Guest Blogger Chef Linda Rosario: Healthy Holiday Recipes

I am so happy to welcome Chef Linda Rosario as a Guest Blogger to A Handful of Everything! She is a food blogger from Chef Needs, one of the trusted suppliers of deli display cases. Miss Linda also loves to paint and dreams of having her own art gallery. Aside from painting and drawing, Linda has a heart for cooking and food.  Please give her a big welcome!

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Healthy Holiday Recipes

Christmas is almost here. This is the time when diet goes out the window. After all, Jesus being born is one good excuse to pig out, right? Lucky for you, you can now eat healthily during the holidays. Here are some of the healthy holiday recipes that you should try out:

Eggplant Ricotta Bites

If you are looking for a healthy appetizer to jump-start your holiday parties, this is the perfect thing for you.

For this healthy recipe, you will be needing the following:

1 medium sized eggplant
a pinch of Kosher salt
All-purpose flour-- should be used for dredging
2 large sized eggs
3/4 cup of breadcrumbs
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp plus 2 tsp of extra- virgin olive oil, add more as required
2 large sized plum tomatoes, diced
2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar
1 cup of ricotta cheese
Shredded fresh basil as topping

Slice the eggplant thinly into rounds. Season with salt. Place a bit of flour in a dish. In another dish, beat an egg. On the third dish, place Parmesan and breadcrumbs. Afterwards, dredge your eggplant slices into the flour. Next, dip the eggplant slices into the egg. Lastly, coat it with your breadcrumb mixture.

Place large skillet over medium heat. Add oil and wait for it to be heated. Cook the eggplant slices in batches. Cook until it turns golden brown. This will take about 2 minutes for each side. If needed, add oil in between your cooking batches. After cooking, drain this into paper towels and season it with salt.

Mix vinegar and 2 tbsp of olive oil in a bowl. Toss the tomatoes. Place some ricotta on your cooked eggplant slices. Top it with a mix of basil and the tomato mixture.

Roasted Balsamic Onion

This simple onion dish is not only healthy but delicious as well!

For this, you will be needing the following:

3 large sized white onions, quartered  and peeled
3 tablespoons of olive oil
add freshly ground black pepper and Kosher salt
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon of sugar

Here is what you need to do:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss balsamic vinegar, quartered onions, olive oil, sugar and season with pepper and salt. Place the resulting mixture into a large non-stick, oven-proof skillet. Spread this out, creating an even layer. Cover this skillet with the use of aluminum foil. Roast this for 20 to 25 minutes. Afterwards, remove the foil. Toss the onions so that it will evenly coated with the reduced balsamic glaze. After that, place it back in your oven. Roast this for 20 to 25 minutes more. Serve right away.

These are healthy recipes that you can enjoy during the holidays. When you eat these recipes, you can indulge in a guilt-free holiday eating!