You can enjoy holiday treats without burdening your body with harmful ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, MSG and trans Fats. These recipes are from our Healthy Holiday Entertaining class at Whole Foods Market in Cool Springs, Franklin, TN.
Make these quick and easy treats, add some non-gmo corn chips, we like Xocheel from Whole Foods, some Mary’s Gone Crackers, and some Kettle Brand Chips for dipping, you can find those at Whole Foods, Kroegers and Publix. Even the most anti-health-food person on your list won’t know you are serving them something healthy! Always be sure to include a nice fresh veggie and fruit tray for the smart eaters!
These are not weight loss recipes, they have lots of calories but they are healthier versions of your favorite treats. They should be considered celebration food, something you have on holidays and special occasions. For regular daily treats use fresh fruits and smoothies!
Why are these better than the traditional foods?
- No MSG – MSG causes brain cells to die, it is responsible for many chronic conditions like migraines.
- Low Sodium – prepard foods are loaded with salt which is responsible for inflammation, aches and pains, high blood pressure to name a few.
- Low Saturated Fat (good fats) – the fats in these recipes are not from an animal source, no cholesterol or toxins related to fat that comes from animals. Monounsaturated fats from nuts and seeds are good for you, you should have 4 servings per day.
- Made fresh by You! No risk of picking up disease or bacteria from unclean food prep workers.
- No refined sugars. The sugars in these recipes will not shut your immune system down as white, brown and raw sugar does for up to 8 hours each time you consume it.
- No harmful trans Fats or chemicals. Trans Fats fill up cells so they can’t receive the important neurotransmitters that allow your brain to function.
- Non-GMO ingredients. No round-up in your food. Most repared foods like fudge, popcorn, carmel corn, even hot cocoa contain Soy, Cotton seed, Canola or Corn oils or products. These are all genetically modified (unless stated on the package non-GMO) with the weed killer round up, need I say more?
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Friends & Food!
Christmas Carols, New Years Celebrations or Game Day
Menu
- Veggie Tray with Real Ranch Dressing or Green Goddess Dressing
- Fruit Tray with Aunt Celeste’s Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
- Non-Gmo Corn chips, Kettle Chips and Mary’s Gone Crackers with
- Aunt Celeste’s Party Dips
- Uncle Phil’s Organic Popcorn or Sticky Popcorn
- To Drink: Hot Cocoa or Holiday Cocktail (in the Holiday Recipes Blog)
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Easy Fudge
Celeste Davis
This fudge is delicious. Why? It is Dairy free, gluten free and has very little refined sugar (chocolate chips have sugar). My personal experience with this recipe: Make it a day or so ahead of time. Let it firm up in the refrigerator, not the freezer. If you want thick fudge, line your pan with saran wrap and then put some parchment paper on the bottom, cut to fit the pan. That way, when you turn your pan over, it will pop right out. Remove the paper and cut. This would also work well in silicone molds. You can also add nuts, dried fruit or flavors like mint, cherry, almond. Have fun!
Ingredients
10 oz bag of non-dairy semi-sweet chocolate chips (Enjoy Life! Mini chips are my favorite)
3 Tbs Raw Agave nectar (must say RAW)
2 Tbs Tahini (sesame butter) this has a peanut butter flavor. Don’t like that flavor? Substitute it exactly with almond butter or more Earth Balance or real butter.
1 tsp Earth Balance margarine or real organic butter
½ cup chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds, macadamia nuts or cashews, soak or roast first (nuts are optional)
Add any other natural ingredients you may like such as dried cherries or cranberries, coconut, etc.
Instructions
Grease an 8×8 glass dish for thin fudge or a 5×9 loaf dish for thicker fudge with earth balance or real organic butter. It also works well to line pan with wax paper to remove from pan more easily.
Over a double boiler or on a very low heat:
Melt Chocolate Chips (be careful not to splash water in chocolate)
Add Tahini, Agave Nectar and Earth Balance (or butter)
Add other ingredients: Nuts, fruit, etc.
Blend Well
Pour into your pan
Chill, uncovered for 30 min in freezer
Remove from freezer
Tip pan upside down on cutting board (do not run water on bottom of pan)
Cut into bite sized pieces with a large knife
Store in air-tight container for up to 1 month, if using butter, keep for 1 week.
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Aunt Celeste’s Party Dips
Celeste Davis
Commercially prepared dips are full of harmful preservatives and dyes. You can use this base for any of your favorite dips, spinach, onion, etc.
Basic Dip
1 ½ cups grapeseed veganaise
1 6 oz carton plain greek, goat yogurt or acidophilus yogurt
Mix together, see below for variations.
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“Better-Than” Onion Dip
1 recipe basic dip
Add:
¾ tsp garlic powder (not salt)
1 Tblsp Better Than Boullion
1 Tblsp onion powder
1 Tblsp parsley
6 Tblsp dried onion flakes (also called minced onion)
Mix basic dip recipe, add all ingredients except onion flakes.
