Pink Holiday Recipes with MORE recipes added 12-11

BBefore we get to the recipes, first a word from our "sponsor!"

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Finally, I am now focusing primarily on the Dream Members section (sorry, I just can't keep up and would rather do a few things well than everything badly) so if you post there, you will get an answer from me personally.

I will always post basic swaying information to be free for everyone, but I am currently working on 3 cookbooks, the Low Everything Diet for pink, the High Everything Diet for blue, and an In-Betweener Diet for pink swayers who don't need to/want to cut back too much, and blue swayers who are vegetarian. These will be 200-300 pages long with hundreds of recipes, and are designed to be healthy, delicious, gourmet diets that you can stay on indefinitely, rather than exercises in slow torture that will endanger your health. (I hope to have way more time to work on these now that I've cut back on my q and a in the other sections.) Dream Members have access to my complete diets and I will post the recipes in the DM section as I go the cookbooks are completed.

Anyway, on to the recipes!!!

It's well worth every penny!!

IT's the most wonderful time of the year! That is, unless you're trying to stick to a diet.

If you're frantically trying to figure out what you can eat and maintain your holiday spirit (other than Craisins and tahini) here are some recipes for you. You can serve these dishes to 20 hypercritical and unbelievably nosey relatives proudly and no one will notice if you don't have any meat on your plate.

Not everything is strictly allowed on the IG or French Diets, but these are all LE Diet approved!!! Nutritional data is included for the ones I had the nutritional data for.

Cocktail Party

Most of us have friends or family over for drinks at least once during the holiday season. Here are a few ideas and recipes you can serve proudly without having people question why exactly you’re serving unsalted tahini smeared on Matzo with a side dish of Craisins for dessert.

Plus, you can use any or all of these to complement any of the other meals below and even as an everyday meal option.

First of all - the most important component of all - the booze.

Wine (2 glasses)
(250 cals, 0 fat, 0 pro, 0 sodium, avg. 200 mg potassium)

The recipes below serve 4.

--Green Apple Martini

Sugar for rimming glass
5 T vodka
5 T sour-apple schnapps (available at most liquor stores)
5 T lemonade
5 T lemon-lime soda (aka 7-Up, Sprite)

Combine vodka, schnapps, lemonade and lemon-lime soda. Shake in a cocktail shaker (or blend in blender). Dip rim edge of martini glasses in a shallow dish with 1/4-inch water, then in a shallow dish with 1/4-inch of sugar. Pour cocktail into glass and serve!

--Cranberry Martini

2 jigger vodka
1 jigger orange liqueur
1 jigger vermouth
4 jiggers cran juice
Cranberries

Combine booze and juice in cocktail shaker and shake (or blend in blender). You can sugar glass rim (directions above) if you like. Put 1-2 cranberries in the bottom of each glass for garnish, pour and serve.

--Crudites

An array of fresh vegetables on a pretty platter with dip (hummus is a pink friendly option, but you can have ranch or whatever you like for your guests as well. You don’t have to eat the dip!) If you get a tray from your grocery store, it’s easy too.

--Triscuit Toppers (you can eat these every day, too! For a cocktail party, you’ll want to make all three)

If you like these, the Nabisco World Website has many more - NabiscoWorld.com)

1 serving Hint of Salt Triscuits (even if you don't think you like Triscuits, try the Hint of Salt ones. I think they are a lot better than the full-salt ones!)
(130 cals, 5 g fat, 3 g pro, 50 mg sod)

For "Apple Stackers":
Apple, sliced and each slice cut in half (80 cals, 0 fat pro sod, 300 mg pot)
1 oz shredded cheddar cheese (113 cal, 9 g ft, 7 g pro, 175mg sod)
Honey if desired (this sounds gross with cheese but it's actually good.)

Arrange Triscuits on cookie sheet lined with foil for easy cleanup. Top Triscuit with 1/2 apple slice and drizzle with honey if desired. When all Triscuits are topped, sprinkle cheese over the top, making sure each cracker gets a little cheese. Bake at 350 for 3-4 minutes until cheese melts. (Eat remaining apples while waiting!!)

