What are you cooking this holiday season?

I designed this delicious holiday menu with a healing and anti-inflammatory twist for my patients. Feel free to pick and choose or cook up the whole menu! This menu will also please the vegetarians in your life or be a wonderful compliment to your meat dishes.

As always please let me know what you think!

Yours in Wellness,

Lynda

Holiday Menu with an Antioxidant Twist

• Antipasto Tray

• Apple Pie Spice Walnuts

• Cranberry Sauce

• Butternut Squash and Purple Sweet Potatoes with Chimmichurri Sauce

• Acorn Squash and Green Beans with Cumin and Garam Masala

• Spaghetti Squash Latkes

• Triple Chocolate Torte

• Hot Chai Tea (see instructions here)

Antipasto Tray

• Mixed olives

• Grapes

• Blue Cheese

• Gruyere

• Parmesan

• Australian Water Crackers

Cranberry Sauce (gluten free, vegan)

• 1 small package cranberries

• Zest of 1 orange

• 1 small apple grated

• 3 Clementine oranges, juiced

• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• ¼ teaspoon allspice

• ⅛ teaspoon cardamom

• ½ cup maple syrup

Combine all ingredients in a sauce and simmer until the cranberries burst. If sauce becomes too thick, add a small amount of water.

Apple Pie-Spiced Walnuts (gluten free, vegan)

By Rebecca Katz https://www.rebeccakatz.com/recipe-box/apple-piespiced-walnuts-and-raisins

• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 teaspoon Grade A Dark Amber maple syrup

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1 cup walnuts

• 3 tablespoons raisins (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Put the olive oil, maple syrup, cinnamon, allspice, salt, and nutmeg in a bowl and stir to combine. Add in the walnuts and stir with a spatula to evenly coat the walnuts with the spices. Spread evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Roast in the oven for about 8 minutes, until you can begin to smell them. If adding raisins, toss them with the warm walnuts.

COOK’S NOTE: As soon as you start to smell that heavenly aroma wafting from the stove, it’s time to remove the nuts from the oven. They will continue to cook as they cool.

The raisins will plump up as they are tossed with the warm nuts. Take a handful and eat these with sliced apples for a deconstructed, unbaked apple pie.

Chimichurri Sauce (gluten free, vegan)

• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more

• 3-4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced or minced

• 1 shallot, finely chopped

• 1 Fresno chile or red jalapeño, finely chopped

• 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro

• 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano

• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Combine vinegar, 1 tsp. salt, garlic, shallot, and chile in a medium bowl and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro, parsley, and oregano. Using a fork, whisk in oil.

Serve over roasted Butternut Squash and Purple Sweet Potatoes.

Acorn Squash and Green Beans with Cumin and Garam Masala (gluten free, vegan)

• Ghee to cover the bottom of your pan

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

• 1 teaspoon Garam Masala

• 1 acorn squash, peeled and cubed

• ½ lb green beans

Warm the ghee in a skillet. Add the cumin seeds and garam masala, warm until fragrant. Add the cubed squash and green beans and coat with oil and spices. Add a splash of water and cover with a lid. Allow to steam until squash is tender.

Spaghetti Squash Latkes

• 1 medium spaghetti squash (you’ll end up with 4 packed cups of cooked spaghetti squash

• 1 red bell pepper diced

• 2 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• ¼ cup  chopped fresh parsley

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon thyme

• Pinch of black pepper

• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Drizzle with olive oil and roast cut side up at 350 degrees until tender. Allow to cool and rake strands of squash out with a fork.

Beat egg, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Toss squash, bell pepper, flour,and egg mixture in a bowl. Use an ice cream scoop and put mixture on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until browned.

Triple-Chocolate Date Torte (gluten free)

From The Longevity Kitchen, Rebecca Katz

• ½ c pitted dates (about 3 oz) cut into quarters

• ½ c water

• 2 tablespoons dark maple syrup

• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

• ¼ cup walnuts

• 1 cup almond flour

• 1 tablespoon natural,

• unsweetened cocoa powder

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 organic eggs

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 3 ounces dark chocolate (68-75% cacao content), finely chopped

• 1 tablespoon cacao nibs, sliced almonds, or a combination
  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil the bottom and sides of an 8 inch springform pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Put the dates, water, maple syrup, and cinnamon in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat to low and simmer, stirring often until the dates are tender and the water is absorbed, 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Put the walnuts in a food processor and pulse just until finely ground. Be careful not to over process, or the walnuts will turn into an oily, sticky paste.

Put the ½ cup of ground walnuts in a large bowl (no need to clean out food processor). Store and leftover walnut meal in a resealable bag in the freezer for another use. Add the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt and toss and crumble with your fingers until the ingredients are completely combined and the mixture lump free.

Pulse the date mixture in the food processor and process until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the oil, then the eggs, one at a time, and finally the vanilla,, stopping to scrape down the sides of the work bowl once or twice. Add to the walnut mixture and stir with a rubber spatula. Fold in the chopped chocolate.