All Recipes

Christmas Salad

KALE, CRANBERRY & GRANOLA SALAD

I don’t know about you, but a holiday dinner is never complete without a very special salad. It needs to be lite due to all the other rich entrees and sides, but still more special than your typical daily salad. So I came up with salad to help pack in nutrition and add interest and beauty to your menu!

The show stopper of this salad is definitely the homemade granola! It is the perfect mix of salty and sweet plus it give s great crunch to the salad. The recipe does leave you with some extra granola to enjoy with yogurt, or more salads later, so you’re welcome! You can make this granola ahead of time so that on the day of you are just tossing everything together.

Sweet N Sassy Eats - Christmas Salad - dressing — The beginnings of the perfect salad dressing …

This is one of my go-to dressing, it’s simple and fast! I add different herbs and seasonings to complement the ingredients in the rest of the salads or in the meal it accompanies. In this salad though, I leave it pretty basic. You can whip this up ahead of time too!

Throw together all your ingredients and toss with the dressing, right before service. Everyone loves this salad, the delicious sweet & savory granola with the creamy goat cheese and bursts of sweet & tart cranberries is the perfect combination to pair with the tender baby kale.

Sweet N Sassy Eats - Christmas Salad - the perfect addition to any meal

Sweet N Sassy Eats - Christmas Salad - featured photo

Christmas Salad – Kale, Cranberry & Granola Salad

A holiday dinner is never complete without a very special salad, this one will be the perfect complement to any festive meal. With a delicious sweet & savory granola with the creamy goat cheese and bursts of sweet & tart cranberries is the perfect combination to pair with the tender baby kale.

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Course: holiday recipes, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: people

Author: sweetnsassyeats

Ingredients

Granola

1 cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes the big flakes
1 cup Oats
1/2 cup Pistachios
1/2 cup Pumpkin Seeds
1/4 cup Coconut Oils melted
1 tbsp Maple Syrup
2 tsp soy sauce

Dressing

2 tbsp Avocado Oil
2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbsp Maple Syrup
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
salt & pepper to taste

Salad

5 oz Baby Kale
1 cup Dried Cranberries
6 oz Goat Cheese

Instructions

For the granola, heat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, coconut flakes, pumpkin seeds, pistachios, coconut oil, maple syrup, and soy sauce. Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, then toss and bake again for another 10-15 minutes or until the oats are crisply toasted and fragrant. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
For the dressing, whisk together the avocado oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, and dijon mustard. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
To assemble the salad, toss the kale, cranberries, goat cheese & granola together in a large bowl. Add dressing to taste.

Savory Pull-Apart Rolls

For as long as I can remember my family has been enjoying our Orange Glazed Dinner Rolls for every special occasion/ holiday meal. This Christmas I decided that this year I would switch it up a bit. I wanted it to be something that resembled a Christmas Wreath to help the whole meal look extra festive. So I took the idea of “sticky buns” or “monkey bread” that is a sweet, sticky cinnamon roll round shape loaf that has individual pieces you can pull-apart and share with your friends and family. With that concept in mind, I grabbed a bunch of fresh herbs, cheese and cranberries to help make my vision come to life.

You can totally mix up the fresh herbs, cheeses, and dried fruit (you can even add chopped nuts), to coordinate with your meal or with what you have on hand! Make a little garlic butter to dip and BAM! So delicious!

This masterpiece is super simple to put together, but will amaze everyone at your table.

Sweet N Sassy Eats - Savory Pull-Apart Rolls - Close up

Tips:

To watch a video on me making the dough, check out this recipe: Orange Glazed Dinner Rolls
To make sure your dough balls are equal, weigh your dough and then break it up into 24 even parts before shaping them.
Make sure that when you are layering each roll that you alternate which flavor you put down so that the same flavor doesn’t touch the other.
If making your dough from scratch intimidates you, you could use a frozen pre-made dough like Rhodes Rolls
Make sure you have a good thermometer, so you can check the internal temperature and know for sure when your wreath is cooked through. I use my Thermapen MK4 to check the temp. I aim for a 185 degrees internal temperature. If your budget isn’t quite ready for that one, I also recommend their ThermoPop, it is very accurate but just takes slightly longer to read the temperature.

I made a simple ranch dip to allow my guests to dip their rolls into if they’d like. You can also do a marinara sauce, a hummus, garlic butter … the possibilities are endless.

I am so excited to see these beauties show their faces on your holiday dinner table! Make sure to let me know if you try it out!

