I have compiled some of the best low-carb holiday side dishes from around the web. Most of us have traditional foods we love at the holidays, but making a few tweaks to old recipes and sprinkling in a few new ones can open your eyes to tasty healthier options without adding another notch on your belt buckle.
Zucchini Fritters
Great as a side dish or as an appetizer, these zucchini fritters pack a veggie wallop while tending to your cravings for “bread like” foods. Click here for the recipe.
I love spaghetti squash for it’s ability to feel like pasta without the post consumption carb coma. But I usually take the lazy route and enjoy it plain, with butter or with marinara sauce. Try this recipe for a side dish sure to delight even the most skeptical eaters. Twice Baked Spaghetti Squash with Pesto & Parmesan from Kalyns Kitchen.
Who doesn’t love Potatoes Au Gratin? Creamy, cheesy and addictive, but wowza do these do a number on your blood sugar levels, leading to fat storage. Potatoes are very high glycemic. Skip them this holiday and opt for a much leaner Potatoes Faux Gratin. Get recipe here
Roasted Turnips with Parmesan
Leave it to Martha to make turnips sound delicious. This side dish does more than fill your belly with its fiber, turnips have some great health benefits too.Click here for recipe
I am personally not a fan of goat cheese, it is a bit pungent for my liking, but a great deal of my clients are fanatics, so this ones for you! If you love goat cheese try these stuffed peppers from Better Homes & Garden.
Any vegetable can taste great covered in Hollandaise sauce, but try asapragus which is a natural diuretic and can help eliminate some of the heavy meal bloat this year. Here is a low carb recipe for the sauce.
Hollandaise Sauce
Author: Low Carb Luxury
Serves: 8 servings
Ingredients
1 Cup Butter at room temperature
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp water
3 egg yolks
Salt
White pepper
Instructions
Cut butter into 1" pieces.
In a small, heavy saucepan, combine lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of water. Reduce over high heat to about 1 tablespoon.
Remove from heat and add 1 tablespoon of cold water
Beat egg yolks lightly and whisk into lemon water
Over low heat, whisk the butter one piece at a time making sure that each piece of butter is melted before adding more. Continue to whisk the sauce until it is thick.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Nutrition Information
Carbohydrates: .5g per serving
3.5.3226 What Christmas meal is complete without a little something sweet? This recipe I tweaked a little bit from Low Carb Luxury to fit our needs.
Spicy Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
¾ cup Vanilla Whey Protein powder
⅛ cup "Just Whites" (egg white powder)
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Cinnamon
½ tsp Ground clove
½ tsp Nutmeg
⅛ tsp Ginger
⅓ cup Stevia
⅓ cup Brown Sugar
⅛ tsp Salt
1 12oz can Pumpkin
¼ cup Heavy Cream
3 large Eggs
⅛ cup Water
3 Tbsp light Olive Oil OR Sweet Almond oil
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375
Grease a loaf pan and set aside
Mix all dry ingredients in a small bowl
Mix all liquid ingredients (including the pumpkin) in a large bowl; then add dry ingredients and mix with a hand mixer for 1 minute.
Pour into loaf pan and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes or use an 8x8 Pyrex square baking dish for 50-55 minutes. (Heating times will always vary so test with a toothpick for doneness)
Allow to cool thoroughly before slicing.
3.5.3226 Makes 1 loaf or square snack-cake. Entire loaf is 38 carbs accounting for fiber. Slice into 10 slices for 3.8 carbs each, or 15 slices for 2.5 carbs each.