On The Twelfth Day of Christmas My True Love Made For Me…

Chocolate Walnut and Date Truffles

End your Christmas meal with these tasty and healthy treats.  They will definitely satisfy your craving for something sweet!  Because of the walnuts they are very high in Omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential fats for all of your body’s cells, especially your brain. The dates are a great source of dietary fiber, iron and potassium. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 cup walnuts
  
• 3 dates pitted
• 2-4 squares of dark chocolate (we use Endangered Species brand)
• 1 tsp shredded coconut + additional for coating truffles

Directions

• In a food processor, mix all ingredients together
• With your hands form truffle sized pieces
• Coat with shredded coconut

Makes about 10 pieces

Prep Time: 20 min

Basil Spinach Pesto

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves
• 1 cup pitted green olives
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until combined
2. Transfer to a bowl, cover and chill until ready to serve.

Quinoa and Pomegranate Salad

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 1 & 1/2 cups leaves watercress, stems removed and leaves chopped
• 2 ripe pears, diced into 1/2 inch chunks
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 tbsp pomegranate juice
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar

Directions

• Rinse quinoa under cold water and drain
• Combine water and quinoa in a medium sized saucepan and bring to boil.  Reduce to heat and simmer, covered and cook until quinoa is tender and all the water is absorbed – About 15 min
• Once quinoa has cooled, combine with all ingredients above
• Stir well and serve

Cook time and Prep time: 25 min

Serves: 4

recipe courtesy of wholefoods.com

Orange, Beet and Arugula Salad

Ingredients

• 1 large beet
• 3 navel oranges or 2 tangerines
• 2 handful of walnuts
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white- wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 bunches arugula, washed well and dried

Directions

• Peel and steam beet for 15 minutes covered. Then cut into wedges
• Peel oranges and squeeze juice of one orange into a bowl
• Add extra virgin olive oil, vinegar and mustard to orange juice, then add sea salt and pepper to taste.  Whisk and mix well
• Add arugula and toss to coat with dressing
• Add the beet wedges, orange segments and walnuts

Prep time and cook time: 20 min

Serves: 4

recipe courtesy of http://www.besthealthmag.ca with adjustments made by me!!!

Roasted Beets Salad

Ingredients

• 4-6 cups mixed baby greens
• 3-4 beets peeled
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• feta cheese (optional – omit to make this vegan)
• balsamic vinaigrette dressing (click here for recipe)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 F
• Wrap beets in foil and seal tightly and place on a baking sheet
• Bake for 30-35 min
• Remove beets from oven once finished and open foil paper slightly and allow to cool
• Once cooled, slice beets and add to mixed baby green and walnuts
• Toss with our balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Prep time and cook time 45 min

Serves 4-6

 

Chocolate-Walnut Superfood Smoothie

For all those chocolate smoothie lovers!  You are going to love this recipe.  It is easy to prepare and contains all of your favorite superfoods. Chocolate, walnuts, chia seeds and whey protein….you can’t ask for a better tasting smoothie to satisfy your hunger and fuel your body with healthy fats, anti-oxidants, fiber, lignans, protein and very little carbs!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup of raw walnuts (you may sub with raw pecans, cashews or almonds)
• 6 pieces of Endangered Species – Dark Chocolate
• 2 scoops of Whey Cool Protein Powder by Designs for Health
• 2 teaspoons of Chia seeds (you may sub with ground flax seeds)
• 1.5 cups of water
• 1/2 cup ice cubes

Directions

• Add all ingredients, except protein,  into your Blentec blender (you will need a powerful blender to chop up the nuts and chocolate)
• Once the ingredients are well mixed, add the protein in last and pulse the blender to mix the protein in
• Serve and Enjoy

Serves: 2

Prep Time: 5 mins or less

*** Note: overblending the protein at high speeds with cause a lot of foaming in the shake and disrupt the delicate structure of the protein

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

Ingredients

• 8 cups baby spinach
• 2 cups sliced strawberries
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds or chopped walnuts
• balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Directions

• Combine all ingredients and add desired amount of dressing

Kidney Bean and Fennel Salad

Fennel helps to protect cells from oxidative damage.  It has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties.

Ingredients

• 1 can of kidney beans, rinsed
• 1 bulb of fennel diced
• 12 cherry tomatoes quartered
• 4 tablespoons of finely minced red onion
• 2 cloves garlic pressed
• 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons chopped walnuts
• 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
• Olive Oil to taste
• salt and pepper to taste
• Chopped cilantro to garnish (optional)

Directions

• Mix all above ingredients and chill in fridge
• Salad tastes better the longer it marinates so prepare in advance of serving!

Original recippe courtesy of whfoods.org