Here we are in mid-December, and if you’re like me, you’ve still got quite a list of folks to gift! One of my favorite ways to show appreciation for the many people in my life who I’m grateful for–including my mechanic, mail carrier, staff in my kids’ doctors offices, the admin folks at their schools, George’s therapists, June’s dance teacher–is to make them something delicious from my kitchen. I have a big list and a limited budget, so I always look for something that serves a big bang for a small buck! This year, I’ve been working on my spiced nut recipes and am really excited to share it with you! Most recipes for spiced nuts have tons of butter and refined sugar, but these are super tasty with just a bit of honey.

Because I believe that cooking is a great way to create connection and communication with my kids, I like to get them involved in the process of making the gifts we’re going to share. Last year, my son George, who is 8 and has autism, had a blast making these nuts and we’re planning to get started again this week.

By the way, on Friday, December 9th, I’ll be doing a free, live webinar on gluten-free, casein-free cooking for Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa. It’ll be just 30 minutes or so starting at 11:30am EST. Please join me!

I’ll show you the recipe with some pictures of our process below:

Spiced Nuts

Ingredients:

• 3 cups nuts of your choice (try walnuts, almonds, pecans, etc.)
• 1 egg white
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 t. cinnamon
• 1 t. cardamom
• 1/2 t. sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Help your child unroll some foil over a baking sheet.

3. Look at the nut selections and measure out three cups of your favorite nuts.

4. Your child can dump them out onto the baking sheet.

5. Show your child how to spread the nuts evenly over the baking sheet.

6. Mix the egg white and honey in a small bowl. Help your child measure the spices and salt and add to the egg-honey mixture.

7. Slowly pour over the nuts.

8. Bake for 15-20 minutes until nuts are crisp but not burned!

When the nuts cool down, your kids can help put them into small jars and wrap with pretty ribbons. Be sure to save some for your family to enjoy. Beware: These nuts are addictive!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup coconut oil
• 6 tbsp unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 – 1 ¼ cup agave
• 2 cup gluten-free flour mix
• ¼ c flax meal
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 ½ tsp xanthan gum
• 1 cup chopped nuts and/or dried fruits

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, apple sauce, salt, vanilla, and evaporated cane juice. In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, flax meal, baking soda, and xanthan gum. Using a rubber spatula, carefully add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until a grainy dough is formed. Gently fold in the chocolate chips just until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.

3. Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, in 1-inch-diameter portions, spacing them 1 inch apart. Gently press each with the heel of your hand to help them spread.

4. Bake the cookies on the center rack for 15 minutes, rotating the sheets 180 degrees after 9 minutes. The finished cookies will be crisp on the edges and soft in the center.

5. Let the cookies stand on the sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely before covering.

Peach Cream Sauce

By Edgar Steele,
NFCA Chef Spokesman

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 lb. peaches (yellow or white), pitted and chopped
• 1⁄2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp. honey
• pinch salt
• 1 quart isi bottle with 1 no. 2 cartridge

1. Place all ingredients into a blender and blend on high speed, until the mix is smooth, liquid and free of lumps. Pass the mixture through a fine mesh strainer if there are any lumps left after blending.
2. Place this mixture into the refrigerator and allow to chill completely.
3. Put the cold mixture into the isi bottle and charge the bottle with one no2 gas charger. Shake the bottle for about 30 seconds.
4. Use the cream as a garnish on any dessert.

Ingredients:

• 1 package ground turkey
• ¼ cup gluten-free flour mix, potato flour or millet flour
• 2 tablespoons liquid aminos
• 1 egg
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Cumin
• Turmeric

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl.

3. Form 1-inch balls with your hands.

4. Place in glass pan.

5. Cover with foil.

6. Cook in oven for 30 minutes.

7. Remove foil and cook for 10 more minutes.

8. Remove from oven and drain off liquid.

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1 ½ cups certified gluten-free oat pancake mix, plus 2 extra tablespoons
• 6 oz. organic chocolate yogurt
• 6 oz organic vanilla soy milk (yogurt and milk used instead of buttermilk)

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together. Use a little more of the mix if needed to create a thick enough batter.

2. Pour ¼ cup on the griddle.

3. To be creative, oil a fun shaped cookie cutter and place on griddle. Then pour batter inside, and once bubbles start forming and popping, remove cutter and then flip over.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup gluten-free flour mix
• 1/2 cup cashew nut flour
• 1 cup ground/chopped cashews
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• ½ cup gluten-free chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 2/3 sticks of butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix all dry ingredients, excluding chopped nuts and chocolate chips.

3. Add butter and mix.

4. Add nuts and chocolate chips.

5. On a non-greased baking ban, bake 6-7 minutes. Remove and cool at least 5 minutes.