Holiday Recipes

by | Nov 19, 2015 | Eating Naturally, Natural Remedies, Natural Weight Loss, Naturopathic Health, Nutrition

Wanting a new recipe for the holidays?  We’ve got you covered!  Check out these recipes –

Vegan Egg Nog serves 1

¼ ripe pear, cored
1 cup unsweetened milk
2 teaspoons lucuma powder
2 tablespoons raw cashews
1 teaspoon chia seeds
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8-12 drops vanilla stevia

  1. Combine all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.
  2. Refrigerate at least one hour.
  3. Whisk before serving

Cranberry Apple Holiday Punch serves 10-12

2 liters of sparkling water
6 cups fresh apple cider
8 ounces of cranberry juice concentrate
55-60 drops liquid stevia
2 cups whole frozen cranberries
1 apple, sliced horizontally

  1. Combine all chilled liquid ingredients and stevia in a punch bowl.
  2. Add frozen cranberries and lay apple slices on top.

Caprese Skewers

cherry tomatoes
mozzarella pearls
fresh basil
balsamic vinegar

  1. On each skewer, place a cherry tomato, a basil leaf and a mozzarella pearl.
  2. Arrange on a platter and serve drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

Pears with Goat Cheese, Pistachios and Dried Cranberries makes 24

2 pears, cored and sliced into 24 slices
½ cup goat cheese
2 tablespoons pistachio pieces
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
1 tablespoon orange or lemon juice

  1. Toss pear slices in orange or lemon juice.
  2. Spread cheese on the widest part of the pear slice, then top with pistachio pieces and dried cranberries.

Stuffed Mushrooms serves 4

1 cup parsley, chopped
½ cup sun dried tomatoes
½ cup pine nuts
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup olive oil
8 ounces mushrooms

  1. In a food processor, place parsley and pulse briefly
  2. Add sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice and salt, then pulse until almost smooth
  3. Drizzle in olive oil and pulse again briefly to incorporate
  4. Remove stems from mushrooms and stuff with pesto
  5. Bake at 350° for 30-45 minutes
  6. Serve

 

Raw Kale Salad

4 cups kale, destemmed and cut in a chiffonade
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup chopped radicchio
1 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1/2 cup chopped green olives
1 cup toasted sunflower seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 cup golden raisins
3 cups cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  1. In a large mixing bowl, add the kale, salt, orange juice, vinegar and garlic powder. Massage well with your hands for several minutes.
  2. Let the salad sit and marinate for 10 minutes then enjoy!

Sweet Potato Cashew Soup with Avocado Cream

Soup: 1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, chopped, roasted
5 cups vegetable broth
1 cup raw cashews

Avocado Cream: 1 garlic clove, peeled
2 avocados
¼ cup plain greek yogurt
3 tablespoons lime juice
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
¼ teaspoon salt

Garnish:green onion, chopped and lime wedges

  1. In a large pot, sauté onion and celery until soft.
  2. Add sweet potatoes, cashews and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer for 20 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat and puree with immersion blender or transfer to a blender and process until smooth.
  4. Add lime and season to taste.
  5. Combine all avocado cream ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to serve.
  6. To serve, add a dollop of cream to each serving of soup, sprinkle with green onions and have lime wedges available.

 

Garlic and Herb Mashed Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 vidalia onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste

  1. Place cauliflower in a steamer basket in a large soup pot, season with salt and pepper and steam until soft. 10-12 minutes, test with a fork.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a pan over medium heat.
  3. Saute onion, garlic and herbs in butter until onion is soft and translucent. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Place cauliflower in food processor or blender with onion, garlic, herbs and second tablespoon of butter. Process until smooth.

