This is such a beautiful time of the year. We are full steam ahead into the holiday season and Thanksgiving is just a week away! This is a time to get together with family and/or friends, express love, gratitude and simply enjoy each others’ company, which can be rare in this busy age. The digital world has brought us longer work hours and a cyber galaxy to get lost in for entertainment.
It is important to stay grounded and mindful this time of year, as triggers can come up with anyone being around family, stress of preparing a meal or just making sure the table is set on time! Take a breather when you get overwhelmed; a 5 minute meditation can do wonders.
It’s also a time to enjoy delicious food, which for many of us brings back nostalgic feelings from our childhood. There’s just one little problem: a lot of the items served at Thanksgiving meals can put you straight into a “food coma” and lead to feelings of heaviness, bloating, gas, fatigue, and general discomfort. That’s not how you want to spend your day off with loved ones, is it?
The good news is, I hand picked a selection of recipes from appetizers to holiday drinks just for you.
You can select one or dishes you want to bring and share if you are not hosting, and treat your family and friends to a tasty Beauty Detox delight (while ensuring there are healthy and delish options for you!). If you are hosting this year, this is a great outline for how you can plan your dinner! I hope this post will help you make it through Thanksgiving healthy, happy, and still flexible enough to have a wonderful time. :)
Below is a lovely menu I created for you to see all the selections! At the end of today’s blog all the recipes will be listed for you. :) I just knew you’d be eager to see the selections!
Enjoy the Family Meal, But Avoid The Most Problematic foods
You don’t want to spend your holiday obsessing over what’s in each one of the dishes on the table, but you can minimize your discomfort by staying away from a few things:
- Dairy. It’s probably not the first offender you think of when you imagine the Thanksgiving spread, but there could be cheese-smothered vegetables, milk in the mashed potatoes, au gratin potatoes, or even dairy in the green bean casserole. Be diligent and try to avoid the options made with milk and cheese. They are difficult to digest and can really contribute to bloating and feeling beyond uncomfortably heavy!
- Baked goods. These present a triple-threat because they’re often high-fat, high-sugar, and loaded with gluten. That means you should try to avoid those rolls everyone likes to eat with dinner. But if there is a sweet potato or squash dish, that would be a yummy and satisfying starchy veg option to have instead!
- Heavy meat. If you enjoy eating some animal protein in your diet, still treat it as a side or a condiment, though, and not the major part of the meal. In America, Australia, the UK and many parts of the world, meals are often built around whatever slab of meat’s on the plate, with vegetables as an afterthought to round it all out. Try reversing that and focus on the veggies!
- Stuffing/dressing. There’s usually sneaky old gluten hiding here in the mix. Depending on the recipe, there may also be more meat involved, dried fruit and oil.
- Desserts. These, just like the other baked goods, often contain a lot of fat, sugar, and gluten and they’ll steal your Beauty Energy, leaving you exhausted. Sometimes they contain fruit, too, which you know to steer clear of after a meal for the best digestion. You can offer to take a dessert, like the Raw Pecan Love Pie or the Triple Layer Mint Cream Bars, so you have something to munch on when everybody else is slicing into the cakes and apple pie.
Remember to Enjoy Yourself and Give Thanks!
We’ve all had the experience of stressing about what you’re going to eat during the holidays, and battling either the temptation to give in and stray from your diet — or the fear of being “weird” and making or bringing your own food.
I hope this post shows you that neither is necessary or worth worrying about! It’s fine to have a little traditional fare if that is important to connecting with family. However, you now also have a bunch of holiday-friendly recipes that taste amazing, even to those who aren’t accustomed to eating this way. So whether you are hosting, or going to eat with friends or family, I recommend preparing one or more of these dishes and perhaps a salad, so that you’ll have plenty of healthy options.
Even if you’re not in total control of the menu and all the ingredients that go into each of the dishes, try not to worry or obsess over every little detail. Relax and enjoy the time with your family and friends. The holidays are a time to loosen up and just enjoy life. If you mess up, just forgive yourself and steer clear of the leftovers the next day!
