There’s nothing like the festive spread of beloved holiday meals to heighten the season’s celebratory gatherings. If you’re looking to enhance this year’s menu, try increasing the amount of plant-based foods. Adding plant foods, like vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils and whole grains, is a great way to make a meal healthier.
And don’t worry, there’s no need to replace or upstage the turkey, ham or roast. You can still delight your guests with complementary plant-forward dishes that are just as satisfying and pack a flavorful and nutritional punch. EN offers a few ways to add more plant-foods to this year’s holiday meals.
Start and Finish With Plants
Holiday meals can be rich and decadent, so do your guests a favor and skip the heavy charcuterie tray heaped with meats and cheeses and serve appetizers plant style instead. Veggie chips, whole grain crackers, and fresh vegetable slices are great dipped in nutrient-rich hummus, salsa, olive tapenade, or ranch or onion dip made with nonfat sour cream or yogurt. Nuts are always a treat, whether plain, spiced, or sweet.
