Five Healthy Sweet Potato Side Dish Recipes for Thanksgiving and Beyond

Posted on November 19, 2024 by Jennifer FIsher

Sweet potatoes are a kitchen superstar and especially popular around Thanksgiving and the fall season Sweet Potatoes are versatile, nutrient-dense, and naturally delicious – the perfect side dish for active living that will keep you going! Whether you’re looking for something savory, sweet, or a little bit of both, I have you covered with plenty of creative and healthy sweet potato side dish ideas. Here are five of my favorites to complement your next meal:

1. Sweet Potato Grits

Sweet Potato Grit s combine the creamy comfort of traditional grits with the subtle sweetness and earthy richness of sweet potatoes. This dish is a fantastic side for breakfast, brunch, or dinner, pairing beautifully with eggs, greens, or your favorite protein — it also makes a fantastic savory alternative to that traditional overly sweet Thanksgiving sweet potato recipe with marshmallows!

2. Mashed Rosemary Sweet Potatoes with Caramelized Onions

Mashed Rosemary Sweet Potatoes with Caramelized Onions takes a savory approach to this classic side dish. The aromatic rosemary and deeply flavorful caramelized onions make this a standout choice for holiday gatherings or as a sophisticated accompaniment to roasted meats. I loved this mashed sweet potato recipe.

3. Granola Honey Sweet Potato Fries

Let cool a couple minutes. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with honey, toss gently. Sprinkle with granola!

For a fun and slightly sweet side, try Granola Honey Sweet Potato Fries. These fries are baked to crispy perfection and topped with a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of crunchy granola. They’re great for snacking or as a side for burgers or grilled chicken. These are adapted from a recipe I developed for my Cooking For One for Dummies cookbook (page 215)

4. Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup with Cilantro Chimichurri

Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup with Cilantro Chimichurri brings bold, smoky flavors to the table. This creamy vegan soup is balanced with the fresh, zesty punch of cilantro chimichurri, making it a perfect choice for a warming side or light meal.

5. Purple Sweet Potato Salad with Figs, Pomegranate & Balsamic Syrup

Purple Sweet Potato Salad with Figs, Pomegranate and Balsamic Syrup.

Turn heads at the table with Purple Sweet Potato Salad with Figs, Pomegranate & Balsamic Syrup. This vibrant and visually stunning dish combines the earthy flavors of purple sweet potatoes with the sweetness of figs, tart pomegranate arils, and a drizzle of balsamic syrup. It’s a perfect side for festive meals or special occasions.

These sweet potato side dishes showcase the versatility of this humble root vegetable, with options ranging from comforting to elegant. Which one will you try first? Let me know in the comments or tag @TheFitFork on Instagram with your recreations!

Five Fruit and Quinoa Salads to Put on Repeat

Posted on February 25, 2024 by Jennifer FIsher

We were all so quinoa crazy a few years about and I’m bringing back the love! Check out these beautiful, nutritious and amazingly nutritious fruit and quinoa salads. Most have enough protein to make a balanced and satisfying meal, but you can also add your favorite protein — like shrimp, salmon, or beef – to the toss!

A collection of quinoa salads featuring fruit that will add beauty and nutrition to your plate!

Actually, I’ve never given up my love for this ancient grain (which is actually a seed) that boosts your diet with nutrients like B-vitamins, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, vitamin E, and fiber. Additionally, quinoa is also one of only a few plant foods considered a complete protein, containing all nine essential amino acids.

Transform plain quinoa into something to celebrate for the holiday season! Pomegranate, orange segments and pistachios bejewel this quick, easy and nourishing vegetarian salad that is equally beautiful for a dinner party or quick lunch!

Pomegranate Orange Quinoa Salad: This festive quinoa salad featuring pomegranate and orange is lovely for seasonal celebrations but can be made year-round for weeknight dinners thanks to those little tubs of pomegranate arils. The simple creamy dressing has a vinaigrette vibe but with Greek yogurt and date syrup for even more flavor.

