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Side Dish

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: 8 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. 
Sweet N Sassy Eats - Christmas Salad - the perfect addition to any meal

Savory Pull-Apart Rolls

Sweet N Sassy Eats - Savory Pull-Apart Rolls - main
This savory pull-apart roll recipe will be a hit in flavor and in appearance, always a winner at your holiday table!

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.

  • Sweet N Sassy Eats - Savory Pull-Apart Rolls - toppings
  • Sweet N Sassy Eats - Savory Pull-Apart Rolls - total

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!

  • Sweet N Sassy Eats - Savory Pull-Apart Rolls - 5
  • Sweet N Sassy Eats - Savory Pull-Apart Rolls - 1

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: 24 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

Calories: 164kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 320mg | Potassium: 58mg | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 8.8% | Vitamin C: 2.7% | Calcium: 8% | Iron: 3.5%

Instant Pot Sausage Stuffing

Instant Pot Sausage StuffingInstant Pot Sausage StuffingI 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

  1. Heat Olive oil in large skillet or heavy-bottomed pan over med-high heat.
  2. Add chopped onions, carrots & celery and a little bit of salt. Cook for 2-3 min.
  3. Add sliced mushrooms, garlic & fresh herbs, cook 2-3 mins.
  4. Push veggies to the sides, creating space to add Sage Sausage and brown.
  5. Add Chicken apple sausages. Cook 2-3 minutes
  6. Add Chicken Broth (you will need about 3 cups of broth instead of 1.5 cups) & stir, cook 2-3 min
  7. Turn heat off, add stuffing cubes & stir. Cover for a few minutes.
  8. 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

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: 8 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 Sausage Stuffing

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

 

 

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

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

 

Instant Pot Mashed PotatoesMashed 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. 

 

Instant Pot Mashed 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!

 

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

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

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: 6 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

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

Brussel Sprout Salad

Brussel Sprout & Bacon 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

Brussel Sprout & Bacon Salad! The perfect healthy holiday salad!

  • 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: 6 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: 8 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

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.

Video

Paleo Sweet Potato Casserole, gluten free & Dairy Free