I know this is crazy last minute …

but this just seems to be the way I’m doing Christmas this year. I’ve been thinking of you and so many other people who want to enjoy healthier, yet still delicious and special holiday meals. Here are some of the things I’ve been preparing for our family Christmas dinner tomorrow. I hope you have a wonderful holiday filled with love and special moments AND I hope you’re able to use some of these recipes soon. Please try to use organic wherever you can – your body will thank you.

Created and shared with love for you …

Pomegranate ‘n’ Greens Salad

With all the hearty, even heavy, traditional foods that go along with holiday meals, it’s great to have a light bright tasting salad to tickle your taste buds. The picture is close to what I make and basically looks the same …

I use

1/2 big box of those organic spring greens
seeds from 1/2 big pomegranate
1/2 big red onion, sliced very thinly
1 – 3 mandarin oranges (depending on size)
1/2 – 1 cup pecans, broken into 1/2s

Into this mix I stir:

1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp maple syrup (amber grade)
a tiny bit of whatever hot sauce you have on hand (eg. Tabasco, or even the juice from pickled hot peppers – just a little)

Throw it all together and enjoy, joy joy!

 

NonTraditional Stuffing for a Traditional Turkey

Forget about those bread crumbs!

Instead use a slightly smaller amount of cooked brown and wild rice (2-3 cups). Add lots of celery, onions, mushrooms (1-2 cups of each). Chop an apple or 2 and hazelnuts, add oregano with just a dash of basil. Get it all sticky with 1 egg or two if it’s a big turkey. Add salt and pepper to taste … and maybe a little dill and a smidge of cumin.

What you end up with is a surprisingly tasty dressing with best quality carbs and more protein. Another win-win…

Note: Because I use more veggies in this dressing I give everything a quick sauté so that the veggies are partially cooked. I then add the rice and egg, and stuff the turkey with this warm dressing.

 

Jan’s Way-Too-Rich-to-be-Healthy Biscotti


Some of you may remember the old days when I sold Biscotti at our neighbourhood Christmas Craft Fair … this is my gluten and dairy-free version of that recipe. It tastes way better than it looks in the photo above (please forgive my amateur photos), and may cause me to gain a pound or 3 before our next Nia class on Thursday. This is truely decadent, once a year, special yumminess. And yes, it takes a while to make these marvelous miracles so carve out some time to enjoy the process.

2 cups almond meal
1 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup coconut flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter

Mix all the dry ingredients together then cut in the butter until it’s crumbly.

2 eggs
2 tsp pure almond extract
1tbsp fresh grated ginger
Beat the eggs until frothy then add extract and ginger and froth some more.
1 cup chopped dark chocolate
1 heaping cup cranberries
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped roasted hazelnuts (to roast, set on a tray in 350 oven for 20 min, cool, then rub the skins off before chopping)

Combine chocolate, berries and nuts into a bowl.Add egg mixture to dry ingredients and stir, adding in nut/berry mix a bit at a time. When it’s all sticking together form into 2 big balls. Form 2 long logs on a large baking sheet (make them narrow as they will spread out). Bake in a 350 oven for 30 min. Refrigerate until cool – really! Then slice diagonally. Set each slice on its side and return all to a 300 oven and bake for 10-12 min on each side.Then you’re done! Whew – and worth the effort …

So now that you’ve enjoyed these wonderful tastes it might be a good idea to:

Join us for Nia classes at the Sechelt Aquatic centreThis session runs until Saturday, January 12. Remember – you can mix and match these classes to suit your schedule. You can register on-line or call 604-885-6801. Davis Bay classes are Monday & Wednesdays at 5:30 pm –classes resume Wednesday January 2, 2013 at Davis Bay Hall. Join us! Find the schedule here.

Please don’t hesitate to e-mail or call me (604-885-3363) if you have questions.