Hydrate and invigorate with this juicy fresh salad featuring watermelon, raspberries and quinoa! The zingy ginger mint dressing is amazing. It’s a stunningly colorful side dish or add shrimp or salmon for a main dish.

Watermelon Raspberry Quinoa Salad with Ginger Mint Dressing: This fully-loaded watermelon quinoa salad is made hearty enough for a full meal with quinoa, sunflower seeds, feta cheese, loads of greens, juicy watermelon and raspberries. The Ginger Mint Dressing is so aromatic and invigorating, and easy to make in a personal blender.

Clementine Quinoa Kale Salad with Minty Poppy Seed Dressing: Clementines or any other type of “easy-peeler” tangerines (like Halos, Cuties, etc.) are fun to eat – even in a fruit quinoa salad! Get your boost of vitamin C (from the citrus + kale) in this fiber-loaded salad.

Maple Pecan Raisin Malasses Crusted Steak and Butternut Squash Quinoa

Maple, Pecan, Raisin Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad: While this quinoa salad might be screaming fall, it’s a taste sensation to make year-round. If you can’t source butternut squash, you can usually find a bag of cubed quash in the freezer aisle. If you’re not a fan of raisins (but trust me, that add so much YUM to this recipe), they can be left out.

Super Clean Strawberry Apple Spinach Salad is perfect for your next party, picnic or potluck . .it's also great for meal-prepping for healthy lunches. Walnuts and spinach add extra texture, heart-healthy fats and protein.

Super Clean Strawberry Spinach Quinoa Salad with Zingy Vinaigrette: This strawberry quinoa salad is crave-worthy with baby spinach tossed into nutty quinoa and walnuts. It’s all balanced with a subtle sweet-tart flavor thanks to juicy berries and crispy Granny Smith apples and zingy vinaigrette

Festive Pomegranate Orange Quinoa Salad – Hassle-free & Healthy Holiday Side

Posted on December 6, 2023 by Jennifer FIsher

Deck your plate for the holidays with this festive quinoa salad featuring pomegranate and orange. it’s a beautiful, healthy, delicious recipe elegant enough for the season’s celebrations and simple enough for a simple weeknight dinner.

A simple creamy dressing made with a vinaigrette base along with Greek yogurt and date syrup adds even more flavor to this simple holiday quinoa salad that comes together with just a handful of healthy ingredients.

This pomegranate orange quinoa recipes makes 4 servings, each with 146 calories, 26g carbs, 3.1g fat and 4.8g protein.

I pair this cold quinoa salad with a quality protein to make sure I’m hitting my 25-30g per meal goal. Tonight, I made cod that was simply seasoned and air-fried.

TIPS FOR FESTIVE QUINOA SALAD:

Quinoa: You can use any color quinoa (eg: white, red, black, mixed). Also, consider batch-cooking quinoa and keeping in the freezer in 1-cup portions. This makes creating quick recipes with this healthy whole grain (really a seed), even easier – you can read my quinoa prep post HERE.

Pomegranate & Oranges: Use fresh or pre-packaged, it really only comes down to your preference and time to prep. If using either from a jar, tub, or can, choose “no sugar added” and drain off the juice so the quinoa isn’t soggy later. However, do reserve about 1 tablespoon of pomegranate juice for the dressing (or if fresh, drain it from the bowl after getting the arils out).

Dressing: This recipe makes just enough for the salad, and I prefer underdressed salads. If you think it needs more, double the dressing recipe and pour it on a little at a time – going by taste. Also, if you’d like to turn this from a vegetarian quinoa recipe into a vegan quinoa recipe, then use a substitute for the Greek yogurt, such as a plant-based yogurt, tahini or a natural nut butter.

Optional Ideas: You can swap out the pistachios for a chopped nut of choice like almonds, pecans – or none at all. Also, I love to sprinkle mine with feta cheese for a salty contrast with the sweet.

Make Ahead & Storing: This recipe will get a little soggy if you make the day before. To save time, it’s best to prep the ingredients (cook quinoa, chop spinach, peel/seed fruit, etc) the day before. Then simply toss everything together and shake up the dressing – it will literally just take 2 minutes! You can store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Still tastes yummy, but the crunch of the nuts and crisp of the spinach will be gone.

