Holiday Recipes

A chill is in the air, & the holidays are upon us.  Thanksgiving is just around the corner...a time to thank God for all of our many blessings and to celebrate by sharing good food with family & friends.  I realized that a few of the holiday recipes I presented to my 'Raw Food 101' class last December weren't out here on my blog (pictures to come soon).  I hope you enjoy them with your family & friends this year.  Please let me know if you try them out & what you think!

Scarborough Stuffing

 
1 C pecans, soaked & rinsed
1 C pumpkin seeds, soaked & rinsed
1/2 C sunflower seeds, soaked & rinsed
1 sweet/tart apple (such as Fuji), cubed
2 C water
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
4 stalks celery, minced
1 medium sweet yellow onion, minced
2 tsp Himalayan or Celtic sea salt
1/2 C fresh Italian parsley, minced
2 Tbs dried sage, crumbled
1 Tbs fresh rosemary, finely minced
1 Tbs fresh thyme, finely minced
2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp finely ground black pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 C flax seeds, ground
1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C water (or more, depending on consistency desired)

Soak the pecans, pumpkin seeds & sunflower seeds in water for 6 hours; drain & rinse well.  Pulse in a food processor several times, scraping down the bowl each time.  Process until the mixture is soft & crumbly but not doughy.

Place apple in a bowl with water & about 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice; drain.  Add apple, celery & onion to a bowl with 1 tsp of the salt & stir.  Spoon onto one or two lined dehydrator trays & dehydrate at 115 degrees for about an hour, rotating the trays halfway through (dehydrate until softened, not dried).

Add all ingredients to a large bowl & stir.

Note: if you don't have fresh herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme), you may replace the herbs & spices with poultry seasoning (adjust the amount to your taste).  Most poultry seasonings contain some ratio of all or most these herbs & spices (some also contain marjoram & savory, which I didn't include in this recipe).

 

Cranberry Sauce

12 dates, soaked

2/3 C date soak water
2 T lime juice
2 C fresh cranberries

Soak dates in water until soft.  Blend dates, soak water & lime juice in high-speed blender (VitaMix) until smooth.  Add cranberries & blend lightly or to desired consistency.

Egg-less Nut Nog

1 quart almond cream (2 C almonds + 4 C water)*

2 Tbs cashew butter
2 Tbs coconut oil
2 Tbs maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 bananas, frozen

*To make almond cream, soak 2 C almonds in water for 8-12 hours.  Drain & rinse well.  In a high-speed blender (VitaMix), blend almonds & 4 C fresh water until smooth.  Strain mixture through a nut milk bag.

Rinse the pulp from the blender & pour the strained milk back in.  Add the reminder of the ingredients & blend until creamy.  Pour into glasses, sprinkle with nutmeg & serve.