Happy holidays everybody! Welcome to a very festive blog post this week filled with holiday cheer and tasty treats. Typically, the holiday season is characterized by tables filled with rich, heavy foods that leave us in delightful food comas rubbing our bellies. While I’m in full support of enjoying home cooked meals in the company of loved ones I’d like to offer some equally tasty but lighter options you can include at your table. 

The holiday season is definitely a time to indulge and celebrate all of the goodness around us, but I think it’s also very important not to go overboard and remember that these periods of feast are very fortunate ones. To me, the holiday season is also a time to appreciate the things in our life that are so often taken for granted, such as an abundance of food and a warm place to lay our heads. Therefore, I’d like to suggest that we each do something this season to give back and/or honor the times when we may not have as much. This could mean fasting for the day, volunteering at a homeless shelter, or donating some of your leftovers to the homeless around the city. As they say, ’tis the season of giving :)

And continuing in the spirit of giving, let’s get on to these recipes that you can share with those you love:

Gleefully Green Zucchini Soup

This zucchini soup has become a recent favorite in our house as it was one of the recipe on the Reto 30 Días (a 30 day challenge of Spanish/ Latin American recipes). It’s beyond easy and only has a few ingredients so you can whip it up uber quick :)

Ingredients:

1 T oil

1 small onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

3 medium zucchini, sliced

900 ml chicken or veggie stock (or water)

2 T milk (almond, cow, or cream)

Salt and pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese to top (optional but highly recommended)

Directions:

1. Sauté the onions and garlic in oil (*I like to use coconut) for about 2 minutes over medium high until fragrant.

2. Add in the chopped zucchini and allow to cook for another 2 minutes or so until slightly golden. Add in the chicken stock, cover slightly and allow the come to a boil before simmering for 20 minutes or until the zucchini has softened. 

3. Remove the soup from the heat, add in the milk and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste and top with parmesan cheese. Serve immediately. 

Easy Seasonal Apple Crumble [1]

(Serves 6)

This gorgeous crumble recipe was taken from The Minimalist Baker which is a fabulous blog and Instagram account showcasing delicious and healthy recipes many of which are perfect for the holiday season. I love a simple fruit crumble and as apples and pears are in season this time of year I can imagine how nice it would be to combine the two :) I hope you all enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 6-7 medium to large apples (2 tart like granny smith, 4 sweet like honeycrisp // amount as original recipe is written // organic when possible)

• 2 Tbsp lemon juice

• 1 Tbsp coconut oil (optional)

• 2/3 cup coconut sugar (or sub organic cane sugar // sub up to half with stevia to taste*)

• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

• 3/4 tsp fresh grated ginger*

• 1 pinch nutmeg

• 3 Tbsp cornstarch (for thickening the sauce)

• 3 Tbsp fresh apple juice or water

• 1 pinch sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and set out a 9x13-inch (or similar size) baking dish.
   

2. Peel and core apples, quarter, and use a paring knife to thinly slice lengthwise (see photo). The thinner the better! Just try to be consistent so they cook evenly.
   

3. Add to baking dish and top with lemon juice, coconut oil (optional), coconut sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cornstarch (or arrowroot), apple juice (or water), and a healthy pinch of salt. Toss to combine. Then loosely cover with foil.
   

4. Bake for 45 minutes (covered). Then carefully remove foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the apples are very fork tender (especially in the center of the dish) and slightly caramelized (see photo).
   

5. Enjoy as is or with Coconut Whipped Cream or Vanilla Bean Coconut Ice Cream! Best when fresh, though leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days or in the freezer up to 1 month. Reheat in the microwave or in a 350-degree F (176 C) oven (covered) until warmed through. Add a bit of water if the "caramel" sauce is too thick.

Festive Popcorn

As we have the red and green bases covered with our previous two recipes I thought it would be fun to include one of a golden-hue. Behold: curry and turmeric popcorn!

Ingredients:

1 cup (170g) popcorn kernels,

2-3 T oil of your choice (I used coconut oil but butter, macadamia nut, or vegetable would also work)

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

In a large pot with a tight sealing lid heat your cooking oil over medium heat for about 1 minute, or until just melted, and then add in the popcorn kernels and cover. 

Let the kernels begin to pop giving a few shakes of the pan throughout to make sure none burn on the bottom. You should start to hear fewer pops after about 5 minutes and after that point you can remove the pan from the heat and add the spices, salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the kernels into a large serving bowl and enjoy!

Thank you all so much for stopping by this week for another blog. What are some of your favorite go-to holiday dishes? Any that you’ve adopted from your family’s recipe to make more your own? I’d really like to know so let me know down below :)

See you all here next week for a fresh blog!

Xoxo,

Alexandra

Sources:

1. Minimalist Baker, et al. “Cinnamon Baked Apples: Minimalist Baker Recipes.” Minimalist Baker, 6 Dec. 2019, minimalistbaker.com/easy-cinnamon-baked-apples/.