The holidays are a time to show kindness, even to yourself. Remember that there will be many days over the next month and a half for you to try out these recipes and make this one of your healthiest, happiest holiday seasons ever.
On to the full recipes!
If you love these, remember that many of these recipes, including the Raw Red Pepper Cream Cheese Endive Bites, Vegetable Lasagna with Butternut Bechamel, the Crispy Crust Pumpkin Pie and the Triple Layer Mint Cream Bars all come from The Beauty Detox Power! Check it out for many more recipes :).
Appetizers
Beet Ravioli with Rosemary Nut Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 medium red beets
- 3 ⁄4 cup pine nuts or substitute walnuts or cashews
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary or 1⁄3 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 small clove garlic peeled
- 1 ⁄4 1⁄4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup microgreens or chopped greens for garnishing
Instructions
- Rinse and peel the beets. Slice them very thinly with a knife or a mandolin and set aside.
- Make the Rosemary Nut Cheese by combining in a food processor all the remaining ingredients except for the microgreens and processing until smooth.
- Top a reserved beet slice with 2 teaspoons of the Rosemary Nut Cheese, place another beet slice on top, and arrange the ravioli on a large plate. Repeat this process until all the beet slices have been used. Garnish each ravioli with microgreens and serve. Enjoy!
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Raw Red Pepper Cream Cheese Endive Bites
Raw Red Pepper Cream Cheese Endive Bites
Ingredients
- 1 cup non-roasted non- salted cashews
- 1 ⁄2 cup diced red bell pepper
- 1 1 ⁄2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 Tbs. filtered water
- 1 small clove garlic peeled
- 1 ⁄2 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- 1 thick head endive root end trimmed and separated into leaves (or 2 romaine leaves, cut into 6- inch-long and 11⁄2-inch-wide strips, if you can’t nd endive)
- 1 ⁄4 cup walnut halves for garnishing
- 1 ⁄4 cup microgreens for garnishing
Instructions
- Combine the cashews, red pepper, lemon juice, water, garlic and salt in a food processor or blender, and process until smooth. If you are using a blender, you might have to add a little bit more water to keep it going. Simply turn o the blender, add a little more water, scrape down the sides, pushing the contents into the middle, and then resume blending as needed.
- Next, arrange the endive leaves on a large plate.
- With a small spoon, spread a small amount of the nut cream cheese on each endive leaf. Garnish each with a walnut half and some microgreens, and serve at once. Enjoy each blissful bite!
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Baked Pesto Portobello Mushrooms
Baked Pesto Portobello Mushrooms
Ingredients
- INGREDIENTS
- 4 Portobello mushrooms or 8 - 10 cremini mushrooms bite size, destemmed
- MARINADE
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 Tbs. tamari
- 1/3 cup water
- PESTO
- 3/4 cup walnuts
- 3/4 cup pinenuts
- 2 cups basil packed and destemmed, plus some whole leaves for garnishing
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 2 1/2 Tbs. nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup raw zucchini diced
Instructions
- Preheat over to 375 degrees. Whisk together marinade and spoon over mushroom heads in a clear baking dish. Make sure the bottoms of the mushrooms get the marinade as well. Cover and allow the shrooms to marinate for ideally at least 45 minutes to an hour. Re-spoon the mixture over the mushrooms, then heat in oven, covered, for about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, process the pesto ingredients in the food processor, except for the zucchini. Scrape the mixture into a bowl, and add the raw zucchini and stir in. Spoon the pesto mixture into the mushroom heads, spreading evenly. Cook uncovered for only another 15 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil leaves, and serve along or after a big green salad.
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Entrees
Vegetable Lasagna with Butternut Bechamel
Vegetable Lasagna with Butternut Bechamel
Ingredients
- Coconut oil for greasing the baking dish
- 21 ⁄2 pounds butternut squash peeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch cubes (about 5 cups)
- 14 ounces gluten-free lasagna noodles
- 1 ⁄3 cup low-sodium vegetable broth plus 11⁄2 cups for the squash
- 3 ⁄4 cup diced yellow onion 2 medium cloves garlic peeled and nely minced
- 1 ⁄2 pound fresh spinach stems removed and chopped
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
- Sea salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 1 ⁄2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 ⁄3 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 ⁄4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking dish with coconut oil. Spread the squash cubes out on the baking dish, and bake for about 45 minutes, or until soft. Remove the squash to a large plate, set it aside to cool and reduce the oven heat to 350°F.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the lasagna noodles, reduce the heat to medium and cook the noodles as directed on the package. Once cooked, drain the noodles and lay them out on clean kitchen towels to dry. Note that some types of gluten-free pasta do not need to be cooked. They will cook in the oven right along with the other lasagna ingredients.