Savory Pull-Apart Rolls

This savory pull-apart roll recipe will be a hit in flavor and in appearance, always a winner at your holiday table!

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bread, dinner rolls

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Rising Time: 6 hours

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: Rolls

Calories: 164kcal

Author: Kristi Shields

Ingredients

Rolls

1 pkg Yeast + 1 Tbsp of warm water
1.5 cups Scalded Milk I use whole milk
1/2 cup butter (use cold salted)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 whole eggs beaten
5 cups flour (plus more for kneading etc)

Herb & Seasonings

2 tsp Garlic minced
1/2 cup Butter, salted melted
1/2 cup Chives, fresh minced
1/2 cup Parsley, fresh chopped
1/2 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese shredded
1/2 cup dried cranberries to taste

Instructions

Add yeast to mixing bowl with 1 Tbsp warm water (I also like to add a sprinkle of sugar to help activate the yeast). Put to the side and allow yeast to bloom.
Over the stove scald the milk. (Cook milk on medium, until just before it boils, whisk milk to keep a film from forming. Once scalded, remove from heat and add butter.
Once the milk has cooled to room temperature, add sugar, salt & eggs to milk and whisk. Then pour into mixing bowl with yeast, whisk to combine.
Slowing add flour; once dough becomes too thick to mix with electric mixer, pour out onto a floured counter and knead until smooth dough forms. Still slightly sticky but not too sticky.
Grease mixing bowl, place dough back in and grease the top of the dough, then cover and place in refrigerator. Allow to rise for at minimum 4hrs, but I prefer overnight.
Once it has completed it’s rise, remove from fridge. Pour dough out onto a floured surface. Knead a few times to get a smooth ball. Separate into 24 even pieces and gently form into round balls.
Grease a non-stick bundt pan. Mix minced garlic into melted butter. Dunk each dough ball into the garlic butter then into desired herb, cheese or dried fruit. place into bundt pan and alternate each flavor.
Once all are in the bundt pan, cover with a cloth and allow to rise for 2hrs.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush with melted butter and bake 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. Use an instant-read thermometer, rolls are cooked perfectly once they reach an internal temperature of 185 degrees. Remove from oven, place a thin spatula in the side to loosen from bundt pan while still warm. Place a serving platter on top of the pan and then flip the bundt pan over and hopefully, it releases from the pan.
Serve with a dip of choice in the center.

Nutrition

Gut Healing & Immune Boosting Soup

Are you looking for a soup that will ease your tummy troubles or chase that cold or flu away? Do you just want a really tasty healthy soup? Well, I have the answer for you: this soup! What is so great is you can add or remove the veggies you want or to achieve the results you’d like. If you aren’t making this for kids or those sensitive to heat, go ahead and add Siracha (I just add it to each persons’ bowl individually so they can adjust to taste), but that stuff will chase congestion away in a second! You can even add more seasonings, like cinnamon and turmeric… they have awesome healing properties to them! Below I have put together some of the highlights of the benefits of each ingredient in this soup. I didn’t mention the awesome benefits of the Bone Broth, because I dedicated a whole blog post to that!

Bok Choy

A Powerhouse Veggie! Loaded with the vitamins and minerals responsible for helping your immune system function, & shields you from free radicals!

Celery

Enhances your immune system& loaded with antioxidants!

Kale

Kale can legitimately be called a superfood, aids in DNA cell repair, while at the same time slowing the growth of cancer cells, can ease lung congestion, and is beneficial to your stomach, liver, and immune system.

Baby Bella Mushrooms

Low in saturated fat and cholesterol and high in fiber, Baby Bella’s are an excellent source of copper, which your body needs to produce red blood cells and carry oxygen through your body.

Bell Peppers

Bell peppers are rich in vitamin C, they contain more than twice the vitamin C of an orange, helps protect against scurvy, & boosts the immune system.

Zucchini

Zucchini is also a wonderful source of potassium, a heart-friendly nutrient that helps moderate your blood pressure levels and counters the effects of too much sodium. In fact, a zucchini has more potassium than a banana.

Garlic

Numerous studies show garlic’s amazing health potential in nearly every area of the body, from removing heavy metals to the prevention of numerous ailments, such as the common cold, hardening of the arteries, and gangrene, destroying contaminants in baby formula, and even in slowing the aging process.

