Healthy Holiday Cookie Recipes: Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Sugar-Free, and Low-Glycemic

It’s unfortunate that many of the holiday foods out there contain processed and damaging ingredients like gluten and sugar.  Many holiday recipes contain foods that also contribute to hidden food allergies.

When you choose to make healthy alternatives for your favorite holiday recipes like these delicious holiday cookies and the recipes in my e-book, Healthy Holiday Traditions: Nourishing Recipes for Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s Celebrations, you’ll feel more energetic, lighter, enjoy a smaller waistline, and think more clearer!

Those are *my* kind of cookies!  Enjoy these gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, and low-glycemic cookie recipes and give yourself a healthy treat for the holidays!

Dr. Ritamarie’s Healthy Holiday Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup almonds, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
• 3/4 cup dates, pitted
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• pinch sea salt

Directions:

1. Process nuts and dates with salt and spices in food processor until they are completely chopped. Mixture should be a little coarse and should hold together. If needed, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water.
2. Roll or press dough onto non-stick sheets and use cookie cutters to make into desired festive shapes.
3. Place in freezer until they are firm.

Dr. Ritamarie’s Low-Glycemic Healthy Holiday Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup almonds, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup unsweetened dried coconut
• 1 tablespoon Chia Gel
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• pinch sea salt
• 10 – 15 drops stevia concentrate, to taste (Sweet Leaf)

Directions:

1. Process pecans, almonds, coconut, and chia gel with salt and spices in food processor until they are completely chopped. Mixture should be a little coarse and should hold together. If needed, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water.
2. Roll or press dough onto non stick sheets and use cookie cutters to make into desired shapes.
3. Place in freezer until they are firm.

Chia Gel

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chia seed
• 2 1/2 cups water

Directions:

1. Put chia and water into a quart sized Mason jar or a glass bowl that can be covered.
2. Shake or mix well.
3. Allow to stand at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight or for 12 or more hours in the refrigerator. Store up to a week at room temperature.

The healthy holiday cookie recipe above can be found inHealthy Holiday Traditions: Nourishing Recipes for Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s Celebrations containing:

• Gingerbread Men
• Latkes
• Christmas Cookies and Pudding
• Eggless Egg Nog
• Hors D’oeuvres
• Apple Pie and Ice Cream
• Candies and more!

Click HERE to order!

Holiday Raw Food Dessert: Low-Glycemic Amaretto Truffles

Ho Ho Ho – we’re doing it!

With these special resources in hand, you’re sure to keep your blood sugars steady and your waistline in order.

I have a new recipe I can’t wait to share.

This weekend I co-taught a class about how to make delicious party foods.

Karen Osborne came up with a fabulous dessert recipe called Ambrosia Amaretto Truffles.

Since I just led a group of over 100 people through a blood sugar balancing program, I am keenly aware of the need for yummy, festive dessert recipes that are low-glycemic. All of our dessert recipes are sweetened with whole foods, but even things like dates are not well tolerated by people with blood sugar imbalances and candida issues.

So I took Karen’s recipe and made a few changes to it so it would be friendly for folks concerned about diabetes, insulin resistance, and candida overgrowth.

Low-Glycemic Amaretto Truffles

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1/2 cup coconut butter
• 1/4 cup lucuma powder
• 1/4 cup carob powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground vanilla beans
• 1 tablespoon almond extract
• 12 drop Sweet Leaf Stevia extract (chocolate flavor if possible)
• 1/4 cup almonds, ground to a powder
• 1/2 cup almonds, ground to a powder or 1/2 cup finely shredded coconut for snowball truffles (Note: This is used to roll the truffles when formed. You can roll half in coocnut and half in almonds if you choose)

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients except the 1/2 cup ground almonds or coconut.
2. Process in a food processor or stir together until smooth.
3. Form a teaspoon of dough into a ball.  If it’s too “gooey” add a little extra ground almonds to dry it a bit.  Continue forming balls until all dough is used.
4. Roll balls in ground almonds and or coconut.
5. Refrigerate for a couple of hours or freeze for at least 1/2 hr.

This low-glycemic dessert version was as big a hit as the traditional truffle.

The traditional version of the recipe, an 18-page recipe guide, and 2 1/2 hour video from the class are all available for purchase:

Click HERE for Party and Potluck Nibbles that Nourish!

http://www.drritamarie.com/go/potlucknibbles

Dr. Ritamarie’s Thanksgiving Day Celebration and Recipes

Each year, we celebrate Thanksgiving Day with my husband’s family.  This year there were 37 of us present, ranging in age from 14 months to 97 years.

I wish I could say that the past 26 years I’ve been involved in the celebrations has influenced the food choices of the group, but sadly it has not.

The majority of the food served is loaded with processed grains and sugar.

Each year, up until this year, I would make a sweet potato dish, sweetened with dried apricots and topped with pecans.  Each year there has been so much left over as our guests opted for the sugar sweetened yams instead, that this year I opted not to make them.  They were not missed.

