Christmas can be a time of stress or anxiety when it comes to work commitments, family obligations, financial stress or the general hectic nature of this time of the year. Added to these external pressures, heavy holiday food and alcohol can mean that the festive season isn’t always a very healthy time of the year! Of course, holidays should be fun and being around family and friends should be a time for gentle relaxation and celebrating life. One great way to make sure there is healthy and delicious food for you to enjoy at Christmas gatherings is to bring along some dishes yourself- that way you know you will have something you can really enjoy and that you can share with your family.

Remember to take some time out for yourself, don’t over-commit to anything that seems daunting or overwhelming and make the most of this beautiful time of the year to spend with your loved ones in a relaxed and joyous environment.

Curried Sweet Potato Hummus

What you Need:
1 ½ cups of cooked chickpeas
1 ½ cups of cooked sweet potato
½ cup of tahini
3 teaspoons of salt
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 teaspoons of cumin
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
2 teaspoons of curry powder
3 tablespoons of lemon juice

Let’s Get Cooking:

Place all of the ingredients in your food processor or blender and blend until very smooth and creamy. You may need to stop your machine and scrape down the sides every now and then to make sure everything is fully mixed. Taste and season to your own liking- you may like more salt, lemon or curry!

Serve with vegetables crudités and kale chips.

 

Cheesy Kale Chips

What You Need:
1 large or two small bunches of curly kale
1 cup of cashews, soaked for 4 hours and then strained and rinsed well
1 large red bell pepper chopped
2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup of nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 a teaspoon of coconut sugar
1/2 a cup of water

Let’s Get Cooking:

Wash the kale and remove the hard stem before chopping it up into rough pieces.
Place all the ingredients in your blender and blend on high until very smooth and creamy. Pour the mixture over the kale and massage well so that all the leaves are covered evenly. Spread the kale onto the parchment sheets on your trays and dry until they chips are crunchy- around 12 hours. Store in an air tight container.

Keep an eye out for more recipes for you to try over the Christmas season