Ginger

A good source of vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, copper, and manganese, ginger promotes the release of intestinal gas; it relaxes and soothes the intestinal tract. That means it can settle an upset stomach, relieve vomiting, and ease gas and diarrhea discomfort; but it’s also effective in preventing nausea in the first place.

Green Onions

Full of Vitamin A, C, K, Potassium, Foliate, & Iron! They’re also traditionally used in the treatment of colds, influenza, abdominal pain, headache, and heart disease

Cilantro

Rids the Body of Heavy Metals
Protects Against Oxidative Stress
Lowers Anxiety and Improves Sleep
Lowers Blood Sugar Levels
Protects Against Cardiovascular Disease
Prevents Urinary Tract Infections
Settles Digestive Upset
Protects Against Food Poisoning
Supports Healthy Menstrual Function
Prevents Neurological Inflammation
Protects Against Colon Cancer
Soothes Skin Irritations

Mint

Can help with the symptoms of the common cold by acting as a natural decongestant. Helps with indigestion and gas due to its soothing properties. It also helps protect the lining in the stomach, which helps prevent gastric ulcers.

Star Anise

Star anise is rich in antioxidants and vitamin A and C
The oil produced from star anise is used for treating cough and flu.
Anise also helps improve digestion, alleviate cramps and reduce nausea.
Consuming star anise tea after meals helps treat digestive ailments such as bloating, gas, indigestion, and constipation.

Gut Healing & Immune Boosting Soup

This soup is rich with all the good nutrients you need to heal your gut and fight off the cold or flu! The things you can do with this soup are LIMITLESS!

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Course: Main Course, Side Dish, Soup

Cuisine: Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese

Keyword: Chicken soup, cold, flu, glycine, Gut healing, gut health, leaking gut, Pho, soup for the soul

Servings: people

Author: sweetnsassyeats

Ingredients

2 tbsp Coconut Oil
2 tbsp Ginger minced
2 tbsp Garlic minced
1/2 cup Green Onions chopped
2 whole Star Anise
1/2 cup Tamari Sauce or Soy Sauce
2 tbsp Red Curry Paste
1 whole Red Bell Peppers washed & sliced
8 oz Mushrooms washed & sliced
1/2 bunch Cilantro washed & chopped
2 tbsp Mint washed & chopped
1 whole Sweet Potato peeled & diced
1 whole Zucchini washed & chopped
1 whole Bok Choy washed & chopped
1/2 bunch Kale chopped
8 Cups Bone Broth homemade or store bought
1 lb Rice Noodles
1 whole Lemons juiced

Instructions

Heat 1 tbsp Coconut Oil in a large pot over med-high heat.
Add ginger, garlic and green onions, stir and saute 1-2 min. Add Star Anise & mushrooms, saute 2-3 min
Add white ends of bok choy and sweet potatoes, and 1 tbsp coconut oil, saute 2-3 min
Add Tamari Sauce & Red curry paste, stir & simmer 5 min
Add remaining veggies (including bok choy greens, but reserve 1/2 cilantro & mint for later) and stir. Add 8 cups of Bone Broth and bring to boil. (if you prefer your vegetable crisper, add the remaining veggies after noodles are cooked.
Add rice noodles and cook until soft. (according to package instructions). Top with remaining cilantro and mint, and squeeze lemon juice. Stir & serve. Serve with Sriracha on the side!

Video

Bone Broth

So for years, I have been making this awesome, super healthy and now SUPER trendy broth called Bone Broth. I didn’t realize how amazing this stuff was and was always confused on why my homemade broth would gel up when cooled… but HEY it tasted GREAT so who cares?!

Turns out that the Bone Broth I made every year after Thanksgiving Day was incredibly healthy for you in so many ways and that I could do the same thing with other animal bones for different flavors and applications. It also makes me feel SUPER cool to be able to use literally EVERY PART of that Turkey or other animals in every way.

So What Can This Powerful Brew Actually Do?

Bone broth can strengthen and improve:

Digestion
Immunity
Liver detoxification
Joints and cartilage
Bones and teeth
Hair, skin, and nails.

Have you heard of “Leaky Gut”?

So many of us (due to stress and environmental factors) deal with some form of the leaky gut syndrome. Bone broth has Glutamine and Glycine in it that are both important nutrients that help heal the small holes in your gut lining and normalize the acid production in your stomach. The Glycine also helps in detoxing your liver!

For your joints, cartilage, bones, teeth, hair skin and nails, the Glycine and the Proline (that are released from the gelatin found in bone broth) are the two materials your body needs to rebuild tendons, ligaments and other connective tissue like skin. These all help your body create collagen to help repair and rebuild your body!

