The holiday season is full of traditions and family rituals in addition to ample opportunities to indulge in treats from butter tarts to egg nog to chocolates.
You can balance tasty goodies while trying to maintain healthy eating habits by focusing on adding more healthy options rather avoiding certain foods. Also, focus on making those healthy options taste great.
Start by making sure half of your plate of food is either vegetables or fruit. Canada’s Food Guide recommends that women eat seven to eight servings per day and men eat eight to 10.
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Most Canadian women are only eating 4.3 servings per day while men are only having 3.5 servings. Fruits and vegetables are loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre.
A new Half Your Plate campaign from the Canadian Produce Marketing Association, The Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Canadian Cancer Society and the Canadian Public Health Association encourages Canadians to fill half their plates at each meal with fruit and vegetables.
If you only try one healthy habit this holiday season, make it this one.
For more information, visit #half yourplate.
Health Canada has a visual representation of Canada’s Food Guide called the Eat Well Plate.
Similar to the previous campaign, it divides the dinner plate so that half your plate is vegetables and/or fruit, a quarter is grains and less than a quarter is meat and alternatives.
It also includes water, milk and alternatives and some fat and oils. They are healthy eating tools that are easy to remember and simple to apply to Christmas dinner.
As you plan your holiday meals, focus on vinaigrettes made with healthy oils rather then heavy sauces. Roast your vegetables to add more flavour.
Add whole grains and pulses to your salads and side dishes.
Start the day by adding ground flaxseed to a fruit rich smoothie or a bowl of oatmeal. Drink plenty of water and get outside and enjoy some fresh air.
Here are a few tasty recipes to get you started.
Quinoa Salad with Aji Amarillo dressing
Quinoa:
- 1 c. quinoa 250 mL
- 2 c. vegetable broth 500 mL
Dressing:
- 1/4 c. canola oil 60 mL
- 1 tbsp. aji amarillo or mild chili) paste 15 ml
- 1 c. whole cilantro leaves 250 mL
- 1/4 c. lime juice 60 mL
- 1 tsp. salt 5 mL
Salad:
- 1 c. peas, fresh or frozen 250 mL
- 15 oz. cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 426 mL
- 1/2 c. celery, chopped 125 mL
- 1/2 c. red onion, diced 125 mL
Rinse quinoa well under cool water in fine sieve or several changes of water. Drain well. In large pot, boil vegetable broth and quinoa over medium heat.
Reduce to a simmer and cook quinoa until tender but still firm to bite, about 15 minutes. It’s done when germ separates, making it look like a curly Q.
Drain well and return quinoa to pot and turn off heat. Cover with tea towel and replace lid, allowing it to steam and producing fluffy quinoa as it cools.
For dressing: To food processor, add all ingredients and blend until smooth. If using fresh peas, bring medium-size pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add peas and cook about five minutes. Strain and rinse with cold water to cool. If using frozen, skip this step.
In a large mixing bowl, combine cooled quinoa, peas, beans, celery, red onion and dressing. Mix until dressing is distributed. This dish may be prepared one day ahead.
– Source: Dietitian Manuel Villa-corta, www.canolainfo.org.
Aji Amarillo paste
Aji amarillo paste is available in larger grocery stores or use another chili paste, or you can make your own using the recipe below.
- 1 lb. aji amarillo peppers 500 g
- 2 tbsp. canola oil 30 mL
Cut peppers in half and discard veins and seeds. Wash hands thoroughly or wear plastic gloves to protect from heat of peppers.
In saucepan, cover peppers with water and boil until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain and cool.
Once cool enough to handle, remove skin from peppers. Place in food processor and add canola oil. Process until smooth. To thin paste, add water by spoonful until desired consistency. Store in refrigerator for up to three days or freeze in ice cube trays and store in plastic bags for up to three months.
Note: For more heat, substitute aji amarillo peppers with habanero or Scotch bonnet peppers. For less heat, use jalapeno. – Source: www.canolainfo.org.
Bulgur Salad with nuts (Batrik)
- 3/4 c. uncooked bulgur 175 mL
- 1 lb. coarsely chopped plum tomato 500 g
- 1 tsp. tomato paste 5 mL
- 1 tbsp. olive oil 15 mL
- 1/4tsp. salt 1 mL
- dash of crushed red pepper
- 1/2 c. finely chopped green onion 125 mL
- 1/3 c. finely chopped walnuts 75 mL
Cover bulgur with boiling water, stir, cover and let sit for 15 minutes. Drain excess water. Meanwhile, place tomato in the food processor, process until smooth. Combine tomato, bulgur and tomato paste in a large bowl.
