Do you know what you’re cooking in the winter for yourself and your loved ones? We do and we’re spilling our top secrets. Keep reading for the best cooking recipes.
Food influences appetite and mood, especially during the gloomy season. Research shows certain foods affect brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters present themselves in higher concentrations after eating.
Stress less about what to cook and start serving with confidence. Not only do the right foods taste good, but they also lift your mood. This guide has everything you need to know about the must-eat meals during the chilly season.
Here’s your guide to the top five winter recipes that’ll make everyone happy.
Table of Contents
1. Chicken Piccata
Chicken piccata features tender chicken covered with a creamy sauce. The sauce has lemon juice, chicken stock, wine, heavy cream, parsley, and capers to amplify the flavor. You can make it more filling by adding pasta and increasing the amount of sauce.
2. Split Pea Soup
One of the best winter soup recipes is split pea. It’s from split peas, ham hock or bacon, fresh thyme, and bay leaves. You can make it vegetarian by leaving out the meat.
3. White Chicken Chili
White chicken chili is another crowd-pleaser during the chilly season. You’ll use basic ingredients like beans, chicken, corn, and peppers. Depending on how spicy you like it, serve corn chips or crispy jalapeño rings on the side.
4. The Perfect Winter Salad
One of the best winter salad recipes boosts your mood and tastes delicious. The salad’s created with leafy greens, thinly sliced tart apples, dried cherries, sliced red onions, and pecan halves. The homemade dressing’s made of mayo, syrup, white wine vinegar, minced shallot, sugar, and canola oil.
5. Creamed Spinach and Mushrooms With Lemon Salmon
Enjoy the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids by creating a lemon salmon dish served with creamed spinach and mushrooms. This elegant dish needs salmon fillets, baby spinach, mixed mushrooms, lemon, parsley, chives, and garlic. Fry the salmon then set aside while you cook the other ingredients.
Ingredients in Winter Recipes That Increase Happiness
What you eat impacts your mind and body more than you know. It’s common to experience low energy, sleep issues, hopelessness, and difficulty concentrating when Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) hits. To help alleviate SAD symptoms, consider adding the following to your winter recipes:
- Omega-3 fatty acids
- Vitamin D
- Strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries
- Whole-grain bread
- Protein
- Leafy greens
SAD results from multiple factors, like a lack of Vitamin D without sunlight and overproduced melatonin. Therapy and diet changes help improve your mood and reduce symptoms. Learn how to prep meals and top cooking tips with our help.
Learn to Take the Heat in the Kitchen
These are the must-eat recipes during the chilly season. Use what you read today about winter recipes to cook the best. These meals will appetize yourself and your guests.
No longer will you stress about what to cook and eat. We feature the top recipes and more on our website. Contact us today to learn more.