Basically, this is a heal all broth that you should really make a part of your daily consumption… you can either drink it straight OR make it into yummy soups (my favorite way to enjoy it).

What do I need to make this?

So making Bone Broth is PRETTY simple. You can do it in a slow cooker/ electric roaster, instant pot or on the stove. I prefer the roaster for a couple reasons:

The size, in the electric roaster I can make a TON of broth at once and it can hold my whole turkey carcass.
I can have it run for the 24-48 hrs with less stress than having an open flame on my stove running that long.
Flavor… the instant pot can make both broths very quickly (4hrs vs. 48hrs) BUT the flavor you get from slow and low roasting it I think is WAY better, plus I think it pulls more nutrients out.

HOW I MAKE MY BONE BROTH:

I like to use COLD bones. Usually, I freeze my animal bones until I have enough to make a large batch. For my Turkey, I break all the pieces down and put into freezer bags and freeze until I am ready to make it. (Typically I need a break from cooking after Thanksgiving and do not want to make anything for a couple days).
Put cold bones in electric roaster pan; add enough COLD water to barely cover the bones (typically around 2 gallons).
Add 2 TB of Apple Cider Vinegar, and allow it to sit for 30min before turning on the heat. (This helps the vinegar begin to break things down and pull more good stuff out).
Add veggies ends (as in onion ends, celery ends, carrot ends, garlic cloves etc) & herbs.
Turn heat to med-high and cover & bring to boil
Once at a boil, drop the temp to keep it at JUST ABOUT TO BOIL. (Typically around 175-200 degrees for me). Keep covered.
Let it simmer for 24-48 hrs until everything is really broken down well. If water is getting low… add more. YOU DO NOT WANT IT TO DRY OUT, you need the broth!
Strain out everything with a colander and cheesecloth.
Pour into a container to cool, once fully cold, it should “gel” up and that means you did it right! To Store, you can freeze (I’d recommend freezing in 8oz portions for ease of use).

I love to make soups out of this Broth and here are some of my favorite recipes for them:

Instant Pot Beef Stew

I’ve been trying to figure out what I love using the Instant Pot for the most. So far I love cooking meals that normally take all day to cook in my oven or slow cooker. There are so many times when I forget to thaw my slow cooker meals or forget to start them in the morning and with the Instant Pot, I can now cook those up within an hour of starting it!

Beef stew is one of my favorite comfort foods. It warms every chill in my body and makes me feel super cozy! You don’t need an Instant pot to follow this recipe, I will include instructions for cooking on your stove top.

TIPS

Brown your Beef! Making sure to get a good sear on your beef helps develop the flavor of your beef & create the flavor for your stew sauce/ broth.
When you deglaze your pot with red wine it helps lift those brown bits and deepen the flavor of your sauce. You can use broth for this if you’d like, but red wine gives a better depth to the flavor, the alcohol will cook out.

STOVE TOP/ OVEN TIPS

Use a cast iron/ dutch oven pot to cook, so you can sear in the same pot and have a lid. It also heats more evenly.
All saute mode instructions can be completed with using your pot on the stove on medium/ high heat
After adding the beef and potatoes back in, cover and cook on low until tender (1.5-2hrs), stirring occasionally. OR Cover and put in a 275-degree oven and cook for 2-3 hrs (or until tender).

Instant Pot Beef Stew

This beef stew is the epitome of comfort food for those cold fall and winter days. Typically a stew like this takes all day to tenderize the beef and meld the flavors together, but with an Instant Pot, you can now have this soul-warming stew in an hour or less!

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Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beef, comfort food, fall recipes, Instant Pot, soup, stew

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Servings: people

Author: Kristi Shields

Ingredients

2-3 lbs Beef Stew Meat
4-5 Red Potatoes cubed, skin on
1 Red Onion chopped
4 Carrots chopped
4 Celery
1 tbsp Garlic minced
2 tbsp Butter
1/2 cup Red Wine can use beef broth if you don't want to use wine
4 tbsp Tomato Paste
2 cups Beef Broth
salt & pepper to taste
2 tbsp cornstarch

