| Newletter
#8...
Holiday Foods
Eat beautiful
and delicious holiday food--
while staying healthy and feeling great!
Are all of those holiday comfort foods beckoning you?
Maybe it's stuffing, or pumpkin pie, or Christmas cookies--we
all have our favorites. Even though many of these foods
are unhealthy and make us feel bad, it's hard to say
no. Eating them is a social ritual, a part of celebrating
and sharing with family and friends, and very emotionally
gratifying. But often, this pleasure is short-lived.
Most of us usually feel like napping, not celebrating,
after a large Thanksgiving meal. And then comes the
unwanted weight gain, bloat, or sluggishness. Wouldn't
it be great to participate in the celebration and sensory
delight of preparing and eating holiday foods while
staying healthy and feeling great?
The trick is this: Look up all your favorite holiday
treats in a standard cookbook, learn the seasonings,
and flavors, and then see what you can substitute for
the unhealthy dairy, meats, starches, and sugars. Here
are some common culprits and their substitutions:
| Cream, butter, eggs |
Substitute Almond Cream or avocadoes |
| Bread, flour |
Substitute processed nuts or seeds |
| Sugar |
Substitute dates, sucanat, maple syrup, or honey |
| Meat |
Substitute nuts or seeds or mushrooms |
| Canned or overcooked vegetables |
Substitute raw greens and vegetables |
Here's
an example of a healthy holiday menu, based on these
substitutions
• Holiday Nog (uses Almond Cream)
• Almond Stuffing (uses almond meal with typical
stuffing spices)
• Cucumber Vicchyssoise (uses avocado to make
a creamy soup)
• Cranberry Relish (uses raw cranberries and
sucanat)
• Green Beans Almondine (uses raw, french cut,
marinated green beans)
• Christmas Kale (uses shredded and marinated
kale instead of cooked)
• Christmas Cookies (uses almonds and dates
instead of flour and sugar)
• Pumpkin pie mousse (the secret ingredient
is avocado! But you’d never know)
To get you started, I’ve included recipes for
Holiday Nog and Christmas Cookies below.
Holiday Nog
Serves 4
• 2 cups Almond Cream*, unsweetened
• ½ cup date paste (dates blended with
a little water)
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 frozen bananas
• 2 tsp flax seed oil, optional
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp nutmeg plus additional for sprinkling
Blend all ingredients except bananas. Add bananas and
blend. Serve immediately, sprinkled with additional
nutmeg.
*To make Almond Cream, soak 1 cup of almonds in water
for 8 hours, drain, and rinse. Then, blend the almonds
with 2 cups of water and strain.
This creamy, sweet beverage is pure holiday comfort!
*Thank you to Cherie Soria for this recipe.
Christmas Cookies
makes 2 dozen cookies
• 2 cups almonds, soaked overnight
• 1 cup walnuts, soaked overnight
• 3 cups packed pitted dates, chopped
• ½ cup cocoa or carob powder
• ½ cup shredded coconut
• ½ cup dried cranberries or cherries
• dash chai extract or 1 tsp fresh orange
zest
Grind the nuts in the food processor until coarsely
chopped. Add the dates and process until well-mixed.
Mix in remaining ingredients by hand. Using a small
ice cream scoop or a tablespoon to measure, form
small balls and flatten with your hand. Eat “straight”
or dehydrate at 105 degrees for 12-24 hours, depending
on how soft and moist you want the cookies. Store
cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
They will keep for up to three months.
If you love cookies, but you don’t like
to bake, these delectable cookies are for you!
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