Healthy festive treats for the holiday season
Christmas is just around the corner and this week at Vie Active we are road testing our favourite Christmas recipes so we can ensure they are perfect for Christmas day! Here are just a few of our favourite recipes with a healthy twist.
Christmas Cake
(recipe adapted from Teresa Cutter the healthy chef)
Ingredients
- 600 g mixed dried Fruit or a mix of the following (raisins, prunes, figs, apricot, currants, sultanas, dates) (preferably organic)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean extract or paste
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- zest and juice from 1 orange
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 eggs
- 200 g (2 cups) ground almonds
- 50 g walnuts
Method
- Preheat your oven to 150 C (fan forced)
- Prepare a 20 cm round cake tin with baking paper lining the sides and the base.
- Combine dried fruit, spice, vanilla, orange zest + juice, olive oil and eggs.
- Add the almonds and walnuts and mix through.
- Spoon Christmas Cake batter into your baking tin.
- Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Check with a skewer to see if it comes out clean, if not bake for another 30 minutes.
- Cover the top if necessary to prevent over-browning.
- Cool, then remove from the tin and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Fruit Mince Pie
(recipe adapted from Teresa Cutter the healthy chef)
Ingredients
Crust
- Oatmeal short crust
- 1 1/2 cups (175 g / 6 oz) rolled oats
- 1/2 cup (40 g / 1 1/2 oz) desiccated coconut
- 1/2 cup (60 g / 2 1/4 oz) almond meal / ground almonds
- 2 1/2 tablespoons macadamia nut oil or olive oil or cold pressed coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons honey , organic maple syrup or rice syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 tablespoon water to mix if needed to form a dough
Mince filling
- 500 g (17 1/2 oz) apples, finely diced with the skin (golden delicious, pink lady) are naturally sweet and delicious
- 250 g (8 3/4 oz) raisins 100 g (3 1/2 oz) cranberries or sun-dried cherries
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 orange (you will need the zest from ½ orange)
- 500 ml (2 cups / 17 1/2 fl oz) fresh apple juice 1
- teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
Method
- Combine oats, coconut and almond meal into a food processor or large bowl. Add the oil, honey and vanilla.
- Turn on the food processor and mix well for about 30 seconds or until combined.
- Alternatively, mix by hand until you form a soft dough. Add the water and process again. The addition of water will help the cookie mixture stick together.
- Roll out between 2 sheets of baking paper and cut into circles, large enough to to cover the base and sides of your tart shells.
- Make sure to prepare 10 tart shells before lining with a light coat of oil or butter, followed by a dusting of coconut or ground almonds to prevent sticking.
- Roll out rest of the pastry and cut out in the shape of stars.
Then to make mince filling:
- Combine the apples, raisins and cranberries into a pot.
- Add the apple juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, vanilla and the zest from 1 orange.
- Cover the pot and simmer over a gentle heat for 30 minutes, making sure to stir every now and then. Make sure not to boil too fast, just a slow gentle simmer.
- Add more apple juice if need to keep the mixture plump and moist then simmer for another 30 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and allow to cool.
- Fill lined tart shells with 1 tbsp of the fruit mince.
- Arrange stars over the top of the mince pies.
- Bake in a low 150 C (300 F) oven for 30 minutes or until golden.
- Cool completely before eating and enjoy.
Coconut Ice
(Recipe Adapted from I Quit Sugar)
Ingredients
- 1 can of coconut milk
- 2/3 cup coconut oil
- ½ cup of rice malt syrup
- A pinch of beetroot powder or red food colouring of your choice (we tried raspberry extract and it was delicious!)
Method
- Grease a 20cm square tin. Line base and sides with baking paper extending 2cm over edge of tin.
- Place coconut milk, coconut oil and rice malt syrup in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until melted and combined well.
- Remove from heat and stir through desiccated coconut.
- Press half the mixture into the base of prepared tin. Place in freezer to help base firm a little.
- Meanwhile add beetroot powder/red colouring to remaining mixture and combine well until colour is evenly distributed.
- Press pink mixture into tin and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or until firm.
- Remove from tin and trim edges.
- Cut into squares
THESE RECIPES ARE PALEO AND VEGAN FRIENDLY, AS WELL AS ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!
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