Last Updated on April 17, 2022 by Kimberly Crawford
If you are preparing for a big holiday dinner with family, you probably want to change up the event with a new recipe or two.
Unfortunately, between cooking everything everybody expects you to cook, cleaning your house, and decorating it, you fear you will not have time to try anything new for the party. Fortunately, there are recipes for every holiday meal that you can make quickly and easily.
Christmas
Christmas dinner is a meal that everyone who celebrates the holiday looks forward to. If you are looking for Christmas dinner ideas, there are a few recipes you can prepare that will make your holiday party a memorable one.
Pistachio Vegetable Loaf
There are a lot of vegetarians around these days, and if you have one coming to your dinner, you may wonder what to cook for them. A nut loaf is easy to make and will please everybody at the table.
You do not have to worry about being stuck with a bunch of leftovers. Your vegetarian friends can eat this as a main course and everyone else can enjoy it as a side dish. It is a hearty meal that is delicious and very good for you.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of milled flaxseed
- 1.5 cups butternut squash peeled, deseeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of ground thyme
- 2 tablespoons of ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons of ground curry powder
- 1 finely chopped red onion
- 1 finely chopped celery stalk
- 1 cup of finely chopped chestnut mushrooms
- 1.5 crushed garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons of miso paste
- 1.5 cups of shelled and chopped pistachio nuts.
- ½ cup of cooked chestnuts, finely chopped
- ½ cup of breadcrumbs
- ½ a bunch of finely chopped parsley
- 1 jar of plum jam
- 5 tbsp light brown sugar
Cooking Directions
Prepare the Squash
Mix the flaxseeds with 4 tablespoons of water in a bowl and set it aside so it can thicken. Set the oven to 355 degrees. Put the squash pieces in a roasting pan and drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over them. Sprinkle on the thyme, cumin, and curry powder. Cover it up with foil and roast for 35 minutes.
Cook the Veggies
Heat three tablespoons of oil in a frying pan, and toss the onion, celery, and mushrooms into the pan—Fry for 15 minutes. Stir in the garlic and miso before taking the food off the fire.
Mix the Nuts
In a bowl, combine parsley, pistachios, chestnuts, and breadcrumbs. Slowly stir in the flaxseed, then stir in the fried vegetables and roasted squash.
Spread the jam around the Bottom of the Pan
Spead your jam around the bottom of the pan and let it harden for about five minutes. Put your nut and vegetable mixture into the pan, and shape it. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake it for 25 minutes. Uncover the pan and bake the loaf for 25 to 30 minutes more. Cool for 15 minutes, put it on a serving plate, and garnish the loaf with nuts.
New Year’s Eve
Any New Year’s Eve party is all about the drinks and hors d’oeuvres. There are a few simple treats you can throw together in a number of minutes that will look great and taste even better.
Create a signature drink for your guests and offer only that cocktail, wine, beer, and champagne. This will make people’s drink requests easier to remember. It will also cut down on your liquor bill for the evening. A good signature drink should contain an ingredient that is season-appropriate. Peppermint, cranberries, and pomegranate are always popular around the holidays.
Spinach Dip
When people go to a cocktail party, the first thing they look for is this creamy and delicious concoction. Whether you serve it with veggies, chips, or bread, it makes the perfect accompaniment to sweet cocktails, and it has spinach in it, so it must be good for you.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large finely chopped cloves of garlic
12-ounces of finely chopped fresh spinach
1 can of artichoke hearts
8 ounces cream cheese
4 ounces shredded mozzarella,
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1 handful of pine nuts
- Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat.
- Add the garlic and stir it until it is soft. This should take around 45 seconds.
- Slowly add the spinach to the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir frequently until any liquid evaporates.
- Toss in the artichokes and season with salt and pepper. Cook for three minutes.
- While it cooks, cut the cream cheese into one-inch pieces.
- Reduce heat and add cream cheese and mozzarella.
