The holidays mean consuming endless carbs, delightful sweets, and sugar-filled cocktails (it’s not just us, right?). And we all know this can’t be helped during the most festive time of the year — or can it?
Lucky for us, barre3 (one of the best strength and core workouts) provided us with three holiday dishes that taste delicious yet are still nutritious and healthy to eat! From savory soup to donuts, you can whip up these recipes and serve at your next holiday party! Your guests won’t even know they’re made from whole foods and contain a balance of protein, fiber, and healthy fats to nourish your body and sustain your energy.
Liquid Gold Mocktail
Ingredients
½ of a small pear, core and seeds removed, cut into thin slices
2 tablespoons ginger-honey syrup (recipe below)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3-4 ice cubes, plus crushed ice for serving
1/4 cup kombucha
Ginger-honey syrup:
½ cup honey
½ cup water
⅛ cup sliced ginger
Pinch of salt
Directions
1. Set two slices of pear aside and muddle the rest in a cocktail shaker.
2. Add the ginger-honey syrup, the lemon juice, and the ice cubes and shake.
3. Strain into a glass with crushed ice and fill with kombucha. Garnish with the remaining two pear slices.
Ginger-honey syrup
1. In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients. Stir, cover, and bring to a simmer for five minutes.
2. Remove from heat and let rest for one hour before straining through a fine-mesh strainer (if you don’t have a strainer, you can just pick out the ginger slices). The ginger-honey syrup will last for two weeks in the refrigerator.
Dark Chocolate Donut Holes
Ingredients
1-1/2 cups almonds (raw) or roasted hazelnuts
5 tablespoons cacao powder (raw)
1 cup dates (pitted)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Large handful coconut (finely shredded for rolling)
Directions
1. Place all ingredients in food processor and pulse until desired consistency is obtained. Go for a cookie-dough like texture with not a lot of large chunks. You may need to add a little water.
2. Scoop out rounded spoonfuls with something like a mini ice cream scoop or a melon-baller.
3. Roll the dough between your palms to make a sphere.
4. Roll that ball in the finely shredded coconut.
5. Place finished balls on a plate, cookie sheet, or glass storage container.
6. Let sit in freezer for an hour or so before eating.
7. Store in freezer or fridge.
Curry Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash (about 6 cups), cut into 1/2 pieces
2 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon curry powder
Salt and chili flakes to taste
1 quart vegetable stock or chicken stock
1/2 cup coconut milk, plus more for garnishing
2 cups cooked quinoa
3 scallions, thinly sliced
Cilantro and mint for garnish
1 tablespoon (per serving) cashews, for garnish
Directions
1. Heat oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. When hot, add sliced onion and carrot. Once soft and translucent, add ginger and garlic.
2. While the vegetables cook, peel squash, cut in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Cut into small pieces. Add to the pot along with curry powder, stock, a pinch of salt and chili flake, and turn heat to low.
3. Simmer covered until the squash is very tender. Transfer soup to a food processor or blender, and add coconut milk. Purée until smooth. Taste again, and add salt to taste. If soup is too thick, add more stock or water.
4. Place a scoop of quinoa in serving bowls and pour hot soup on top.
5. Garnish with the fresh herbs, scallions, cashews, and coconut milk.
Find hundreds of satisfying, seasonal, healthy recipes in the b3 kitchen.
xx, The FabFitFun Team