Mix well.
Stir in onion flakes.
Refrigerate, best if it sits for 24 hours for flavors to blend and onion to soften.
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Spicy Hot Dip
1 recipe basic dip
Add:
1 Tblsp Better than Boullion
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
¼ to ½ tsp white pepper or cayenne (use sparingly)
Mix well, refrigerate until serving.
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Creamy Salsa
1 recipe basic dip
¼ to ½ cup Jack’s Salsa (a pico de gallo type Salsa from Costco or Kroeger in the deli area)
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Lemon Poppy Seed Dip
Use this sweet dip for fruits and veggies, even chips. It would be an excellent dressing for an ambrosia or fruit salad.
1 recipe basic dip
Add:
2-6 Tblsp raw agave nectar or raw honey
3 Tblsp lemon juice
zest of one lemon
2 Tblsp poppyseeds
Mix well, refrigerate until serving
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Real Ranch Dressing
Better than any bottle you will ever open! Your family will love it.
By Celeste Davis
Make ahead, flavor is better the next day, can be kept for 3-5 days
Ingredients
1 cup goat or greek yogurt
1 cup veganaise (made with grapeseed oil)
1 tsp Celtic Sea Salt
1 tsp garlic granules
1 tsp onion granules
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp dried thyme
Instructions
Blend all well. Refrigerate. Use as dip, dressing or sandwich spread.
Variations:
- Blue Cheese – crumble blue cheese or feta into dressing
- Dill – add 1 tsp dry dill or 1 Tbs fresh dill
- Basil Dill – add 1 Tbs fresh dill and 1 Tbs fresh basil
- Green Goddess – add 3 green onions tops and all, 1- 3 garlic cloves, 1-2 Tbs fresh dill and 3-4 fresh basil leaves and 1 tsp organic Dijon mustard. Blend in food processor or magic bullet. This is always a crowd pleaser.
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Green Goddess Dressing & Sandwich Spread
Celeste Davis, makes 1 ½ cups
This is my signature dressing, very popular for vegetarian sandwiches and relish trays.
1 cup grape seed veganaise
3 green onions, cut off root
3 large cloves garlic
5 leaves fresh basil or 1 tsp dried (fresh is best)
2 inches fresh dill, stem removed or 1 tsp dried (again, fresh is best)
2 Tblsp lemon juice or raw apple cider vinegar
Put all in a magic bullet or food processor in the above order and blend until pureed. May need to open jar and move food around or add a little more lemon juice or vinegar to get it moving.
Store in refrigerator for up to 1 week.
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Uncle Phil’s Organic Homemade Popcorn
Phil Davis
This was a real hit at our class. Microwave popcorn is extremely harmful to your health, the fumes alone are known to cause lung cancer! Make your own in minutes. One question came up at our class: “Is Organic Popcorn genetically modified?” According to the popcorn board, no popcorn is genetically modified at this time.
Equipment:
Heavy Pan with a handle and a lid
Whirly Pop Popcorn Popper
1 cup organic popcorn (never use non-organic popcorn)
1/3 cup grape seed oil or coconut oil
¼ cup earth balance or organic real butter
½ to ¾ tsp fine grind celtic sea salt
Put oil in pan, turn on heat, put in earth balance or butter.
When butter is melted add popcorn and salt.
Shake pan or stir whirly pop continuously until it stops popping.
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Sweet & Sticky Popcorn
1 kettle of popped corn
1/2 c brown rice syrup
1/4 c nut butter like almond butter or cashew butter
1/4 t sea salt
1/4 cup Enjoy Life! Chocolate Chips
¼ cup toasted almonds or pecans
Make a batch of Uncle Phil’s Organic Popcorn.
Put the brown rice syrup in a pan, as it warms it will become thinner.
Stir in nut butter and bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly for 30 seconds.
Remove from heat, stir in salt.
Pour the mixture over the popcorn, and stir to coat popcorn.
Let cool slightly, and add chocolate chips, nuts whatever you like, leave in the air to dry then store in a sealed container.
Also use for popcorn balls.
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Healthier Hot Cocoa
Celeste Davis
6 Servings
¼ cup Raw Agave Nectar
¼ cup organic Cocoa
Dash celtic sea salt
1/3 cup hot water
4 cups So Delicious Coconut Milk or other alternative milk (best if you use half coconut milk and half coconut creamer)
¾ tsp organic vanilla extract
Mix agave, cocoa and salt, stir in water, warm. Stir in milk and heat, do not boil. Remove from heat, add vanilla.
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1 serving Hot Cocoa
1 Tblsp Raw Agave Nectar
2 Tblsp organic cocoa
Dash salt
1 cup So Delicious Coconut Milk or other alternative milk
¼ tsp organic vanilla extract