TOTAL - 330 cals, 14 g fat, 10 g pro, 225 g pro, 300 mg pot

For "Cheddar-Broccoli Toppers"

1/2-2/3 c broccoli florets (just the little tree parts, you'll want one or two little flowers per triscuit) cooked and drained (not enough nutrients to count but has 150-200 mg pot)
1 oz shredded cheddar cheese (113 cal, 9 g ft, 7 g pro, 175mg sod)
1-2 T Dijonnaise Hellmann if desired (5-10 cal, 0 fat - but if you use a lot, the fat and cals will go up!!, pro, 70-140 mg sod)

Arrange Triscuits on a baking sheet lined with foil for easy clean up. Squirt one small dab of Dijonnaise on top of each Triscuit, if desired. Top with one-two broccoli floret and sprinkle cheddar over the top, making sure each cracker gets a bit of cheese. Bake at 350 for 3-4 min until cheese melts.

TOTAL - 250 cal, 14 g fat, 300 mg sod, 150 mg pot)

For "Cool and Tangy Greek Snacks"

Cucumber (enough thin slices to top every Triscuit with one slice - not enough nutrients to count)
Minced Red Pepper (about 1/8 a pepper - not enough nutrients to count)
a few leaves of fresh oregano and/or basil and/or mint if desired
Squeeze of fresh lemon if desired
1 oz feta cheese (75 cal, 6 g fat, 4 g pro, 315 mg sod)

If using lemon, toss with cucumber slices to coat. Arrange Triscuits on serving dish, top with cucumber slices. Top cucumbers with feta, then red peppers, then minced herbs if you are using them (personally, I think I would mix the herbs with the cucumber/lemon mix - I think it would taste better but not look as pretty.) These do not need to be cooked.

TOTAL - 205 cal, 11 g fat, 7 g pro, 365 mg sod

--Quesadillas 2 ways

Note - if you buy a 1 lb. bag of shredded mozzarella, you will have enough to make both recipes (rather than buying a big bag and wondering how the heck to know how much ½ lb is!!)

“Stuffed with Kale and Feta”

1 T canola
1/3 c leeks
1 lb kale
1 c feta
¼ lb shredded mozzarella
1 squirt chili paste or ½ t crushed red pepper, if desired

2 T unsalted butter
12 corn tortillas

Cook leeks in oil till translucent while you wash the kale. Don’t dry kale, just add it to the pan where the leeks are cooking along with chili paste/red pepper if desired. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes until kale is well cooked. Remove from heat and stir in feta.

Heat 1 T butter on a large griddle (or you can cook them in batches in a skillet by dividing butter and cooking each batch separately.) Add tortillas and cook on one side till softened (about 2 min) then flip them to cook the other side. Top with 2-3 T greens and some mozzarella and use a spatula to fold in half. Continue cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes (you will need to reflip the tortilla halfway through) until mozz is melting and tortillas are golden brown. . Keep warm in 250 degree oven until they are all cooked and then serve.

(311 cal 16 g fat 13 g pro 840 mg sodium - a lot of sodium but this is a special occasion!!)

“Stuffed with Mushroom and Goat Cheese”

1 T unsalted butter
1 lb sliced mushrooms
1 T chopped fresh mint
¼ c goat cheese
½ lb shredded mozzarella

2 T unsalted butter
12 corn tortillas

Cook mushrooms in the 1 T butter until they are wilted and most of their liquid has cooked away, about 8 min. Remove from heat and stir in chopped mint and goat cheese. Set aside.

Heat 1 T butter on a large griddle (or you can cook them in batches in a skillet by dividing butter and cooking each batch separately.) Add tortillas and cook on one side till softened (about 2 min) then flip them to cook the other side. Top with 2-3 T mushroom mix and some mozzarella and use a spatula to fold in half. Continue cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes (you will need to reflip the tortilla halfway through) until mozz is melting and tortillas are golden brown. . Keep warm in 250 degree oven until they are all cooked and then serve.

(312 cal, 17 g fat, 15 g pro, 686 mg sod - a lot of sodium, but it is a special occasion!)

--Grilled Portobello Burgers with Pesto Mayo

I have the recipe broken into stages so please read the entire thing before proceeding.

1 T canola
4 portobello mushrooms with stems removed
OPTIONAL - 1 clove garlic mixed with 1/2 t salt (Mushrooms with no seasoning are not super tasty for your guests. If you like, make one plain one (just use oil) for yourself and season everyone else's)
4 slices Swiss cheese

Combine canola with garlic and salt and brush onto mushrooms. Cook on a grill (either outdoor grill or you can use an indoor grill or George Foreman) for about 3 min per side. During the last minute of grilling, top shrooms with cheese and allow to melt.

