Healthy Christmas Recipes That Will Ensure You Don’t Fall Off The Wagon During The Holidays
Christmas is just around the corner, and as we all know, the foods eaten this time of year is not the healthiest. When you’re trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle, holiday food doesn’t really fall into the mix for the most part. However, indulging in delicious foods is an inseparable part of the holidays. Instead of going all-out and eating all the terrible foods, we’ve found a couple of healthier options for tasty holiday treats you can make!
Vegan Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients:
For the crust
- 2 cups blanched almond flour
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1 chia egg or 1 large egg for a non-vegan version
For the filling:
- 1 1/3 cups raw unsalted cashews, soaked and drained
- 1 cup maple syrup, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- 2-3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/8 teaspoon salt
- (Optional) Whipped cream for the garnish
How To:
- Place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat it to 350F (175C).
- The first thing to make is the crust. Mix all the dry ingredients and then stir in the wet ingredients with an electric hand mixer or by hand until everything is completely combined.
- Grab a 9″ round pie plate and press the mixture up to the sides and over the bottom of the plate. Set this aside for about 20 minutes while you prepare the filling. Place a pie shield over it or a foil one.
- Blend the filling ingredients in a high-powered blender at medium-high speed for roughly 1-2 minutes or until it’s completely processed. It should be creamy with no lumps.
- Pour the filling over the unbaked pie crust and bake it for 45-55 minutes, or until the topping is slightly puffy and is slightly brown. After about 20 minutes, you might want to put a pie shield over the crust to prevent it from becoming too brown or burning. The pie will still be relatively soft, but it firms up while cooling down.
- Allow the pie to cool completely – this should take about 2 hours. After that, refrigerate it for another 2 hours. It’s best served on the day it’s made. You can freeze any leftovers.
Chewy Paleo Vegan Snickerdoodles
Ingredients:
-
- 1/3 cup coconut oil solid but softened
- 6 tbsp smooth almond butter the creamier, the better
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup maple sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 flax egg 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 2 1/2 Tbsp water, set aside for 10-15 minutes
- 1 1/4 cup blanched almond flour
- 2 Tbsp + 1 tsp coconut flour sifted
- 1 tsp baking powder *See note for making paleo corn-free baking powder if desired
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
For the topping:
- 3 tbsp maple sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
How To:
- Prepare the flax egg as described and set it aside. Preheat the oven to 350F (175C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and place the rack in the upper portion of the oven.
- Combine the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, salt, and 3/4 tsp cinnamon in a medium mixing bowl. Make sure everything is properly combined.
- In another bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the coconut oil, almond butter, maple syrup, and sugar until it’s smooth. Beat in the flax egg and vanilla before mixing on low-medium until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients gradually to the wet until fully combined. A dough should form. At first, it’ll be soft and sticky, but after rolling it into balls and dipping it in cinnamon sugar, it’ll be fine.
- Once the dough is chilled, roll it into balls. Combine cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Roll each ball in the cinnamon and sugar mix.
- Place the balls on the cookie sheet with 2″ in between each one. It might take more than one batch. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until the cookies are set and browning.
- Cool the cookies on a baking sheet for 5-7 minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely. Serve and enjoy!
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