Instructions

Turn instant pot on to Saute mode, melt butter in the pot.
Add 1/2 the meat (do not crowd pot) and sear all sides of beef, remove & set to the side. Sear the remaining half of the beef, remove & set to the side.
Add Onions, Carrots & Celery. Saute 3 min. Add Red Wine and deglaze the pan by scraping the bottom with wooden spoon.
Add garlic and saute another couple of minutes. Then add the tomato paste & stir. Add the Beef Broth and turn the Instant pot off. Make sure to scrap the bottom of the pot and get all stuck on particles.
Add the beef stew meat back in and add the red potatoes. Stir.
Put Instant Pot lid on and seal. Set for HIGH Pressure and for 35 minutes. When cooking is complete, do a manual release on the pressure and turn to low Saute mode.
Add 2 drops of Thyme and 2 drops of Oregano Vitality Essential Oils. Stir. Mix cornstarch with a couple tablespoons of the beef stew liquid. Add to pot and stir well. Allow stew to thicken.
Serve in a bowl or my favorite a sourdough bread bowl.

Video

The Best Cinnamon Rolls

These fluffy and cinnamony sweet rolls are PERFECT for your Holiday breakfast or any breakfast where you need to feed a crowd. You can even freeze them to enjoy them later! I add a special ingredient to my glaze to really BOOST the flavor!

Remember my awesome Dinner Roll recipe? Well, I take that basic roll recipe and turn them into Cinnamon Rolls! The best part is that I will just usually double my roll recipe, split the dough in half and then make dinner rolls out of one and cinnamon rolls out of the other! This makes my holiday cooking for the family even EASIER! You can even freeze these to have on hand whenever you want them! You just get through the steps of shaping the rolls and then instead of allowing them to rise a second time, just cover and pop into the freezer! Pull them out a few hours before you plan to bake to let them thaw and rise and BOOM you have delicious homemade cinnamon rolls! So do yourself a favor and double your rolls this year but make a batch of these!

TIP 1: YEAST

One of the most important things is your yeast, it is what makes the rolls rise and be fluffy. You need to use a yeast you know and trust, this is my favorite yeast. The next important thing is to not kill your yeast when activating it. The water you add needs to be warm but not too warm, just slightly above room temperature. I also like to add a couple pinches of white sugar, the sugar feeds the yeast and helps it activate. Next, be sure that your scalded milk has come down to room temperature BEFORE you add your activated yeast. Making sure your butter is cold helps to cool the milk and mixing in the sugar and eggs before the yeast helps too.

TIP 2: DO NOT OVER MIX

When you are adding the flour in, add it slowly and gently knead the flour in once your mixer begins to struggle. But try to handle the dough as least as possible. The more you work the dough the tougher the end rolls will be. Also when you are shaping your rolls (after the first rise), try to handle them the least as possible (again it will make them tough).

TIP 3: THE FIRST RISE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT

If your dough does not rise during the first cycle then most likely your yeast was bad or it got killed in the process. The second round of rising is not as important, sometimes my shaped rolls do not rise during the second rising, but then once in the oven the grow and are just fine. If they do not rise in the first process, throw out the dough and start again.

TIP 4: DENTAL FLOSS WORKS WONDERS

When cutting your cinnamon roll pieces I find that using unflavored (or cinnamon flavored) dental floss is the PERFECT solution to getting perfectly cut roll shapes without squishing or smashing your rolls. So make sure you have some of that around when making these!

TIP 5: INTERNAL TEMPERATURE

I use to worry so much about overcooking my rolls, that I would typically always undercook them. That is until I started using my Thermoworks Instant Read MK4 thermometer! It takes ALL the guesswork out of knowing when the rolls are perfectly cooked. Simply insert the thermometer into a discrete spot on your rolls and get the center temp reading. Rolls are cooked perfectly at an internal temperature of 185, so I shoot for 180-183 to take into account a slight carry over in cook time. So if you don’t have an instant-read thermometer, make sure you get one here!

FROSTING

I LOVE the flavor of cinnamon, so I like to give my cream cheese frosting a little BOOST by adding my Young Living Cinnamon Bark Vitality Oil. It is strong, so typically 1-2 drops should be enough! It gives the nice cinnamon flavor but you get the beautiful look of a creamy smooth frosting on top.

VERSATILE DOUGH

I use this same dough recipe to make dinner rolls with just a couple of slight adjustments. I’ve also made it more savory with garlic, herbs, and cheese. Really the sky’s the limit with this dough recipe! So go ahead and be creative!

