Healthy Kwanzaa Recipes

Find healthy, delicious Kwanzaa recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

Sweet Potato-Peanut Bisque

Rating: 4.5 stars
23
This satisfying vegetarian sweet potato soup is inspired by the flavors of West African peanut soup. We like the added zip of hot green chiles, but they can sometimes be very spicy. It's best to take a small bite first and add them to taste. Try chopped peanuts and scallions for a different garnish. Serve with a mixed green salad with vinaigrette.
By Nancy Baggett

Seared Steak with Roasted Garlic Aioli

Seared steak topped with a dollop of garlicky aioli makes a simple and satisfying supper. Experiment with different herbs in this easy, super-flavorful aioli. We love it on steaks, but it would make a perfect sauce for grilled or broiled salmon or a delicious sandwich spread.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Real Cornbread

Rating: 3.45 stars
13
This traditional cornbread is made without flour, isn't sweet and has a crumbly texture. You can change the adaptable recipe to suit your cornbread preference. For a variation, substitute 1/2 teaspoon baking soda for the baking powder and use buttermilk instead of milk. If you're looking for a more muffinlike texture, substitute flour for half the cornmeal.
By Sarah Fritschner

Creamed Kale

Kale is simmered with leeks and garlic then “creamed” with flour and milk in this healthy take on creamed spinach. Serve alongside steak or roast chicken and a baked potato.
By Breana Killeen

Southern Kale

Kale becomes melt-in-your-mouth tender in this recipe. Assertive garlic and salty country ham stand up to kale's bold flavor.
By Sarah Fritschner

Dirty Rice

Rating: 4.25 stars
3
A Louisiana favorite, our version of this spicy dish uses whole-grain Wehani rice. Long-grain brown rice also works. Traditionally made with chicken liver, which gives it a “dirty” color, we use healthy lean chicken sausage instead.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Grits & Greens Casserole

Rating: 4.8 stars
3
Here we've combined two favorite Southern side dishes--grits and greens--into one casserole; it's a natural choice to serve with Easter ham. Try omitting the bacon and using vegetable broth to make it a vegetarian dish.
By Katie Webster

Quinoa Peanut Soup (Sopa de Mani)

Rating: 4.28 stars
4
This spicy vegetable, quinoa and peanut soup recipe is a modern take on a traditional Bolivian soup recipe called Sopa de Mani. Serve this healthy quinoa soup recipe as a starter or make it a heartier meal by adding diced cooked chicken or turkey breast to the soup.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Seared Steak with Mustard-Mushroom Sauce

With this quick steak recipe, you can be sitting down to juicy pan-seared steak with a rich and savory sauce in just 30 minutes.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Quinoa Salad with Oranges, Beets & Pomegranate

Rating: 4.73 stars
4
Roasted beets and sweet dates, tangy oranges and juicy pomegranate seeds make this quinoa salad recipe festive. It pairs beautifully with turkey or roast pork.
By Maria Speck

Roasted Vegetable Antipasto

Rating: 4.67 stars
3
A zesty vinaigrette makes these roasted Brussels sprouts, fennel, carrots and beets pop. If you can't find small carrots, halve larger ones crosswise then quarter lengthwise. Serve this vegetable antipasto as a side dish or appetizer.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Caribbean Pork Curry (Porc Colombo)

Curry was brought to the Caribbean by British colonizers and the Indians they brought with them to work the sugar plantations. Our version uses lean, quick-cooking lean pork tenderloin.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen
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Inspiration and Ideas

Two-Toned Mashed Potatoes

Two-Toned Mashed Potatoes
In this recipe, Yukon Gold potatoes and sweet potatoes are roughly mashed together with leeks for a beautiful mottled white-and-orange take on mashed potatoes.
Dirty Rice

Dirty Rice
Traditionally made with chicken liver, which gives it a “dirty” color, we use healthy lean chicken sausage instead.
Sweet Potato-Peanut Bisque

Sweet Potato-Peanut Bisque
Stewed Okra & Tomatoes

Stewed Okra & Tomatoes
Rating: Unrated
1
Cranberry Cornbread

Cranberry Cornbread
Rating: Unrated
1
Seared Steak with Caramelized Onion & Blue Cheese Sauce

Seared Steak with Caramelized Onion & Blue Cheese Sauce
Rating: Unrated
3

Quinoa Cakes with Smoked Salmon

Rating: 3.8 stars
3

These crisp quinoa cakes spiked with smoked salmon and topped with lemony sour cream make a lovely appetizer.

All Healthy Kwanzaa Recipes

Cajun Crab Croquettes

Rating: 4.6 stars
2
Crab cakes get a Louisiana spin with Cajun spice and corn. Although any type of crab works here, we prefer the texture of lump crabmeat. Serve with Zesty Rémoulade Sauce. Make it a meal: Serve on arugula salad.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Seared Steak with Pan-Roasted Grape & Port Sauce

Rating: 5 stars
3
This recipe for quick pan-seared steak with a savory-sweet port wine and grape sauce makes a delicious weeknight dinner.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Louisiana Red Beans & Rice

This quick version of red beans and rice gets its smoky goodness from super-lean Canadian bacon and a hit of ground chipotle pepper. It's delicious as a leftover but will thicken as it stands. To keep it properly syrupy, just thin with a little water and reheat.
By Susan Herr

Braised Endive

Often a scoop for appetizers, Belgian endives also make an outstanding side dish. Slow braising in an aromatic broth tames their sharp flavor and makes them meltingly tender. Serve with roast chicken and acorn squash.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Pumpkin-Chocolate Torte with Pumpkin Whipped Cream