I have also made a cranberry dish each year, using fresh cranberries, raisins, pears, and oranges.  Each year there was a huge quantity left over as people favored the sugar sweetened cranberries,  and I would get tired of eating them for days to some.  This year I made a small quantity only and there were still leftovers.

Next year I may opt out of the cranberries as well.

Personally I’m happy to eat the veggie appetizers with garlic dill dip,  salad with a yummy dressing (sesame garlic ginger this year), and some steamed or sauteed vegetables.

My desserts are usually a big hit, but this year all I made was a low-glycemic coconut carob mint “candy”  because I’ve been avoiding sweets.  I didn’t make enough to share, just enjoyed them myself because I figured they were no match for all the store bought sugar drenched pies served along with a homemade marble cake, my mother-in-law’s recipe.

As I watched my family members fill their plates with all the sugar, starch and meat with fatty gravy (store bought, not even home made), I wondered HOW can I make a difference.  The vegetables were eaten in tiny amounts by most.  My husband, kids and I ate a lot more vegetables that everyone else in the room combined.

How do I reach the masses with the message that this food is destroying their health?

Maybe I’m naive, but I thought it was common knowledge that sugar and white flour are harmful, cause hormone imbalance, diabetes, heart disease and cancer?

I’m scratching my head, and thinking.

I care about these people and hate to see them suffer.

In the meantime, I want to share with you ideas for creating holiday celebrations that focus on the people connections and offer foods that delight and nourish.

Here are a couple of delicious recipes I made for Thanksgiving this year , including a sugar-free cranberry gel.

Thanksgiving Raw Food Recipes

Garlic Dill Dip

(variation of recipe in Healthy Holiday Traditions)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cashews
• 1/2 cup macadamia nuts
• 3/4 cups water
• 1/8 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon dried dill
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

1. Blend nuts, lemon juice, water and salt
2. Put mix in a bowl and stir in dill and garlic.
3. Add more dill and garlic to taste if needed.

 Sesame Garlic Ginger Dressing

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons sesame tahini
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/8 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 slier of fresh ginger
• 1 clove garlic

Directions:

1. Blend all ingredients.
2. If too thin, add extra tahini, if too thick add water.

 Cranberry Orange Relish

(variation of recipe in Thanksgiving Feasts)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh cranberries
• 1 orange, peeled
• 1 pear
• 1 cup raisins

Directions:

1. Process everything in a food processor until smooth
2. Add extra raisins if you prefer a sweeter relish

Spicy Cranberry Blood Sugar Balancer

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cranberries
• 1/4 cup coconut cream (Artisana)
• 2 teaspoons konjac powder (http://www.konjacfoods.com/product/1.htm)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves
• 1 sliver ginger

Directions:

1. Process all in blender or food processor until smooth
2. Add stevia if desired for sweetness

Raw Foods Recipes: Gluten Free Diet Christmas Dinner Menu

Having delicious raw food recipes that are 100% compatible with a gluten free diet makes for a delicious and satisfying Christmas dinner.  There’s no need to feel deprived.  I enjoyed Christmas dinner at the home of my dear friend and colleague Chef Karen Osborne.  Karen invited us to join her family, including her mother and brother for a fantastic Christmas meal.  She went all out.

Take a look at the video for photos.

Three of the recipes are included in this blog post.  The German Carob Cake recipe, made with 100% gluten-free, whole raw foods without any added oil or processed sweeteners  is available in our new book, “Dessert:  Making It Rich Without Oil” .  The book contains close to 50 recipes for equally as delicious and nutritious desserts.

The remainder of the recipes were those we taught during our “Healthy Holiday Feasts Class”  Healthy Holiday Feasts Class, taught in November.  You can download the recipe book and access the videos online at http://drritamarie.com/videoclasses/holidayfeasts2010-11. Use coupon code BLOGVIDEOS for a special discount.

These recipes are good every day of the year, and promote energy and mental clarity, rather than sluggishness as do your typical holiday meals.

Christmas Kale Salad

By Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo

Ingredients

• 2 bunches dinosaur kale
• 1 small head red cabbage
• 1 small red or yellow onion
• ½ cup tahini
• Juice of 1 small  lemon (about 3-4 tablespoons)
• ¼ cup water
• 1 inch slice ginger
• ½ teaspoon kelp powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Directions 1.  Shred or finely slice the kale, onion and cabbage and place in a bowl. 2.  Blend tahini, lemon juice, water ginger, kelp and salt until creamy.  Adjust water to if the mixture is too thick. 3.  Pour dressing over vegetables and mix well to combine. 4.  Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

Apple Ginger Pie

By Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo

Crust

• ½  cup pecans
• ½  cup hazelnuts
• ½ cup shredded dried coconut
• ½ cup dates

1. Place all ingredients in food processor fitted with S Blade and run until it just starts to hold together and the nuts are chopped finely.
2. Press the crust mixture into a glass pie dish.

