Healthy Holiday Eating: Apple and Date Galette

The holiday season in upon us and Thanksgiving is quickly approaching.  This time of year may be scary for some as they think about all the temptations that may be at all the holiday parties.  It seems like food is everywhere…work, home, family gatherings, and get together s with friends.

Average Americans gain about one pound of fat from Thanksgiving to New Year’s.  This may or may not seem like a lot to you but think of it as adding 20 sticks of butter to your body.  This is especially harmful if that weight does not come off after the holiday season.  This extra weight can keep accumulating year after year.  What can you do to keep your eating habits in check over the holidays?

Hosting a Party Tips

1.  Use small plates:  Instead of putting out dinner size plates put out small salad or dessert plates.  Studies suggest that people ate 16% more food when using a larger plate.  When test subjects ate from a smaller plate they actually reported that they thought they were eating more than they actually did.

2.  Do not have food out in every room:  Do not feel like you have to have snacks and munchies out in every room for your guests.  Avoid that extra bowl of nuts or candies on a end table.  Help your guests out by remove unnecessary temptations to avoid overeating.  Chances are they will not go hungry.

3.  Avoid serving high calorie drinks:  High calorie drinks like eggnog can have 350 calories or more per glass.  At the same time you want to avoid serving sodas, wine coolers or other chemically laden drinks.  Try serving a sparkling water with lemon slices or a splash of pomegranate juice.

4.  Serve healthy appetizers:  If you do choose to serve appetizers put out some healthy options like hummus and grilled vegetables or fruit trays with a yogurt dip.  Avoid a lot of heavy apps that include meat, white bread, and cheese.

5.  Make the meal plant based:  Your guest may be following different lifestyles: vegan, vegetarian, Paleo, gluten free, or carnivore.  One food that is common in all of these different lifestyles is that they can all eat vegetables.  Only serve one or two carbohydrate loaded side dishes like stuffing, mashed potatoes, or dinner rolls.  Try just serve sweet potatoes instead of white mashed potatoes to increase the nutrients.  Make most of your sides vegetables but keep them simple and light.

Attending a Party

1.  Bring a healthy dish to share:  If you are concerned that the party you are going to will not offer anything healthy you can bring your own dish to share.  This way you will know that their will be at least one item that you can feel good about eating.

2.  Eat a snack before going to the party:  Another thing you can do if you are unsure that their will be healthy options is to eat a small snack beforehand.  You can fill up a little on some thing at home so that you will not overeat later.

3.  Avoid standing at the buffet table:  If you spend all your time looking at food the higher the chance is that you will eat.  If you choose to sample some of the appetizers that is great but avoid going in for seconds, especially if there is a dinner yet to come.

4.  Fill your plate with vegetable:  Think of meat as a side dish.  Fill half of your plate with vegetables and then just take small samples of the carbohydrates and meat.  If you are still hungry after your first plate full even after waiting 15 minutes, take seconds of the vegetables.

5.  Pick the smallest dessert and just have one:  I have been to parties where the dessert spread is on overload.  Instead of having a couple of desserts, pick one thing that is your favorite and have a small piece.  You could even pick something small like a cookie and just have one.  You can also bring you own dessert that you can feel good about eating.  A dessert hummus with sliced fruit is a great option.  I also have another great dessert that would make a perfect addition to any holiday celebration.

My galette has no refined sugar and no white flour.  It has fiber from the apples (including the skin), dates, walnuts, and whole grain flour.  It has healthy fats from the coconut oil and walnuts.  Every single ingredient provides healthy nutrients.

Print

Course Dessert

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings 8

Author Sara

Ingredients

• Crust:
• 2 Cups Whole Grain Flour I used sprouted spelt or your favorite gluten free flour
• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 tsp Fresh Ginger grated (about 1 inch of the root: dried would work too)
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 Tbsp Coconut Sugar
• 4 Tbsp Coconut Oil or Pastured Butter
• 1/2 Cup- 3/4 Cup Cold Water
• Filling:
• 3 Granny Smith Apples thinly sliced (please use organic since we are keeping the skin)
• 1 Cup Dates washed and pitted
• 1/2 Cup Water
• 1 tsp Cinnamon ground
• 1/4 tsp Nutmeg ground
• 1/2 Walnuts or Ginger Snap Granola optional

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a bowl mix together the flour, salt, ginger, lemon zest, and coconut sugar until combined.
3. Add in the coconut oil or butter and with a fork or pastry cutter incorporate the fat until the flour has a crumb consistency.
4. Add 1/2 cup of the cold water and mix in to the dough.
5. Add more water 1 tbsp at a time until the mixture is no longer try and it is staying together.
6. Kneed the dough until everything is well incorporated.
7. Cover and refrigerate.
8. Make the date paste by adding the dates and water to a blender. (I find a blender works better than a food processor)
9. Blend the dates until a paste is formed about 1 min.
10. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg and blend another second.
11. Set the paste aside.
12. Core and slice all your apples and place into another bowl.
13. Cover the apples with the date mixture and set aside.
14. Take your dough out of the fridge and put on a well floured surface (I recommend unbleached parchment paper or a silicone mat for this so that if the dough sticks a little you can still fold the sides over).
15. Using a rolling pin roll the dough out into about an 18 in round.
16. Spread the nuts or granola out onto the dough leaving a 2 inch boarder.
17. Layer the apples into circles around the dough also leaving a 2 inch boarder until the area is covered and you have no more apples.
18. If you have some leftover date paste in your bowl like I did take a pastry brush or your hands and cover the apples with the extra paste.
19. Fold over the 2 inch boarder over the apples.
20. If desired brush the crust with an egg wash, water, or cream.
21. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes until the crust is golden and the apples are soft.
22. Serve hot or room temperature.

Recipe Notes

Feel free to use a food processor to make the dough. Just mix the dry ingredients, then add the fat and pulse until it is crumbly, and finally mix in the water until the dough comes together.

You can make the dough ahead of time, put in the fridge and make the rest later.