2 T basil pesto (either homemade for lower sodium or you can use jarred)
2 T mayo
1 t fresh lemon

While mushrooms are grilling, mix these ingredients until smooth and set aside. Once mushrooms are done, spread the sauce above onto:

4 sandwich thins, English Muffins, or slider buns, toasted

and construct a sandwich by putting the mushrooms onto the buns. Top with tomato slices and shredded lettuce.

(411 cal, 20 g fat, 16 g pro...note - this seems like more protein than this meal could possibly contain - I suspect it actually has less but this is what the original recipe stated, and more sodium than you even want to know about.)

--Sea Scallop "Shooters"

This is a total cheat, but in the realm of protein, I would MUCH rather you guys ate shellfish than any other option. Shellfish have iodine that may otherwise be in short supply on a pink diet, are really not superhigh in protein if you only have 1-2, may be pink friendly due to agricultural runoff (yum.) and are expensive so you're not going to eat 17 of them. Limit yourself to ONE and just take pride in watching your guests enjoy them instead!!

Preheat oven to 375 (if you're making the quesadillas too, you might want to invest in a warming tray to keep them warm rather than keeping them warm in the oven, and make these last, because scallops don't improve with time.)

For Spinach filling:

1 T canola
4 oz baby spinach
1/4 c cream
1 T grated parmesan
1 t bread crumbs

Cook spinach in oil till tender, then add cream and cook till liquid is reduced by half. Reduce heat and stir in bread crumbs and parmesan and once that is encorporated, remove from heat and set aside.

For Mushroom filling:

1 1/2 c mushrooms
1/2 t canola
(since you're serving this to guests, you may want to season these with a pinch of salt or toss in an additional 1 T parmesan)

Stir oil into mushrooms, put into a pan and into the oven to roast for 15 minutes.

12 sea scallops (the big ones and if you can pick, go for tall rather than fat)
1 T canola

Toss scallops with the oil and fry them in a skillet until golden brown. Let them cool to the touch and cut each one into thirds. Sandwich them with 1 t shroom mix and 1 t spinach mix. Bake for an additional 10-12 minutes until hot and serve immediately.

Thanks for this and everything else you do, atomic. Is there a place where we can add our recipes? After nearly 6 months on the LE diet I've come up with lots of tasty food ideas. I just had some vegetarian tacos last night that were delicious.

Hanukkah

If you are having company, you can prepare a brisket or salmon as well using your favorite recipe, and just don’t have any. You will prob. want to either make or have someone bring potato latkes in addition to the cauliflower ones. Also, have someone bring challah or other festive bread so you don’t have to worry about it.

--That Ain’t Exactly Chopped Liver

2 T canola
3 leeks, white and light green parts, chopped (save the green bits in the freezer for making broth)
2 lbs sliced mushrooms
½ bunch parsley, chopped
Splash of wine
Squirt of fresh lemon

Note - this may be a good recipe to cheat and add a hint of salt to, esp. if you are having guests.

Heat oil over med heat and saute leeks until they are translucent and begin to change to pale golden color. Add the mushroom and wine and sauté until the mushrooms turn deep brown and reduce in size by about half. You will need to stir very often to prevent burning and may need to reduce heat to low. When it has cooked down, remove from heat, add the lemon and parsley and stir. Process in food processor until the consistency of chopped liver. Serve warm or chilled with some Hint of Salt Wheat Thins and Ry-Krisp.

--Cauliflower Latkes

To a latke lover, this recipe seems like a crime against God Himself, BUT it is very pink-friendly. Please note, potato latkes are allowed on the Low Everything Diet as well but this is another option for people living in terror of potatoes.

4 egg whites
1 small onion, peeled and grated or minced fine (normally we wouldn’t include onion, but it’s Hanukkah! Use green onion or leek if you must.)
1 head of cauliflower, chopped into small pieces, cooked and drained very well
2 T flour
2 T canola, for frying (you may need a bit more)
Sour cream, fresh dill

Combine ingredients except sour cream/dill and canola (you may need a hint more flour to bind the batter together depending on how much liquid is left in your cauliflower). Heat a skillet to med-high heat and add canola. Drop batter by ½ cup into oil, turning when first side is brown (if you’ve ever made pancakes or latkes before, you’ll know how to do this.)

