On this week’s show, my guest is Mona Dolgov, author of the new cookbook, SATISFY. She’s back by popular demand (Mona was a guest on Show 88) to talk about easy and delicious ways to health-ify your favorite holiday recipes. If you love sweet potato casserole but don’t appreciate all the added sugar or you’re looking for a super flavorful appetizer like Mona’s peanut butter dip with veggies that satisfies your craving for something creamy and crunchy but without gobs of calories, then this is the show for you!
Mona Dolgov is a nutritionist, cookbook author, and publisher with a lifelong passion for creating kitchen comfort and simple, healthy habits through her delicious recipes. Her new cookbook, SATISFY is hitting bookstores and your favorite online retailers on November 9th and she’s here today to help us “health-ify” the holidays. On the show, you’ll learn how to health-ify gravy, sweet potato casserole, appetizers, crispy AirFryer Brussels sprouts, and a peanut butter dip to die for. We also have dessert ideas including mini-cheesecakes and personal pumpkin pies.
We are giving away a copy of SATISFY to one lucky US winner. We’re also giving away an AirFryer to another winner! See below for details on how to enter.
GIVEAWAYS: We have the most epic giveaway EVER going on until Monday, November 22nd! One winner will receive a Philips Premium XXL Airfryer with Fat Removal Technology. (Retail value: $299.95). Our second winner will receive a copy of Mona’s new cookbook, SATISFY: Delicious, Healthy, and Full-Filling Meals for 500 Calories or Less! To enter for a chance to win one of these two prizes, post a comment in the comments section below telling me about your favorite holiday recipe and/or why you want to win the AirFryer or Mona’s cookbook. This is a U.S. giveaway only. Good luck! Winners picked at random at noon on November 22nd.
COOKING CLASS NEWS: Sign up for our Health-ify the Holidays virtual cook-along. We’ll be making appetizers on November 16th at 6 pm ET and sensational side dishes on November 18th at 6 pm ET. The cost for both classes is $69.00 (cost for single classes is $39). You can sign up on Mona’s website. We hope to see you there.
Show Highlights:
- Updates in Mona’s world: her new cookbook is out November 9, cooking classes are ongoing, and she’s working on a new cookbook for next summer; Mona loves her city apartment life in the Boston Seaport
- Mona’s philosophy to health-ify the holidays by lightening up dishes
- Mona’s butternut squash soup, made with roasted butternut squash and sautéed apples and onions; the mixture is blended with broth and spices that can be customized with different flavor profiles
- How Mona and Liz are teaming up for cooking classes on Nov. 16th and 18th on appetizers and side dishes
- Their favorite appetizers include Liz’s Roasted Carrot Hummus, Mona’s Peanut Sauce (made with peanut butter, coconut aminos, sesame oil, ginger, rice vinegar, and honey), Asparagus Wrapped in Turkey Bacon, and Cauliflower Wings
- How Mona’s Peanut Sauce with fresh veggies leaves everyone wanting more
- Liz’s funny story about “double-dipping”
- Mona’s chapter in the cookbook called “Snack-ertaining,” which features her Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
- How the AirFryer has become Mona’s best friend and a favorite time-saving tool for veggies and protein
- Liz’s favorite side dishes: Sweet Potato Casserole with orange juice, zest, cinnamon, and ginger; Brussels Sprout Gratin
- Why Mona makes a “Mona Salad” for many gatherings; it’s made with leafy dark greens, roasted squash and zucchini, cucumbers, pumpkin seeds, and pomegranate arils; her dressing is olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, maple syrup, canned pumpkin, and her spice blend of oregano, basil, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper
- How Mona uses the AirFryer for the best Brussels sprouts ever: after cutting them in half, she sprays them with olive oil and sprinkles with salt and pepper; after 12 minutes, she adds minced garlic and cooks for three more minutes; she adds apples, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and a balsamic glaze at the end
- Why the key to lighter desserts is to make them in bite sizes
- Mona’s crustless mini-cheesecakes: they are made with orange zest, sugar, and reduced-fat cream cheese and drizzled with melted dark chocolate and topped with an orange section
- Mona’s upside-down individual pumpkin pies: they are made with pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and a pinch of salt; after being baked in ramekins, she tops them with a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds, pecans, brown sugar, and cinnamon
- Final words from Mona: “Don’t stress about the holidays. Have fun. Be mindful. Focus on the traditions and bring your family in to help.”
