Healthy hot chocolate
It may be hard to believe but this simple hot chocolate recipe is full of good fats, which takes a little bit of the guilt out of a favourite Christmas treat.
- 300ml almond milk
- 2 tsp of raw cacao
- 1 or 2 tbsp of honey depending on how sweet you like it
- 1 tsp of almond butter
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Gently heat all the ingredients in a saucepan over a low heat, stirring to make sure everything is mixed well. When hot, pour into your favourite mug, sprinkle on some ground cinnamon and enjoy. It also goes well with slippers, a fire and your favourite Christmas film.
Cranberry and red wine chutney
Not much beats the combination of cranberries and turkey, so give this great chutney a go; the red wine and berries combine to make a rich flavour. If you want, double or triple the recipe, and give the chutney as a great Christmas gift for family and friends.
- 300g caster sugar
- 250ml of red wine (dry is best)
- 350g fresh cranberries
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 tbsp of orange peel cut into strips
Firstly pour the red wine and sugar into a medium saucepan, bring it to boil over a medium heat then add the cranberries, cinnamon stick and orange peel. Make sure you bring the mixture back to boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring often. When most of the cranberries have burst, take the chutney off the heat and let in cool for 5 minutes or so. Spoon the chutney into a sterilised jar of your choice - jam or small mason jars work well. Pop it in the fridge over night and you’ll have tasty chutney to enjoy over Christmas.
Spiced party almonds
If you’re going to a Christmas party and want something that’s easy to make but tastes amazing, these spiced almonds will do the trick.
- 500g raw whole almonds
- 90g of light brown sugar
- 2tsp ground cumin
- 1tsp of hot paprika
- 1tsp dried thyme
- 1tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 large egg white
- 1 tbsp of water
Preheat the oven to 140°C/gas mark 1 then add all the spices to a large bowl and give them a good stir. In a separate medium bowl whisk the egg white and water together until foamy then add the almonds, making sure they all get a good coat of the egg mix. Sieve the almonds to drain off any excess mixture and then add them to the bowl of spices, coating them thoroughly. Grab a large baking tray and give it a spray with some cooking oil. Spread the almonds on the tray evenly and bake for 30mins. Give the almonds a mix up and then reduce the heat to 120°C/gas mark 1 for another 30 minutes until dry and golden. Before serving let them cool for 20min then throw them in your favourite bowl and enjoy.
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