The Best Cinnamon Rolls

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Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bread, Cinnamon, Family Breakfast, Holiday Breakfast, Rolls, Thanksgiving

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Rising Time: 6 hours

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: Rolls

Author: Kristi Shields

Ingredients

Rolls

1 pkg Yeast + 1 Tbsp of warm water
1.5 cups Scalded Milk I use whole milk
1/2 cup butter (use cold salted)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 whole eggs beaten
5 cups flour (plus more for kneading etc)

Cinnamon Filling

1/2 cup Butter melted
1 tbsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Sugar

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Glaze

1.5 cups Powdered Sugar
4 oz Cream Cheese softened
4 tbsp Butter, salted softened
1-2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1-2 drops Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil (or more as needed)
2 tbsp Half & Half (or more as needed)
sea salt to taste

Instructions

Add yeast to mixing bowl with 1 Tbsp warm water (I also like to add a sprinkle of sugar to help activate the yeast). Put to the side and allow yeast to bloom.
Over the stove scald the milk. (Cook milk on medium, until just before it boils, whisk milk to keep a film from forming. Once scalded, remove from heat and add butter.
Once the milk has cooled to room temperature, add sugar, salt & eggs to milk and whisk. Then pour into mixing bowl with yeast, whisk to combine.
Slowing add flour; once dough becomes too thick to mix with electric mixer, pour out onto a floured counter and knead until smooth dough forms. Still slightly sticky but not too sticky.
Grease mixing bowl, place dough back in and grease the top of the dough, then cover and place in refrigerator. Allow to rise for at minimum 4hrs, but I prefer overnight.
Once it has completed it's rise, remove from fridge. Pour dough out onto a floured surface. Knead a few times to get a smooth ball. Separate into 2 sections. Roll each section out into a rectangle about 1/4 - 1/8" thick.
Spread 1/2 of your melted butter all over (except for 1/4" all around). Sprinkle with half the cinnamon mixture, just to where the melted butter is.
Starting on one of the longer sides of the rectangle, roll the dough up evenly. Pinch the end to the side, sealing the roll completely. Cut into 12 even slices. *see tips for the way I cut them
Place on buttered pan, sprinkle with extra cinnamon mixture & cover. Allow for a second rise, about 2 hrs.
Meanwhile, make Glaze: Combine all glaze ingredients in mixing bowl, blend until smooth and desired consistency. Adjust ingredients to taste, there is no right or wrong, but when in doubt start by adding salt - this enhances all the flavors already in the mix.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush with melted butter and bake 10-15 minutes. Use an instant-read thermometer, rolls are cooked perfectly once they reach an internal temperature of 185 degrees. Remove from oven, brush with glaze while still warm.

Video

Notes

~ When cutting the Cinnamon Rolls, I use unflavored floss to cut it. This keeps me from squishing my rolls when cutting and helps cut evenly.

Instant Pot Sausage Stuffing

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE stuffing! Hopefully, by now you’ve learned that cooking your turkey stuffed with this stuff is a big NO, NO! You run the risk of contamination from the raw turkey in your stuffing, so now if I cook a turkey whole instead of a Spatchcocked Turkey , then I fill the cavity with aromatics (like cinnamon, apples, onions & herbs) to help flavor the bird.

Even though we don’t stuff our bird, we’d still like to have stuffing as a side, it’s just not Thanksgiving without it! So, enter the yummiest stuffing ever! I cooked it in the Instant Pot, but you can totally follow these instructions and cook on the stove top if you’d like!

TIPS

Feel free to add or subtract any of the veggies or proteins, or even add your own ideas if you’d like! We love Chicken Apple Sausages at our house and love the added flavor and texture they add to this dish!
Make sure to scrape off ALL the brown bits on the bottom of the instant pot before sealing and pressure cooking or you will get a burn warning
Allow the pot to cool down a bit before sealing, and pressure cooking or you will get a burn warning

Non-Instant pot Instructions

Heat Olive oil in large skillet or heavy-bottomed pan over med-high heat.
Add chopped onions, carrots & celery and a little bit of salt. Cook for 2-3 min.
Add sliced mushrooms, garlic & fresh herbs, cook 2-3 mins.
Push veggies to the sides, creating space to add Sage Sausage and brown.
Add Chicken apple sausages. Cook 2-3 minutes
Add Chicken Broth (you will need about 3 cups of broth instead of 1.5 cups) & stir, cook 2-3 min
Turn heat off, add stuffing cubes & stir. Cover for a few minutes.
Preheat oven to 325. Loosely pack Stuffing in a buttered Casserole dish and top with Fried onions. Bake until crispy 20-40 minutes.