 

Wild Rice Dressing with Chestnuts and Cranberries

Serves 12

2 cups uncooked wild rice
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups whole roasted chestnuts
1 cup dried cranberries
1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ cups halved lengthwise and thinly sliced carrots
1 ½ cups chopped yellow onion
1 ¼ cups thinly sliced celery
½ cup minced flat leaf parsley
2 tablespoons minced fresh sage
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
¼ teaspoon black pepper

  1. Preheat oven to 400.
  2. Combine rice, broth, 2 cups water and ¼ teaspoon salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, partially cover, reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Do not drain; place in a large bowl and cover.
  3. Arrange chestnuts on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Cool and cut into quarters.
  4. Place cranberries in a small bowl and cover with hot water. Let stand 20 minutes.
  5. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add carrot, onion and celery. Cook until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in herbs and remove from heat.
  6. Add rice to the vegetable mixture. Mix in ¼ teaspoon salt, chestnuts, cranberries and pepper.
  7. Spoon into a 13×9 inch baking dish. Cover and bake at 400 for 10 minutes.

 

Green Bean Casserole serves 6

For crispy onions:

6 small onions, sliced thinly

2 cups unsweetened milk

2 cups gluten free flour blend

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon paprika

coconut oil

For casserole:

1 pound fresh green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces             2 quarts boiling salted water             3 tablespoons coconut oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced             1 pound mushrooms             ½ cup dry white wine

2 bay leaves            2 whole cloves            2 cups coconut milk            Pinch nutmeg

Crispy onions

For crispy onions:

  1. Soak the onions in a milk substitute for 10 minutes. Heat oil in a skillet. Season the flour blend with the salt, pepper and paprika.
  2. After the onions have soaked, place a handful in the flour blend and toss with a fork until covered.
  3. Fry in the oil until light brown. Drain on paper towels.
  4. Continue to cook in small batches.

For the casserole:

  1. Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat. Drop the onions into the pan and stir until browned. Drain the onions on paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
  2. Preheat oven to 375 and grease a shallow 1 ½ quart casserole dish. Reheat the oil over high. Stir in the mushrooms and cook until brown. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the wine, bay leaves and cloves. Boil off most of the wine, scraping the brown bits off the bottoms of the pan.
  3. Stir in coconut milk. Turn heat to medium and simmer a few minutes to thicken slightly.
  4. Remove bay leaves and cloves. Season to taste with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir in beans. Turn everything into the casserole dish and cover with foil. Bake 20 minutes. Top with onions and bake another 3 minutes.

 

Raw Apple Pie

For the crust:

2 cups raw almonds

2 cups dates, pits removed

½ cup almond butter

For the filling:

4 Granny Smith apples, chopped             4 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup raisins

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons orange juice

¼ cup date sugar

  1. Chop the almonds and dates thoroughly. Knead the dates and nuts together with the almond butter. Press into a pie plate.
  2. Toss the sliced apples with the lemon and orange juice to coat. Add cinnamon, nutmeg and raisins and mix. Spoon into the pie crust and sprinkle with date sugar.

 

Paleo Pumpkin Bars

For the crust:

6 dates, pits removed

1 cup almond butter             2 eggs or flax eggs             2 tablespoons honey or agave

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¾ cup almond meal

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch salt

For the filling:

1 can (14oz) pumpkin puree

½ cup canned coconut milk

¼ cup coconut cream

3 tablespoons coconut oil

3 tablespoons honey or agave

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon all spice

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/16 teaspoon ground cloves

For the topping:

1 cup pecans, chopped

 

  1. Add dates and almond butter to a food processor and pulse until smooth.
  2. Add 2 eggs, honey, vanilla extract, cinnamon, almond meal and baking soda and puree until smooth.
  3. Grease an 8×8 glass baking dish with some coconut oil and pour in crust. Level with spatula.
  4. Place in oven to bake for 15 minutes or until crust is firm and cooked through when you poke it with a toothpick. Then let cool.
  5. While your crust is baking, make filling ingredients.
  6. Add filling ingredients to food processor and puree until completely smooth.
  7. When your crust is cool, top it off with your pumpkin puree filling and smooth evenly.
  8. Coarsely chop pecans and sprinkle over filling.
  9. Set in freezer to cool for 20+ minutes.