4th of July (Healthy-ish) Side Dishes and Desserts

Happy 4th of July week! This Monday, instead of a “what’s for dinner” recipe, my daughter Grace and I put our heads together and came up with a couple healthy side dishes and desserts that you can quickly whip together for your 4th of July fun. These recipes are super easy and will deliciously complement anything you might be grilling up.

Broccoli Salad

What You Need

Salad

• 1 pound broccoli florets (I bought ours pre-cleaned and cut which saved a step)
• ½ cup raw slivered almonds
• ½ cup finely chopped red onion
• ½ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (optional)
• ⅓ cup dried cranberries or dried tart cherries, chopped (I think chopped red grapes would taste great, too!)

Honey mustard dressing

• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 medium clove garlic, pressed or minced
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

What to Do

1. Toast the slivered almonds: Pour the almonds into a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently (careful, they’ll burn!), until the almonds are turning golden on the sides, about 5 minutes. Pour the toasted almonds into a large serving bowl.
2. Add the chopped broccoli, onion, cheese, and cranberries to the serving bowl. Set aside.
3. In a 1-cup liquid measuring cup or small bowl, combine all of the dressing ingredients (olive oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, garlic and salt). Whisk until the mixture is well blended.
4. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir until all of the broccoli is lightly coated in dressing. I highly recommend letting the salad marinate for at least 20 minutes, or even overnight in the refrigerator.
5. Leftovers will keep well for 3 to 4 days in the fridge, covered.

Caprese Salad With Peaches

What You Need

• Peaches
• Heirloom tomatoes
• Ball of mozzarella ((can use vegan mozzarella slices—we used the Follow Your Heart brand)
• Balsamic glaze (we love Trader Joe’s)
• Basil

What To Do

Grace artfully layered the peaches, tomatoes, and mozzarella on this serving plate and drizzled with the balsamic glaze and chopped basil before serving. The peaches give this traditional dish a fresh pop of flavor.

Healthy Strawberry Shortcake

This recipe checks a number of boxes: it’s gluten free, low carb, paleo, and low sugar. And, we used Truwhip vegan whipped topping instead of the yogurt topping suggested in the recipe because it is what I found at Target. 😉

What You Need

Shortcake

• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons liquid coconut oil or avocado oil 
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Topping

• 1 cup yogurt of choice (anything works! I used coconut for dairy-free and vanilla cow’s milk for a dairy one)
• 2 cups organic strawberries, washed and sliced

What to Do

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a round baking with oil
2. Whisk together eggs, oil, maple syrup and vanilla until smooth
3. Mix in almond flour and baking powder until smooth and no lumps are in the mix
4. Add to baking dish and bake in oven for 15-18 minutes
5. Let the cake cool a bit then spread yogurt on top and sliced strawberries
6. Slice and enjoy!

Healthy Peanut Butter Pie

Now you may think this is an interesting choice for the 4th of July, but chocolate and peanut butter is my favorite combination of all time and should be front and center at every holiday celebration. This recipe is dairy-free and I swear you don’t miss it.

What You Need

Crust

• 1 1/2 cups crushed chocolate graham crackers 
• 6 tablespoons melted butter 
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar (I used coconut sugar) 
• Pinch of salt
  

Filling

•  3/4 cup of natural peanut butter (I use Trader Joe’s)
• 8 ounces vegan cream cheese, softened (I use Kite Hill) 
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 8 ounces vegan whipped topping, defrosted (I use Truwhip—can use Cocowhip too!)
  

Topping

• More whipped topping
• Peanut butter cups
• Festive peanut M’n’Ms
  

What to Do

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Grease a pie dish and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and salt. press tightly along bottom and sides of the pie dish and bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow crust to cool in the fridge/freezer while you prep the filling. 
   In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat together the cream cheese and peanut butter until smooth. Add in the maple syrup and vanilla and beat until well combined.
4. Fold in the whipped topping and add to your pie crust.
5. Place in the fridge to chill for a minimum of 2 hours, and overnight for best results.
6. When ready to serve, add more whipped topping, chopped peanut butter cups, and M ‘n’ Ms. Enjoy!

Have the best 4th of July and please let me know if you make any of these recipes.

xo,