Christmas Gift from the Kitchen

Christmas.  The Holidays.  Though I was raised in a Jewish household, my connection to the weeks surrounding December 25 goes back to the sixties and seventies.  As Andy Williams sang, "It's the Most Wonderful Tme of the Year."  I love the music, the communual joy in everyone's greetings, from people you recognize from your daily Starbuck's run to strangers holiday shopping in the mall.   And the winter holiday season is about sharing favorite dishes, family traditions or new favorites, with friends and family.

In my last post, I advised "stepping away from the cookie plate."  I've reconsidered. Within reason!

On a recent rainy Sunday afternoon, I got together with some dear friends to play pokeno and toast the holiday season over pretty pink-hued cocktails, caprese-inspired quiche, a tasty pomegranate salsa, and desserts.  These girls nights out are a highlight of my month, a chance to unwind with some great women.  Each month, we coordinate dishes and a cockail to go with our selected theme.

As the resident nutritionista, I generally come up with some sort of dish involving kale or quinoa.  This month, after some consideration, I thought I'd mix it up.  I had planned to make these addictive fruitcake cookies from the Barefoot Contessa.  You know -- a pound or so of unsalted butter, white flour, tubs of those candied emerald green and ruby red fruits.  The caveat?   The candied fruits were nowhere to be found.  And the dough needed to be chilled for an hour and a half. After a long day of work, that wasn't going to happen.

I glanced over at the supermarket holiday baking display, set up front center by the entrance.  You know by now that I am a from scratch kind of girl.  I avoid processed foods even when we're talking tarte tatin.  But, I was exhausted and famished.  That box of Krusteaz shortbread mix was my salvation. 

In addition to my passion for nutrition, I am a bit of an armchair food trivia buff.  I remembered Krusteaz was started by a Seattle area bridge group back in the 1930s who had come up with an easy at home piecrust mix.  Since I'd be baking treats for my game night friends, I relished the nostalgic connection.

Inspired by Ina Garten's recipe, I wandered over to the produce section where I found pomegranate-flavored dried cranberries.  Next stop, baking aisle for some dark chocolate chips and crushed toffee. 

I returned home to whip up two boxes of shortbread mix with 3 sticks of unsalted butter, adding in my extra ingredients.  Dropped by tablespoons onto a cookie sheet and baked for 10 minutes.  Voila!

The cookies have become my go to recipe for the holiday season!

To celebrate the holidays, I share with you two recipes from my game night friends.  A pomegranate/corn/black bean salsa my friend Michelle and a killer Passion X champagne drink from my friend and cocktail master Fran.

Happy Holidays!

Love,

Beth

Michelle's Fruit Salsa

(PS You know I had to tweak to avoid GMO corn, additional sodium and add avocado!)

1 bag frozen organic corn
1 tub pomegranate seeds (Trader Joe's)
1 can low sodium black beans
1 avocado, cubed (optional)

Mix in a bowl.  Serve with organic tortilla chips.

Fran's Pink Passion Cocktail

1 bottle X-Rated Fusion Liquer
1 bottle sparkling wine or champagne
1 bottle club soda or seltzer
quartered limes

Pour one part X-rated Fusion Liquer with one part chanpagne. Top with sparkling water and serve with lime.

Cheers!

Step Away from the Cookie Plate!

We're in the thick of the holiday season.  Radio stations in Southern California and Muzak in stores are playing round the clock "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" and "Feliz Navidad."  Your inbox is likely filled with a gifting special of the day.  Need a sweater for Uncle Bob?  Take 20% off at Banana Republic! What about a festive cocktail dress for the office party?  Drive around the mall parking lot for an hour just to get a spot. Then, come home to wrap all the gifts, surrounding yourself with Scotch Tape, reams of giftwrap and ribbon. Invited to a cookie exchange? You'll need to bake five dozen of your favorite treats. 

Throw in some obligatory holiday gatherings where you'll need a grab bag or white elephant. Your kid's holiday show.  Decorating the tree or frying latkes. As much as I enjoy the festive spirit, I'm inclined to shout, "Bah, Humbug!" and dive under the covers to watch a Hallmark Christmas romantic comedy!

That cookie basket at the office or the dozens of iced sugar cookies in the kitchen are looking more tempting by the moment!  Thinking about dipping your finger into the icing bowl or shoveling clumps of raw cookie dough into your mouth when nobody's looking?

Sugar and Fat.  The homecoming couple of the holiday season.  When they're together, they're an irrestible duo.  Try saying "no" to that iced gingerbread man or holiday cupcake.  And we're not just talking about the white granulated or powdery stuff.  Simple carbs or what we nutritionistas refer to as "high glycemic load" carbohydrates give you that quick energy buzz only to leave you exhausted on the couch listening to Bing Crosby.

Steaming bread and butter.  That order of fries from the drive-through or filched from your son's plate.  Pasta and butter, straight from the pot before you serve to the family.  An assortment of flaky hors d'oeuvres wrapped in filo dough, moments earlier filling someone's freezer.

Instead of surrendering to the inevitability of an extra five or ten pounds along with the crumpled gift wrap, ornaments and decorations to put away till next year, what if you could indulge in some of your favorite yuletide or Hanukkah treats in a balanced way while still fitting into your little black dress or skinny jeans?  What if January magazine cover diet programs offered no more allure than a computer tech manual or how-to guide to changing your car's oil? 

Have you resigned yourself to buying stretch pants to accomodate the extra helpings of the fat/sugar duo for the next few weeks?  Perhaps you've already started the holiday pound stampede with mountains  of buttery mashed potatoes peaked with gravy, leftover stuffing picked apart while you were standing before the alter of the fridge.  Maybe you've already forked your way through the remainders of the pumpkin pie or raided the gift baskets filled with exotic crackers and processed cheeses.  The good news?  It's not too late to dodge the advances of the notorious creeping waistline with these tips!

1. Water.  Thirst vs hunger can be more confusing than a calculus problem to someone who hasn't studied math since high school.  Next time you feel like diving into a plate of mediocre Christmas sugar cookies in the office breakroom, try drinking a tall glass of chilled water. 

2. Picky eater. Parents of toddlers or preschoolers will remember the days when Chloe or Noah survived on Cheerios or buttered pasta.  I'm not suggesting you limit yourself to bland white food but be selective! Choose your indulgences wisely.  Forego that packaged cookie. Indulge in a homemade version or your favorite holiday hors d'ouevre.

3. Eat first. Don't skimp on your eating all day to save calories for hors d'ouevres and cocktails. Instead, start the day with a light meal of egg whites and whole grain toast or oatmeal with a splash of almond milk.  Enjoy a salad with some protein for lunch.  Snack on half an apple with almond butter or a piece of string cheese before you head out the door.  An growling stomach only leads to a path of unwise food choices.

4. Dance! Take an activity break from your hectic holiday schedule.  Invite a friend for a brisk walk instead of meeting for happy hour.  Stop by the yoga studio for some downward dog.  Pop in a workout DVD or dance around the living room to your favorite tunes. 

5. Share the love. Prepare a healthy vegetable-based recipe to bring to a gathering or potluck. Almost everyone will appreciate the option. In the next weeks, I'll be posting some "clean" recipes to add to your repertoire!

Happy Holidays!

Beth