Serve with sour cream and dill on top.

--Sweet Potato Tsimmes

5 lg. sweet potatoes (or yams, but I think sweet potatoes are better), peeled, cut in chunks, and cooked
1 c Craisins
1/2 t cinnamon
1/3 c honey
2 T melted unsalted butter
1/8 t pepper
2 apples, peeled and sliced

Mash sweet potatoes roughly (they should still have some texture) and mix in the Craisins and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, combine honey and butter. In a greased 2 qt. baking dish, alternate layers of mashed potato mix and apples, dribbling honey mixture over each layer. End with vegetable layer. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

--Honey-Tahini Green Beans

1 lb prepared green beans
1 t canola
2 T tahini
2 T honey
1 T low sodium soy sauce
2 t orange juice

Preheat oven to 425. Toss green beans with canola to coat and roast in the oven for 10 minutes while preparing glaze. Mix remaining ingredients well and set aside till beans are done. Remove beans from oven and toss to coat. Return to oven until beans are well cooked, about 10-15 more minutes.

--Applesauce

Applesauce sounds daunting and it is a bit time-consuming. But it’s so easy it doesn’t even really NEED a recipe - nor should it, because different apples have such different levels of sweetness that it’s almost impossible to standardize the amount of sweetener you need.

Peel and core as many apples as you like, of any variety you like, and put them into a saucepan (bigger is better) with a small amount of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium heat, allowing water to simmer and cook the apples. Add more water as the water boils away. After several minutes (the more apples you are preparing, the longer this will take, and some varieties take longer than others) the apples will get very soft and begin to melt. Some varieties of apple will simply disintegrate into a nice chunky sauce, while others you might want to mash with a potato masher as they simmer (wait until they’re fork-tender to do this). The longer you simmer them, the more they’ll break apart, but if you want a very consistent, fine-grained applesauce, you’ll need to let it cool and puree it in a food processor. If you like it chunky (like I do!) then skip the pureeing.

After the apples are as saucy as you want them to be, you can begin to add sugar to taste. A big batch of tart apples will obviously take quite a lot of sugar, even as much as a cup. You can also add some cinnamon.

If you make potato latkes, you can use the applesauce on top of them, but of course I don't think that would be too good with the cauliflower ones!!

--Cran-Razz Rugelach (thanks to Good Housekeeping for the original recipe)

1 c unsalted butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 t vanilla
2 c all purpose flour
¾ c sugar
¾ c Craisins
¼ c packed brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
½ c seedless raspberry preserves
1 tablespoon(s) milk

For dough: In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat margarine or butter with cream cheese until blended and smooth. Beat in vanilla, 1 cup flour, and 1/4 cup sugar until blended. With spoon, stir in remaining flour. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Wrap each with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.

For filling: In medium bowl, with spoon, stir together Craisins, brown sugar, 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon until well mixed. Line 2 large cookie sheets with foil; grease foil.

On lightly floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll 1 piece of chilled dough into a 9-inch round, keeping remaining dough refrigerated. Spread dough with 2 tablespoons raspberry preserves. Sprinkle with about 1/2 cup filling; gently press filling onto dough. With pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut dough into 12 equal wedges. Starting at curved edge, roll up each wedge, jelly-roll fashion. Place cookies on foil-lined cookie sheet, point-side down, about 1/2 inch apart. Repeat with remaining dough, one-fourth at a time.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In cup, mix remaining 2 tablespoons sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon. With pastry brush, brush rugelach with milk. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.

Bake rugelach on 2 oven racks about 30 to 35 minutes until golden, rotating cookie sheets between upper and lower racks halfway through baking time. Immediately remove rugelach to wire racks to cool. Store in tightly covered container.

