Grateful Recipes

Here are some of my favorite recipes to upgrade your health during the holidays. Especially the fermented cranberries with ginger, this will support your digestion in case you over indulge.

Enjoy!

Fermented Cranberries with Ginger

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of cranberries
• 7 cups of room temperature water
• 5 tablespoons sea salt
• Ginger, peeled about an inch wide

Directions

1. Combine the sea salt and 1-cup of water and heat until dissolved.  Once it’s diluted, add to the 7 cups of water.
2. Finely chop the ginger.
3. Chop the cranberries.
4. Pour the cranberries into a large wide-mouthed mason jar. Once the water is at room temperature, cover the cranberries with it – remembering to leave room for the ‘weight jar’ that will sit on top.
5. Jiggle the jar to allow the liquid to settle through the fruit.
6. Add the weight jar, fill it with brine.  The extra brine will be useful if you have any spilling during fermenting.
7. Store in a warm place, covered with cheesecloth.  Know that fermenting like this can cause the liquid to overflow (which is why we don’t use a lid as this would cause excessive pressure) so place it somewhere that is 70 degrees plus and won’t be ruined if it overflows.
8. Check every day and after 3-5 days.  Check by removing the weight jar and tasting.  If it’s too salty, rinse.

Sweet Potatoes with Toasted Walnuts

Ingredients

• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups walnut halves
• 2 tablespoons 100 percent pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon organic unrefined coconut butter
• 1 cup unsweetened plain almond milk

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Wash, peel and chop the sweet potatoes into 1-inch cubes.
3. Put chopped sweet potatoes in a saucepan on the stove.
4. Add water until potatoes are covered.
5. On medium to high heat, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer for approximately 15 to 20 minutes or until done. Potatoes are done when a fork can easily poke through them.
6. Drain the sweet potatoes in a colander. I like them chunky vs. mashed.
7. While sweet potatoes are cooking, in a medium-size bowl add walnuts, maple syrup and melted coconut butter. Stir with a large spoon until walnuts are evenly coated and set aside.
8. Top with walnut mixture so walnuts evenly cover the top of the sweet potatoes.
9. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.

Gluten-free quinoa stuffing recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups prepared quinoa (preferably cooked in gluten-free chicken stock or low-sodium vegetable broth)
• 1-1/2 cups onion, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh sage, chopped
• 1 large apple, cored and diced
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans or walnuts
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Coat a large frying pan with olive oil and begin heating over medium heat. Add onion, celery and bay leaf to the pan and saute until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
3. Add garlic, rosemary, thyme and sage (along with a pinch of salt) to the pan with the onions and celery and continue cooking, stirring often, another 3 minutes.
4. Add quinoa to a large bowl. Add roasted sweet potato cubes to the quinoa. Add the onion, celery, garlic herb mixture to the quinoa (discard the bay leaf) and stir together well.
5. In the same pan you cooked the onion, celery garlic mixture, over medium-high heat, add the diced apple and cook about 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Add cooked diced apple to the quinoa.
6. Add nuts, apple cider vinegar, parsley and cumin to the quinoa and stir well. Salt and pepper to taste.

Happy Thanks Everything,

Heather Fleming