Christmas Orange Salad with Coconut Cream Dressing

Tis the season friends …well, almost!

I know its only November, but with how early the stores start playing Christmas music and putting up holiday decorations, no matter how annoying it may be to some…you cant help but start thinking festive a little in advance.

With that in mind, I love Christmas and almost equally, I love Christmas oranges (aka.Mandarin/Tangerine oranges). They are delicious and much easier to peel and eat on the go compared to the regular orange varieties, however, it is unlike me to leave well enough alone, so I decided to create a tasty winter salad with them and top it off with a dairy free creamy coconut milk dressing…yum!

Salad may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of wintry foods, but after all those heavy and starchy comfort foods…it may be just what your body needs to de-puff and boost immunity in the season of people getting sick.

Christmas oranges pack a big punch of vitamin C, fiber, vitamin A and several times the amount of flavonoid anti-oxidants compared to regular oranges. So stay regular, and well with these delicious tangerine spheres of goodness!

P.S. This recipe is also excellent topped with baked chicken

Christmas Orange Salad with Coconut Cream Dressing

Ingredients:

1 Bunch Romain lettuce
1/2 Cucumber sliced and quartered
1/4 Cup organic walnuts
1/2 Pomegranate of aerials
1 Christmas (Mandarin) orange peeled

Dressing:

1 can full fat coconut milk (if you are dairy friendly and want easy…use organic plain yogurt)
1 Tbsp Raw honey
Fresh grated lemon zest

Directions:

Place your can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight so the creamy thick part rises to the top, leaving the water below. Scoop the coconut cream off the top of the can and add it to a large bowl, leaving the coconut water within the can or add in a small amount to make your dressing thinner (you can use the leftover in smoothies). Add in your room temperature honey and lemon zest and whisk. Place your dressing in the fridge to set for 30 mins. If using yogurt, just add the honey and lemon to 1 cup of yogurt, mix and use desired amount. Wash and prepare veggies and fruit, top with dressing and walnuts and eat up!!

Dalyce – Your Holistic Lifestylist XO

When you think of having a “cheat meal”, what comes to mind?

For me the answer is almost always Mexican food! You know, the Tex Mex version…not really too much like authentic Mexican food, which can actually be pretty healthy. Nope, I am thinking more like high in not whole grain carbs, ridiculously large and smothered in cheese! Is anyone else now hungry?? ;P

That being said, since I have learned about nutrition on a deeper level than just fat content and calorie counting…I see a whole lot more wrong with those types of meals, and it is now harder for me to indulge in them (harder, not impossible…I am human). For the most part, I keep my eating very clean and conscious. If I do eat out, I would try to find a restaurant with a more authentic, ethical and fresh approach to their ingredients. Usually though, it is healthier, cheaper and easier to make my own version of my fave foods, and that is what I have done here!

Stuffed peppers are a very easy, fast and healthful option to get your Mexi fix, and although I am not reinventing the wheel here, I thought it was worth sharing my take on this clean “cheat” to inspire you to try them if you haven’t (where have you been!?;), or maybe give you a new flavor idea for your next batch:)

Tex-Mex Stuffed Peppers

serves 4

Ingredients

1/2 large tomato diced
1 lb organic ground turkey (or mashed chickpeas for vegan-just toss with other cooked ingredients and roughly mash)
1/2 cup onion chopped fine
1 clove garlic crushed
1 cup mushrooms sliced
2 large bell peppers halved lengthwise
2 Tbsp pickled jalapenos or banana peppers chopped fine
Taco seasoning – either homemade (recipe below, or cleanest no msg version you can find)
Fresh cilantro chopped for inside and some to garnish
Optional: 1/4 cup black beans, (I don’t use corn because of extra cooking for fresh or most other is GMO), 1/2 cup daiya vegan shreds or grated organic skim mozzarella ( I like Paradise Island).

Salt free mexi spice mix

1 serving for 1 lb of protein

1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or dried garlic

Directions

Pre mix your spice blend and set aside. Clean and cut all veggies. Saute your onions, mushrooms and garlic until lightly browned. Add in turkey and cook until no longer pink, add in spice mix, stir well. Add 3/4 cup water and stir. Cook over medium heat until the water is

fully absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside. Place pepper halves open side down in a pan with an inch of simmering water and allow to steam until lightly softened (still standing in shape) not overcooked or mushy. Approx 5 minutes. Remove peppers and place on a foiled baking sheet (if you are melting cheese, if not you can plate them). Stir diced tomatoes and jalapenos and cilantro into your meat mix and spoon into each pepper evenly. Top with shredded daiya or cheese and bake just until melted and a bit browned. Top with cilantro sprig and serve 🙂

Enjoy xo

Macros: 1 serving of half pepper, without cheese, or optional ingredients.The meat is measured into 3 1/2 ounce portions per half pepper.

Calories: 183

Fat: 6.8

Carbs: 10.4

Protein: 17.1

Fiber: 3.1

Posts Tagged ‘#lowsodium’