Breadcrumb Trail Links
OpinionColumn
Published Dec 05, 2025 • Last updated 11 hours ago • 2 minute read
Registered Dietitian Karissa Giraldi. (Supplied)Article content
If you’re like me, you’re looking forward to the holiday season for all the delicious food that’s about to be had. Maybe you’re on the hunt for recipes that are both mouth-watering and nutritious. Search no further. I’ve got you covered, from appetizers to beverages.
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Serving nutrient-packed appetizers is a great way to tide your guests over until dinner is ready without ruining their appetite. Try whipping up cucumber salmon bites, made from sliced cucumbers topped with cream cheese and smoked salmon. Boost the protein in your spinach dip by swapping the cream cheese and sour cream for cottage cheese and feta. Add plant-protein in the mix with rosemary-garlic pecans. Toss the pecans with an egg white, dried rosemary, and garlic salt. Roast at 250 F for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
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If you really want to impress your guests, include a crudité Christmas tree in your spread. Start by choosing which green vegetables you want to use to build your “tree”. Examples include celery, cucumber, green bell peppers, sugar snap peas, broccoli, and rosemary. Slice up your veggies and arrange them in the shape of a Christmas tree on a large cutting board. Next, decorate your tree with cherry tomatoes as Christmas balls, thinly sliced bell peppers as garland, cauliflower as fluffs of snow, and carrots cut into stars. Serve your edible tree with spinach dip, hummus, garlic aioli, or yogurt dill dip.
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Now let’s move on to the main course. There are many ways to increase the nutritional value of Christmas dinner dishes. For a healthier version of stuffing, swap white bread for homemade cornbread and include plenty of sauteed veggies, like mushrooms, leeks, and celery. Add fibre to your plate with a butternut squash and apple casserole. Combine 6 cups of cubed, peeled, butternut squash and 4 cups of cubed apples with oil, rosemary, thyme, pumpkin pie spice, caramelized shallots, and maple syrup. Bake the mixture in a casserole dish at 400 F for 45 to 50 minutes and garnish with crumbled walnuts and pomegranate seeds.
Need a recipe you can set and forget? Use your slow cooker to make garlicky mashed potatoes. Put four pounds of potatoes in your slow cooker with minced garlic and shallots and half a cup of water. Cook on “High” for four hours, until the potatoes are tender. Then add one and a half cups of buttermilk, a quarter cup of butter, salt, and pepper and mash the ingredients together until smooth.
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While you feast you can sip on iced apple cider. Boil unsweetened apple cider with maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, black peppercorns, and allspice berries. After cooling and straining, pour the cider into ice cube trays and freeze it. Use your blender to combine the cider cubes and your milk of choice for a refreshing drink.
Regardless of what you’re planning for your Christmas menu, I hope you’ll savour your food with good company this season. Happy holidays!
Karissa is a registered dietitian who works in private practice in Leduc. She’s passionate about all aspects of food and nutrition, with a particular focus on helping clients improve their gut health, manage their weight, and address emotional eating patterns.
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Dining and Cooking