Healthy & Delicious: Holiday party recipes

Health consultant and TV host Sarah Baker is back with some guilt-free alternatives for meatballs, tacos and desserts that will make your holiday party foods delicious - without all the calories!

For more on Baker, visit: http://balancedbabe.com/sarah-baker/

HEALTHY ENTERTAINING RECIPES

TOMATO AVOCADO CROSTINI

(Serves about 8)

Avocado spread -

2 mashed avocado

1 red onion diced

2 garlic cloves diced

juice from 1 lime

8 vine tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 whole wheat or gluten free baguette

Optional-

Balsamic drizzle on top

Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. To make the avocado spread, de-seed and scoop out the avocado meat and mash in a bowl. Add the red onion, garlic and lime and mix together until well blended. Set aside.

2. Chop the tomatoes, add olive oil to a skillet, and heat on low with the garlic powder and salt and pepper for about 5 minutes.

3. Slice the baguette, spread the avocado dip on each slice, then top with a dollop of cooked tomatoes. Top each slice with fresh basil, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and/or Parmesan cheese.

MEATLESS MEATBALLS

2 packages of crimini mushrooms

3 cloves of garlic

1 white onion

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1/4 cup almond meal

1 cup lentils

1 1/2 cup quinoa

1 1/2 tsp Worcester sauce

1/4 cup flaxseed

pinch of: sage, oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, mince, cayenne

Instructions

1. Pre-cook the quinoa and lentils

2. Pre-heat the oven to 350

3. Chop the mushrooms, onions, and garlic

4. Place the mushrooms, onion, garlic, quinoa, and lentils in a high speed food processor (or blender etc)

5. Sprinkle in all of the seasonings, almond meal, flax-seed, nutritional yeast, Worcester sauce, and some red wine (optional) in the processor, and continue blending.

6. *You do not need to blend until everything is smooth, the mixture can be slightly choppy, so that it will have a nice texture when consume.

7. Take a handful of the mixture (wash your hands!) and roll it into a ball. continue with the rest of the mixture.

8. Place the balls on a coated cooking sheet, and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.

9. After 15 minutes, the outside of the ball should be darkened and slightly crispy, while the inside should still be moist.

10. If you want it to be a tad bit more "crispy", you can bake for an extra 10 minutes.

11. Serve on a platter, and enjoy!

FESTIVE TACOS

Ingredients

4 cups of green lentils

5 chopped tomatoes

1 white onion

3 cloves garlic

1 avocado peeled and diced

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp adobo seasoning

2 limes

chopped fresh cilantro, to taste

pinch of: thyme, sage, basil

vegan sour cream: I use Vegan Gourmet Brand

8 soft shell taco's - try to find whole wheat

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 cup of pomegranate seeds

1 cup of mango diced

Optional: Tomatilla sauce or Pico de Gallo sauce

Instructions

1. Cook the lentils, set them aside and cool

2. Chop the onion, tomato and garlic and sautee in a pan in coconut oil

3. Once onion is translucent, stir in with the lentils, and season with the chilli powder, adobo seasoning, and other seasonings, for about 7 minutes.

4. On another skillet, lightly heat each soft shell taco. Set each taco shell on a serving plate, fill half of the taco shell with the lentil filling, top with a pinch of pomegranate seeds, a pinch of mango, avocado, a dollop of sour cream and sauces of your choice.

GINGER BREAD CRUMBLE

Ingredients:

Berry Filling -

4 cups berries - combination of fresh blueberries, strawberries and raspberries

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Juice from 1 lemon

2 tbsp almond meal

Crumble topping -

3/4 cup coconut flour

1/3 cup raw walnuts

2 tbsp flax seeds

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp himalayan salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup chilled (solid) coconut oil

Directions:

1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease an 8 inch baking dish.

2: Quarter the strawberries and half the raspberries, add the berries and rest of the filling ingredients in a mixing bowl, gently stir all ingredients together and place the mixture in the baking dish.

3: In a food processor, pulse the walnuts flax seeds and coconut flour together until the walnuts are crumbled (make sure you don't pulse them into fine pieces). Add the cinnamon, brown sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and pulse again a few times.

4: Add the brown sugar and chilled coconut oil and pulse again until you get a roughly chopped mixture that looks like crumbles.

5: Add the crumble topping evenly over the berries, bake for about 40 minutes or until you see that the topping is starting to brown.

6: Once the top is browned, take out of the oven and let it sit for about 15 minutes to cool before you consume.