- Heat 1⁄3 cup of the vegetable broth in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until they become translucent, about 4 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Next, add the spinach and thyme, and cook until the spinach softens, about 2 minutes. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
- Transfer the reserved butternut squash to a blender, add the remaining 11⁄2 cups vegetable broth, the coconut milk, nutritional yeast and lemon juice, and blend until smooth. (You may want to blend the ingredients in multiple batches, depending on the size of your blender.) Season the Butternut Béchamel with sea salt and pepper to taste.
- To assemble the lasagna, spoon some of the Butternut Béchamel into the bottom of the baking dish used to cook the squash and spread it out to thinly coat the bottom. Add an even layer of the reserved noodles to the baking dish, spoon some Butternut Béchamel on top, and then add an even layer of the reserved spinach mixture. Keep layering until you run out of noodles, sauce and the spinach mixture (You should make about 3 layers of each ingredient.) Be sure to arrange some of the spinach mixture on the very top makes for a beautiful presentation.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil, but don’t let it touch the lasagna directly, and bake at 350°F for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lasagna from the oven and let it stand, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
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Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
- 3 large sweet potatoes chopped into thirds (peel the sweet potatoes, if you like)
- ½ cup almond milk
- Coconut oil for greasing the pan
- 2 Tbs. + ½ cup low-sodium vegetable broth divided
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 ¼ cup peeled and diced carrots
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 cup fresh preferably or frozen peas
- Kernels from 2 ears of fresh corn
- 1 1/4 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tsp. finely minced fresh rosemary
- ½ cup low-sodium vegetable stock
- 1 Tbs. arrowroot starch
- High quality sea salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup Ener-G egg replacer mixed with 3/4 cup very hot water
- Nutmeg optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 2-quart glass casserole dish with coconut oil. Bring enough water in a large saucepan to a boil to cover sweet potatoes completely, and add the sweet potatoes. Reduce the heat, and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until softened.
- Place the drained sweet potato in a large mixing bowl; mash lightly. Add the almond milk. Blend the potato mixture with an electric hand mixer set to medium until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Heat the 2 Tbs. of vegetable broth in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion over medium-low heat until translucent, then add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the celery, carrot, peas, corn, thyme, and rosemary. Increase the heat to medium-high.
- Pour the rest of the vegetable stock into the skillet. In a small bowl whisk together the almond milk and arrowroot until smooth. When the vegetable stock and mixture begins to boil, reduce the heat. Add the arrowroot mixture, and whisk until the lumps disappear. Add the sea salt and black pepper, and season to taste. Remove from heat. Stir in the egg replacer and water combination. Pour the veggie mixture into the bottom of the prepared casserole dish, spreading it evenly across the bottom. Spoon the potato mixture over the vegetables, spreading to cover all the way to the edges of the dish. Sprinkle the top with nutmeg, if desired.
- Bake in preheated oven until top is slightly browned, about 40 minutes. Allow to rest 20 minutes or more before serving.
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Stuffed Acorn Squash
Ingredients
- 2 acorn squash
- Coconut oil for rubbing on squash
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tea. high-quality sea salt
- 1/2 Tbs. vegetable broth
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tsp. minced fresh sage
- 1 tsp. minced fresh oregano
- 1.5 tsp. raw apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup Gluten-Free Bread Crumbs keep reading for the recipe for those!