Instant Pot Sausage Stuffing

This stuffing has such a depth of flavor that is only this intense because it is cooked in the instant pot. The pressure cooking enhances all the flavors like it was cooked for hours! Doesn't take up a pot on the stove either!

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: sausage, Stuffing, Thanksgiving

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 22 minutes

Servings: People

Author: Kristi Shields

Ingredients

1 tbsp Olive oil
1 cup Onion chopped
1 cup Carrots chopped
1 cup Celery chopped
1 tbsp Fresh Rosemary minced
1 tbsp Fresh Sage chopped
1 tbsp Fresh Thyme minced
1 tbsp Garlic minced
1 lb Sage Flavored Sausage
8 oz Baby Bell Mushrooms sliced
1 whole Chicken Apple Sausage Links diced
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 pkg Stuffing Mix
1.5 cups Chicken Broth
1 cup Fried Onions

Instructions

Turn instant pot onto to Saute mode. Add Olive Oil and saute onions, celery & carrots. Cook for 3 minutes. Add fresh herbs and cook another 2 minutes.
Make space for sage sausage, brown sausage. Add mushrooms and diced chicken sausage links. Add Salt & Pepper, stir to combine.
Add stuffing mix, stir.
Add chicken broth and stir. Make sure to scrap the bottom of the pot to deglaze the pot. Turn off Saute mode, allow the pot to cool slightly. Then cover and seal your instant pot. Set to high pressure and 12 minutes.
Let instant pot release naturally, remove lid and fluff. If you like a more wet stuffing, stop here and dish into a serving dish, top with fried crispy onions.
If you want to dry your stuffing out, place in casserole dish, top with crispy onions and bake at 350 degrees for 10 min, serve.

Video

Notes

*When scrapping the bottom of the pot, make sure to get all browned bits off of the bottom, otherwise, you'll get a burn warning during pressure cooking stage. Also, allow the pot to cool down before moving to the pressure cooking stage.

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes – garlic mashed potatoes w/ sweet & red potatoes

Mashed potatoes are probably the epitome of comfort food! For me, I LOVE the creaminess that the red potatoes bring to the party. My other favorite addition is a little bit of sweet potato to the mix. It adds another level of flavor and packs in some awesome nutrients but keeps the mash still tasting savory and not like mashed sweet potatoes.

Cooking mashed potatoes in your Instant Pot makes your life easier because once you’ve chopped your potatoes you set the pot to cook and you don’t have to worry about draining the water or the water boiling over. Also, it frees up space on your stove for other items to cook, or it doesn’t heat up your house!

TIPS

When chopping your potatoes, try to make them all similar in size
If you like a “chunkier” mashed potato, then leave your potato cuts larger
If you like a “creamier & smooth” mashed potato, cut your potatoes smaller
I have Half & Half in my video recipe, but I actually didn’t end up needing it because of the consistency I was looking for. Cooking in the instant pot keeps everything moister, so if you like a thicker, chunkier mash then you probably won’t need the cream
The seasonings used are really ALL TO TASTE. Feel free to adjust to your liking, or try adding some parmesan cheese if you want a cheesy flavor! Use your creativity to get the flavor profile you enjoy!

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

Creamy and flavorful mashed potatoes quickly prepared in your instant pot!

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Instant Pot, Potatoes, Thanksgiving

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: people

Author: Kristi Shields

Ingredients

3 lbs Red Potatoes
.5 lb Sweet Potatoes
1.5 Cups Chicken Stock (or vegetable broth)
4 Tbsp Butter salted
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder more or less to taste
2 Tbsp Chives chopped
Half & Half or Heavy Cream (if needed)
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Peel Sweet Potatoes and chop into 1in cubes. Chop Red potatoes into 1 inch cubes (i do not peel my red potatoes, we enjoy the skin, but you can peel these if you’d like)
Add to your Instant Pot, pour in chicken broth and seal instant pot. Set to High Pressure and set the timer for 6 min.
When the Instant Pot is complete, safely quick release the pressure and remove the lid.
Add butter & mash slightly. Mix in ½ the garlic powder and all the sour cream.
Stir and mash to your desired consistency. If it is too thick, add cream.
Add ½ the chives and salt & pepper to taste. Add more garlic if you desire.
Serve and garnish with remaining chives.

Video

Brussel Sprout Salad

I am always on the lookout for a delicious and healthy salad to compliment my holiday meals. I want it to be healthy but not filled with a ton of ingredients, just simple, healthy and tasty. And this recipe hits the nail on the head perfectly!

