Almond & Herb Stuffing

Prep Ahead: Soak almonds overnight, rinse and drain
Prep Time: 20 minutes + dehydration time
Yield: 4 servings

2 cups raw almonds, soaked, rinsed and drained
1 apple, cored and rough chopped
4 stalks celery, diced
2 large shallots, chopped
2 Tbsp ground golden flax seeds
1 Tbsp Coconut Aminos or tamari
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp ground poultry seasoning
1 Tbsp fresh sage, minced
½ Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme, minced
½ tsp high mineral salt

• Place the soaked, rinsed and drained raw almonds in a food processor fitted with the “S” blade and process until smooth
• Add the diced celery, chopped apple and shallots pulsing the mixture briefly to break down the celery, apples and shallots and incorporate them into the almond mixture
• Add the ground flax seeds, olive oil, Coconut Aminos/tamari, salt and poultry seasoning and pulse again to further incorporate these additional ingredients
• Place the stuffing mixture in a large mixing bowl and fold in the fresh sage, rosemary and thyme until well incorporated
• To create a stuffing with a drier, more crunchy texture, crumble the stuffing mixture onto lined dehydrator sheets and dehydrate at 105°F for 5 hours.
• To create a stuffing that has a crunchy top with a moist interior, place the stuffing in a pyrex baking dish. The stuffing that is on top will take on a “baked” texture”, while the stuffing that is deeper in the dish will remain soft and moist.
• Stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator, Almond & Herb stuffing will keep for five days.

A Note from Alicia:

This might be my favorite holiday dish because it tastes just like the bread stuffing I ate at my family holiday dinners as a little girl. Even though this dish is made with almonds, it’s light, fluffy, and bursting with savory flavors.

Play around with how you dehydrate this dish to create different textures. Some people love soft and moist stuffing, while others like the crunchy bits. You can effortlessly create both with this scrumptious recipe. Enjoy!

 

Mashed Vegetables with Rosemary, Garlic and Truffle

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 cups, 6- 8 servings

5 cups celery root, peeled and rough chopped
5 cups cauliflower, rough chopped
4 cups pine nuts, or pine nuts and macadamia nuts mixed
2 cups purified water
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp truffle oil, black or white
3 Tbsp lemon juice
¼ cup fresh rosemary
2 medium clove garlic, crushed
1 ½ tsp high mineral salt, or to taste
25 turns fresh ground black pepper to taste (optional)

1. Place pine nuts, water, olive and truffle oils, lemon juice, salt, pepper and nutritional yeast into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
2. Next, take 1 cup of the pine nut cream and 4 cups of the chopped vegetables,1 clove of crushed garlic and half of the fresh rosemary into a food processor fitted with an S-Blade, and process until smooth.
3. Continue same procedure with remaining ingredients until everything is smooth and creamy.
4. Serve immediately, or store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
5. Mashed vegetables with Rosemary, Garlic and Truffle are delicious when paired with Mushroom Gravy.

A Note from Alicia:

Who doesn’t love comforting mashed potatoes? Well, my digestion doesn’t adore them, so I created this raw version using celery root and cauliflower as worthy substitutes of the more traditional potato. When paired with Mushroom Gravy, these Mashed Veggies are my go-to comfort food any time of year. Your digestion (and waistline!) will love you for it!

 

Caramel Apple Pie with Chocolate Pecan Crust

Crust:

1 ½ C soaked and dehydrated pecans
1 C chopped and pitted dates
¼ C cacao powder
pinch high mineral salt

1. Place all ingredients in food processor and process until ingredients are broken down and begin to clump together.
2. Remove from processor, and press into pie plate. Set aside or place in freezer.

Pie Filling:

6 golden delicious apples, cored, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 T lemon juice

1. Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
2. Place in covered container in refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.

Cashew Caramel Sauce:

½ cup raw cashews
½ cup Coconut Nectar
½ cup date paste**
2 tsp vanilla extract or flavor
½ tsp maple extract or flavor
1/8 tsp high mineral salt

1. Place all ingredients in a high-powered blender and process until smooth. Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides of the blender jar with a rubber spatula.

