In 2013 I am making a real effort to get healthy. Last year I chose simple eating over healthy eating and it is time to stop!
For New Years we went to a friends house with a few others and had an amazing family style dinner. I was tasked with bringing the sides and was really happy with how they turned out. I made “Healthy Mashed Potatoes” and “Lemon Rosemary Asparagus”.
With the Mashed Potatoes – I substituted whole/dairy milk with Almond Milk (I used So Delicious) and butter with soy free/ dairy free butter (I used Earth Balance). They turned out really great and no one could tell the difference without the bad fats.
HEALTHY MASHED POTATOES RECIPE
- INGREDIENTS
- 10 lbs of yellow potatoes (you could use yukon)
- 4-5 garlic cloves
- 1/2 of an onion (I used yellow)
- Almond Milk to taste (this is to smooth it out)
- Dairy Free Butter to taste – I used about 6 spoonfulls for 10 lbs of potatoes.
- Salt to taste (I used Pink Himalayan Salt – You can read about why it is healthier here)
- Pepper to taste
- DIRECTIONS
- Wash and peal the potatoes – cut the potatoes in quarters and add to boiling salted water
- Add minced garlic and chopped onion to potatoes in the water
- Once the potatoes are soft, drain from the water and add to serving dish
- Mash your potatoes and add milk to get the consistency you like
- Add butter, salt and pepper to taste
Next was the Lemon Rosemary Asparagus. This was so light and fresh and I think everyone really liked it!
LEMON ROSEMARY ASPARAGUS RECIPE:
- INGREDIENTS
- 2 Bunches of Asparagus
- 1 Lemon
- A few bunches of Rosemary
- Olive Oil
- Salt (I again used the Pink Kimalayan)
- Pepper (I used the larger crushed pepper to add texture)
- DIRECTIONS
- Turn oven on 400 degrees
- Line a baking sheet with wax paper
- Wash and prepare asparagus (see more on this below) – line out on wax paper
- Drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste
- Thinly cut lemon and lay on top of asparagus
- Add rosemary to asparagus
- Bake for 8-10 minutes and then carefully flip asparagus over. Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes and serve immediately.
Ok – finally my trick to perfect asparagus. If you bend a stalk of asparagus, it has a breaking point. It will break right at the point of where it starts getting tough. Perfect Asparagus every time!
