Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Anti-candida Christmas dinner

The anti-candida diet has become so much a part of me that it seldom bothers me to sit across from someone eating desserts or bread or other carb-loaded foods. That is until the holidays roll around. Then, it starts to bother me again. All the traditional Christmas foods are paraded in front of me via advertising, parties, etc.

It's hard to not feel a bit resentful but this year, I've planned a counterattack because I want to stay as mellow as my cat, Pumpkin, sleeping under the Christmas tree in the photo above. I've carefully planned and even tried the recipes for my anti-candida Christmas dinner. Here's what I have planned for dinner:

  1. Appetizer: cucumber slices, red pepper triangles and other raw veggies with chickpea dip.
  2. Salad: mixed greens or spinach with dried cranberries and avocado.
  3. Entree: roasted free-range turkey. 
  4. Sides: mashed rutabaga/cauliflower blend; roasted brussel sprouts; green beans.
  5. Dessert: ACD-safe vanilla frozen dessert topped with trail mix (cacao bits, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, dried cranberries).
I started my counterattack several days ago by making the dried cranberries. The ones you buy in the store are soaked in sugar which will not work for low-glycemic folks. I'm planning to use the dried cranberries in the salad and as an ingredient in the trail mix.

If you like cranberries a lot, it's a good idea right now to grab a few extra packages while they are cheaper and available, and stow them in the freezer. Here's the procedure/recipe I followed for drying cranberries.

Drying cranberries

  1. Place one bag of fresh or frozen cranberries into a pot with water. Bring the cranberries and water to boil.
  2. Allow the cranberries to sit in the water long enough to burst. Drain the water from the cranberries. Add stevia (either liquid or powder) and toss to coat the cranberries.
  3. Spread the cranberries on a baking sheet. Place in the freezer for at least two hours. The instructions I followed indicated that cranberries dehydrate faster when frozen first. It still took a long, long, long time.
  4. Place the cranberries onto a sheet in a food dehydrator. Allow to dehyrate for 12+ hours. Begin checking after 10 hours to remove the ones that are dry. Note: You could dry the cranberries in your oven as well at 250 degrees.
  5. Store the dried cranberries in a container in the freezer until ready to use.
Well, that completes round one. Next up, making the trail mix which I will use as a topping for the vanilla frozen dessert.

This is super easy. Just toast some pumpkin and sunflower seeds either in a heavy skillet on the stovetop, or in the oven on a baking sheet at 325 degrees. I prefer the stovetop because I can monitor them more carefully. I start by spraying the pan with pan spray and dumping in one cup of each type of seeds. Spread the seeds around; spray with additional pan spray to coat; and salt to taste. Toast the seeds on medium heat until they begin to pop.

Allow the seeds to cool before mixing with 2 T. dried cranberries and 2 T. cacao bits. Store in the freezer to keep yourself from nibbling.

The mashed cauliflower/rutabaga mixture is my project for tonight. Post, directions and picture coming.

6 comments:

Eat To Live said...

Mmmmm ... I am coming to your house for Christmas dinner!!

shinywhiny said...

Sounds delish, i've been planning my christmas dinner for a while now too. It really does take some planning. I still have to sort out dessert but am thinking of trying to make some icecream with coconut milk. Going to do a trial run tonight so keep your fingers crossed for me!

http://cantdocandida.blogspot.com/

Sheree Welshimer said...

We had the same thought for dessert: ice cream. I'm making mine with unsweetened almond milk since I can't seem to tolerate coconut milk.

I will be keeping my fingers crossed for you.

R said...

Hello Sheree! I've stumbled across your blog as I was looking for some recipes... I am also a candida-sufferer, for almost 2 years at least. I would like to ask if you are aware of the Body Ecology Diet? It is an anti-candida diet that has helped me significantly with my battle. You can find out more from www.bodyecology.com and http://www.facebook.com/BodyEcology . The key to restoring the balance of the digestive tract is with fermented foods, which has helped me eliminate my sugar cravings. I hope this helps you in your journey!

aldrin james said...

Wow! How I wish that I read this blog before Christmas. I am sure that my family is going to love that dinner. Thank you for sharing this.

candida diet recipes

Sheree Welshimer said...

Thanks for the comment. You can use the same plan anytime but just do turkey tenderloin or chicken breast instead of the full turkey roast.