This is a perfect Thanksgiving or Christmas side dish. Low in calories, Brussels Sprouts are packed with nutrients. High in Vitamins C and K, they also contain generous amounts of Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, folate, potassium and manganese. The perfect flavour combination of the chestnuts and mushrooms and the sweetness of the red onion when combined with these wondrous little green vegetables creates a dish which isn't just OTT healthy, it's fabulously tasty too.
I thought a few of you may be interested in some of the food that was eaten over the Christmas fortnight this year when we were catering for someone on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. It was interesting to see some of the food he created too.
Christmas is nearly here so I thought I'd share with you some of the recipes which seem to be most popular around Christmas time. I'm way behind with my planning and cooking this year, I hope I manage to have everything done in time but this post will help me to find all the food I need to prepare.
I think there's something very special about home made gifts and one of the major advantages in making your own chocolates is you can ensure that they are gluten free and/or dairy free. I'm really fond of fruit and nut chocolates but I've also been making my own chocolates with pumpkin seeds recently. In fact, I've become a quite addicted to dark chocolate and pumpkin seeds - you may remember my amazing bargain purchase of Landgarten chocolate covered pumpkin seeds which I talked about in the post about my October TVK box.
I decided to improve my other gluten and grain free Christmas cake recipe this year and I thought you might like the recipe since it has turned out so well! It's easily one of the best Christmas Cakes I've tasted. Christmas Cake is a favourite in our house and Christmas just wouldn't be the same without it.
Newburn Bakehouse contacted me to ask if I would like to share one of their Christmas recipes on my blog. I requested a vegetarian stuffing recipe and was delighted that they sent this one because not only does it look amazing, it was quick and easy to make but I added in some butternut squash and fresh parsley to further enhance the recipe.
I made a small vegan gluten free Christmas Cake this year that I thought you might like to try. I normally wouldn't share before it's been taste tested but this looks perfect on the outside so I'm hoping it's just as good in the middle.
Mulled wine is sweetened red wine slowly heated with spices and served warm during the Winter months. With a history dating back to the Romans when it was enjoyed as a tonic, its popularity as a Christmas drink today is probably due to a mention of it in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol".
I'm a traditional Christmas person. I love mince pies and Christmas cake and in the past there would always be a packet of fig rolls in the cupboard, my husband's favourite. He's been asking me to make gluten free fig rolls for the last couple of months and for Christmas this year I've made some fig tarts.
When Sainsbury's gave me the opportunity to review their gluten free Christmas food, I thought why not? I also asked some of my work colleagues and family to sample the food for their opinions too and the response was quite surprising!
I've enjoyed Christmas Cake for as long as I can remember, I make one every year. Growing up, my mother used to create a very rich dark cake and my Grandma would make several in loaf tins to hand out to family members. It's better to make your cake in October or early November and feed with brandy every two weeks but as usual I'm late in making the cake this year!
We love Christmas Cake, especially with cheese. This year I've made a gluten-free egg-less cake and another one suitable for the SCD. We've still got some of a gluten-free cake I made last year, the one with too much brandy! When the tin is opened you can smell the aroma at the other end of the house! I don't like to feed the SCD cake so it's made a week before Christmas.
I'm getting quite excited for Christmas now and really looking forward to seeing family and relaxing for a few days. But the run up to the big day and the preparation of food is quite hectic! We love mince pies! I always used to buy an organic mincemeat but since cooking for the SCD I've made it myself. This recipe doesn't contain any additional sugar, the natural sweetness of the fruit itself is enough!
I started making my chestnut stuffing a few weeks before Christmas a couple of years ago. Prior to that I was always very anxious in the days coming up to Christmas that I wouldn't be able to find the chestnuts and parsley, they always seemed to become extremely scarce. So now I make and freeze it a couple of weeks before Christmas Day. Then all I have to do is remember to take it out of the freezer on Christmas Eve and leave it in the fridge overnight to defrost.
