saw a recipe for "Broccoli Bites for Kids" on a blog called Stacey Snacks.  I was doubtful that this was something my kid would eat, but I gave it a try any how.  Much to my surprise, my picky child ate the whole thing! True, I had to do the "Take a Monster Bite" song and dance (sung to the tune of Monster Mash, obviously) to get her to eat it, but this is a kid who won't even try a bite of pizza.  After she finished, it was one of those parenting moments where you honestly expect a six foot trophy to be presented to you.  I got my kid to eat something GREEN!  Woo!  Even better, the rest of the batch froze beautifully, and reheated easily in the microwave.  Which means I can have a healthy side dish on hand for dinner that only takes 30 seconds to prepare. Now where's my trophy?

Broccomole

A few weeks ago, I pinned a recipe on Pinterest for "Broccomole" by Domestic Fits.  Instead of using avocado to make guacamole, she ingeniously uses broccoli instead. I'm always looking for ways to get more broccoli in my diet (some say that it is the healthiest vegetable on earth), so I had to give it a try, even though I was skeptical of the results.  Amazingly enough, it turned out pretty darn fantastic! It was a breeze to whip up, especially since I used a bag of frozen broccoli instead of fresh.  I served it to my unknowing husband, who was shocked to later learn that it was avocado-less.  I personally can taste a hint of broccoli, but it still is incredibly similar in taste to avocado guacamole...except with a quarter of the calories and fat.  While I'm a huge proponent of the healthy fats that avocado provide, it's always nice to to have a lighter dip to gorge on too.  Which is why I set the serving size at a HUGE 1/4th of the entire thing. Eat it with sliced bell peppers, and it's one of the healthiest guilt-free snacks ever.