Nourishing Holiday Menu

Entertaining is my love language, so having my home filled with my friends during the holidays is a dream to me. I wanted to have a fun festive meal that was still nourishing to our bodies. Being from South Louisiana originally, grillades and grits is a very traditional Creole meal, and I knew I wanted to serve it but wanted to put a nourishing twist on it.

Slow braised meats are so supportive of our digestion an gut and the best meals in the winter months to support our health. I paired this with polenta made in a bone broth for extra nutrition and a seasonal salad. It was a winner and I hope it will be for you if you give it a try!

Print

Grillades

Yield: 12

Author: Germaine Benoit/ Nourished + Empowered

Prep time: 25 MinCook time: 8 HourTotal time: 8 H & 25 M

A traditional Creole meal, perfect for entertaining a large crowd but made with a nourishing twist. Allow ample time to cook this dish so that the meat can really break down.

Ingredients

Grillades

• 6 pounds veal or round steak ¼-inch thick, cut into serving pieces
• 1½ tablespoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• ¾ cup bacon drippings and or avocado oil (I did a mix of both)
• 1/2 cup cassava flour
• 2 cups chopped onions
• ¾ cup chopped celery (ribs and leaves)
• 6 thinly sliced green peppers
• 3 cups chopped green onions
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups chopped tomatoes (or less)
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• Worcestershire to taste
• 1½ cups beef or chicken broth
• ¾ cup parsley

Instructions

1. Cut meat into 1-2 inch pieces then salt and pepper each side.
2. Working in batches, in a heavy Dutch oven, brown meat in 4 tablespoons of the drippings. Remove meat; keep covered and warm.
3. Add remaining drippings and flour to Dutch oven, stirring constantly over low heat to make a chocolate brown roux. Add celery, peppers, onions and garlic. Sauté until limp. Add only enough of the tomatoes to add a pink tint to the roux which should retain its brown color. Add seasonings and stir in broth.
4. Place meat in roux, cover and cook on low heat till tender, I usually cook mine for at least 8 hours to really break it down
5. Remove bay leaves and stir in parsley.
6. Overnight refrigeration enhances the flavor of the sauce. To reheat, add a small amount of warm water or beef stock.
7. Serve over polenta or grits

Nutrition Facts

Calories

511

Fat

26 g

Sat. Fat

10 g

Carbs

14 g

Fiber

3 g

Net carbs

11 g

Sugar

5 g

Protein

54 g

Sodium

1150 mg

Cholesterol

158 mg

© Nourished and Empowered / Germaine Benoit, NTP All Rights Reserved

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @nourishedandempowered on instagram and hashtag it #

Print

Christmas Salad

Yield: 8

Author: Germaine Benoit/ Nourished + Empowered

Prep time: 15 MinTotal time: 15 Min

Ingredients

• 6 cups arugula or lettuce
• Seeds of 1 pomegranate
• 2 avocados, peeled and chopped
• 5-6 grapefruit, peeled and sliced into segments
• 1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
• 6 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbs Champange vinegar
• 6 tsp raw honey
• 3 tbs fresh grated ginger
• salt to taste

Instructions

1. Layer all salad ingredients into a large bowl
2. In a mason jar, mix olive oil, vinegar, honey, and ginger and shake to emulsify
3. season with salt as needed
4. dress and serve

Nutrition Facts

Calories

281

Fat

19 g

Sat. Fat

3 g

Carbs

29 g

Fiber

7 g

Net carbs

22 g

Sugar

17 g

Protein

3 g

Sodium

33 mg

Cholesterol

0 mg

© Nourished and Empowered / Germaine Benoit, NTP All Rights Reserved

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @nourishedandempowered on instagram and hashtag it #

Print

Creamy Polenta

Yield: 6

Author: Germaine Benoit/ Nourished + Empowered

Prep time: 2 MinCook time: 6 MinTotal time: 8 Min

You can make this solely with filtered water and it's great but for an added nutritional twist and flavor add bone broth.

Ingredients

• 1 cups organic polenta
• 2 cups bone broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• salt to taste

Instructions

1. Bring broth, cream and a pink of salt to boil on the stove in a pot
2. Once boiling add the polenta and stir
3. Cook about 5 mins or until smooth and done
4. Season with salt as needed

Nutrition Facts

Calories

244

Fat

15 g

Sat. Fat

9 g

Carbs

22 g

Fiber

0 g

Net carbs

22 g

Sugar

1 g

Protein

6 g

Sodium

73 mg

Cholesterol

45 mg

© Nourished and Empowered / Germaine Benoit, NTP All Rights Reserved

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @nourishedandempowered on instagram and hashtag it #

Hello! I’m Germaine Benoit! Founder & Owner of Nourished + Empowered!

I cannot wait for you to dive into my posts, recipes and more!

See the links below for more information!

Blog RSS

---

NOURISH

•

SIMPLICITY

•

FUN

•

HEALING

•

HEALTHY

•

EDUCATIONAL

•

INSPIRATIONAL

NOURISH • SIMPLICITY • FUN • HEALING • HEALTHY • EDUCATIONAL • INSPIRATIONAL

---

Gallery Block

This is an example. To display your Instagram posts, double-click here to add an account or select an existing connected account. Learn more

---