Cover and let stand one hour.
Stir in oil, salt and pepper. Add onions and nuts just before serving. Serves four.
Source: Adapted from Cooking Light Global Kitchen: The World’s Most Delicious Food Made Easy.
Honey Roasted Carrots with Tahini Yogurt
- 3 tbsp. honey 45 mL
- 2 tbsp. olive oil 30 mL
- 1 tbsp. coriander seeds, toasted and lightly crushed 15 mL
- 1 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, toasted and lightly crushed 7 mL
- 3 thyme sprigs
- 12 large carrots, 2 by 6 cm, peeled, cut into 3/4 by 2 1/2 inch batons
- 1 1/2 tbsp. cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped 20 mL
- salt and black pepper
Tahini yogurt sauce:
- 3 tbsp. tahini paste 45 mL
- 2/3 c. Greek yogurt 150 mL
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice 30 mL
- 1 clove garlic, crushed salt
Preheat oven to 425 F (220 C).
Place the ingredients for the tahini sauce in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Whisk together and set aside.
Place the honey, oil, coriander and cumin seed and thyme in a large bowl with one teaspoon salt and a good grind of black pepper. Add the carrots and mix well until coated, then spread out on a large baking sheet and roast in the oven for 40 minutes, stirring once or twice until cooked through and glazed.
Transfer the carrots to a large serving platter or individual plates.
Serve warm or at room temperature, with a spoonful of sauce on top, scattered with the cilantro. Serves four. – Source: Plenty More: Vibrant Vegetable Cooking.
Bacon baked beans
- 3 c. dried white beans 750 mL
- 8 slices of bacon, diced
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 5.5 oz. tomato paste 165 mL
- 1 c. molasses 250 mL
- 1 c. yellow mustard 250 mL
- 2 tsp. hot sauce 10 mL
- 3 c. water 750 mL
The only hard part about cooking beans is remembering to soak them the day before you need them. Simply toss them into a bowl, cover generously with water and let them sit overnight.
The beans will slowly absorb water and begin to soften, making them much easier to cook.
For a quick soak, toss them into a pot, cover with lots of water and bring to a furious boil for a few minutes.
Turn off the heat, cover tightly and let sit for one hour. Drain and rinse.
Toss the bacon into a heavy skillet. Add one cup (250 mL) of water (this helps the bacon cook evenly).
Set the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring often, until the water is evaporated and the bacon is crisp, 10 minutes or so.
Pour off about half of the flavorful fat to lighten things up. Pour the bacon and its fat into the slow cooker.
Add the onions, tomato paste, molasses, mustard, hot sauce, drained beans and the water. (I added six cups/1.5 L of water).
Give everything a good stir, cover and cook on low for about eight hours. Serve with crusty bread.
Serves four to six. – Source: The Canadian 2015 Cook-book of the Year – Family Meals.
Fiesta rice
- 8 c. low sodium chicken or vegetable broth 1.75 L
- 2 c. wild rice 500 mL
- 1 tsp. salt 5 mL
- 2 tbsp. canola oil 30 mL
- 1 medium white onion, chopped
- 1 c. diced red bell peppers 250 mL
- 1/2 c. chopped walnuts 125 mL
- 1/2 c. golden raisins 125 mL
- 1/4 c. finely diced parsley 60 mL
In large saucepan, bring chicken or vegetable broth to a boil, then stir in wild rice and salt.
Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 40-45 minutes or just until kernels puff open. Uncover and fluff with fork and simmer additional five minutes. Drain any excess liquid.
In large serving bowl, place cooked rice and set aside to cool.
In large saute pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent. Add peppers, walnuts and raisins.
Cook until lightly browned and fragrant. Add sauteed mixture and fresh parsley to wild rice. Stir to combine and serve warm.
Dorothy Long is a home economist in the agrifood trade and former greenhouse grower from Lloydminster, Sask. She writes a blog at prairiekitchencompanion.blogspot.ca. Contact: food@producer.com.