This is one of my favorite creative quinoa salad ideas – for it’s flavor, fast-fixing, and festive appearance! Enjoy!

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Festive Holiday Pomegranate Orange Quinoa Salad

Prep Time

10 mins

Total Time

10 mins

Transform plain quinoa into something to celebrate for theholiday season! Pomegranate, orange segments and pistachios bejewel this quick,easy and nourishing vegetarian salad that is equally beautiful for a dinnerparty or quick lunch!

Course: entree salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: holiday

Keyword: holiday, orange, pomegranate, quinoa

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 162 kcal

Ingredients

1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup chopped fresh baby spinach
¾ cup pomegranate arils juice drained & reserved if packaged container
¾ cup mandarin orange segments packed in water or juice or fresh
¼ cup shelled pistachio kernels coarsely chopped

Dressing:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon juice reserved from pomegranate or orange segments
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon date syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Add quinoa, spinach, pomegranate and orange segments (cut in half crosswise) into medium bowl.
In small mason jar, shake together dressing ingredients until emulsified.
Pour dressing over salad and gently stir.
Before serving, stir in pistachios.
Best eaten right after making to keep the texture of the lettuce and pistachios. But you can store leftovers in fridge for up to 3 days and it’s still good.

Recipe Notes

Gouda Mac & Cheese with Brussels Sprouts in 9×13 Family Casserole

Posted on October 26, 2023 by Jennifer FIsher

Gouda Mac and Cheese with Brussels Sprouts and Mushrooms offers a tasty and on-trend twist to one of America’s most comforting pasta dishes. The rich, earthy flavors of Brussels sprouts and mushrooms seemingly melt into the creamy goodness of Gouda cheese – combine all that with the pasta of your choice, and it’s noodle nirvana!

This delicious, hearty mac and cheese can be made ahead and baked as a side dish for Thanksgiving or other family meals! It's a 9x13 casserole crowd pleaser!

Plus, veggies – don’t forget you sneaked vegetables into each and every serving of this gouda mac and cheese! It’s a great way to convince kids to eat more of the good stuff. As for the pasta, you can use the flour variety (eg: traditional durum wheat or a gluten-free alternative (I like ZenB Pasta made from 100% yellow peas to offer LOTS of fiber and protein)

This Brussels sprout mac and cheese is an easy 9” x 13” side dish and makes a great take-along offering to a pot luck or holiday feast at a friend’s house – keep it warm in this awesome casserole cozy. I know It will be one of our most popular and best thanksgiving side dishes of this year.

TIPS FOR GOUDA MAC & CHEESE WITH BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Cheese Swap: You can swap out the Gouda for an equal amount of sharp cheddar (or really any similar cheese) for a bold change.

Don’t Like Mushrooms?: Just leave them out, no other modification needed.

Don’t Like Brussels Sprouts?: Swap with fresh broccoli florets and roast as directed for Brussel sprouts in recipe.

Pasta Shape: I prefer an elbow macaroni, penne, cavatappi or rotini for Mac and Cheese recipes. These have lots of twists and/or tunnels to catch the cheesy sauce.

Pasta Alternatives: I’ve used both traditional and gluten-free pastas to make this Brussel Sprouts Mac & Cheese, so go with your preference. It’s best when pre-cooking the noodles to take them off al dente (very slightly “to the tooth” or firm) because they will cook a second time as a mac and cheese casserole in the oven.

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5 from 4 votes

Gouda Mac and Cheese with Brussels Sprouts

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

40 mins

Total Time

50 mins

This delicious, hearty mac and cheese can be made ahead and baked as a side dish for Thanksgiving or other family meals! It's a 9×13 casserole crowd pleaser!

