Delicious Christmas

Christmas comes with many traditions, in which food undoubtedly plays a big part. It tends to be very important that certain dishes are served, which often are also only associated with Christmas. As food is such a big deal and as it is usually very delicious, it is hard not to overeat. Unfortunately, many struggle with overeating and gaining weight during the holiday season. My tip is to have only one serving of food keeping in mind that there might just be leftovers for the next day.

Finland is a great example of a country where certain foods are almost exclusively served at Christmas. The Christmas tradition in Finland calls for ham, meat stew, carrot casserole, swede/rutabaga casserole, liver casserole, beet root salad, Karelian pies and cold smoked salmon. For dessert there is plum pudding, gingerbread cookies, star pastries and mulled wine. Oh, and of course, a lot of chocolate! 

 
My favorite Christmas dish is plum pudding. With whipped cream it is just heavenly. It is also a surprisingly healthy treat to be a dessert: the sweetness comes only from dried prunes that also have a high fiber and nutrient content. I use preservative (sorbate) free prunes so that as much of the nutrients are preserved. Most prunes have preservatives, but usually one can find the healthier kind in most supermarkets.

The recipe:

1 bag of dried prunes

c. 1 quart water

1 cinnamon stick (optional)

2 tbsp potato or corn starch

Let prunes soak overnight in water. Simmer for 30-40 minutes (with cinnamon stick). Dissolve starch in a small amount of water and pour into the pot with the prunes and mix. Heat until mixture just starts to bubble again. Serve with whipped cream.

The amounts of ingredients can be adjusted for more/less thickness and sweetness. Sugar can be also added.

Now, tell me what your favorite Christmas dish is! Also, if you have a tip on how to avoid the Christmas pounds, please share it!

 

With love, Anna-Kaisa