I love shaved brussel sprout for these types of salads because they pack such a high nutritional punch because they are high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

Here are some quick facts about some of the awesome benefits of Brussel Sprouts

Brussels sprouts are especially rich in vitamin K, which is necessary for blood clotting and bone health.
They’re also high in vitamin C, an antioxidant that helps promote iron absorption and is involved in tissue repair and immune function
They are high in fiber which helps support regularity and gut health
Brussels sprouts contain small amounts of vitamin B6, potassium, iron, thiamine, magnesium and phosphorus
Brussels sprouts contain kaempferol, an antioxidant that may reduce cancer growth, decrease inflammation and promote heart health.

This salad (besides being super healthy for you) is also very versatile, you can remove or add ingredients to your liking, so be creative! It also is super easy to throw together and because the Brussel sprouts are so hardy, you can even assemble this salad ahead of time (like 24 hrs before serving) and even pour the dressing on and the salad stays fresh and crispy! So this makes your holiday cooking prep even easier!

I think Brussel Sprout have gotten a bad wrap in their past, but they have easily become one of my favorite vegetables cooked or raw! I hope, even if you are a Brussel Sprout hater, that you will try my many Brussel Sprout recipes and give these nutritional powerhouses a chance!

Brussel Sprout Salad

This light salad is a nutritious and light side dish perfect for any meal but especially for a holiday dinner side dish.

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Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: brussel sprouts, healthy greens, salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Servings: people

Author: Kristi Shields

Ingredients

4 dzn Brussel Sprouts
1 whole Pomegranate seeded
6 slices Bacon cooked & crumbled
1 cup Parmesan Cheese shaved
1/2 cup Olive Oil extra virgin
1 whole Lemon juiced
1 whole Orange juiced
1/2 cup Honey
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Thinly slice the Brussel sprouts, or use a mandoline to thinly slice. You want a thin slaw-like texture; place in a bowl.
Add Parmesan Cheese, crumbled bacon & pomegranate seeds to bowl.
In separate bowl mix lemon juice, orange juice, olive oil, honey; mix well then add salt & pepper to taste.
Pour dressing over salad and toss. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Should last well in the fridge for 1-2 days.

Video

Paleo Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet Potatoes are one of my husbands’ favorite foods, but the ‘typical’ sweet potato casserole is packed with sugar that you can’t even enjoy the real flavor of the sweet potato. I came up with this dish to satisfy our sweet potato casserole craving without a guilty conscience.

The great thing about this dish is it conforms to SO MANY dietary issues, so it is perfect to make for those who have those struggles! Dairy Free, Gluten Free, and processed sugar-free! You can even adjust the crumble topping ingredients so that it is nut free!

With this recipe, you can do a lot of the prep and assembly a day or two in advance, making this a perfect dish for the holidays because you can prep it and then just do the final baking step on the day of! I am all about easing my cooking to-dos on the day of the dinner, you could even freeze the filling, freeze the crumble topping and then assemble when you are ready to bake!

So toss those mini marshmallows to the side this year and make a sweet potato casserole that everyone can enjoy!

Paleo Sweet Potato Casserole

A delicious healthy twist on the classic Sweet Potato Casserole. A yummy almond pecan crust over perfectly roasted sweet potatoes and coconut milk.

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Servings: people

Ingredients

Sweet Potato Casserole

3 cups Sweet potatoes (about 5)
1/4 cup Honey
2 whole Eggs beaten
1/2 cup Ghee
1/2 cup Coconut MIlk
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg freshly ground

Pecan Crumble Topping

1 cup Almond Flour
1 cup Pecans chopped
2 tbsp Coconut Flour
2 tbsp Honey
4 tbsp Ghee

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425º. Line baking sheet with foil. Place washed sweet potatoes on foil (skin still on). Bake until tender (typically 40-50 min). Once tender, turn off oven and allow potatoes to cool down in the oven.
Remove potatoes from oven and remove skin, put potatoes in the bowl. Add eggs, coconut milk, 1/4 cup of honey, 1/2 cup of Ghee, Sea Salt, Cinnamon & Nutmeg. Blend until mixed well and smooth. Put in 11 X 7 casserole dish.
In a separate bowl mix remaining ingredients to make the crumble topping. Sprinkle evenly over top the sweet potato mixture. Bake in the oven at 350º for 20 minutes or until golden on top. Let rest for a few minutes before serving.