Resources:
Find Mona online:
Cookbook on Amazon (official release date is Nov. 9th, but you can pre-order now)
Liz’s Links:
Author, Color, Cook, Eat! coloring book series
Website: Liz’s Healthy Table
Listen to my Podcast
Read my Blog
My favorite holiday recipe is turkey dressing. My mother is hands down the best turkey dressing maker in the world! She doesn’t go by a recipe, just how it feels. My daughter, who is now 20, LOVES her dressing (probably more than I do) and has begged me to make it. I’ve tried to get my mother to dictate to me the recipe so I can write it down over the years and, unfortunately, it has never turned out – except for COVID Thanksgiving 2020. If anything good came out of COVID 2020 it was my personal accomplishment with having a successful turkey dressing that we wouldn’t have gotten otherwise (because of COVID ya’ know!) I had my mother on the phone for over an hour the night before Thanksgiving going through the recipe in detail so I could take the most copious of notes. It was delicious. My daughter, my husband and I ate every single bite ourselves! It was glorious! And yes, it is dressing, not stuffing – we are from the South 🙂
To healthify the holidays, our family trys to have an activity after the meal that we are active and can work off some of the food that we just ate.
My favorite recipe for Thanksgiving is always the gravy with chunks of the turkey, skin, and pepper —
rich with taste and adding to the entire turkey experience! And popovers!!
I would LOVE the airfryer so I could make even healthier meals from Mona. She has airfryer recipes that are fantastic!!! That airfryer would be perfect to pair with Mona’s recipes!
My favorite Thanksgiving dish is the green bean casserole, although this year I’m going to try the stovetop green bean and mushroom stir fry that Bon Appetit recently posted. Pumpkin pie comes in as a close second on my favorites list.
I usually don’t get to make Thanksgiving dinner, so I need this book to get ideas for items I can bring to the feast!
Every year I have to make sweet potato crostinis topped with goat cheese and dried cranberries. I also love making a veggie side dish, but that changes depending on what everyone else is bringing to the table. I’m looking for new ways to put a spin on classic dishes and all the positive feedback I hear about air fryers has both my husband and I wanting one. We think the kids would enjoy it too!
Appetizers are always a favorite at all family holidays. Would love a chance to win the air fryer as I would love a new way to cook our old favorites! The cookbook looks great too as I am always looking for healthier ways to cook!
My mom makes a cream cheese salad every holiday. It’s got cream cheese, pineapple, and jello. It’s what I look forward every year. My air fryer broke recently so this would be awesome to win.
My favorite holiday recipe is the Turkey! It’s all about the left-overs, there is nothing better than a Turkey sandwich the Friday after Thanksgiving. I would love to win the air-fryer. I have hear so many things about how easy it is to make healthy meals in an air fryer and really want to try it out but have been “afraid to commit” to yet another kitchen appliance. Bread maker regrets make me nervous about another big appliance.
I would love to win the air fryer to learn new ways to keep the athletes in my household fed and happy with healthy food. We start our holidays with a turkey trot and then reward ourselves with all the Thanksgiving favorites.
My favorite Thanksgiving recipe is my homemade stuffing. I know that sounds pretty boring but my girls and other family members always rave about it and it’s pretty simple too. I save all my bread heels throughout the year. I put them in a plastic bag and just add them throughout the year. The night before Thanksgiving I take them out and put in a large bowl to thaw overnight. In the morning I tear them into pieces and add celery and onions that have been sautéed in butter/margarine. I then sprinkle on poultry seasoning, salt & pepper then add chicken broth slowly until just damp. Then just stuff into the turkey!
My favorite healthy holiday recipe is a green bean casserole with homemade “cream” of mushroom soup that is made with steamed cauliflower. No one even knows!
My favorite holiday recipe is sweet potato casserole. My family has always put sweetened nuts on top, but I’m becoming more partial to the marshmallows. I might have to make mine 1/2 and 1/2 this year. 🙂 I would love to win the cookbook or the air fryer! My middle child (18 year old son and a freshman in college) is starting to cook. And as a very healthy eater, he’s always looking for new, healthy recipes. The cookbook would be fantastic for all of us! And the air fryer would be amazing! Thanks!
