Dietitians Dish – December 15, 2024
Holiday Foods to Boost Immunity!
With holiday festivities in full swing, find simple ways to boost your immunity so you don’t miss out due to illness. Whether you’re a host or a guest, create a menu with snack boards and side dishes featuring fresh produce.
Keep it within budget; check for sales and choose bulk packaged items. Grab a bag of apples and try these creatively delicious options. Apples contain many important immune-boosting nutrients such as vitamin C, potassium, magnesium and vitamins B6 and K.
Healthy Whipped Ricotta Board with Apples
Ingredients:
- 2 apples, cored and sliced thin
- 1/4 cup pecans chopped
- 3/4 cup part-skim ricotta
- 1/4 cup less sugar
- vanilla Greek yogurt
- 1 navel orange, zested and juiced
- 3 sprigs of thyme
- Optional: French bread, cheddar cheese, and prosciutto
Directions:
- In a blender or food processor, add ricotta, Greek yogurt, zest, juice from the naval orange, thyme and honey. Pulse/blend until smooth, this will only take a second or two! You can also do this with a fork.
- Spread on your favorite board.
- Garnish with pecans and thyme.
- Serve with sliced apples, bread, cheese and prosciutto.
Recipe (edited) and image courtesy of HealthyFamilyProject.com.
Scalloped Sweet Potatoes and Apples
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled & thinly sliced
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 3 medium apples cored, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 Tbsps. flour
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup unsalted chicken stock
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 13×9-inch baking dish.
- Toss sweet potatoes with salt, pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon in large bowl.
- In separate bowl, toss apples, onion, flour and lemon juice.
- Spread half of sweet potatoes in single layer in baking dish. Top with apples and onions. Arrange remaining sweet potatoes on top in overlapping pattern.
- Mix cream and stock. Pour over sweet potatoes.
- Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Increase heat to 425°F and remove foil. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until tender and lightly browned on top.
Recipe (edited) and image courtesy of HealthyFamilyProject.com.