8 Healthy Green Recipes To Start The New Year

Bite Me More | January 11th, 2017

Get with the hue of 2017 and dig into these recipes that celebrate Greenery, Pantone‘s colour of the year.

Go green at lunch today with this Green Goddess Quinoa Salad and this Green Tea Energy Smoothie.

Warm Potato Kale Salad

This Warm Potato Kale Salad, dressed in a delicious miso and mustard vinaigrette, is a superstar side dish! Fresh and healthy kale is combined with golden and tender oven-roasted mini potatoes, making every bite both crunchy and creamy.

Ingredients

Miso Vinaigrette

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp water
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp miso paste
1 tsp honey

2 lbs mini Yukon Golds, or any variety of mini potatoes, halved
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

5 oz baby kale

Directions

1) For the dressing, whisk olive oil, rice vinegar, water, Dijon mustard, miso paste and honey. Set aside.

2) Preheat oven to 400ºF. In a large bowl, toss potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread evenly over a parchment- lined baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes, stir and roast 10 minutes more, until potatoes are golden and tender. Sprinkle potatoes with Parmesan cheese and place back in oven for 2 more minutes.

3) Place potatoes in a large serving bowl, add baby kale and dressing. Toss well and serve immediately.

Serves 4-6

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Maple Dressing

In 1812, Thomas Jefferson introduced Brussels sprouts to the United States. Over 200 years later, we’re still roasting these fiber-and-vitamin-rich sweet emerald gems until golden-crusted. Tossed in a sweet and tangy maple mustard vinaigrette, these tender sprouts are going to have an entire nation jumping on the Brussels bandwagon.

Ingredients

Brussels Sprouts

4 cups fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Maple Dressing

2 tbsp olive oil
1tbsp apple cider vinegar
1tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, gently toss Brussels sprouts with 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Roast 10 minutes, flip Brussels sprouts and continue to cook 10 minutes more, until tender and golden.

2) While Brussels sprouts are roasting, prepare maple dressing. In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, cider vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon, salt and pepper. Remove sprouts from oven and place in a large bowl. Gently toss with maple dressing until well coated.

Serves 4

Lemon Kale Salad with Parmesan, Apples & Pine Nuts

Kale is a superfood and this lemony kale salad with apples, dried cherries, currants and pine nuts is superb food. An amazingly refreshing and crunchy salad, kale is tossed in a lemon vinaigrette and served in an edible Parmesan bowl. Move aside romaine…there’s a new salad star at our tables.

Ingredients

Parmesan Cups

2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Kale Salad

8 cups baby kale leaves
¼ cup dried black currants
¼ cup dried cherries
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and diced
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted

Lemon Vinaigrette

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 tsp soy sauce
¼ tsp lemon zest
¼ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp olive oil

Directions

1) For the Parmesan cups, preheat oven to 350ºF. On a piece of parchment paper, draw 6 ½-inch circles. Flip parchment paper over and place on baking sheet so the ink side is facing down. Place approximately 5 tbsp of Parmesan cheese in each circle and gently spread out to cover the outlined circle. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, 9-10 minutes. Watch carefully to avoid burning. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 1 minute. Immediately drape over a small bowl or glass to get a basket shape. Let cool for a few minutes. Remove from bowl and store Parmesan cups at room temperature in an airtight container.

2) For the salad, in a large bowl, combine kale, currants, cherries and diced apple. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. To serve, pile salad in Parmesan cup and top with toasted pine nuts.

3) For the dressing, place lemon juice, rice vinegar, honey, soy sauce, lemon zest, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk until blended. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the bowl while constantly whisking, until incorporated.

Serves 6-8

Broccoli, Grape & Cranberry Salad

When we say “raw broccoli salad,” we’re often met with looks of skepticism. But, one bite of this juicy grape, tart cranberry and fresh broccoli salad—creamy, crispy, sweet, sour and salty—is all it takes to make believers even out of the biggest salad cynic!

Ingredients

2 large heads of broccoli, chopped into small florets
1 1/2 cups red or green grapes, halved
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup salted sunflower seeds

Creamy Dressing

2 /3 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
5 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp white vinegar

Directions

1) In a large bowl, combine uncooked broccoli, grapes, celery, cranberries and sunflower seeds. Set aside.

2) For the dressing, in a medium bowl, whisk mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar and white vinegar. Pour dressing over broccoli mixture and mix well. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Serves 6-8

Seven Bean Salad

While a three bean salads are fine and five bean salads are swell, there’s nothing as spectacularly simple and delicious as this (Lucky) Seven Bean Salad. This quick, easy and healthy salad, a combination of tasty beans tossed in a tangy Lemon Dijon dressing, is guaranteed to become a staple at your table.

