HEALTHY HOLIDAY RECIPES
Celebrating Christmas is all about the food. One of our great family traditions is Cioppino made with fresh seafood (recipe at bottom). We all love Christmas cookies but the calories can get out of hand. Here are some festive and healthy recipes for you to enjoy without over-indulging.
GRANOLA GINGER BAKED APPLE PARFAIT
These make a fabulous Christmas morning treat to go along with an egg white fritatta or they make a delicious, healthy and festive Christmas dessert. I use rich and creamy Greek yogurt from Voskos (available in most grocery stores). Originally from Southern Living magazine.
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Ingredients:
4 large Golden Delicious or Jonagold apples
4.5-oz. lowfat granola
1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 3/4 cups apple cider
1/3 cup cherry preserves
1 (8-oz.) container Voskos Greek yogurt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°. Cut apples in half, cutting through stem and bottom ends. Scoop out core and pulp, leaving a 3/4-inch shell. Cut about 1/4 inch from opposite side of apple, forming a flat base.
2. Stir together lowfat granola and next 3 ingredients. Spoon mixture into apple shells, pressing to gently pack. Arrange apples in a 13- x 9-inch pan. Pour cider around apples in pan.
3. Bake at 375° for 25 to 45 minutes or until apples are tender, basting twice with pan juices.
4. Place apples on a serving plate. Add preserves to pan juices, and cook, over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, 5 to 6 minutes or until thickened. Serve apples with warm sauce and Voskos Greek yogurt.
Note: Baking times will vary greatly due to the ripeness of your fruit. Begin testing for doneness by inserting a wooden pick directly into the fruit (not granola mixture) after 25 minutes of baking. A wooden pick should be able to pierce the fruit easily with just a little resistance. Overcooking will lead to the fruit losing its natural shape and becoming mushy.
Serves 8
GINGERBREAD PEOPLE (LOW FAT)
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Use different sizes and decorations to make little holiday "families" out of these cute little gingerbread people. I added some healthy twists to make them festive, fun and full of nutrients. Thank you to Cooking Light for the inspiration for this recipe.
Ingredients:
Cookies:
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup splenda
1/4 cup omega 3 spread (butter)
1/2 cup blackstrap molasses
1 large egg
Decorations:
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons 2% milk
1/4 cup colored sugar sprinkles
Directions:
Place granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth and well blended. Add molasses and egg; beat until well blended. Stir flour mixture into sugar mixture until well blended. Divide dough in half; shape each dough portion into a flat disk. Wrap dough portions separately in plastic wrap; chill 1 hour or until firm.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Remove 1 dough portion from refrigerator; remove plastic wrap. Roll dough to a 1/8-inch thickness on a floured surface. Cut with a 3-inch boy or girl cookie cutter. Place cookies 1/2 inch apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Repeat procedure with remaining dough portion. Bake at 350° for 11 minutes or until edges of cookies are lightly browned. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.
To prepare decorations, combine powdered sugar and milk, stirring until smooth. Spoon mixture into a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag. Snip a tiny hole in 1 corner of bag. Pipe onto cookies. Decorate as desired with sugar sprinkles.
Nutrition Facts per serving (1 cookie): 57 cals., 1 gm protein, 11 gm carbohydrates, 1 gm fat.
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LEMON FROSTED CHRISTMAS COOKIES (REDUCED CALORIE)
It wouldn't really be Christmas without frosted Christmas cookies. Lemon makes a delicious new flavor twist on this traditional favorite. Another great recipe I modified from Cooking Light.
Ingredients:
Cookies:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup splenda
1/2 cup Omega 3 spread
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
1 tablespoon fat free milk
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
Frosting
2 cups powder sugar
1 tablespoon fat free milk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
food coloring (optional)
assorted sugar sprinkles (optional)
Directions:
To prepare cookies, beat granulated sugar and omega 3 spread in a large bowl at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes). Add egg and next 4 ingredients (egg through 1 teaspoon vanilla), beating well. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (flour through salt). Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, stirring well. Spoon dough onto plastic wrap; flatten to a 1 1/2-inch thickness. Cover tightly with plastic wrap; chill 4 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 400°
Roll dough to a 15 x 12-inch rectangle on a heavily floured surface. Cut dough into 20 (3-inch) squares using a sharp knife. Place cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 400° for 8 minutes or until golden. Immediately remove cookies from pans using a wide spatula, and cool on wire rack.
To prepare icing, combine powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in food coloring, if desired. Spread about 2 teaspoons of the icing over each cookie, or place icing in a small zip-top plastic bag. Snip a tiny hole in one corner, and drizzle icing over cookies. Sprinkle with assorted sugar sprinkles, if desired.
Nutrition Facts per serving (1 cookie): 160 cals., 3 gm protein, 30 gm carbohydrates, 4.5 gm fat.
NONNA (GRANDMA) AVANTI’S CHRISTMAS CIOPPINO
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Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped garlic
1 cup chopped Italian parsley
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
16 oz. solid pack tomatoes
3 c. tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. Kosher salt
2 Tbsp celery salt
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 oz. anchovies jarred or canned
1/2 c. sherry wine or white wine
3 c. clam juice
large sprig fresh basilico
2 medium chopped onions
1 Dungeness crab, last 10 min.
2 lbs. cherrystone clams, last 15 min.
1 lbs shrimp, last 5 min.
1 lb mussels, last 5 min
Add any fish you like, last 5 min.
2 cups water
1 pound spaghetti
Directions:
Sauté onions, garlic, parsley, celery and green pepper in oil with anchovies until golden brown. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce, salt, black pepper, paprika, celery salt to taste, crushed chili and sherry wine. Cook at low heat for 15 minutes.
Add water. Cook on low heat slowly for one hour.
Add shell fish during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Any fresh fish or shellfish may be used. Sauce should not be thick. Prepare pasta according to directions 15 minutes prior to completion of cioppino.
Serve hot in a bowl over hot pasta.
Nutrition Facts per serving (2 cups): 430 cals., 31 gm protein, 55 gm carbohydrates, 9 gm fat.