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Fresh sprigs of thyme for garnish
- Bread crumbs:
- 8-12 slices gluten-free and/or sprouted bread for millet bread, go with about 8 slices; for brown rice bread, stick with 12
- ¼ tsp. garlic powder
- High-quality sea salt to taste
- Pinch of dried oregano
Instructions
- Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
- Cut squash in half and remove seeds. Rub a little coconut oil over all the orange squash skin, as well as the minced garlic and a bit of sea salt. Bake, cut side up on the baking pan, at 350F for 30 minutes. If the squash halves are wobbly on the baking pan, shave a bit from the bottom of each squash half, so each half can lay flat.
- Heat the vegetable broth in a sauté pan. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes until they become translucent, then add the garlic, and cook for another minute. Next, add the celery and carrots. Sauté until they’re soft. Add the herbs, and then the raw apple cider vinegar.
- Add the bread crumbs, and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in sea salt and black pepper, and adjust seasonings to taste. Remove the mixture from the heat. For the bread crumbs: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and bake the bread on a baking sheet for 5-6 minutes. Turn the slices over and bake it for another 5-6 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them cool for at least 30 minutes. Cut the slices into quarters and add them to the food processor with the garlic powder, sea salt, and oregano until you have fairly fine crumbs.
- Add the stuffing to cavities of the squash, mounding as needed, and bake, covered with parchment paper tucked into aluminum foil, for another 20 minutes. To create a crunchy top, remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Lay a few sprigs of fresh thyme across each squash, to garnish, and serve.
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Side Dishes
Shiva’s Kale Salad with Almond-Ginger Dressing
Ingredients
- SALAD INGREDIENTS
- 1 ⁄2 pound curly kale
- (one large bunch or
- 2 smaller bunches) torn into bite-size pieces
- 1 ⁄2 cup thinly sliced red onion
- DRESSING INGREDIENTS
- 1 ⁄3 cup filtered water
- 3 tablespoons almond butter preferably raw
- 11 ⁄2 tablespoons organic miso paste preferably mellow white
- 11 ⁄2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 tablespoon honey preferably raw, coconut nectar or maple syrup or 1⁄2 teaspoon stevia
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 ⁄2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- Sea salt to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Toss together the kale and the onions in a large salad bowl and set aside.
- Combine all the dressing ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Pour the dressing over the re- served kale salad and toss it well to coat. Next, add in your love and good energy for those about to eat your salad. Serve the salad at once.
- NOTE: Feel free to add to this salad any other veggies you like, such as a generous amount of sprouts, as I usually do.
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Mashed Cauliflower with Gratifying Gravy
Ingredients
- CAULIFLOWER INGREDIENTS
- One 2-pound head cauliflower cored, green leaves removed and cut into orets
- 3 ⁄4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 11 ⁄2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium clove garlic peeled and roasted Sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- MUSHROOM GRAVY INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 2 medium cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 pound baby bella cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or filtered water
- 3 tablespoons organic tamari preferably low sodium
- 3 ⁄4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch or tapioca starch
- Sea salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the cauliflower. Bring a medium pot of water fitted with a steamer basket to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the cauliflower and steam, covered, for about 9 minutes, or until tender.
- Place half of the steamed cauliflower in the bowl of a food processor. Add the coconut milk, nutritional yeast, oil and garlic, and process until the cauliflower is broken up. Add the remaining cauliflower and process until it reaches the consistency you prefer. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the cauliflower to a medium serving bowl and set aside.
- Prepare the gravy. Heat the coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté, stirring frequently, for about 4 minutes, or until the onions are lightly brown. Stir in the mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes more, or until the mushrooms are tender.
- Next, add the vegetable broth, tamari and thyme to the mushroom-onion mixture. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until it thickens, about 25 minutes. Stir in the arrowroot starch and cook the sauce, stirring frequently, for another 5 minutes. Transfer the sauce to a blender and puree for a smooth consistency.
- Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the reserved cauliflower and serve at once.
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Roasted Cumin Beets
Ingredients
- 6 - 7 small beets peeled and cut into eighths
- 1 Tbs. coconut oil
- 1 Tsp. ground cumin
- ¼ cup green onions thinly sliced
- 2 Tbs. lemon juice
- Sea Salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss beets with coconut oil and cumin in bowl; season with salt if desired.
