Delicious Gluten-Free Healthy Holiday Meal

This special occasion vegetarian dinner is easy to prepare and a balanced meal in terms of acid/alkaline and food combining. The most time consuming is the nut loaf but it is so delicious that it is worth it and does not take as much time as cooking a turkey.

Everyone will LOVE this meal. It is all also gluten and sugar free.

The Meal Includes:

Nutritious Nut Loaf

Sugar-Free Cranberry Sauce

Baked Squash with Vegetables

Asparagus with Lemon Juice

Wheat-Free Ginger Cake

Links to all the recipes are above. Basic ingredients are listed below for your quick review.

Gingerbread Cake: Gluten-Free & Sugar-Free

Ingredients:

3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup rice syrup
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup water
1/4 – 1/3 cup fresh ginger, grated
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup potato flour
1/2 cup flax meal
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. stevia
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

1.    Combine vegetable oil, rice syrup, molasses, flax meal and ginger in a bowl.
2.    Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a separate bowl.
3.    Stir half of the flour mixture into the wet mixture.
4.    Mix well.
5.    Add water.
6.    When mixed well, stir in the remaining dry ingredients.
7.    Pour into an oiled, floured 8 inch square pan.
8.    Bake at 400º F. for 35 to 45 minutes.
9.    Serve with applesauce.

Nut Loaf

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cashews
1/2 cup almonds
10 almonds for decoration
2/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup walnuts (chopped)
1 cup short grain brown rice
1/3 cup soya flour
4 – 6 Tbsp tamari, soya sauce or Braggs
1 onion
2 pieces of celery
1/4 cup water
2 tsp basil
2 tsp. marjoram
2 Tbsp flax meal

Directions:

1.    Lightly roast cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds in the oven.
2.    Chop and sauté onion and celery.
3.    Chop all the nuts and seeds.
4.    Mix all the ingredients together and moistening with water.
5.    Pat mixture into a well-oiled bread tin.
6.    Decorate top with 10 almonds and line bottom of tin with grease proof paper.
7.    Bake at 350º F for 25 to 35 minutes.
8.    Serve with mushroom or onion gravy.

Usually the problem with cranberry sauce is that it is full of sugar. Here is my version of the popular Cranberry Sauce without any sugar which is no easy thing when is comes to cranberries as they are so tart.

Cranberry Sauce (sugar free)

Ingredients:

1 package whole, organic cranberries (fresh, not frozen)
1 organic apple, cored and chopped
1 cup apple juice
1/4 cup organic, brown rice syrup
1 tsp stevia (Sunny Dew is best)
Pinch of salt

Directions:

1.    Put all ingredients into a sauce pan and let simmer for a few moments.
2.    Remove and let cool.
3.    Taste and add more stevia or brown rice syrup if you like it sweeter.

Nutritional Tips: Cranberries are high in vitamin C, and have antioxidant and antibacterial effects in the body.

In clinical studies, cranberries have been shown to help maintain a healthy urinary tract and be especially beneficial to the eyes (they significantly improve symptoms of cataracts, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy).

Asparagus with Lemon Juice

Ingredients:

1 pound asparagus, washed, trimmed and cut diagonally into 2 inch lengths
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon juiced
Dash of Spike seasoning

Directions:

1.    Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over low heat.
2.    Add asparagus and cover and cook for 5 minutes.
3.    Add Spike and stir cook an additional 1 minute.
4.    Add lemon juice, stir well and serve.

Nutritional Tips: Asparagus is full of nutrients! It is a very good source of vitamin K, the B vitamin folate, vitamin C, vitamin A and also numerous B vitamins (B1, B2, B3 and B6) as well manganese, copper, phosphorus, potassium and protein.

Here is a simple dish to make and have in the oven at the same time as your nut loaf.
Baked Squash with Vegetables

Ingredients:

1 medium squash
2 sweet potatoes
2 medium carrots
2 parsnips
10 very small onions
3 – 7 cloves garlic, sliced (optional)
1 tsp rosemary
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil or butter
Salt to taste

Directions:

1.    Cut carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes and squash into 2 inch pieces.
2.    Remove skins from onions and leave whole.
3.    Place all vegetables into a glass casserole dish.
4.    Mix in sliced garlic, rosemary, vegetable oil, and sprinkle with salt.
5.    Bake in 400º F. oven for 45 to 60 minutes till tender.
6.    Stir occasionally while baking.