Healthy Side Dish Recipes For Two

You don't have to skip the traditional Thanksgiving dinner if it's just the two of you--and you also don't have to eat turkey for days. In fact, you may not want to wait for a special occasion to have this satisfying mini celebration.

Spicy red pepper, garlic and lemon juice balance any bitterness in this sauteed chard dish.

Stir in your favorite jarred salsa for extra zing. Also good the next day for lunch.

If you love sweet potato casserole, but don't have a crowd to enjoy it with, try this stuffed sweet potato "casserole" for two. One sweet potato yields the perfect amount for two people while keeping true to the classic flavors you'd expect for Thanksgiving and other holidays.

When shopping for green beans, select ones that are bright green with no bruises, bulges or brown spots.

Requiring 45 minutes from start to finish, this casserole classic is one of the longer recipes in this book; however, it takes only about 10 minutes to assemble. While it bakes, you can put together a salad, or simply enjoy a glass of wine. If you want to make it vegetarian, substitute soy “sausage” for the Italian sausage and vegetable broth for the chicken broth.

This hearty steak and potato salad is inspired by salpicón, a favorite dish in Chile. The purple potatoes add vibrant color but you can substitute any young “new” potatoes that are harvested early in the season--even small fingerlings would work. Serve on a bed of spicy mesclun greens to round out the meal. This recipe can easily be doubled.

Quick and versatile, serve this couscous alongside any saucy dish.

Bacon and blue cheese transform spinach into a stellar side. Popeye would be jealous.

This easy apple-cabbage slaw is terrific on top of grilled chicken sausage or served with pork.

Because this couscous recipe takes just 15 minutes to prepare, you can rely on it any time you need a sensational side dish. Mild tasting couscous is cooked in chicken broth and flavored with mild green onions and a chopped orange--it's versatile enough to go with just about any entree.

Thin colorful slices of zucchini and summer squash cook up quickly under the broiler in this 20-minute side dish recipe.

Most gremolata recipes call for parsley, garlic and lemon but this version uses fresh cilantro and roasted, salted pumpkin seeds. The added curry paste gives it a bit of a kick and makes it the perfect topping for any number of cooked vegetables.

Orzo pasta makes a tasty side dish when cooked with vegetables, garbanzo beans, and cashews or almonds.

Beets are packed full of vitamins and minerals, and they're delicious, too. Roasting beets brings out their natural sweetness. This healthy and full-of-flavor side dish combines beets with mild shallots.

Cheesy grits are a wonderful accompaniment to roast meats and vegetables; or try them with poached eggs for breakfast.

Add garbanzo beans to this simple dish for a protein boost.

Simmering a garlic clove with the potato infuses it with flavor. Use whatever fresh herbs you have in your refrigerator.

Thanksgiving in a skillet. Leftover homemade corn muffins are perfect for the stuffing, but if you don't have any, pick one up at the supermarket bakery or your local coffee shop.

Potatoes have a special affinity with eggs. If you keep frozen hash browns on hand (check the label and choose hash browns with less than 1 gram of fat per serving), you can whip up a simple, satisfying omelet like this one at a moment's notice. To cut back on saturated fat, use 2 whole eggs and 2 egg whites.

Crunchy water chestnuts and red bell pepper stirred into nutty brown rice is the perfect accompaniment for grilled teriyaki-marinated pork chops.

Peppery watercress is nicely balanced by sweet garlic and tart vinegar in this quick saute.

Plantains are a starchy, less-sweet relative of the banana. They are typically sold underripe, with yellow skin, but are best when the skin is almost completely black. Buy underripe plantains about one week in advance and ripen on the counter.

This easy make-ahead stuffing for two comes in its own single-serving dish. Turkey sausage and hearty whole-wheat bread combined with apples make this sweet and savory stuffing one you'll want to turn to again and again. Serve it with turkey for a small Thanksgiving celebration or make it any night to go with a chicken dinner.