(per cookie 115 cal 7 g fat 1 g pro 80 mg sod - actually prob. has less sodium since I omitted the salt)

--Easy Sufganiyot (thanks to Good Housekeeping for the original recipe)

3 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c granulated sugar
5 t rapid-rise yeast (2 packages)
1 t cinnamon
¼ c canola
¾ c warm whole milk (120° to 130°F), plus extra for brushing (you can use skim, but whole will taste a LOT better and will make the dough a little easier to work with.)
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 c jam
2 T confectioners' sugar

Combine flour, granulated sugar, yeast, cinnamon. If you have a mixer with a dough attachment, use your dough hook and mix on low 15 seconds or until combined. Add oil and milk; beat on medium-low speed 3 to 5 minutes or until well combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time; beat 10 minutes or until dough is elastic, occasionally scraping sides of bowl.

If you DON’T have a mixer with a dough attachment, you’ll have to mix the dough with a stiff wooden spoon and then hand knead it for 10-15 minutes. Lightly grease large bowl. Transfer dough to prepared bowl; cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise 40 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Lightly grease 3 cookie sheets. Gently punch down dough, folding it onto itself. On lightly oiled work surface, gently roll dough into 16-inch log; cut log crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Shape each piece into ball; transfer to prepared cookie sheets, 3 inches apart. Cover loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap; let rise 20 to 30 minutes or until slightly puffed. (May be made up to 1 day ahead up to this point. Refrigerate, loosely covered. Bring to room temperature before baking.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush tops of dough with milk. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, 12 to 15 minutes or until pale golden. Cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes.

Cut 1 corner of self-sealing plastic bag to make 1/4-inch-diameter hole; fit with 1/4- to 1/2-inch plain piping tip, and fill bag with jam. Slide paring knife into center of side of 1 donut without cutting through other side. Using sawing motion, cut pocket in donut without cutting opening any wider. Fit piping tip into hole, and pipe jam until filled. Repeat. Dust donuts with confectioners' sugar to serve.

(Per doughnut - 215 cal 6 g fat 4 g pro 165 mg sod - actually prob. has less sodium because I omitted the salt)

Holiday Goodies

(reserved for cookies and candy)

Christmas Eve Dinner

It’s hectic, the kids are going berserk, you have 9 million gifts to wrap, and your husband is watching “Die Hard“ for the 57th time THIS YEAR (oh wait, that’s me.) You have NO time to prepare something fancy, but at the same time you want to have something at least a little special! It’s PIZZA time!

You can order/pick up frozen pizza for DH and the kids and make this recipe for yourself.

--Matzo Pizza

1 Matzo (I have Yehuda Brand - I bought several boxes after Passover to save $$)
(125 cal 0 fat 3 g pro 0 sodium)

1/4 c. storebought pasta or pizza sauce (if you can find lowfat/low sodium, use it!!)
(55 cal, 2.5 g fat, 2 g pro, 310 mg sod 200 mg pot)

1/2 oz. (or less) sprinkling of shredded mozzarella (you can use Swiss, but you really need very little cheese so why not splurge on the mozz??)
(40 cal, 3 g fat, 3.5 g pro, 100 mg sod)

1/4 c fresh vegetables that YOU like, cut into bite size (peppers, zucchini, mushroom, fresh tomato, spinach...if you've never tried fresh broccoli on pizza, you might like it)
(30 cals, 0 fat pro sod, 100-200 mg pot depending on veg selected)

250 cal, 5 g fat, 8.5 g pro, 410 mg sod, about 400 mg pot)

The kiddos can have cocoa while you and DH have something a little more festive.

--Irish Coffee

1 cup hot fresh coffee
1 jigger Irish cream
Whipped cream

Combine coffee and Irish cream and top with whipped cream.

Christmas Morning BreakfastCranberry-Orange Cinnamon Rolls (recipe adapted from Two Peas in a Pod)

For rolls -
2 pkg. yeast, dissolved in 1 c lukewarm water
6 T unsalted butter
1 c granulated sugar
7 c all purpose flour (you might need a little extra if the dough is still sticky)
2 c hot water
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 c light brown sugar
1 1/2 c Craisins
1 T ground cinnamon
Zest of 2 large oranges
¾ c granulated sugar

For the orange sugar topping:
Zest of 1 large orange
1/2 c granulated sugar

For the frosting:
4 T unsalted butter, softened
2 c powdered sugar
2 T milk
1 1/2 T orange zest
2 T fresh orange juice

Add yeast to 1 cup of lukewarm water. Stir with a spoon and set aside for about five minutes. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or you can use a handheld mixer for the first few ingredients, then switch to a wooden spoon…that’s how the pioneers made their Cranberry Orange Cinnamon rolls, wink wink) add butter, sugar, and salt to hot water and beat for 30 seconds. Let cool to lukewarm. Mix in in 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture and mix until well combined. Mix in the beaten eggs. At any point if you are using a handheld mixer and it seems to be struggling, turn it off and begin stirring with a wooden spoon.

