Contest Time!

Tell us your favorite Christmas Recipes in the comment section below.

Carol will chose a winner on Friday December 14th of the entries.

The winner will win the Professional Spice Collection.  ($38.99 value)

We will run smaller contests in between so stay tuned!

Here are some of our favorite Christmas goodie recipes enjoy!

We always get so many requests for dessert and snack foods, so here are a few that will help fill up your holiday table with healthy choices! From pies to Black Bean Brownies, these are all healthy hits! Also, there is a link at the bottom for even more ideas! Enjoy your weekend of Christmas-eating insanity.
Peanut Butter Fudge Protein Bars
1 cup peanut butter
3 T. raw honey
1 1/2 cups chocolate whey protein powder
1 c. oats
2-5 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp of carab powder
1/2 c. walnuts, chopped
In a small saucepan over lo heat, melt peanut butter and honey together. In a medium bowl mix the rest of ingredients together then add peanut butter and honey. Press into a 9×9 pan and refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes.

Vanilla Pecan Crust
¾ cup pecans
5 dates, pitted
1 vanilla bean pod (or 1tsp vanilla extract)
⅔ cup blanched almond flour or almond meal
1 egg
1/8 tsp salt
Filling
4 medium Granny Smith apples (approx. 1¾ pounds), peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp arrowroot powder
¼ cup agave nectar
¾ tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place pecans and dates in food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Slit vanilla bean pod lengthwise and scrape inside to remove vanilla beans; add to pecan mixture and pulse until well ground. Pulse in flour, egg, and salt. Continue pulsing until mixture begins to form a ball. Lightly coat a 9-inch tart pan with oil or cooking spray. Using wet hands, presscrust onto bottom and up sides of tart pan; prick all over with a fork. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until crust is dry, firm and lightly brown. Cool completely.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together apple slices, lemon juice, arrowroot, agave, and cinnamon. Fan out apples on top of prebaked crust, forming a circle; then layer more apples over the first circle and in the center. Pour accumulated juices over apples. Cover with
foil, place on a baking sheet and bake for 50 minutes, until apples are soft but still have some texture. Cool before serving.

Macaroon Cookies
4 egg whites
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 cup of whole cane sugar (rapadura or sucanant)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. pure stevia powder
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
dash of salt
2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
Separate eggs and allow egg whites to come to room temperature (sit the counter for 1-2 hours). In a medium sized bowl beat the egg whites with a hand beater until they are frothy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until the egg whites are stiff and keep their shape when you pull the beaters out of the bowl. Fold in the sugar, stevia, salt and spices. Then gently stir in the coconut flakes. Drop by teaspoon to onto lined or greased baking sheets.Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned and set. Allow to cool and enjoy!

Cranberry Pear Crisp
1½ cups almond flour
¼ tsp sea salt
2 tbsp peanut or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tbsp agave nectar
4 ripe, medium pears, peeled and cut lengthwise into 16 thin slices
2 cups fresh cranberries
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp arrowroot powder
1 tsp orange zest
¼ cup agave nectar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, and sea salt. In a small bowl, combine oil and agave. Stir wet ingredients into dry; set aside. Place pears in a large bowl with cranberries, nutmeg, arrowroot, orange zest and agave; toss together until fruit is coated. Place pear mixture in a 3-quart or 8×8-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle topping over fruit. Cover and bake for 45-60 minutes (uncover for the last 5 minutes), until pears and cranberries are soft and bubbly and topping is lightly browned.

Melon Fruit Bowl
1 ripe cantaloupe
Fruits: raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries
Stevia or whole cane sugar

Cut melon in half and scoop out seeds. With a melon baller, scoop out melon flesh and place melon balls in a mixing bowl. Save the melon rinds (the melon outer shell) to be used later as your serving bowls. Add about a dozen raspberries, blueberries, a half a dozen of sliced strawberries to the melon balls.

Toss gently – not too much so the fruits don’t get bruised. You can sprinkle with sugar but this is optional. When the fruits are ripe (especially at the heart of summer), this is delicious as is.
Fill up each half melon rind with fruit salad and serve on an individual dessert plate with a dessert fork. Place a mint leaf on top of your melon bowl, if desired.

Avocado Vanilla Pudding w/ Berries
1 large ripe avocado-chilled
1 tbsp. organic vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. raw agave nectar
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2/3 c. chilled purified water
berries of choice

Pit and peel avocado and blend in food processor. Add remaining ingredients except for fresh fruit, and blend until smooth. Top with berries and enjoy!

Creamy Cinnamon Pumpkin Pudding
2½ tbsp agar flakes
½ cup raw cashews, almonds or pecans
¼ tsp sea salt
1¼ cups boiling water
1½ cups pumpkin puree
¼ cup agave nectar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cardamom

Place agar, cashews and salt in food processor and process into a fine powder. Add boiling water and process on high speed. Add pumpkin and agave and process again until smooth. Blend in cinnamon and cardamom. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.

Black Bean Brownies
1 (15 oz) canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa or carab powder
1 tsp ground coffee
2 whole eggs
3 tbsp whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup agave nectar or coconut nectar
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat with coconut oil. a 8 x 8 x 2-inch baking dish. Combine the beans, cocoa powder, expresso powder, eggs , and flour in the bowl of a food processor or electric mixer. Process until the mixture is smooth, about 2 mintues, scraping down the bowl halfway through. Add the agave or coconut necter, butter and vanilla. Process until all of the ingredients are combined, about 1 minute. Fold in walnuts. Pour the batter into a prepared baking dish, and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 20 minutes, turning the dish halfway through the baking time. Turn down the temperature of the oven to 300°F and bake for another 5-8 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a little bit of soft batter clinging to it. It should not come out clean, if it does: it’s overcooked.Let the bars cool completely at room temperature in the baking dish on a wire rack. Then put them in the fridge for at least 3 hours. When they’re cold, cut them into 12 squares and serve. Refrigerate any leftovers.
Click here for more snack and dessert recipes.

2 Comments

  1. Guest on December 17, 2012 at 1:08 am

    Congrats Kristine! You are the winner of the Professional Spice Collection. Send your address to shawna@littlechoicesmatter.com



  2. Shawna Culp on December 17, 2012 at 1:09 am

    Congrats Kristine! You are the winner of the Professional Spice Collection. Send your address to shawna@littlechoicesmatter.com Merry Christmas!!