Filling

• 4 medium apples
• 1 inch slice ginger
• ½ cup almonds preferably soaked and drained or soaked and dehydrated.
• ½ cup shredded dried coconut
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 cup date paste
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

1. Process the apples, ginger and almonds until coarsely chopped, by hand or in a food processor.
2. Stir in coconut, lemon juice, date paste and cinnamon.
3. Place filling in crust.  Decorate top as desired with apple slices, coconut or other fruits.

Waldorf Salad

By Chef  Karen Osborne

Ingredients

• 5-7 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 3  large apples , chopped into bite sized pieces
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup  rough chopped walnuts, soaked & dehydrated
• 10 ounces arugula
• 2 cups coconut meat, young Thai
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 medjool dates
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic granules
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 4 tablespoons coconut sugar
• 1/4  teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/32 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/2 tablespoons orange zest
• 1 teaspoons orange juice
• 1 cup pecans, soaked & dehydrated

Directions: Candied Pecans

1. Combine coconut sugar, cinnamon, salt, orange zest and orange juice in a bowl.
2. Stir and press with the back of a spoon until it becomes a thick paste.
3. Add more orange juice if necessary, but keep it thick.
4. Stir pecans into the mixture until coated.
5. Put pecans on a non stick sheet in the dehydrator at 105 degrees for 12 hours or longer until crispy.
6. Store these in an airtight glass jar in the freezer.

Dressing

1. Combine coconut meat, water, lemon juice, dates, salt, garlic and cayenne in a high speed blender until smooth being careful not to let it get warm.
2. Set aside as you prepare the salad

Salad

1. Combine celery, apples, raisins, and walnuts in a large bowl.  Stir in the dressing.
2. Serve the celery apple mix on a bed of arugula and top with candied pecans.

Raw Food Recipes for Gluten Free Diet and Healthy Holidays

Eating a gluten free diet and making raw foods recipes during the holidays need not be difficult.  You especially need not feel deprived.

Here’s one of my favorite  raw food recipes for gluten free gingerbread cookies, taken from my book Healthy Holiday Traditions.  Before I switched to a gluten free diet, high raw foods and greens, I would bake gingerbread cookies and have lots of fun shaping them into people of various sizes and shapes.

This recipe results in raw vegan gluten free cookies that taste even better than the baked kinds.

I’ve given you two versions to try.  If you have a food dehydrator, I recommend you try the first recipe.  They come out warm and fragrant.  If you don’t have a dehydrator yet, the freezer cookies are great too. I’ve even included a recipe for a creamy frosting to top the cookies with and decorate as you choose.

Additional gluten free raw foods recipes for healthy holidays are in our new book “Dessert:  Making it Rich Without Oil”, Sweets for the Holidays online videos and Healthy Holiday Traditions e-book.  All are available for immediate download.

Enjoy and have a happy, healthy  holiday.

Gingerbread Cookies – Dehydrated

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almonds, soaked overnight and rinsed
• 1 cup walnuts, soaked overnight and rinsed
• 1/4 cup raw date paste (see recipe below)
• 2 teaspoons ginger
• 2/3 teaspoons nutmeg
• 1 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/3 teaspoons cloves
• Pinch sea salt
• 1/2 – 1 cup shredded coconut

Directions:

1. Combine almonds, walnuts,  and date paste with salt and spices in food processor until well combined.
2. Knead the coconut a little at a time into dough. Use between ½ and 1 cup – as much as it takes to result in a rollable dough.
3. Roll or press dough onto paraflex sheets and use cookie cutters to make into desired sizes of gingerbread people.
4. Dehydrate at 105 degrees for a few hours until the cookies are firm enough to remove to mesh sheets.
5. Flip onto mesh sheets and dehydrate for another 8 hours or to desired texture.
6. Make a variety of colored frostings and apply using pastry bag and various tips.
7. You can also decorate cookies with dried fruits, nuts, seeds, or coconut.

Variations:

• Eliminate spices and use raw cacao powder to make chocolate cookies.
• Use a variety of cookie cutter sizes and shapes.
• Form cookies into rounds instead of using cookie cutters.
• Shape cookies by putting dough into a cookie press.

Creamy Cookie Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw cashews or macadamia nuts (or half and half)
• 1/3  cup water, or coconut water
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup date paste
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth and creamy.
2. If  too thick, add just a tad more liquid
3. Use dehydrated fruit powders and spirulina to pigment the frosting.

Date Paste

Many recipes that use liquid sweetener can be made with date paste instead.  It’s easy to make and keeps in the refrigerator for at least a week, if not longer.

Ingredients

• 1 cup dates, pitted
• ½ cup water

Directions:

Blend ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth.

Alternative:

Soak the dates in water for 20 minutes.  Then blend the dates and the soak water in a food processor until smooth.  You may need to add a little more water.