Lighten up your holiday meals with some easy swaps

The holidays are a time to treat ourselves with the warmth of hearth and home, trinkets to delight us, and our favorite celebration foods. Unfortunately, holiday meals usually pack more flavor than nutrition.

But you don’t have to compromise taste for health. You can sneak in more nutrients and vitamins to some of your favorite holiday foods by simply swapping some ingredients.

To inject more nutrition—and even probiotics—into creamy appetizer dips, substitute Greek yogurt for sour cream, says Amie Valpone, a New York-based personal chef and editor-in-chief of TheHealthyApple.com.

For toppings, try using ground flaxseed—packed with fiber and omega-3 fatty acids—in place of breadcrumbs, which Valpone calls “white sawdust.”

To cut down on the amount of sugar in your favorite desserts, replace some with vanilla or almond extract, or a mashed banana.

“A lot of it is just adding flavor without any of the preservatives and the high-fructose corn syrup, which can cause inflammation in people’s bodies,” she says.

If you’re not willing to surrender a favorite dish, Dan Schmitz, head chef at Banzo restaurant in Madison, Wis., says we can make holiday meals healthier just by preparing them ourselves. And it doesn’t always mean a lot of effort. Homemade stuffing is pretty simple—all you need is some celery, onion, peas, cubes of bread and a little bit of chicken stock—and is a better option than the store-bought kind, which is often high in salt.

“Using fresh food and real food instead of packaged or processed is your best bet for any kind of a healthy lifestyle,” Schmitz says.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Cauliflower with Lemon Tahini Sauce

1 head cauliflower (Make things more colorful with purple or yellow cauliflower.)

3 to 4 cups Brussels sprouts

1 cup tahini

1 cup water (preferably filtered)

1⁄2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

Pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice Brussels sprouts in half, and toss lightly in mixing bowl with oil and salt. Arrange Brussels sprouts in a single layer on a baking sheet with cut side facing down. Cut cauliflower into chunks of similar sizes as Brussels sprouts, then toss in oil and salt and arrange in single layer on another baking sheet.

Roast vegetables about 30 minutes. Brussels sprouts should be slightly charred around edges. Cauliflower is done when a knife slides out cleanly. Cauliflower may take an extra 10 minutes to finish.

While vegetables are roasting, combine tahini, lemon juice and water in mixing bowl and stir until fully blended; add salt to taste. After vegetables have cooked, combine all ingredients. Serve warm or cold.

Chef Dan’s Butternut Squash Dip

1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced into 1-inch chunks

1⁄2 cup tahini

1⁄4 cup roasted garlic

1⁄2 tablespoon ground cumin

Sesame seeds to garnish

Salt to taste

Cook squash. It can be boiled until fork-tender, but roasting will produce the best flavor. Cool slightly, then transfer all ingredients (except sesame seeds) to a food processor and puree (you may need to split into 2 to 3 small batches). If a thinner texture is desired, add some water to the mixture in the food processor. Add salt to taste. Garnish with sesame seeds, and serve with sliced vegetables or toasted bread.

Recipes provided by Chef Dan Schmitz.