Assembly:

3/8 cup caramel sauce
¼ cup chopped soaked and dehydrated pecans

1. Drizzle 3/8 cup caramel sauce on to pie filling and mix well so the apples are coated with caramel.
2. Press crust into the pie plate, sides first, then bottom of pie plate, and finally, where the bottom of the pie plate meets the sides. Press firmly so the crust conforms to the pie plate and has an even thickness throughout.
3. Spoon filling ingredients into crust, gently patting it into place.
4. Decorate the top of the pie with extra whole pecans.
5. Serve with extra caramel sauce if desired. Enjoy!

 

Spiced Holiday Nuts

Prep Ahead: soak, sprout, rinse and dehydrate all nuts in advance
Prep Time: 20 minutes + dehydration time
Yield: 8 cups

3 cups soaked and dehydrated raw almonds
3 cups soaked and dehydrated raw walnuts
2 cups soaked and dehydrated raw pecans
2/3 cup Grade B maple syrup
2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
(optional ¼ tsp vanilla bean caviar for a more dessert-like nut)
(optional ¼ + 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper for a spicier nut)
2½ tsp high mineral salt

1. Place all soaked and dehydrated nuts into a large mixing bowl.
2. Mix all ground spices, salt and optional vanilla bean caviar and/or cayenne pepper in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Pour maple syrup over nuts and using a rubber spatula, toss and coat the nuts thoroughly with the maple syrup.
4. Once the nuts are coated, sprinkle the spice and salt mixture over the nuts and toss again using the same rubber spatula until they are coated well with spice.
5. Place coated nuts onto lined dehydrator trays and dehydrate for 24 hours at 105°
6. Stored in s sealed container in a cool dry place, Spiced Holiday Nuts will keep for 30 days.

A Note from Alicia:

The holidays are a special time of year, and special times of year require special recipes, too! These Spiced Holiday Nuts are definitely special.

I love to wrap these nuts in pretty cellophane baggies and give them as hostess gifts at holiday parties, or stuff stockings with them on Christmas day. They are a great addition to any holiday table, and I love to top my holiday desserts with them, too.

This recipe is easy to double if you want to make a giant batch for gifts (and still have some left over for yourself!). Try making two batches, one with the addition of vanilla bean caviar (the small seeds inside of a vanilla bean), and one with cayenne pepper. Which one will be your favorite?

Enjoy!

Peppermint Haute Chocolat

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 40 oz.

2 Tbsp raw pecan butter
3 Tbsp raw cashew butter
½ cup raw cacao powder
2 Tbsp maca powder
pinch high mineral salt
1/8 tsp peppermint extract or flavor
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
70-75 drops liquid stevia (chocolate flavor is wonderful)
6 cups hot water*

1. Heat 6 cups purified water in a tea kettle or in a pot on your stove and bring it to a nearly boiling temperature.
2. Add the raw nut butters, maca, flavorings and stevia to your large blender carafe (*please be certain your blender carafe can hold at least 8 cups of liquid. If not, please halve this recipe and make it in two batches), and wait for water to warm.
3. Add hot water to blender carafe, seal the lid onto the carafe, and begin to blend. Slowly increase the speed of the blender until on high.
4. Blend all ingredients until fully incorporated and the mixture becomes slightly frothy.
5. Serve immediately, garnishing every mug with a dash of raw cacao powder if desired.

A Note from Alicia:

This is not your average hot cocoa, and that’s why I’ve called it Haute Chocolat! This is a gourmet, low-glycemic version of something you might find at a café in Paris, or at a high-end coffee shoppe in London. It is rich, creamy, and equally refreshing and uplifting. And the simplicity of the recipe and the speed with which you can create something as delightful as this means you will be savoring this all season long!

Place a batch in a thermos and take it with you to work or when you go to watch the Christmas light displays around town. Share this taste of the season with your loved ones and watch their love for you grow!

PS: Due to the raw cacao content of this recipe, I don’t advise you drink this before bed. You might have difficulty drifting off to sleep, and I want you to be dreaming of sugar plum faeries instead! I recommend you enjoy this drink before 7pm.