- Stir the mixture until the cheese melts.
- Stir in the sour cream and pecorino.
- Put it in a serving dish or bread bowl and serve.
There is always a health nut at every party, even on New Year’s Eve. This recipe for baked artichokes is vegan, low cal and good for you:
Baked Artichoke Hearts
This simple recipe only calls for a few ingredients. You can make as many or as few as you would like. You will need:
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 can artichoke hearts
2 cloves of garlic minced
Salt and pepper
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
- Grease a baking sheet with olive oil and put eight of the hearts on it.
- Brush the olive oil on top of the hearts.
- Brush the garlic onto the hearts.
- Season with salt and pepper.
Bake for 12 minutes, turning halfway through.
Baked Brie
Baked brie is always a popular and easy-to-make option. You can put it in a phyllo shell and bake it for 8 minutes at 350 degrees. You can also put it on a baking pan lined with parchment paper, put a little honey on top, and bake it for at least 10 minutes.
If you have vegetarian guests, you may want to try this Eggplant Caponata from The Mediterranean Dish. It is a creamy and spicy spread that tastes great on bagel chips. For something sweet and easy, try these dipped ice cream sandwiches from food.com.
Easter
When you think of Easter, you think of hearty meat served with green bean casserole, eggs, potatoes, and macaroni and cheese. Try adding a few new side dishes to the table this year. When you serve these easy recipes, you will create a memorable experience for your guests.
Asparagus Salad
Nothing says springtime like asparagus. It is crunchy, fresh, and tastes good with anything that you cook it in. This easy salad will pair well with those heavy Easter dishes.
Ingredients
Half a bunch of cut and cooled asparagus
1 bag of mixed greens
15 ounce can of chickpeas
Half cup grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
1 cucumber
1 red onion
Half cup kalamata olives
4 ounces of feta cheese
Dressing
½ cup of olive oil
½ of one lemon
Italian seasoning
- Trim and cut the asparagus into 2-inch pieces.
- Cut the cucumbers into 1-inch pieces.
- In a large bowl, combine the vegetables, olives, and feta cheese.
Dressing
In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, and Italian seasoning to taste. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss the salad.
Roasted Carrots
Carrots are a root vegetable heavily associated with the Easter holiday. They are a favorite food of the Easter Bunny, and no Easter celebration would be complete without a roasted carrot side dish.
If you look on the internet, you may be overwhelmed with the number of roasted carrot recipes that are out there. There is one classic recipe that is sure to be a hit with the pickiest eaters at your party.
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Grease a baking pan and cover it with parchment paper.
- Cut six carrots into 1.5-inch pieces.
- Baste olive oil onto the carrots.
- Baste honey onto the carrots
- Baste your choice of seasoning onto the carrots.
Many people use garlic because its tangy flavor combines with the sweetness of carrots. If you add oregano and cumin, your carrots will pair well with pasta or buttery rice.
There are a few interesting touches you can add to your Easter table. Instead of having nothing but plain rolls or biscuits, why not add some hot soft pretzels.
Passover
The foods people eat on Passover are set in stone. There are seven items on a Passover plate set up in clockwise order. Revelers eat everything from vegetables dipped in salt water to symbolize tears to a roasted egg that is supposed to symbolize fertility. one of the most popular dishes on a seder plate is the charoset. This tasty apple and cinnamon spread represents the mortar the Jews used when they built the pyramids in Egypt.
Charoset
Traditional charoset is made with walnuts. This recipe puts a flavorful spin on traditional charoset by adding pistachio nuts.
Ingredients
1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon
½ a teaspoon of nutmeg
2 pears peeled and diced
2 apples peeled and diced
1 cup of chopped or ground walnuts
1 cup of pistachios shelled
1 cup of raisins
1 cup of sweet red wine
Put the fruit in a large bowl. Mix in the ground nuts, wine, and spices. Cover the bowl with plastic and refrigerate for several hours before serving.