Ingredients

Lemon Dijon Dressing

6 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp champagne vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp lemon zest
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Seven Bean Salad

2 cups fresh green beans, ends snipped
1½ cups frozen edamame, thawed
2 cups snow peas
1 cup fresh green peas
1½ cups canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1½ cups baby lima beans, rinsed and drained
1½ cups white (cannellini) beans, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp lemon zest
¼ tsp kosher salt, or more to taste

Directions

1) For the Lemon Dijon dressing, in a food processor or blender, combine olive oil, champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, mustard seeds, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Pulse 2-3 times, until well combines. Set aside.

2) For the salad, bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add green beans and edamame. Turn heat to low and cook 1 minute. Add snow peas and fresh green peas and continue cooking 1 minute more. Drain and immediately plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Once cold, drain again and dry out completely. Place in a large bowl along with chickpeas, lima beans, white beans, parsley, thyme, lemon zest and salt. Pour dressing over salad, toss well and refrigerate covered until ready to serve.

Serves 8-10

Steakhouse Creamed Spinach

Among the mahogany walls and dirty martinis, something great is happening in swanky steak-houses across the nation…carnivores are eating spinach. A simple side dish that seems healthy next to fried hash browns and marbled rib-eyes, the overly creamy restaurant version is still too flaccid and watery for our taste. Using whipped cream cheese, our easy, silky smooth spinach brings home all the taste of the upscale steakhouse without the $15 side-dish robbery and the velvet banquettes.

Ingredients

4 (10oz/283g) packages frozen chopped spinach
2 (6oz/170g) containers Kraft Philadelphia Whipped Cream Cheese
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 11×7-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

2) Defrost spinach according to package directions. Drain very well, squeezing spinach to ensure all excess liquid is removed.

3) In a food processor, place cream cheese, melted butter, salt, pepper and spinach together. Process for 10 seconds. Using a rubber spatula scrape down the sides of the bowl and do 3-4 quick pulses to combine.

4) Transfer to prepared baking dish, sprinkle top with Parmesan and bake uncovered for 20 minutes.

Serves 8

Lime Slush

Pucker up! The kids are going to go wild for this electric green Lime Slush, a tart and chilling summer treat.

Ingredients

1 cup lime sherbet
¼ cup 7UP
1 tbsp limeade concentrate
1 (3.6g) pkg Lemon-Lime Kool-Aid
1 cup ice cubes

Directions

Place lime sherbet, 7UP, limeade concentrate, Kool-Aid and ice cubes in a blender. Blend on high speed until smooth. Will be thick and slushy. Spoon into tall glass and serve immediately.

Serves 1

Fudgy Chocolate Mint Brownies

Back in the day, we envied the Girl Scouts, all decked out in sashes and patches, selling delectable Thin Mints to the drooling Mom masses. Today, though we aren’t ones to try to upstage the children, we’re pretty sure they’re going to be green with envy—these Thick Mints (trademark pending) are moist and fudgy chocolate mint brownies covered in a creamy white chocolate frosting. One delicious bite of these and you’ll see that we’ve definitely earned our Brownie points.

Ingredients

Chocolate Mint Brownies

1½ cups butter, melted
1½ cups sugar
1½ cups brown sugar
4 eggs
¼ cup brewed coffee, cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract
1½ cups flour
1 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp kosher salt
1½ cups chopped chocolate mint sandwich cookies
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup Junior Mints candy

White Chocolate Frosting

½ cup butter, room temperature
2 cups icing sugar
5oz white chocolate, chopped and melted
2 tbsp whole milk
½ tsp vanilla extract
Drop of green food coloring

Melted chocolate, to drizzle over frosting

Directions

1) For the brownies, preheat oven to 325ºF. Coat a 13×9-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Line the pan with parchment paper.

2) In a large bowl, whisk melted butter, sugar and brown sugar until combined. Add eggs, coffee and vanilla, continuing to whisk until smooth. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, chopped chocolate mint sandwich cookies, chocolate chips and Junior Mints, stirring just until flour has disappeared. Spread into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before frosting.

3) For the frosting, using an electric mixer, combine butter, icing sugar, melted white chocolate, milk, vanilla extract and a drop or two of green food coloring. Beat on medium speed until a creamy consistency. Spread over cooled brownies and drizzle melted chocolate over top. Refrigerate for an hour before cutting.

Yield: 25-30 brownies

Authors of bestselling cookbooks Bite Me, Bite Me Too and Lick Your Plate, saucy sisters Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat love eating, feeding, entertaining and dishing up easy recipes at BiteMeMore.com.