I have heard so many good things about air fryers, but haven’t made the next step in getting one yet. Would be a great time-saver.
My favorite holiday recipe is pumpkin pie
My favorite holiday recipe is Gooey Cranberry Butter Bars. I would love to win the Air Fryer because my sister has one and is always telling me about all the healthy ways of cooking her favorite things with it.
My favorite holiday recipe is pernil with arroz con gandules. A favorite holiday dish when I was growing up in Puerto Rico. I would love to win the air fryer. I have heard many people saying they like it and would love to term it mysel;f.
My favorite holiday recipe is sweet potato casserole. (No marshmallows but plenty of butter and brown sugar). I learned it from my mother. I’m definitely going to check out Liz’s healthier recipe.
I love cooking and t0 surprise family with healthy meals that still taste great, like perfecting the “Pasta with chicken, sausage, and spinach.” And from the index preview, I see many meals and desserts I would love to surprise family with!
My favorite Thanksgiving recipe is my mom’s stuffing. She has given me the recipe, but it never tastes as good as hers. I would love to win Mona’s cookbook. Her peanut sauce sounds amazing. And I’ve been wanting an air fryer! Thanks for the great podcast episode.
My favorite thing to eat at the holidays is my cousin’s Apple dapple cake, it’s so good!
Definitely pumpkin pie!
I would like to win a air fryer for healthier meals.
My favorite holiday recipe is one from my Grandmother: her cranberry, orange and apple salad. I love it as it brings back so many fond memories of grinding the cranberries, oranges and apples in her old hand grinder that we all took turns turning. I can still smell the wonderful mixture’s aroma. I now have her old grinder and we keep the tradition of using her grinder to make the salad every year, even though it would be so much quicker to use a food processor. I now appreciate the health factor of the cranberries as well!
I would LOVE to win the air fryer as I work in a cardiac clinic and all of my folks are using them to make heart healthier foods but I have been too frugal to buy one even though I hear how wonderful they are!!.
Thanksgiving day and Christmas Day are both wonderful holidays. My family always had a large turkey with homemade stuffing. The sweet potatoes with orange sauce are always my favorite. My mother uses orange juice concentrate for this and other recipes and I have learned that it really doubles the flavor intensity. Thanks for all the great information on your podcasts and website. No Whine With Dinner has been a really useful cookbook over the years.
I love to make Holiday Roasted Vegetables with Pecans and Cranberries. I would use the air fryer to make healthy version of my favorite dishes and cookbook from Mona would help me with recipes.
My favorite holiday recipes are the ones for candy that we only make and eat once per year. My family makes white chocolate covered Ritz and peanut butter crackers, toffee, peanut brittle, peanut butter balls and mints.
My favorite thing to make for the holidays is Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole. It goes with ham, turkey, or just by itself. So, cheesy, creamy delicious!! My family just loves to have this with all the other goodies!!!
My favorite holiday recipe is my sister-in-laws rolls. They are perfect.
I always try to keep holidays in balance–enjoy the indulgences, but don’t overdo the portions. I have been wanting to try an air fryer, so it would be such a fun gift to receive. Thanks for all you are sharing to encourage healthy eating and fun in the kitchen!
I have always enjoyed healthifying my recipes and love that no one can tell the difference! I converted my father in law from a non- pumpkin pie eater after he politely tasted my offering one year. “The best pumpkin pie I’ve ever had.” I love cooking, and feeding those I love.
My favorite foods at Thanksgiving are the turkey (especially as leftovers for sandwiches) and the cornbread dressing, which I like to make with fresh herbs from my garden. An air fryer would certainly be a new adventure to try in my kitchen.
Cranberries a fav for me! I love trying to add a little something to them, but they are always on the table!
I love everything about Thanksgiving so it is hard to pick a favorite. I would love to win the air fryer. I have been wanting one for awhile but not been financially able to do it. Love your recipes
I honestly don’t know what my favorite Thanksgiving recipe would be, but I just love Thanksgiving! I would love to be able to use an air fryer for my veggies! Thank you so much for this wonderful giveaway!!
