Who’s ready to celebrate?
With all of my 175 students’ assignments, exams and final marks finally submitted–I am now officially on holidays until 2011–whoo hoo! That makes me one very celebratory gal. Par-tay, I say!
And how about having everything all ready to start cooking my big holiday meal?
Um, no. (Insert sheepish expression here).
“Mum, did you say, ‘sheep?’ I’m half border collie, you know. And just being off-leash at the trail is enough of a party for me!”
In an ideal world, I would not only know exactly which dishes I’m cooking, but would have prepared an entire rehearsal Christmas dinner already, expressly for the purpose of photographing and writing about it for this blog (excuse me while I guffaw).
For the past two years, the HH and I have shared an Indian feast at Christmastime with the CFO, who’s made the trek from Montreal. The CFO isn’t able to join us this year, and I have a feeling that the multi-course Indian buffet will also make itself scarce, at least for this year.
I do have a couple of great ideas for potential dishes I’ve been wanting to try (and about which I’ll post, post-holidays.) But what with the HH’s accident; frenzied shopping for a new car; a fire at the campus where I teach resulting in only TWO days to mark all my students’ exams and submit them; a last-minute invitation to appear on a local daytime TV show (which happened this very morning)–I haven’t yet decided exactly what we’ll be eating at the festive table. Throw in a couple of doctor’s appointments, a visit to the vet, a haircut and typical holiday-time social activities, and there has been precious little time to cook.
If you’re like me and still thinking about what to prepare, I thought I’d share this list of some of my favorite holiday-worthy recipes (many of these are not yet listed in the Recipe Index–updating it is one of my new year’s projects!).
All are ACD-friendly recipes (ie, gluten free, sugar free, dairy free, egg free, low glycemic) unless otherwise specified.
And to everyone who’s celebrating this time of year: have a wonderful holiday season! 😀
Appetizers/Soups/Salads/Condiments
- Roasted Squash and Apple Bisque
- Quick Cranberry-Apple Compote
- Roasted Chestnut and Parsnip Soup
- Potato Bruschetta
- Eggplant “Caviar“
- Classic Waldorf Salad
- Pumpkin Butter (ACD maintenance)
- Smoky Almond Gravy
- Warm Dandelion-Potato Salad
- Spiced Cauliflower Soup
Main Dishes
- Meaty Spinach-Pesto Lasagna
- Vegan Tortière (meat pie)
- Stuffed Peppers with Walnut Sauce
- Tagine of Quinoa with Chickpeas, Olives and Prunes (definitely not ACD, but soooo delicious if you can eat it!)
Side Dishes/Vegetables
- Rutabaga Gratin
- Celeri Remoulade
- Mediterranean Rice Casserole (for ACD, omit raisins)
- Easy Millet and Red Pepper Pilaf
- Peas in a Creamy Curry Sauce
[Some ACD-friendly peppermint bark. . . the base is mostly coconut butter! Recipe on my Facebook page, here.]
Desserts
- Mint Chip Ice Cream (no ice cream maker required!)
- Cookie Dough Topped Brownies
- Celebration Pear and Cranberry Cornmeal Cake
- Chocolate Pumpkin Pôts de Crème
- Coco-Nut Shortbread Buttons
- Chocolate Macaroons (not ACD)
- Crimson Mousse
- Sugar-Free Sugar Cookies (agave sweetened–not GF)
- Peppermint Chocolate Bark (recipe on Facebook page only)
Breakfast/Brunch
- Giant Upside-Down Apple Pancake
- Classic Vegan Quiche
- Grain-Free, Sugar-Free Biscuits
- Baked Apple Rice Pudding
- French Toast Soufflé with Summer Berries (not ACD)
- Carob and Date Pancakes (not ACD)
- Frugal Frittata (omit nutritional yeast for ACD)
- Holiday Nog (good at any time, really!)
Last Year at this Time: Warm Butternut Salad with Chickpeas and Tahini Dressing
Two Years Ago: Gastronomic Gifts VI: It’s the Great Pumpkin, Butter (ACD maintenance)
Three Years Ago: Holiday Cranberry Chippers Cookies (not GF; not ACD)
Hi! I'm Ricki, cookbook author, professional recipe developer, holistic nutritionist and anti-candida crusader. Let me show you how easy it is to eat plant-based, sugar-free, gluten free food that tastes great! 
what a feast these ideas add up to – am sure you will come up with some wonderful ideas this Christmas – hope you have a happy and yummy one! Am looking forward to you updating your index – I use it often when I am searching for a recipe idea!
I so understand about the busy holidays! No one expects you to have prepped it all ahead of time for the blog. Then you might be burned out by the time the holiday arrives. Or I would be! Relax and enjoy those dogs. One of mine is part border-collie. She has yet to heard anything but squirrels though.
Love the list. Your quinoa tagine has been on my hit list for a while… will try it in the new year. 🙂
Believe it or not, other than cleaning the bathroom, (which, well, just isn’t going to get done,) I’m ready! I had a surprise day off on Tuesday (due to a snowstorm,) so that helped me finish up my to-do list!
You guys will come up with something fabulous, I’m sure! Merry Christmas!
It has been such a pleasure getting to know you this year. I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas! xo Carol
Hey Ricki! It’s Jen as in Meghan Telpner’s assistant. Wow our nog recipes are so similar! Yes you have to try sea moss it’s my favourite food haha. I think this is my first time on your blog and all your recipes look AMAZING….I don’t know what to make first!!! (Everything perhaps??) 🙂
Happy holidays Ricki!
Oh, Ricki, enjoy your break! I hope you can relax a bit and that you have a wonderful holiday.
I have no idea what our Christmas menu will be this year either…I am not even with my family yet, but hopefully we will come up with something once we are all together. I know that whatever you and the HH end up dining on will be amazingly fabulous. It will all come together–it always does, right?!
Courtney
Cookie dough brownies…mmm! I wish you all the best, to you and the ones you love! Peace, Love, Health 🙂
Hope you have a wonderful holiday with HH and the fur babies.
We were at Whole Foods this morning for a few last minute things for dinner tomorrow. You aren’t the only one who hasn’t exactly planned, LOL. 😉
Thanks for the recipe ideas and the links. I will come back to this for New Years Day. Hugs!
Happy Holiday’s Ricki!! Thank you so much for all your wonderful work that you share with us via the web!!
Congratulations Ricki on being DUN, with grading! I just made your egg nog. THE BEST NOG I have ever had!!!! Seriously! And I need to round up a picture of my dog Marli … she is half border collie, too. My black fox. Her ears are sticky uppy and yours are floppy downy, aside from that, they could be in 🙂
xo
Lexie
Thanks, Lexie! I’m so glad you liked it! (And thanks re: school being done–wheeeeeeee!) 😀 I’d love to see pics of your pup, too!