As every year I try to prepare something original for Christmas. This year it had to be the "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 pointed 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 using bain marie or a double boiler. 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