Frosted Chocolate Peppermint Truffles

Raise your hand if you LOVE the combination of chocolate + peppermint! I’m finding out lots of people in my life aren’t a fan, but I can’t get enough so I keep creating pepperminty chocolatey things anyway.

These truffles are super quick to make, a little bit fancy because of the “frosting” and taste totally decadent. As always, I keep them refined sugar free - they’re only sweetened with dates!

I tried making these THREE different ways because this year seems to be a year of lots of different dietary restrictions/preferences. And no matter how you choose to eat, everyone should be able to enjoy some healthyish festive treats!

My preferred texture is the almond flour - it’s super silky and smooth when you bite into it, so it feels like a real truffle. But the oat and coconut totally works too - just keep in mind it won’t be quite as smooth.

Frosted Chocolate Peppermint Truffles

makes about 10 truffles

Ingredients
1 cup almond flour or oat flour or shredded coconut
8 dates, soaked in warm water
2 tbsp cacao powder
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp coconut butter, melted
2 drops peppermint essential oil (or 1 tsp extract)
dash of salt

Frosting Glaze
3 tbsp coconut butter
scant 1 tbsp coconut oil

Instructions
1. Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until everything is smooth, incorporated and starting to ball up. If using the oat flour or coconut, you may need to add an extra tablespoon of coconut oil.

2. Roll into balls and place on a parchment-lined tray (I used my 1 1/2 tbsp scoop). Put into freezer to chill for about an hour.

3. When ready to glaze, set up a double boiler (I just put a glass bowl over a small saucepan of water) and mix coconut butter and oil until melted and smooth.

4. Remove truffles from the freezer. Roll each in the glaze quickly and return to the tray (I use either a fork or my hands). The glaze should harden up pretty quickly, but return to the freezer if needed.

5. Store in the fridge for up to a week or the freezer for up to a month. When ready to serve, pull out 5-10 minutes ahead of time. ENJOY!

Super Good Snack Mix

I’m not sure if it was just a my-family thing or a universal thing, but somewhere in my childhood we got into the tradition of making homemade Chex Mix around the holidays. I LOVED Chex Mix growing up, store-bought or homemade. It embodies the two most important components I’m constantly chasing in food - salt and crunch.

Ever since I started giving a damn about what I was eating (about 7 years ago) I’ve tried to recreate a healthier version of homemade Chex Mix every holiday season. The problem I run into every time is the cereal - all of it is garbage. It’s either made from inflammatory grains (hi corn) or it has added sugar - even the not-sweet cereals! I had just kind of resigned that this was going to always be the case, but things really turned around this year.

I finally figured out a way to make a (super-addictive) snack mix that is salty, savory, crunchy and NOT TERRIBLE FOR YOU! If that’s not a holiday miracle, then I don’t know what is!

Super Good Snack Mix

cook time 1 hour / total time 1 hour 10 minutes
makes approximately 5 cups

Ingredients
3 cups plantain chips
1 cup cashews
1 cup pecans
3 tbsp olive oil
1 1⁄2 tbsp coconut aminos
1⁄2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 1⁄2 tsp garlic powder
1 1⁄2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp sea salt
1⁄4 tsp paprika

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 250.

2. Add plantain chips, cashews and pecans into a large bowl. Set aside.

3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the rest of the ingredients. Whisk together until there are no clumps and the oil mixture is slightly warm, about 3 minutes.

4. Pour oil mixture in the bowl with plantain chips and nuts. Stir the mixture with a large spoon until the everything is evenly coated.

5. Pour the snack mix on a baking sheet in an even layer and pop in the oven. Give the mix a stir every 15 minutes for an hour.

6. After the hour, remove from the oven and allow the mix to cool completely. Store in an airtight container. It will be best for up to a week, but I doubt it will last that long.

Notes
* I like Inka brand plantain chips, which uses palm oil. Palm oil is a better choice over refined vegetable oils such as canola, soy or sunflower.
* You could use worchestire sauce or tamari in place of the coconut aminos.

Sweet Potato Salad with Celery, Pecans and Cranberries

This recipe is inspired by one of my favorite things to make around the holidays. The original recipe from Smitten Kitchen involves sweet potatoes cut into coins with a “salad” that goes on top - like little one bite hors d’oeuvres. I’ve been making these for holiday gatherings since I was in my early 20s and they’ve always been a huge hit.

I wanted to revamp the concept this year and so this sweet potato salad was born. It is so delicious and has so many wonderful seasonal flavors all wrapped into one bite. You’ll be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t enjoy it! While it definitely has strong Thanksgiving vibes, it still holds its own for gatherings and dinners throughout the rest of the year.

It’s grounding, it hits all the flavor buttons and it’s easy to make ahead of time and transport. It comes off as way more sophisticated than most other potato or sweet potato-based side dishes this time of year and is sure to freshen up the staple sides that everyone is secretly a little sick of.

Sweet Potato Salad with Celery, Pecans and Cranberries

serves 4-6 as a side
cook time 45 min / total time 1 hour

Ingredients
2 large sweet potatoes, cubed
2 tbsp avocado oil
5 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
¼ cup dried cranberries, finely chopped (ideally unsweetened or sweetened with fruit juice)
½ cup packed parsley, chopped
½ cup pecans, toasted and chopped

dressing
¼ cup olive oil
2 tbsp white or red wine vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
salt + pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400. Toss sweet potatoes with avocado oil and a generous sprinkling of salt. Roast for 30-40 minutes, stirring once halfway, until cooked through and golden.

2. While the sweet potatoes are roasting, chop your celery, shallots, dried cranberries, and parsley. Add to a large bowl and set aside. Make the dressing and set aside. Reserve the pecans for garnish.

3. When sweet potatoes are done, remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.

4. Add the sweet potatoes and dressing to the large bowl and toss everything together until well-coated with the dressing. Taste and add salt/pepper if needed.

5. When ready to serve, transfer to a dish and sprinkle chopped pecans on top. Salad can be made up to 2 days ahead of time. Leftovers will keep for several days in the fridge.