Mystery ingredient (cauliflower) truffles

Happy Holidays from dog buddies: Misha, Kona and Nika. Also pictured Sheree and son, Brian.

Here's the gang wishing you a Merry Christmas. It looks like we're ready to go on an Arctic expedition because, even though we have no snow, it's burrr cold outside.

Misha takes over the couch.

Misha looks relaxed here but he's really on Santa's naughty list. He's not supposed to be on the couch at all. Yesterday, he and Nika made our living room into a track and chased each other around and around. It's a good thing we have put off replacing our 12-year-old carpeting. Maybe that will be a Christmas present next year when the two are a little more tame.

Nika sneaking food

Nika is high on Santa's naughty list as well. Here she gets busted trying to sneak some extra food out of the container where it's kept.

My toy. No, my toy.

They're not trying very hard to get off Santa's bad list. Here they fight over a toy that actually belongs to Bailey, our cat.

Keep it a secret. These treats contain cauliflower.

I love winter, especially if it snows, but the season of being more indoors creates issues for me, healthwise. During the warmer months, I can get away with relaxing my low-glycemic diet but not so during the winter. Too many carbs and I start experiencing stomach and sinus problems. That's why I have to keep away from even low-glycemic sweeteners and grains during these months.

I'm focusing more on veggies, basically the anti-candida diet with a few exceptions. You know just a bit of chocolate here and there. I got to wondering if I could make a treat with veggies as the centerpiece but still include enough chocolate to get my fix. It worked in the form of Cauliflower cookie dough truffles. To be perfectly honest, I can't tell the truffles contain cauliflower.

Freeze these up once you've got them made and keep them on hand for your treat fix. Just pop one in the microwave for about 12 seconds and it's perfect to eat.

Cauliflower Cookie Dough Truffles

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 medium cauliflower, riced in food processor (just toss small pieces of your washed and trimmed cauliflower in the food processor and pulse until the cauliflower looks like rice).
2. 3 T. unsweetened sunbutter or other nut or seed butter of choice
3. 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
4. 2 T. cacao nibs
5. powdered stevia to taste
6. Options: if candida is not an issue, throw in some agave nectar and/or vanilla extract.
7. For chocolate glaze: 1 T. coconut oil, 2 T. cacao powder, 1 T. sunbutter, stevia to taste and other sweetener if candida not an issue.

Directions:

1. Rice the cauliflower and add in other ingredients and pulse to mix.
2. Shape the dough into balls and freeze on cookie sheets in the freezer.
3. In the meantime, prepare the chocolate dip by melting the coconut oil and blending in the sunbutter, cacao powder and stevia.
4. Dip the frozen truffles in the chocolate sauce. Remove to wax-paper covered cookie sheet to allow chocolate the harden in the freezer.
5. To eat, thaw the balls out slightly or place in the microwave for about 12 seconds.

Recipe contributed to: http://www.dietdessertndogs.com/2011/12/22/wellness-weekend-holiday-edition-december-22-26-2011/