Diabetic Christmas Recipes

This tangy mustard-dill sauce recipe is delicious served with smoked salmon, used as a vegetable dip or spread on a sandwich.

These easy apple-cinnamon fruit bars make a big batch--perfect for fall potlucks and parties.

A much healthier take on the old-fashioned green bean casserole, this version thankfully skips the canned soup and fried onions! Fresh green beans are cooked until crisp-tender and topped with a garlicky-thyme mushroom sauce, shallots and crumbled chèvre.

We cook then cool the beans in advance so they can be heated up and seasoned moments before the meal. If you don't like tarragon, substitute dill or leave it out completely.

When it comes to cooking a whole turkey quickly and evenly, spatchcocking--removing the entire backbone from the bird and splaying it open--is a great technique. This skin on this spatchcocked turkey gets crispy and browned because nearly all of the skin is exposed. This recipe uses a simple blend of oil, fresh herbs and spices for classic roasted turkey flavor. Look for a small turkey, about 12 pounds, as it fits better in most roasting pans.

We love the way Brie and apples taste together in these mini quiches. Mini phyllo cups make it swift and simple to create an elegant appetizer.

Make a big batch of this Turkish spice mix to have on hand when you need to whip up a quick vegetable dip or flavorful, easy salad dressing. Or try it as a rub for grilled or roasted meat or vegetables. The spice mix is also perfect to give as a hostess gift along with a recipe card for turning it into a dip or vinaigrette (see Tips, below). For the freshest, most economical spices, head to a store that has a large, well-stocked bulk spice department.

Try a sweet glaze on beets or other root vegetables to help balance their earthy flavor. This easy recipe will work with steamed carrots, turnips or rutabaga too.

Garlic cloves, cooked along with the potatoes, give this puree extra body and lots of flavor.

A creamy garlic-yogurt sauce pairs well with the sweetness of these crispy roasted sweet potatoes. To achieve the signature hasselback appearance, position two wooden spoons alongside the potatoes as you cut. The spoons will prevent you from cutting through the sweet potatoes entirely and won't cause damage to the knife blade.

Oven-frying lightly battered onion slices produces the kind of crispy onion rings we all love, but with less fat and fewer calories. Plus, we use almond milk to make this crispy onion topping dairy-free and vegan--perfect for topping a vegan green bean casserole!

This irresistible diabetic-friendly peanut butter cookie recipe contains no flour. For Christmas or special occasions, imprint them with cookie cutters to fit the season instead of the star-shaped cutter.

This lightened-up take on the classic Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole is spiked with crushed pineapple and toasted pecans. We top it with an airy, slightly sweet meringue. You can pipe the meringue to make it look fancy or simply spread it neatly with a rubber spatula.

Vinegar is the key to making this sautéed kale recipe special. Look for vinegar that's cloudy--it likely still has some of the mother in the bottle and will give you a sweet acidity rather than a harsh bite. Organic apple cider vinegar is usually your best bet. For the most eye-catching version of this side, use different colored varieties of kale.

Perfect meringues depend on totally yolk-free whites. The seemingly fussy step of separating each egg into a small bowl before combining them guarantees yolk-free whites for bakeshop-quality meringues every time. These crispy little morsels travel well and make great gifts too.

Fresh apples and apple cider add fall flavor to this quick chicken sauté.

We take all the ingredients of a classic caprese salad and layer them onto skewers for a quick appetizer. These tomato-mozzarella-basil skewers are easy to assemble and perfect for a party.

Use your favorite combination of nuts to make this quick and easy chocolate nut bark.

A medley of fresh herbs and vegetables flavors the turkey while adding minimal carbs, calories, and fat in this recipe.

This sweet potato and turnip mash is fragrant with fresh sage.

In this easy one-pan dinner, boneless pork loin roast is cooked over a bed of carrots and parsnips for an all-in-one dish that makes an impressive centerpiece for a holiday meal or Sunday dinner. Choose free-range heritage pork if you can--its flavor really shines with no more seasoning than a bit of thyme and a little sea salt. If you'd like, dress up the meal with a traditional Irish apple condiment--Ploughmans chutney or Bramley applesauce, which you can find in specialty stores and online.

A natural, cloudy apple cider is delicious for this exotically spicy and aromatic winter warmer, but if you desire a sparkling-clear drink, apple juice can be substituted. Calvados, which is a French apple brandy, adds richness. If you wish to omit it, just add more cider or juice.

Make this low-fat gravy in the roasting pan while the turkey rests. Apple cider adds rich fall flavor. Turkey stock adds great flavor to the gravy, but you can use chicken broth instead with good results.

The eye of round is a lean, boneless cut of beef that's less expensive than a tenderloin or rib roast but just as delicious. It's best served medium-rare--when cooked to higher temperatures it can become tough. Topping it with a finger-licking-good horseradish sauce makes this roast beef holiday-worthy.