Gradually stir in remaining flour and mix with the dough hook (or your wooden spoon) for about 2 minutes. Remove dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured counter. Knead by hand, add a little flour if the dough is still sticky. Knead until dough feels satiny and smooth, then transfer dough to a greased bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise for 30 minutes or until dough doubles in size.

Place on a lightly floured counter and divide in half. Let dough rest for a couple of minutes, then with a rolling pin, roll one half of the dough into a rectangular shape. Spread dough evenly with 4 tablespoons of softened butter. Sprinkle dough with 1/2 cup brown sugar, 3/4 cup dried cranberries, and 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon. Rub orange zest and granulated sugar together in small bowl. Sprinkle half of the mixture over the dough.

Gently roll up dough into one long roll. Cut rolls, using a piece of dental floss or thread (I always use a knife and then just reshape the rolls after I cut them, but whatever works!!) about two inches thick. Rub the zest of one orange and half cup of sugar together in a small bowl. Dip and twist the rolls into the orange sugar mixture. Place rolls in greased 9X13 baking pans. Repeat for second half of dough.

Place rolls in a warm spot and cover with a towel. Let rolls rise until double in bulk, about an hour. (note - if you like, you can do all the other steps before this second rising the night before and then cover and refrigerate rolls. Take them out in the morning and let them warm up and they’ll finish rising and be ready to bake!!) Bake at 425 degrees F for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for 5-7 more minutes or until golden brown. Remove pans from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

To make the frosting, combine, butter, powdered sugar, milk, orange zest, and orange juice. Whisk until smooth. Frost the cranberry orange rolls generously with frosting. Serve warm.

Christmas Dinner


This is fairly simple to prepare - the fondue has your guests doing most of the work on their own. It’ll help keep testosterone levels under control!! Plus, food has a way of showing up on Christmas and by keeping it simple, you won’t be inundated with leftovers. If you feel that you need more food, I suggest the Honey-Tahini green beans in the Hanukkah section above.

--Cranberry Cinnamon Goat Cheese

Finica Food Specialties Ltd. (there are other brands as well) I haven’t tried this BUT it looks very festive and it’s ready made and stress free! Put out a log of this with some Hint of Salt Wheat Thins, bagel chips, mini rice cakes, and/or baguette rounds.

In the goat cheese per serving - 80 cal, 4.5 g fat, 5 g pro, 130 mg sod

--Goblet Fruit Salad

1 24 oz. jar red grapefruit in its own lightly sweetened juice, NOT syrup(or 2-3 red grapefruit, peeled and wedged and dusted with sugar, plus a small amount Ruby Red grapefruit juice)
2 c fresh pineapple, cut into bite size
1 ½ c kiwi, peeled and chunked
1 c strawberry slices
1 c bite size canteloupe
2 c apples and/or pears, unpeeled for color
Mint leaves

Pour jar of grapefruit (or wedges with about ¼ c grapefruit juice) into a large mixing bowl (glass is best)
Add other fruits and stir gently. IF it seems very dry, add more grapefruit juice BUT fruit will release juice as it sits. Place ¾ c to 1 c fruit in the bottom of wine glasses or goblets and top with sprigs of fresh mint. You can make this 1-2 days in advance and keep covered in your fridge.

Serves 9-12 depending on serving size - 97 cal 0 fat 0 pro 0 sod, excellent source of potassium

--Vanilla and Honey Pickled Tomatoes (adapted from Sunset Tomato)

1 pint FRESH cherry tomatoes - buy them shortly before the big day, not a week in advance.
¼ c plus 2 T c honey (sorry for the bizarre measurement!)
¼ c plus 2 T balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 c water
½ vanilla bean, split
1 clove garlic, minced, optional
1 sprig of rosemary, optional (I can’t stand rosemary so I would omit it and use a sprig of basil or squirt of basil paste instead.)