Course: Pasta, Side Dish

Keyword: 9×13, brussels sprouts, comfort food, mac and cheese, pasta

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

8 ounces brussels sprouts; tough outer leaves removed trimmed and halved (or quartered, if large)
8 ounces white button mushrooms quartered
2 tbsp olive oil divided
½ tsp salt plus a dash more for pasta water
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 8- ounce box of uncooked pasta elbows, rotini, penne or similar
6 ounces gouda cheese grated
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp paprika
18 ounces whole milk
1 ounce fresh-grated Parmesan cheese about ½ cup

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 425F.
Trim Brussels sprouts and pull off tough outer leaves. Half smaller sprouts, and quarter large ones. Do the same for mushrooms.
In 9” x 13” glass baking dish, add Brussels sprouts. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil, and sprinkle with about half of the salt and pepper to season.
Roast in oven for a total of 20-25 minutes. After 10 minutes, pull out and add mushrooms to the dish, along with the remaining olive oil, salt and pepper. Return to oven to roast for 10 more minutes (so 10 minutes total for mushrooms, 20-ish for sprouts).
While vegetables are roasting, bring water to boil in pasta pot and prepare pasta per package instructions for “al dente”. After cooking, drain in colander and set aside.
In same pot that pasta was cooked in (now empty), melt butter over medium-high heat. Sir in mustard and garlic and stir for about 1 minute. Next add in flour a little at a time, using a whisk to incorporate. Whisk constantly, making a roux that turns deep golden brown, in about 3 to 4 minutes.
With heat turned to medium, pour in milk a little at a time, whisking until combined and smooth. Next add cheese a little at a time, whisking until smooth.
Add cooked pasta to cheese sauce and mix until coated. Then pour into 9×13” dish with roasted veggies; stir. Top with 1 ounce of fresh grated Parmesan cheese.
Place in oven now heated to 350F. Bake for 15 minutes, or until cheese bubbling and lightly browning on top.

Recipe Notes

Macros coming.

Watermelon Salad with Chamoy Dressing + More Spring Recipes

Posted on March 14, 2023 by Jennifer FIsher

Note: This post is sponsored by Watermelon.org. However, all opinions, comments and enthusiasm remain my own.

Hello to spring and howdy to watermelon salads! No more hot and heavy soups for supper, the weather is warming up, my mood is lightening up, and my plate is filling up with all the beautiful produce of the season!

Watermelon Salad, watermelon salad recipe, chamoy watermelon, chamoy on watermelon summer fruit salad, summer salad recipes with fruit, cutting watermelon — Making a savory-sweet watermelon salad is life . . . literally life, seeing as how many health benefits watermelon offers including vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytonutrients. Watermelon is cholesterol-free, fat-free, sodium-free, and has 80 calories per 2-cup serving. It contains nutrients that support heart health, like magnesium (6% DV) and phosphorus (2% DV). Each serving also has 25% DV of vitamin C which is important for growth and repair of tissues in all parts of your body. Perhaps my favorite thing about watermelon (other than the sweet taste and natural energy it provides for my training) is that 92% water which helps me stay hydrated.

Other reason to incorporate watermelon salad recipes into your life is that a watermelon salad is a quick and easy meal fix and completely customizable to suit your personal preferences.

ways to cut watermelon — **Quick and Easy. It** is NOT as hard or time consuming as you might think to cut a large watermelon. That’s a common objection I enjoy overcoming with friends, family and anyone who gives me drama about cutting up a watermelon. In fact, I’ve done a whole article and video showing my technique for cutting up a large watermelon in about 5 minutes.

If you still are intimidated or unmotivated about cutting watermelon for salads, buying it pre-cut in the produce department is the next best way. While this pre-prepped route is more expensive, you typically get very sweet melon as the produce department tends to pick the best watermelons for their point-of-purchase, prepped containers.

Check out this 30 second tutorial!

mix and match watermelon salad ideas — *Pin this for later!*

Customizable. Watermelon salads can be what YOU want them to be. Today, I’m sharing a recipe for Watermelon Spinach Salad with Chamoy . . .. it totally suits my love for spicy-sweet things and brings me joy. Chamoy is a Mexican condiment made from dried apricots, chile de arbol, hibiscus flowers, citrus, and other seasonings . . . and trust me, chamoy on watermelon is incredibly tasty and lights up every part of your taste senses.

