I promised in a recent blog post to provide the recipe for the Waldorf Salad that my family enjoyed during our holiday feast, so I have listed it below.  It is an awesomely nutritious and exciting addition to any Christmas table, and it’s also a satisfying lunch option on a normal day.  I hope you give it a taste!  Enjoy.

Waldorf Salad

By Chef Karen Osborne

Ingredients

• 5-7 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 3 large apples , chopped into bite sized pieces
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup rough chopped walnuts, soaked & dehydrated
• 10 ounces arugula
• 2 cups coconut meat, young Thai
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 medjool dates
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic granules
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 4 tablespoons coconut sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/32 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/2 tablespoons orange zest
• 1 teaspoons orange juice
• 1 cup pecans, soaked & dehydrated

Directions: Candied Pecans

1. Combine coconut sugar, cinnamon, cloves, salt, orange zest and orange juice in a bowl.
2. Stir and press with the back of a spoon until it becomes a thick paste.
3. Add more orange juice if necessary, but keep it thick.
4. Stir pecans into the mixture until coated.
5. Put pecans on a non stick sheet in the dehydrator at 105 degrees for 12 hours or longer until crispy.
6. Store these in an airtight glass jar in the freezer.

Dressing

1. Combine coconut meat, water, lemon juice, dates, salt, garlic and cayenne in a high speed blender until smooth being careful not to let it get warm.
2. Set aside as you prepare the salad

Salad

1. Combine celery, apples, raisins, and walnuts in a large bowl. Stir in the dressing.
2. Serve the celery apple mix on a bed of arugula and top with candied pecans.

I promised in one of my last blog posts to provide the recipe for the Apple Ginger Pie that Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo made for dessert at the end of my family’s holiday feast, so I have typed it up below.  It is a wonderfully decadent and nutritious way to close any meal, and it’s a real treat on the holidays.  I hope you give it a try!  Enjoy.

Apple Ginger Pie

By Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo

Crust

• ½ cup pecans
• ½ cup hazelnuts
• ½ cup shredded dried coconut
• ½ cup dates

1. Place all ingredients in food processor fitted with S Blade and run until it just starts to hold together and the nuts are chopped finely.
2. Press the crust mixture into a glass pie dish.

Filling

• 4 medium apples
• 1 inch slice ginger
• ½ cup almonds preferably soaked and drained or soaked and dehydrated.
• ½ cup shredded dried coconut
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 cup date paste
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

1. Process the apples, ginger and almonds until coarsely chopped, by hand or in a food processor.
2. Stir in coconut, lemon juice, date paste and cinnamon.
3. Place filling in crust. Decorate top as desired with apple slices, coconut or other fruits.

I promised in my last blog post to provide the recipe for the Christmas Kale Salad that my family enjoyed during our holiday feast, so I have laid it out below.  It is a wonderfully nutritious and light addition to any holiday table, and it’s also great for lunch on any day.  I hope you try it out!  Enjoy.

Christmas Kale Salad

By Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo

Ingredients

• 2 bunches dinosaur kale
• 1 small head red cabbage
• 1 small red or yellow onion
• ½ cup tahini
• Juice of 1 small lemon (about 3-4 tablespoons)
• ¼ cup water
• 1 inch slice ginger
• ½ teaspoon kelp powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Directions 1. Shred or finely slice the kale, onion and cabbage and place in a bowl. 2. Blend tahini, lemon juice, water ginger, kelp and salt until creamy. Adjust water to if the mixture is too thick. 3. Pour dressing over vegetables and mix well to combine. 4. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.