- Spread beets on a baking sheet, and roast 30 to 40 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through and stirring beets occasionally.
- While beets are still hot, transfer to large bowl, and stir in green onions and lemon juice.
- Serve immediately!
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Desserts
Raw Pecan Love Pie
Ingredients
- CRUST
- 2 cups walnuts
- 3 cups of pitted dates
- 1 cup coconut flakes finely ground
- FILLING
- ⅔ cup filtered water
- 1 cup raw pecans soaked about 15 minutes
- 1 cup organic Thompson raisins
- 1 Tbs. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 tsp. Celtic sea salt
Instructions
- Pit the dates yourself, extracting each pit and discarding. Add the dates, coconut flakes and walnuts to the food processor and mix on high until thoroughly mixed.
- Press the mixture into the bottom and sides of a pie tray. Set to the side.
- Blend all filling ingredients together in the blender until smooth. Pour onto the crust of the tray, and garnish with fresh, raw pecans.
- Set in freezer overnight, or for at least 5 hours before serving. Remove from freezer for about 10 minutes or so (depending on your freezer) to let it thaw a bit. Slice up and enjoy!
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Crispy Crust Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
- CRUST INGREDIENTS
- 1 ⁄2 cup coconut oil plus more for greasing the pie plate
- 1 cup brown rice our
- 1 ⁄4 cup tapioca our
- 1 ⁄4 cup filtered water
- 3 tablespoons arrowroot starch
- 3 ⁄4 teaspoon xantham gum or guar gum 1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt
- PUMPKIN FILLING INGREDIENTS
- 11 ⁄2 cups organic pumpkin puree from a carton
- 3 ⁄4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 ⁄4 cup brown rice our
- 1 ⁄3 cup coconut nectar or maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch
- 1 teaspoon stevia
- 1 tablespoon Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 1⁄4 cup very hot fitered water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1⁄2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 ⁄2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 ⁄2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400oF. Lightly grease a 9-inch glass pie plate with coconut oil.
- Combine all the crust ingredients in a food processor and process until well blended. Press the dough into the sides of the pie plate. Cover the pie plate and place it in the fridge to let it set while you work on the pumpkin filling.
- Combine all the pumpkin filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until the pumpkin filling is smooth and creamy. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl, if necessary, to incorporate all the dry ingredients.
- Pour the pumpkin filling into the prepared pie plate and spread it out evenly, smoothing it with a spatula or a spoon. Pour some love in, as well, which is essential for baking.
- Bake the pie in the center of the oven for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F and continue to bake for an additional 45 minutes, or until the pie is rm but still gives a little when lightly touched.
- Transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool completely. Once the pie is cool, cover and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours to achieve the best taste and texture. Chilling the pie overnight is even better.
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Triple-Layer Raw Chocolate Mint Cream Bars
This is another goodie from The Beauty Detox Power. This is a favorite of many of my loved ones!
Ingredients
- BASE INGREDIENTS
- Parchment paper for lining the loaf pan
- 1 ⁄2 cup raw almonds
- 1 ⁄2 cup raw pecans
- 1 cup medium Medjool dates soaked and well drained
- 1 ⁄4 cup cacao powder Pinch of sea salt
- MINT CREAM FILLING INGREDIENTS
- 2 small ripe Hass avocados peeled and pits removed
- 1 ⁄3 cup minced fresh mint
- 1 ⁄3 cup coconut nectar
- 1 ⁄4 teaspoon organic peppermint flavor
- 1 ⁄4 cup melted coconut oil
- CHOCOLATE TOPPING INGREDIENTS
- 1 ⁄4 cup coconut oil
- 1 ⁄4 cup raw cacao powder
- 2 tablespoons coconut nectar
Instructions
- Line the bottom of a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Be sure to leave an overhang so it’s easier to remove the finished bars. Set aside.
- Prepare the base. Combine the almonds and pecans in a food processor, and process to form to a coarse meal. Add the dates and process until the dates are broken down. Add the cacao powder and salt and pulse to combine. The nut-date mixture should stick together when pressed between two fingers. Press the nut-date mixture into the bottom of the prepared loaf pan and set in the freezer to make a crust while you prepare the filling.
