Festive Raw Christmas: Poinsettia Platter And White Chocolate Truffles

As every year I try to prepare something original for Christmas. This year it had to be a "poinsettia" platters. I found beautiful organic peppers at the farmers market and decided that this will be it. I used green bell peppers for the green leaves, and red Romano peppers for the  red leaves. The center of the "poinsettia" is filled with chopped olives. Very simple and easy to make. 

Per person you will need one large green pepper and at least four pointer red peppers. Use kitchen scissors or a very sharp knife to cut the green leaves. To make the red leaves, cut off the pointy top of a pepper, and cut it in half. 

Arrange the peppers on a platter and place a big dollop of chopped olives in the center. You can use fresh basil leaves to "camouflage" the center a bit. 

Serve this attractive dish as a plat de crudités. Use the remaining pepper cuttings to whip a pepper dip or sauce. I used garlic, lemon juice, fresh herbs, jalapeno, some cashew nuts, and virgin olive oil to make my dip. 

There is no festive dinner without a dessert or at least a sweet treat. This year I decided to make white chocolate coconut truffles. 

To make these beauties, I used raw cacao butter melted gently over a bain marie. I added raw macadamia nut butter, coconut flour, a few drops of liquid stevia, and organic vanilla extract, and mixed everything into a thick mass. I used about a table spoon of the sweet mass to form the truffles, rolled them in raw coconut flakes, and placed them on a platter. I refrigerated them for about an hour and they were ready to eat. You may want to keep them in the fridge till after dinner as they may soften too much in a warm room. 

I hope that these two festive dishes inspired you to healthier food choices. You do not have to give up anything at all. Just a something good, one meal at a time. 

Wishing you a magical Christmas and a very healthy Holiday Season, 

in radiant health, passionately raw - Dominique

Dominique Allmon©2020

Raw Carrot Salad For Thanksgiving

 

No Thanksgiving without a large bowl of colorful raw salad! For this year's feast I prepared a simple carrot salad with nasturtium pesto. My nasturtium plant is still vibrantly green, and produces flowers despite the chilly weather.  

I will keep it short today. Most of you probably already decided what to make for Thanksgiving lunch or dinner, and there is no point in changing your menu. I am also aware that restrictions imposed in some states may prevent you from celebrating Thanksgiving at all. However, no matter what, no one can prevent you from eating healthy, delicious, colorful food. And no one, no one can break your spirit!

Ingredients for two people:

• 4 large carrots per person, cut into ribbons or spiralized
  

for the pesto

• 1 cup fresh nasturtium leaves
• juice of 1 large orange 
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup raw ceder nuts 
• 1/4 cup virgin olive oil
• 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• pinch Celtic sea salt to taste

for the garnish

• fresh nasturtium leaves 
• nasturtium flowers
• raw ceder nuts
• freshly ground black pepper 

Method:

• Make the pesto using a blender or a food processor. I made the pesto slightly more liquid that normally so that it resembled a salad dressing. 
• Toss carrot ribbons into a large bowl. Add the nasturtium pesto, mix well and set aside for 10-15 minutes. Mix again.
• Arrange the marinated carrot ribbons on individual platters. Garnish with fresh nasturtium leaves, flowers and ceder nuts. Add freshly ground black pepper and enjoy in good company!

 

 

Tip: 

If you do not have fresh nasturtium leaves and flowers, use fresh basil and any edible flowers you can get. I used ceder nuts, but you can use pine nuts. They have similar taste and texture. 

 

Wishing everybody a happy and healthy Thanksgiving,  

in radiant health, passionately raw - Dominique