Et Voila! Five random recipes that we love for the holidays! It was really hard to choose just five, but we tweaked it and here you go! Enjoy them, and as you make them and eat them, smile and your smile will be infused in each bite! Not only that, but by using all natural, organic* ingredients as often as possible, those that you share with will reap the healthy rewards.
1. Butternut Squash Lasagne
2. Dr. Weil’s Kale Salad
3. Cranberry Orange Relish
4. Snowball Surprise Cookies
5. Fresh Raspberry Mojito
Roasted Butternut Squash and Garlic Lasagna
Serves: 12
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 pounds butternut squash, halved and seeded
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 quart milk
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 12 no-cook lasagna noodles
- 1 1/3 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese
- Fresh spinach leaves in between each layer! (optional)
Directions
- Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
- Grease a baking sheet.
- Brush the butternut squash halves with vegetable oil.
- Season them with salt.
- Roast in the preheated oven until golden.
- Can be easily pierced with a knife
- About 45 to 50 minutes.
- Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes
- Scoop the flesh into a bowl.
- Set aside.
- Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat.
- Cook and stir garlic in the butter until softened.
- Stir in flour and cook for 3 minutes.
- Whisk in the milk until smooth.
- Bring to a simmer, and cook until thick, ~ 10 minutes, whisking occasionally.
- Stir in the butternut squash.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Sauce can be made 3 days ahead and refrigerated.
- Reduce oven temperature to to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
- Beat the heavy cream until foamy in a large glass or metal mixing bowl.
- Gradually add the salt, continuing to beat until medium peaks form.
- Lift your beater or whisk straight up
- the tip of the peak formed by the cream should curl over slightly.
- Set aside.
- Soak lasagna noodles:
- for 20 seconds in boiling water before layering them in your casserole.
- Pour 1 cup of the butternut sauce into the baking dish
- Place 4 lasagna noodles on top in a single layer.
- Spread half of the remaining sauce over the noodles.
- Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.
- Place another layer of noodles.
- Spread the remaining sauce on top
- Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.
- Place the final layer of noodles on top.
- Spread the whipped cream over the final layer of noodles
- making sure the pasta is completely covered.
- Sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 cup of Parmesan.
- Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil.
- Bake in the preheated oven (30 minutes).
- Remove foil
- Continue baking until the top is bubbly & golden brown ( ~ 10 minutes).
- Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Dr. Weil's Tuscan Kale Salad
Gluten Free, Raw, Organic
Serves: 4-6 people
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 4-6 cups kale
- loosely packed, sliced leaves of Italian black (Lacinato, dinosaur, cavolo nero) midribs removed
- juice of 1 lemon
- 3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, mashed
- salt & pepper, to taste
- hot red pepper flakes, to taste
- 2/3 cup grated Pecorino Toscano cheese
- Optional step for dairy free
- Rosselino variety if you can find it
- Or other flavorful grating cheese such as Asiago or Parmesan
Directions
- Whisk together the following:
- lemon juice
- olive oil
- garlic
- salt & pepper
- a generous pinch of hot red pepper flakes.
- Pour this mixture over kale in serving bowl and toss well.
- Add 2/3 of the cheese and toss again.
- Let kale sit for at least 5 minutes.
- Top with remaining cheese.
Organic Cranberry Orange Relish
Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Raw, Organic
Serves: 4-6 people (Makes about 2 cups)
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh organic cranberries
- ½ cup organic coconut sugar (or sucanat)
- Zest of 1 organic orange (use zester or microplaner)
- (Save some to sprinkle on top afterwards)
- 1 medium organic orange
- peeled and sectioned (cut off white and get sections out of the membrane
- ½ tsp grated organic ginger (peeled)
- Cinnamon (optional)
Directions
- Process all ingredients in a food processor until the mixture is chunky.
- Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Keeps for at least 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
#TipBits
- Keep it simple
- Make it beautiful
- Put your love into it
- HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
#LINKS
Cocktails from Sonoma, California
Snowball Surprise Cookies
Yields: 2 dozen cookies
Prep Time: 50 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Ingredients
- ½ lb soft butter
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
- 1 5 ounce pkg chocolate kisses
- Confectioner's sugar
Directions
- Beat sugar, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy.
- Blend sifted flour and nuts into the mixture. Roll into a log and chill.
- Shape about 1T dough around each unwrapped kiss and roll into a ball. Be sure kiss is completely covered.
- Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake in 375 degree oven for 12 minutes or until set but not brown.
- Cool slightly, then remove to wire rack.
- Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.
Fresh Raspberry Mojito
Yields: 1 drink
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 fresh mint leaves
- 4 fresh raspberries (use frozen if not in season)
- ½ oz simple syrup
- ½ oz lime juice
- 1 oz vodka (can use raspberry vodka)
- 2 oz club soda
Directions
- Muddle together the following in a shaker:
- mint leaves
- raspberries
- simple syrup
- lime juice
- Fill the shaker with ice and add vodka.
- Cover and shake until chilled.
- Pour entire contents of shaker into a collins glass.
- Top with club soda
ORGANIC and NATURAL: Now household words, but some may still be wondering why. In the simplest of terms, organic products contain no pesticides, which is the way our grandparents used to eat. If you can pronounce the words in the ingredients list, and there are fewer than 5-10 ingredients, then that is as close to natural as you are probably going to get. Long gone are the days of ‘hippie organic’ where the food was just dirtier and full of bugs and bruises. Now, almost every store has an organic food section, because they know the value of pesticide free, naturally grown food. They understand that consumers are becoming more savvy about what they are feeding their families. Check out bio-dynamic farming for more information on taking organic gardening to the next level.
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