- Prepare the filling. In a high-speed blender, process the avocados, mint, coconut nectar and peppermint flavor until smooth. You may need to stop the blender and scrape down the sides a few times. Add the melted coconut oil and blend for a few seconds to combine. The mint mixture should be thick and creamy. (If your blender doesn’t process the mixture very well, try blending it in batches until smooth.)
- Remove the loaf pan from the freezer. Pour the avocado-mint mixture on top of the nut-date crust, smoothing it out with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Return the loaf pan to the freezer and let the avocado-mint layer get firm, at least 1 hour.
- Prepare the chocolate topping. You’re almost there! Last layer, here we go. Whisk together all the ingredients in a small bowl until smooth.
- Remove the loaf pan from the freezer once again and pour the chocolate topping on top of the avocado-mint layer, smoothing it out quickly with an o set spatula or the back of a spoon. Return the loaf pan to the freezer one last time and allow the top- ping to set, at least 1 to 2 hours.
- To cut this into bars, remove the triple-layer block from the loaf pan by pulling up on the parchment paper. Set it on a cutting board. Place a sharp serrated knife in a jar of hot water for several minutes, wipe it with a kitchen towel, and then, using a light sawing motion, cut the block into squares. It’s okay if the top cracks (I think it actually looks pretty that way), but try to keep all the layers intact. Warm the knife in the water as needed to cut all the squares.
- } Store the bars in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a 3 weeks (if they last that long!).
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Holiday Drinks
Caffeine Free Pumpkin Spice Latte
Ingredients
- 2 Tbs. pumpkin puree the easiest way to get this is from an organic carton, sourced at a health market- or increasingly "regular" markets
- 1 cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk
- ¼ tsp. cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp. ginger
- ¼ tsp. allspice
- ¼ tsp. nutmeg
- 1 Tbs. pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tbs. coconut nectar to sweeten
Instructions
- Heat the pumpkin and spices: In a small saucepan over medium heat, Stir constantly.
- Stir in the coconut nectar.
- Warm the almond/coconut milk in another small saucepan: Whisk in the almond/coconut milk and vanilla extract. Warm gently over medium heat, watching carefully to make sure it doesn't boil over.
- Blend the almond/coconut milk with the pumpkin mixture: Carefully process the milk mixture with a hand blender or in a traditional blender (hold the lid down tightly with a thick wad of towels!) until frothy and blended.
- Serve immediately.
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Creamy Vegan Eggnog
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- ¼ cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons unroasted cashews
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in blender and process to mix.
- Place in refrigerator to chill until ready to serve.
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Organic Renewal Cider
Ingredients
- 4 cups organic apple juice or cider
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- Cinnamon sticks
- Fresh apple slices soaked in lemon juice to garnish.
Instructions
- Heat the apple juice, cinnamon and nutmeg over medium heat, being sure there are no clumps with the spices.
- Once it's hot pour into mugs and garnish with apple slices and cinnamon sticks.
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Have an amazing time making, blending and enjoying these — and don’t forget to send me pics of anything you make!
All my love,
Kimberly
Amazing!!! Thanks for sharing all these yummy looking recipes – I can’t decide which recipe to make first, they all look so good! :)
You’re Welcome Stephanie! Let me know which one you end up making. Be sure to share a picture. :) Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Kimberly,
I’m excited to try the red pepper and endive recipe. I only have roasted and unsalted whole cashews right now. Will this affect the taste a lot?
Hi Charlene, I do recc. using not roasted nuts, but if that is all you have this time, it will still work for this recipe, it is great they are not salted. :)
Greetings dear Kimberly,
Thanks again for your generosity of spirit and all that you do to make our lives and world better. Wishing you and the family a joyful Thanksgiving holiday.
Keep shining and smiling,
Ceil
Thank you so much Ceil Tulloch and sending much love back! ;)
Hi Kimberly,
I was wondering, do the measurements you use for nuts apply to pre-soaked nuts or are those the quantities you should soak for that particular recipe?
Thanks in advance,
Fran