My absolute FAVORITE holiday recipe is roasted Brussels sprouts made in the air fryer! It surprises all so the guests! ( because everyone thinks they don’t like them until they have mine! ) I would absolutely love to win this air fryer, mine just broke last week! And it would be perfect to feed my family of 5! I also love salmon in the air fryer – it is seriously the best ! Crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside! I would just be so grateful to win one of these prizes! Thank you for all of of your inspiring podcasts!!
My favorite holiday dish is just baked beans. I love it because my Dad used to make it and I was always the taste tester and now I make the baked beans for my family and my kids are the testers. It’s just a great family memory for me.
My favorite holiday recipe is mashed potatoes made with cream cheese. I would like to win either of these prizes because it would help me to introduce new and healthier dishes to my family. I love your podcast!
Would love to use an air fryer I currently don’t own one. Would love to use it for stuffing.I’d love to win the cool book to share and cook with kids.
I would love to start using an air fryer. It would be so great to win this one.
I enjoy making cranberry orange relish. I’m always looking for new recipes & gadgets to try.
My favorite holiday recipe is cranberry relish. It’s so beautiful and tasty. Mona’s book Satisfy is gorgeous and I love having ideas and tools (air fryer) to make healthier meals.
I would love to win the air fryer because I have heard it reheats veggies wonderfully. I can’t stand microwaved veggies!
My favorite holiday dish is scalloped potatoes
My favorite recipes are roasted sweet potatoes with rosemary and honey, and chocolate pecan pie! I would love to try making veggies more interesting for my family in the air fryer!
My favorite thing to eat at the holidays is homemade apple pie
My favorite Thanksgiving recipe is my Spatchcocked turkey. I change the rub every year to match the sides we are making. Cooking time is cut in half vs. a whole bird, and the skin is super crispy, the meat is juicy and moist and it looks gorgeous on a serving platter! And I can’t wait to try Mona’s personal pumpkin pies this year!!!
Such a great listen enjoyed all the tips and look forward to trying all of the delicious recipes you shared !
I would love to win this air-fryer because mine is used so often (literally every day!) that it is in need of replacement. I bought a cheaper one because I wasn’t sure how much I would use it, but I would love a top-of-the-line one like this! I rarely heat up my big oven anymore.
My favorite Thanksgiving side dish is roasted Brussel sprouts with bacon and Balsamic drizzle!! The air fryer is a perfect way to cook these.
Mona’s cookbook sounds amazing!
I always reduce the sugar in my grandma’s sweet potato casserole, no one notices since roasting sweet potatoes brings our their own sweetness. I would love to healthify our Thanksgiving dinner more by introducing some new roasted vegetables, or I could air fry them, if I would happen to win one. How awesome would that be?!!
We love having a snack board on the table during the day for the family to snack on while the big meal is being prepped. We made the wooden plank ourselves and we cover it with festive cheeses, prosciutto, whole grain crackers,dried apricots, dates, veggie sticks,hummus and a Greek olives.
My favorite use for the air frier is baking sweet potatoes. I love to bake up a batch to eat for the entire week.
Would love to win the air fryer and cookbook to help prepare healthy foods for family and friends. Love Turkey at Thanksgiving.
Spinach casserole ❤️
Love the Turkey! Air fryer would help make it a lot healthier. Cookbook can help make healthy meals for family.
I used to go home for Thanksgiving and didn’t for the past two years but this year we are returning to my family’s home in Louisville, Ky. My sister in law, Mandy always does Thanksgiving and the food is fabulous. I actually just made some ginger snaps to bring which came out great. I personally love this holiday because I love the food and family, the best holiday for me.
I actually don’t have an air fryer and Mona makes it sound fun and tasty with an air fryer. Would love to try one, one day!
I’m excited to make Brussels sprouts salad! With cranberries, no bacon 🙂 love the idea of this healthy recipes book and all the awesome recipes you can make in the air fryer. Happy thanksgiving!
I love to make my mom’s spinach salad with toasted seeds and apples for Thanksgiving dinner. But what’s a special meal without crispy brussel sprouts?! I would love to try out my weekly roasted vegetable rotation with an air fryer.
I love trying new recipes.