Bring a pot of water to a boil and place tomatoes into the water for 30 seconds. Scoop out with a colander and cool quickly by dunking in ice water. The peels should come off easily. Put in a glass serving container and set aside.

In a small saucepan, bring honey to a boil (note - I have not tested this recipe yet and I am scratching my head at this - does honey boil?? I‘m afraid it would burn.) Anyway, heat the honey and pour in vinegar and water, and return to a boil. (personally I think I’d just dump them all in together and then bring to a boil). Reduce heat to simmer, scrape seeds from vanilla bean into mix and then add the pod as well. Add garlic if desired. Simmer for 3 min. skimming off any foam that forms. Remove from heat and add rosemary/basil sprig if using and allow to steep for 15 min and then remove the sprig. OR, add a squirt of basil paste if you prefer, or none of the above! Pour mixture over tomatoes in serving dish and allow to marinate for 24 hours.

--Swiss Cheese Fondue

You’ll need a fondue pot for this and they have some very nice, safe, easy to use pots nowadays. Or, you can make the fondue on the stovetop and serve in individual serving cups and this is prob. easier if you’re serving a lot of people. You can also prepare the fondue on the stovetop and then use the pot for serving.

For dipping (traditionally only bread is used, but some people like to switch it up)

French or other sturdy bread (can make or use low-sodium)
Vegetables that are either ok raw (like mushroom) or sturdy when steamed (broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus)
Apple or Pear slices
Small shrimp or scallops, cooked and cooled
Minisausages, ****d chicken/turkey, and/or meatballs for the carnivores (cooked!)

1 garlic clove, smashed
1/4 c kirsch (you can get this in any liquor store, don’t be tempted to skip it, it’s integral)
2 t cornstarch
1 lb Gruyère cheese, shredded
1 lb Swiss, shredded (technically, you are supposed to use “Emmenthaler” Swiss cheese)
3 oz. cream cheese
1 ¼ c white wine

Rub the inside of the fondue pot with the garlic clove (this adds very little garlic but does add some flavor.) Dissolve cornstarch in kirsch. Set aside. Put the fondue pot on medium or use medium setting on your stove burner. Add wine and cheeses. Heat while stirring until the cheeses melt. Add kirsch and keep stirring until the sauce is smooth and bubbly, about 20 min.

Set up your fondue pot stand and burner (if you need to) and transfer the pot to the stand. The burner flame (or tabletop cooker) should just be hot enough that the sauce stays warm enough to eat, but not scalding. Any hotter and the cheese will burn on the bottom.

--Red Velvet Cake

I just made this for my son’s 20th birthday. A nice way to get a hint of chocolate without overdoing it.

For cake:

1/2 c unsalted butter
1 1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
2 oz red food coloring (or red and green, separated - you‘ll need 1 part green to 2 parts red or vice versa - the food coloring does not have to be exactly measured)
2 heaping T cocoa
1 cup buttermilk (or you can use sweet milk with 1 T vinegar stirred into it - this turns it into buttermilk. You can use skim if you like or whole if you want a little extra flavor.)
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 t vanilla
1 t baking soda
1 t vinegar

Cream butter, sugar and eggs. Make a paste of food coloring, vanilla, and cocoa. (if you want to make red AND green layers, divide batter into thirds and make one third green, 2 thirds red, or vice versa) Add to creamed mixture. Add buttermilk alternating with flour. Add soda to vinegar (it will foam) and blend into the batter. Pour into 3 greased and floured 8" cake pans. (I used a 13 x 9 cake pan instead because I was just making a red cake). Bake at 350°F for 24-30 minutes.

For frosting:
3 T flour
1 c milk (skim is ok, but it’s Christmas so feel ok about using whole)
1 c sugar
1 t vanilla
1 c unsalted butter (no substitutions)

Add milk to flour slowly, whisking well.. Cook flour and milk until very thick, stirring constantly with your whisk. Cool completely in fridge (this will take 30 min or so and DON‘T RUSH. Cream sugar, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Add to cooked mixture. Beat, high speed, until very fluffy. Looks and tastes like whipped cream. This frosting is actually a nice treat to make on the girl diet - put a little on a rice cake and it’s suddenly a dessert!

Makes 12 servings (we cut it smaller than that tho) 511 cals, 25 g fat, 5 g pro, and the sodium is only what’s in the eggs, milk, and soda.

New Year’s Eve