Tuesday, December 24, 2013

SUGAR PLUMS FOR CHRISTMAS!

My daughter and family arrived for Christmas armed with SUGAR PLUMS, O MY!!!
So good, sweet and rich.  Dare I enjoy more than one?  Well, since it's Christmas and they are completely Plant-Based, maybe two would be OK?  I must confess, the second one melted in my mouth as easily as the first one.  One look at the recipe reminded me that fat and sugar, regardless of the source, even nuts and dried fruit, are rare treats for me and for anyone whose goal is optimum health.  So enjoy this rare treat today and then not again until next Christmas!
Visions of Sugar Plums
The Sugar Plum Fairy gets her name from a
traditional Christmas treat from England. They were
originally plums covered in sugar. They later became
small, plum-shaped candies made from dried fruit,
nuts, honey, and spices coated in sugar. Here’s a
recipe for making your own sugar plums.
Preheat the oven to 400ยบ. Place the almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast
them in the oven for 10 minutes. In a food processor, chop the almonds and dried fruit. In
a bowl, mix together the orange zest, spices, and honey. Add the chopped nuts and fruit
and mix well.
Pinch off rounded teaspoon-sized pieces of the mixture and roll them into balls. Roll the
balls in the powdered sugar and refrigerate them in single layers between sheets of
waxed paper in airtight containers.
Makes about 36 sugar plums.
2 cups whole almonds
1 cup mixed dried fruit, such as
prunes, apricots, dates, or figs
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup honey
1 cup powdered sugar




Wednesday, December 18, 2013

ROASTED VEGGIES FOR DINNER

Easy, delicious, feed a crowd or just a few...

Pre-heat oven to 400
Prepare all the root veggies, tubers, and anything else you like (I chose carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic, mushrooms, purple cabbage, brussels sprouts, parsnip, tomato, kale, apple, and even mango).  Add a fructose-free, fat-free barbeque sauce, a squirt or two of Bragg's Aminos (soy sauce), a splash of balsamic vinegar to the bite-size veggies in the largest flat pan you have.  Place in oven covered for 1/2 hr and uncovered for 1/2 hr.  Serve with your favorite whole grain pasta.  Enjoy!