Anti-candida Christmas dinner plan

Merry Christmas from Nika, the malamute

There are only six more days until Christmas. Yikes! I'd better get busy planning my anti-candida holiday recipes to keep me on the straight and narrow when Christmas rolls around.

Candida is my Ghost of Christmas past. It keeps revisiting me every time I stray from the anti-candida diet. My enduring candida infection may be tied to my chronic muscle pain and other fibromyalgia symptoms. You guessed it. With that history, I already have recipes ready to go.

Here's my menu plan (subject to change, of course, if the mood strikes me), and all are suitable for ACD Phase 1:

• Cauliflower-pumpkin mash with cranberry-pumpkin seed pesto (Note: this can be a main entree or side dish if serving a meat protein)
• Asparagus bundles wrapped with grilled red pepper strips
• Pumpkin coconut biscuits
• Squash pie with vanilla soft-serve ice cream
• Grilled veggies, such as cauliflower, asparagus, red peppers, broccoli
• Tossed salad with baby greens and veggies

Cauliflower-Pumpkin Mash with Cranberry-Pumpkin Pesto and Asparagus Bundles

Cauliflower-Pumpkin Mash with Cranberry-Pumpkin Seed Pesto and Asparagus Bundles (wrapped with grilled red pepper strips)

Here's what you need for one serving with some for leftovers:

For the mash:
Steamed cauliflower florets from one third of a medium head of cauliflower
1 cup of pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)
1 T. tahini (or other nut or seed butter)
1/4 cup+ hemp milk (or other dairy-free beverage)
salt and pepper

For the cranberry-pumpkin seed pesto:
1 cup of frozen whole cranberries
1/2 cup water
stevia to taste
leaves from two stalks of kale
2 T. toasted pumpkin seeds
drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper
Optional: extra pumpkin seeds for sprinkling on top

For the asparagus bundles:
6 asparagus stalks, trimmed
grilled red pepper strips

Here's what you do:

For the mash:
Steam the cauliflower florets for about 4-5 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before putting them in your food processor. Add the other ingredients and pulse until thick and creamy. Remove the mash from the food processor and set it aside.

For the cranberry-pumpkin seed pesto:
Prepare the cranberries. Place them in a medium saucepan with the water and stevia. Heat to boiling and allow the cranberries to pop. Continue simmering until a cranberry sauce is formed. Set aside to cool.

Once the cranberries are cool, toss them in your food processor, along with the kale leaves and pumpkin seeds. Add a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper, and pulse to form your pesto. Remove and set aside.

For the asparagus bundles:
Grill red pepper strips in a grill pan or oven. Wrap red pepper strips around bundles of two asparagus stalks. Make three or more bundles.  Return to grill to cook the asparagus until crisp and tender.

Plate up your delicious Christmas dinner entree as shown above.

Coconut pumpkin biscuits

Next post: coconut pumpkin biscuits.
http://catsinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2012/12/coconut-pumpkin-biscuits-for-acd.html
Get more Christmas recipes here: http://catsinthekitchen.blogspot.com/p/acd-holiday-recipes.html
or here http://www.dietdessertndogs.com/2012/12/20/wellness-weekend-december-20-24/