The Fourth Of July
Plenty of people host picnics on Independence Day, and most of these parties feature a menu that includes foods such as hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, and pie. However, you may have some people at the party who have dietary restrictions. They may not be able to enjoy some of those traditional treats.
Fortunately, there are plenty of alternative foods for vegetarians, people watching their weight, and people with various food allergies.
Vegetarians
Vegetarianism has become more popular over the last 30 years or so. If you go to the frozen vegetarian food section of the grocery store, you will see many different veggie burgers and veggie hot dogs.
You can go with traditional Boca burgers, but if you want something that tastes exactly like meat, you can always buy Impossible burger patties.
Vegetarians who prefer just to eat vegetables will appreciate these delicious roasted carrot dogs. They are easy to make, inexpensive, and super low cal.
Gluten-Free
American food has a lot of gluten in it. People who are allergic to wheat gluten can experience headaches, nausea, itching, and nasal congestion when they are exposed to that popular ingredient.
People are becoming more aware of gluten allergies nowadays. If you Google “gluten-free Fourth of July recipes,” you will find many different concoctions that are sure to make your guests feel happy and full. Remember, gluten-free people need dessert too.
When you think about making peanut butter cookies, you may think of a long process involving flour, butter, measuring, and cleaning up. Instead, try this three-ingredient peanut butter cookie recipe.
Ingredients
1 cup of creamy natural peanut butter
1 cup of sugar
1 egg
- Line a greased cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Take your mixing bowl and mix all of the ingredients together until they are smooth.
- Make small balls out of the dough and place them on the cookie sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 12 minutes.
- Cool and enjoy.
Low Calorie
If you have dieters coming to your party, you will want to make sure to include a few low-calorie alternatives for them to enjoy.
If you want a low-calorie side dish, This creamy, crunchy potato salad recipe uses Greek yogurt as an alternative to mayonnaise. Everyone is expecting dessert, so bring a healthy fruit salad and Cool Whip to the picnic.
Hosting a holiday event can be nerve-wracking, but if you stir things up with a new dish or two, your party will be memorable and your guests will have a great time.
FAQs
What can I cook on holidays?
There are so many things that you can cook on holidays. You can make a special dinner for your family and friends, or you can try something new and exciting. Whatever you decide to cook, make sure that you enjoy it! Here are some ideas to get you started:
-Dinner party: Plan a special dinner party for your loved ones. You can cook a traditional holiday meal, or try something new. Make sure to have plenty of food and drinks for everyone to enjoy.
-Cooking class: Take a cooking class together as a family or with friends. This is a great way to learn how to cook new dishes and spend time together.
– potluck: Ask everyone to bring a dish to share. This is a great way to try new foods and get everyone involved in the cooking.
– BBQ: Get together for a summer BBQ. You can cook all of your favorite holiday foods on the grill.
– picnic: Pack up a picnic lunch or dinner and enjoy the outdoors. Make sure to bring plenty of food and drinks for everyone to enjoy.
– camping: Cook all of your favorite holiday foods over a campfire. This is a great way to enjoy the outdoors and spend time with family and friends.
What special foods do you eat on holiday?
There are all sorts of special foods that people eat on holiday, depending on their culture and traditions. In many cultures, holiday meals are a time to come together and enjoy traditional dishes that are often only eaten at this time of year.
For example, in the United States, Thanksgiving is a time when family and friends get together to enjoy a traditional turkey dinner. In China, the lunar New Year is a time when people eat dumplings and noodles for good luck. And in Mexico, Day of the Dead is a time when families make special sugar skulls to remember their loved ones.
What is the most popular holiday dish?
There is no definitive answer to this question as different dishes are popular in different parts of the world. However, some of the most commonly enjoyed holiday dishes include traditional roasted turkey or ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. Whatever your favorite holiday foods may be, enjoy them with family and friends!