Christmas Recipes 2021

The Merge Health Team has collated some of our favourite Christmas recipes again this year! We hope they have you feeling inspired and excited to fill your plates with nourishing goodness. One of the great joys of the festive season is sharing food with people you love the most, why not make it nutritious too?!

Kate’s Christmas Zinger

Ingredients:
Juice of 1 lemon
Grapefruit vodka
San Pel Sparkling water
Splash of bitters
⅓ cup Ginger (sugar free)
Kombucha or remaining San Pel Sparkling water
Ice blocks

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Oscar’s Pear Salad with Rocket

Ingredients:
Rocket Leaves
Pear, thinly sliced
Fennel, thinly sliced
Prosciutto
Walnut roughly chopped
Dates roughly chopped
Drizzle of Macadamia oil
Cashew Cheese chunks if desired!
Fennel Fronds to serve

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Sarah’s Cruciferous Christmas Salad

Ingredients:
1 bunch beetroot (approx 6)
1 head cauliflower
1 head broccoli
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
2 cups watercress
1/2 cup red fruit (cherries, raspberries or cranberries)
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 orange, zest & juice
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt to taste

Method:
Boil the beetroots whole. When tender, drain the water & let cool. Wipe the skin off & then cut into wedges.

Cut the cauliflower & broccoli into florets, then boil until tender.

Once cooled, assemble the salad in a shallow bowl-broccoli, cauliflower, beetroot, watercress, parsley, sliced almonds, red fruit, and a quarter of the orange zest.

In a clean jar, pour the vinegar, olive oil, the bulk of the orange zest, and orange juice. Shake vigorously to combine. Drizzle half over salad, leaving the remainder to be added when you are ready to eat.

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Steph’s Chocolate Salted Caramel Reishi Bites
Serves 7-8

Salted Caramel Filling
Ingredients:
1/2 cup sunflower seeds or 1/2 cup sunflower meal
2 tablespoons coconut flour
2 tablespoons coconut cream (Ayam coconut cream is a good option!)
3 tablespoons ghee, melted
Stevia to taste
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Pinch of salt
To make this recipe extra special we like to add 2 teaspoons of Nutra Organics-Lunar Latte with Reishi!

Method:
Blend down the sunflower seeds to a fine meal.

Add in all of the remaining ingredients including the coconut flour, coconut cream, ghee, sweetener, vanilla essence and salt, and continue to blend.
Roll into desired shape using a tablespoon at a time.

Place some baking paper on top of a plate, and then place the individual treats on top of the baking paper.
Put them all in the freezer to set, and then prepare the chocolate!

Chocolate Coating
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons melted ghee or coconut oil
2 tablespoons cacao powder
Stevia or Maple Syrup to taste

Method:
Gently melt oil or ghee in a saucepan on low heat. Combine in a little bowl the three ingredients and mix until smooth.
With a spoon, coat the caramel filling in the chocolate and then remove with a fork, and then place them back on top of the baking paper and into the freezer or fridge to set.
Make sure you have them from the fridge, not the freezer! Enjoy!

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Tania’s Healthy Gingerbread Cookies
Serves 15

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups almond meal
1/4 cup arrowroot or tapioca starch
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon Jomeis Balsamic Reduction
Extra arrowroot or tapioca starch, for rolling & cutting

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl combined the almond meal, starch, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda and stir to combine. Add in the coconut oil, maple syrup and molasses and stir again until a sticky dough is formed.

To make cut-out cookies, place the dough in the freezer for 30 minutes to help it firm up(You could also place it in the fridge overnight, if you want to make this a day in advance.) Place the dough in the centre of a large piece of parchment paper and sprinkle it with a bit of arrowroot or tapioca starch to help prevent sticking. Using a rolling pin to roll the dough into a flat sheet, about 1/4-inch thick. Pull away the excess dough to reveal each shape, and re-roll the dough to create more shapes.

Bake the cookies at 180°C for about 10 minutes for cookies with a soft centre, or 14 to 15 minutes for a more crisp cookie (The edges should brown for a crispier cookie). Allow them to cool completely on the pan before icing and serving. They will firm up as they cool.
Leftover cookies can be stored uncovered on the counter for up to 3 days, or you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.