For my chamoy watermelon recipe and watermelon salad recipes in general, it’s simple to swap out all the salad ingredients (except watermelon) for the items you prefer or have on hand. For example, instead of queso fresco, use blue cheese. Instead of pumpkin seeds, use pecans. Instead of Chamoy, use a balsamic vinaigrette. You get the idea. In fact, I’ve made a pin-ready chart (above) to give you inspiration for endless mix-and match watermelon salads.

Tips for Watermelon with Chamoy Salad

The yellow flowers are dandelions foraged from my lawn. All parts of this “weed” plant (except stems which taste bitter) are beneficial to consume, you can even use dandelion leaves in place of or addition to the spinach.

Dried apricots are tossed in the salad to enhance the apricot in the chamoy, but any other dried fruit would be equally delicious.
Chamoy can be found in the bottled condiment area of Mexican markets or larger grocery stores. You can also make your own (time consuming) or order it online. The consistency varies from very thick to very thin – look for something in the middle. If too thick, thin down a bit with juice from your watermelon!
Leftover chamoy is delicious used as a rim on cocktails or mocktails – watermelon margarita, anyone?!
Instead of the wedge presentation, the salad can feature watermelon cubes or watermelon balls
The recipe is easy to scale up or down, and you don’t have to get hung up on precise measurements
This salad is best consumed right after making to prevent wilting and sogginess..

Find more summer salad recipes with fruit (and watermelon) at The Fit Fork:

watermelon chia summer salad thefitfork.com

Watermelon Quinoa Salad with Salsa

watermelon tomato tajin salad thefitfork.com

Watermelon Jicama Salad with Tajin Honey Vinaigrette

grilled watermelon with balsamic cherry salsa

Grilled Watermelon Wedge Salad with Balsamic Cherry Salsa

And, Watermelon.org always has creative, delicious, nutritious watermelon salads (and 100s of other watermelon recipes). Here are three fruit and vegetable salads with watermelon that I’ve tried and LOVED:

Watermelon Pomegranate Toss Salad

Red Fruit Salad

Watermelon & Spiralized Cucumber Salad with Shrimp

5 from 4 votes

WATERMELON SPINACH SALAD with CHAMOY

Prep Time

10 mins

Total Time

10 mins

A big,juicy wedge is dressed up with pepita seeds, crumbled queso fresco, choppedapricots and chamoy sauce, a spicy-sweet Mexican condiment. It’s an amazingwatermelon salad to kick off Spring break, picnics in the park, runningoutside, and dipping toes in the pool season!

Course: entree salad, Side Dish

Keyword: chamoy, mexican food, tex mex, watermelon

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 wedge watermelon about ¼ to1/8 watermelon, depending on size
2 cups chopped watermelon
6 cups baby spinach
½ cup dried apricots chopped
½ cup crumbled queso fresco
¼ cup Chamoy sauce*
¼ cup pepita seeds
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
Optional Edible flowers such as pansies or dandelion

Instructions

To make watermelon wedge, slice watermelon in half lengthwise, then slice that half lengthwise. This will give you a one-quarter wedge. If your watermelon is quite large, you may want to slice this quarter in half (to create a 1/8 watermelon wedge). I guestimate that the total amount of watermelon in the wedge is about 4 cups.
Chop up another 2 cups of watermelon in a bite-size pieces.
Sprinkle washed, dried spinach on platter, place watermelon wedge on top.
Spoon extra watermelon on spinach, around wedge.
Drizzle Chamoy sauce over top of wedge and onto greens.
Sprinkle chopped apricots, crumbled queso fresco, seeds and cilantro on top of wedge and around salad.
If desired, garnish with edible flowers for maximum spring-time effect!

Recipe Notes

*Chamoy sauce is a Mexican condiment sweet-spicy-salty condiment that can be found in most larger grocery stores, from an international market, or you can google the recipe and make your own (it usually features soaked dried: apricots and prunes, hibiscus leave, chile peppers, citrus and more).