Cranberry Sauce with a Croatian twist

I love making the holidays extra special with my homemade cranberry sauce with a Croatian twist. The depth of flavour will have you adding this cranberry sauce to everything. This past summer while in Croatia I made sure to add Prošek to my list of things to bring back with me. Prošek is a sweet dessert wine that is traditionally from the southern area of Dalmatia, Croatia. It is made using dried wine grapes in the passito method. This method of winemaking is made from grapes that have been dried off the wine to concentrate the juices.

My cranberry sauce is the perfect accompaniment with turkey or lamb.

Ingredients

1/4 sugar or your sugar substitute I used coconut sugar

1/2 cup of Prošek

1 1/2 cups cranberries

1 orange (juice of orange)

Directions

1. Rinse and wash cranberries in a colander.

2. Place the sugar and Prošek in a medium saucepan on high heat and bring to a boil. Stir until sugar dissolves.

3. Add the orange juice

4. Add the cranberries and cook until they burst about 5 -8 minutes. Keep an eye on them so that it doesn’t overbuild or burn. Stirring often.

5. Take off heat and allow to cool (Note: the cranberry sauce will continue to thicken once cooled) If you find it a little thick add a splash of water and mix.

I love cranberry sauce with appetizers as well. Here I took some gluten-free crackers, added Boursin truffle cheese and topped with my cranberry sauce.

Gluten free Mac & Cheese

Roasted Squash Cauliflower Mac N’Cheese

Making simple substitutions to your favourite meals is a great starting point to a  healthier lifestyle.  However most of us are creatures of habit.  We eat the same foods, shop at the same grocery stores, repeat the same recipes, and continue on with the same routines.  But if you are serious about eating healthier and losing weight, you NEED TO START thinking differently.  Your mind will come up with many reasons why replacing pasta for cauliflower is a bad idea.  The first step in making a lifestyle change is awareness of your habits.  Habits become automatic, learned behaviours; which are much stronger than the new habits you are trying to incorporate.  Even people who change their bad eating habits can easily fall back on their old ways during stressful times.

That’s why it’s important to keep in mind that making these simple substitutions will help you reach your goal of better health and losing weight.

Let’s THINK about this meal as adding healthy foods to your meal rather than removing foods which makes you feel deprived.  Adding new ingredients to your favourite dish feels like an accomplishment rather than a punishment.

This healthier version of Mac and cheese is made with lots of tasty and healthy options, like butternut squash, cauliflower, and cheese.  I promise you will feel comforted with this creamy velvety take on a classic.

Ingredients

1 medium size butternut squash

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 cup of vegetable stock

1/2 cup of cream

1/2 cup of gruyere cheese

1/2 cup of cheddar cheese

Fine sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper

4 cups of cauliflower cut in small pieces

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F

2. Cut butternut squash in half and scoop out seeds, cut into cubes

3. Break the cauliflower up into florets- making sure its the same size as butternut squash

4. Place vegetables on a large non-stick baking sheet- making sure cauliflower florets can easily spread out in single layer

5. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and salt over the squash and cauliflower

6. Place in oven and roast for 30 minutes or until soft and gently browned

7. Remove roosted squash from oven and add in separate bowl, along with your vegetable stock, using a high speed food processor blend the squash until a smooth puree is formed.

8. Return the butternut squash puree to the stovetop in a pot over medium heat

9. Add cream, stir and add gruyere cheese and cheddar- mix until combined, add your roasted cauliflower.

10. Pour the whole thing into casserole dish, top with more cheese if you desire, along with pumpkin seeds, basil and crispy pancetta optional)

Gluten Free Holiday Roasted Radishes

If you’re looking for some gluten free options for your holiday I suggest giving these roasted radishes with ranch dressing a try. Loaded with delish flavor and so easy to make. They sorta, kinda look like potatoes, but don’t really taste the same. Radishes have their own flavor separate from ‘the potato”. Nevertheless, these healthy options are so worth the try especially with my homemade ranch dressing.

Ingredients

-2 lb of radishes washed, trimmed and cut in half

-1 tablespoon extra virgin oil

-1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoom pepper

1/4 dried oregano or dried parsley

Directions

-preheat oven to 425 F

-In a bowl combine the cut radishes, salt, pepper, olive oil, oregano or parsley. Combine well

-Spread radishes in a 8 X 8 baking dish

-Bake for 30 minutes until the radishes are soft

Once done add your homemade ranch dressing

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Ingredients

• 1 cup mayonnaise 

• 1/4 teaspoon salt (you may want to add more)

• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill

• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk

• fresh chopped chives

Instructions

1. Add mayo and rest of the ingredients in a mason jar.

2. whisk the ingredients together until combined

3. Serve with your salad, or place in mason jar with lid and store in fridge for up to one week. 

   Once the radishes are out of the oven- add to serving dish and drizzle with ranch dressing