Cozy Winter Recipes

Hi Beauties,

Winter weather has us whipping up our favorite cozy recipes using fresh, seasonal and hearty ingredients. Fuel your body for your next Ballet Beautiful workout or add these dishes to your Holiday table.

Winter Citrus Salad
Brighten up your table this season! This salad is anything but boring - the perfect winter side dish packed with flavors and color (Plus it's vegan!) that comes together quickly and can be customized with any of your favorite seasonal flavors!
Ingredients:
  • Lettuce - you can use any kind here; I like something fairly neutral and bright like bibb or butterhead.
  • Winter citrus fruits- I used a combination of naval oranges, ruby red grapefruit, and valencia oranges. Blood oranges are excellent if you can find them!
  • Avocado
  • Pomegranate Seeds
  • Sliced red onion
  • Nuts: I used sliced almonds but walnuts would also be excellent
  • Optional (not pictured): For extra protein add some roasted chickpeas or grilled chicken!
  • Dressing- Mix fresh lime juice, olive oil, and agave nectar or your sweetener of choice to taste!

Shepherd's Pie
A warm and hearty main dish that uses tons of fresh veggies and protein to satisfy your winter cravings!
Ingredients: 
  • 1lb ground lamb or beef (or 2lbs if you’d like)
  • 1/2 red onion diced
  • 2 stalks celery diced
  • 2 stalks carrots diced
  • 1 large zucchini diced
  • 1 bell pepper diced
  • 1 cup of mushrooms diced
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup beef bone broth
  • 1 teaspoon tamari soy sauce
  • 1-2 teaspoons fresh parsley chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil
  • S&P
  • Grated parmesan cheese or pecorino romano cheese

Ingredients for mash topping:

1. To make the mash topping, we use Natural Heaven hearts of palm creamy mash as it’s easier and quicker for us. Feel free to make the cauliflower mash from FlavCity’s recipe here or any regular mashed potato recipe that you’d like!
2. Pour creamy mash into a pot on medium high heat, add 1-2 knobs of unsalted butter along with salt and pepper.
3. Stir for 3-5 minutes until it all mixes together and set it aside.
4. Pre-heat over to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and pre-heat a 12 inch cast iron pan or oven safe skillet over medium heat.
5. Start making the pie by adding 1 tablespoon of oil, along with onions, celery, carrots, zucchini, bell pepper, mushrooms, 1/2-1 teaspoon salt, and a few cracks of pepper. Mix well and cook for 5-8 minutes then add garlic.
6. Once the vegetables are very soft, add the tomato paste and stir until it all mixes up, about 1-2 minutes.
7. Turn the heat to medium high, add the grounded lamb along with 1 teaspoon of salt and a few cracks of pepper. Break up the lamb into small pieces as it cooks.
8. When the lamb is almost cooked through, add the bone broth and tamari soy sauce. Turn the heat down low.
9. Add the fresh parsley, mix everything well and turn the heat off.
10. Press the lamb and veggie mixture evenly into the cast iron pan, pour the mash topping above and smooth it out to the edges.
11. Grate some cheese over the top if desired.
12. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Turn the broiler to high and cook for 5 minutes (make sure you keep an eye on it) until the top is golden brown.
13. Remove from the oven and let it cool for 20 minutes before serving.
14. Serve with a side of salad of any appetizer of your liking!
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
An under-rated vegetable, easily roasted and seasoned for a nutrient dense side dish!
  • Preheat Oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Slice fresh Brussels Sprouts in half.
  • Lay out evenly on a large sheet pan.
  • Drizzle a layer of olive oil over them.
  • Sprinkle sea salt and black pepper and minced garlic evenly over the Brussels Sprouts.
  • Roast for 35-40 minutes until outer edges are crispy, turning over every 10-15 minutes.
  • Add feta cheese & fresh squeezed lemon juice or balsamic vinegar for extra flavor. Bacon crumbles are a favorite too! 

Soft Gingerbread Cookies
A warm and cozy holiday favorite! Soft Gingerbread Cookies are the perfect mix of classic gingerbread loaf and flavorful gingerbread cookies! We LOVE these to finish off a holiday meal or leave for Santa!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 TBS molasses
1 large egg, room temp.
1 tsp PURE vanilla extract
  • Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and sea salt together.
  • In a separate bowl, cream together with a spatula (or mixing blow with a paddle attachment) butter and brown sugar until fluffy.
  • Add molasses, egg, and vanilla to bowl & beat until smooth.
  • Add dry ingredients & beat at a slow speed until thoroughly combined, you don't want lumps in your dough.
  • Place dough in an airtight container (as to not dry out the dough) to chill for 1 hour. You can even leave in fridge overnight!
When you're ready to bake:
  • Preheat Oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Scoop small balls of dough on to the baking sheet, evenly spread apart.
  • Bake 10 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack or plate so they do not crumble.

*Dress up your gingerbread cookies with a powdered sugar glaze using 1 TBS of milk and a drop of lemon juice, or roll your dough balls in sugar before baking!

We hope you have the happiest of holidays! Share your favorite holiday and winter recipes below! Tag us on social @balletbeautiful and use #balletbeautifulkitchen
With love,

The Ballet Beautiful team