Rating: 4.4 stars
3
If you're ready for a change from standard pumpkin pie, try this pumpkin torte recipe with a deep chocolate flavor. Pureed pumpkin helps make the dessert incredibly moist and dense. The topping is whipped cream with a touch of vanilla and sugar and a bit of pureed pumpkin folded in.
By Lia Huber

Chocolate Cream Pie

Rating: 2.63 stars
3
Chocolate cream pie isn't just a diner special--it's the perfect dessert for any celebration. We love the added flair of chocolate curls on top, but a pretty dollop of whipped cream on each piece would look just as elegant.
By Stacy Fraser

Cajun Pecan-Crusted Catfish

Rating: 3.33 stars
1
Crunchy, battered catfish fillets have jumped out of the Louisiana backwaters to become a national favorite, thanks in large part to the Cajun cooking craze that started in the '80s. Here, the fillets are coated in a spicy mélange of cornflakes and pecans and baked for a traditional yet surprisingly healthy take on this bayou favorite.
By Victoria Abbott Riccardi

Maple Pecan Tart with Dried Cherries

Rating: 4.75 stars
1
This pecan tart gets added tang from dried cherries. Instead of corn syrup, which is found in most pecan pie recipes, we've opted for maple syrup. If you can find it, choose dark amber or grade B, because it has the richest maple flavor. The crust, made with heart-healthy pecans and canola oil, couldn't be easier to whip together. Just blend it in the food processor and pat it into your tart pan.
By Katie Webster

Spicy Stewed Okra & Tomatoes

This simple stew highlights two summer stars--tomatoes and okra--in a simple stew. Okra (known as gombo in much of West Africa) does especially well in a hot growing season. In this dish, it appears as both vegetable and thickener, as is typical of many of the continent's okra dishes. Serve it over brown rice.
By Jessica B. Harris

Two-Toned Mashed Potatoes

In this recipe, Yukon Gold potatoes and sweet potatoes are roughly mashed together with leeks for a beautiful mottled white-and-orange take on mashed potatoes. The creme fraiche topping offers a tangy counterpoint.
By Lia Huber

Buttermilk Custard Pie

A Southern favorite, buttermilk custard pie is smooth, tangy and delicious.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Spicy Rice

From the Deep South comes this spicy rice full of vegetables and chicken. Feel free to adjust the amount of hot sauce and cayenne pepper according to taste.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

The Best Corn Bread

Rating: 3.22 stars
5
One of the best things about this corn bread is that it takes only 15 minutes to prepare.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Southern Pasta Salad with Black-Eyed Peas

Rating: 4 stars
1
This isn't any ordinary picnic pasta salad. Coffee and molasses add rich notes to the tangy dressing.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Wild Rice Stuffing with Apple & Sausage

Rating: 5 stars
1
This amazing wild-rice stuffing recipe is bursting with rustic fall flavors, including rye bread, sausage, apples, dried cherries, pecans and fresh herbs.
By Lia Huber

Garlic-Cheese Grits

Rating: 4 stars
1
Garlic-cheese grits are a typically rich Southern dish, but the truth is you don't need a half a cup of butter and a pound of cheese to make them taste good. By using a pungent blend of super-sharp cheeses we've found you can use much less cheese and still get flavor-packed results.
By Sarah Fritschner

Caramelized Pear Custard Pie

Rating: 4 stars
1
This custard pie recipe elevates the simple pear to something heavenly. The pears are lightly caramelized, baked into vanilla custard, then topped with a cinnamon caramel sauce just before serving.
By Stacy Fraser

Twice-Baked Potatoes with Horseradish & Caviar

Twice-baked potatoes get an elegant treatment when spiked with horseradish and topped with a bit of caviar. If oven space is limited, these can be made in the microwave.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

North African Orange & Lamb Kebabs

Rating: 5 stars
3
This spicy yogurt marinade tenderizes lamb beautifully--but it's not a long process, as with some marinades. Twenty minutes does the trick. Here, the lamb is paired with orange sections, which sear and turn slightly bitter, a bracing complement to the meat.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Maple-Walnut Pralines

Maple syrup gives new inspiration to this Louisiana classic.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Rice & Okra

In this dish, one of the myriad Creole variations on white rice, the okra is steamed, not boiled, and has none of the gummy properties for which it is known. Frozen okra may be substituted. Partially thaw it before slicing and add it directly to the boiled rice in the colander before steaming. There is no need to brown it.
By Jessica B. Harris

Curried Butternut Squash Bisque

Rating: 4 stars
2
This exotic, spicy soup takes advantage of the affinity between butternut squash and curry. Pureed squash has a velvety texture, which means you can forgo using cream. We serve the soup with some nonfat yogurt for a tangy note. And if you're looking for more vitamin A in your diet, look no further: this soup gives you 200 percent of the daily recommendation.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Wilted Winter Greens & Black-Eyed Peas

Rating: 4 stars
1
For this sauté, soft, smooth black-eyed peas make a mellow match for the assertive flavors of dark leafy greens. Country ham or Italian prosciutto makes a nice change from the salt pork or ham hocks that greens are traditionally cooked with.
By Charles Pierce

Curried Sweet Potatoes

Rating: 4.33 stars
1
Dried apricots, raisins and curry powder make unusual but delectable partners for sweet potatoes in this old-style Southern recipe. Try it with roasted pork tenderloin, turkey or chicken.
By Charles Pierce
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