Great Bigelow Tea Side Dishes for the Holiday Season!

With the holiday season in full swing, it’s sometimes difficult to come up with new dishes to serve your dinner guests. At Bigelow Tea we understand the need for a new twist, and have exactly what you’re looking for!

Mashed Acorn Squash with Apple Cider Herb Tea

With our great salad and side dish recipes, you can add that new flavor you’ve been looking for.  Just try our Broccoli with Lemon Sauce and Sesame Seeds, or our Orange and Spice Pureed Carrots.  These recipes include our I Love Lemon and Constant Comment teas, so they’re sure to please the pickiest palate.

Broccoli with Lemon Sauce and Sesame Seeds

Broccoli with Lemon Sauce and Sesame Seeds*

Ingredients:

1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 ¼ cup (310mL) water
½ cup boiling water
6 Bigelow I Love Lemon Herbal® Tea Bags
1 tablespoon (15mL) honey
2 tablespoons (30mL) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon (15mL) flour
1 teaspoon (5mL) orange or lemon zest
Salt to taste
2 teaspoons (10mL) toasted sesame seeds

Yield: Serves 4 – Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes

Instructions:

Steam broccoli in 1 ¼ cups of water. Drain and place broccoli in a 2 quart casserole dish.

Meanwhile add tea bags to ½ cup boiling water. Let steep for 5 minutes, remove tea bags, squeezing out excess. Add honey.

In a heavy saucepan melt butter, add flour, cook, stirring for 1 minute. With a wire whisk add warm tea mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until sauce has thickened and boils. Add orange or lemon zest and salt. Remove from heat and pour over cooked broccoli. Garnish with sesame seeds.

*Try this recipe using 6 Bigelow ®Orange & Spice Tea Bags in place of I Love Lemon® Tea Bags.

Orange & Spice Pureed Carrots

Ingredients:

2 pounds (1kg) carrots, peeled and cut into 1-2 inch pieces
8 Bigelow Constant Comment® Tea Bags
½ cup (125mL) milk
4 additional Bigelow Constant Comment® Tea Bags
2 tablespoons (30mL) butter, melted
Ground pepper and salt to taste
5 shallots, peeled
1 ½ cups (375mL) vegetable oil
3 tablespoons (45mL) butter

Yield: Serves 6 – Prep Time: 15 minutes – Cook Time: 30 minutes.

Instructions:

Prepare the carrots. Add 8 Bigelow Constant Comment® Tea Bags to 4 cups (1L) of boiling water; let steep for 10 minutes. Remove tea bags. Cover carrots with tea and cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, infuse milk by heating with 4 Bigelow Constant Comment® Tea Bags for 10 minutes. Remove tea bags.

Drain carrots and puree in a food processor and add melted butter and infused milk. The carrots should be very smooth. Place in a casserole and garnish if desired with crispy shallots.

To make the garnish – slice shallots into very thin rings. In a saucepan heat oil with butter over medium-low heat until it begins to bubble, add shallots and cook until they are a rich golden brown; about 30-40 minutes. Stir shallots occasionally while they are cooking to make sure they brown evenly. Remove shallots from oil, drain. Once the shallots have dried and are crisped, they can be stored for several days. Serve shallots on top of carrots.

We hope these recipes find you in good health. Enjoy!