Document text
By Sarah Lemon for the Mail Tribune November 05. 2014 12:01AM Healthy for the Holidays Pecan Pie With Almond-Chocolate Crust. Photo courtesy of Summer Waters. Tricks for indulging in some healthful holiday treats are within reach at a Medford cooking demonstration and nutrition lecture next week. Pecan pie free of grains and refined sugar — but packed with nuts and enriched with chocolate — will headline the next “Nourishing Foods” class at Wise Women Care Associates. It’s a traditional dessert beloved this month but in a version that lavishes some love on blood-sugar levels and the digestive tract, says instructor Summer Waters. Her Thursday, Nov. 13, class is for anyone “looking for that stunning dessert that doesn’t have the kids bouncing off the walls afterwards,” as well as people looking to satisfy their sweet tooth throughout the season with wholesome alternatives to refined sugar. “They want to know how to do it in a smart way,” says Waters, a certified nutritional therapist. “It really is a paradigm shift for people.” Consuming more healthful fats, such as those found in nuts, eggs, coconut and fermented dairy, often surprises clients, says Waters, when she cites it as a strategy for sating the appetite and quelling cravings for foods that pack on the pounds. Her pecan pie boasts not just one, but two nuts, including ground almonds that constitute the crust with some clarified butter, raw honey and dark chocolate. “It’s a healthy dose of nuts,” says Waters. Fats long provided humans with as many as 75 percent of their calories, says Waters. This premise is one of the founding principles of the Weston A. Price Foundation, for which Waters is a local chapter leader. One of her goals is to restore the traditional ratio of whole-foods fat consumption, which has been usurped by carbs and sugars in the modern human diet. Also nutrient-dense, coconut is the base for Waters’ lemon-coconut drop candies, a snowball-like confection that can span the holiday season. For gift-giving, Waters dusts more shaved coconut over the balls, which have been described as “decadent lemon cheesecake bites.” Using only a food processor, Waters plans to demonstrate the no-bake recipe during the two-hour session. “It’s so simple,” she says. Simply offering a drizzle of raw honey over some less-sweet desserts can illuminate the “addictive cycle” of sugar consumption, says Waters. She likes to serve her pecan pie with and without honey and then poll participants about their preferences. “I love to ask questions and get audience participation,” says Waters. Comparing responses can be the first step in realizing that a sweet tooth doesn’t have to prevail over food choices, she says. It’s perhaps the most common dietary pitfall, one that used to rob Waters, a self-professed recovering sugar addict, of the ability to concentrate on tasks at hand. “I really did not feel in control of my life,” she says. “I felt (the effects) right away, but I could not stop myself.” Replacing refined sugar with natural fruit puree in desserts, such as custards and gelees, is one of Waters’ favorite methods. She pairs eggs with naturally sweet coconut milk in a fruit-laden clafoutis. Herbal teas can subtly flavor plain gelatin for festive desserts low in calories, she adds. “It’s just refreshing and light and really satisfying,” she says. “Welcome 2015 without that extra 10 or 15 pounds.” Try these recipes and find more on Waters’ blog at www.summerwaters.com or request her monthly newsletters online.   Pecan Pie With Almond-Chocolate Crust For the crust: 1-1/4 cups blanched almond flour/meal 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) 2 tablespoons honey 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate (or use unsweetened cocoa powder) For the filling: 2 tablespoons agar flakes 1-1/4 cups raw honey 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3 cups whole, shelled pecans, toasted   Preheat oven to 350 F. In large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt and baking soda. In a small saucepan, gently melt the ghee with the honey and dark chocolate. Stir wet ingredients into dry and thoroughly mix. Press mixture on bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 12 minutes until surface of crust loses its sheen and starts to look dry (be careful not to overcook). Remove from oven and cool completely. In a medium saucepan, bring 1-1/2 cups water to boil, add the agar flakes and cook on high heat, stirring frequently, until agar dissolves. It takes about 10 to 12 minutes. Decrease heat and whisk in the honey, vanilla and cinnamon. Continue cooking over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes until all ingredients are well-incorporated. Cool mixture to room temperature and then stir in the pecans. Pour into prepared crust and refrigerate for 1 hour or until pie has set. Serve with whipped cream.   Lemon-Coconut Drop Candies 1 cup coconut cream concentrate (see note) 1/4 to 1/2 cup raw honey (less is better!) 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest Juice of 1 Meyer lemon (or juice of 2 regular lemons) 1 to 3 tablespoons coconut oil or ghee (clarified butter) Unsweetened, flaked coconut, toasted (optional) 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional) Using a food processor or hand mixer, combine the coconut cream concentrate, honey, lemon zest and juice and coconut oil or ghee. Form into balls and roll each in the coconut flakes, if desired. Refrigerate or freeze. You may also press mixture, before rolling in coconut, into candy molds or a mini muffin tin. They will harden when refrigerated. Makes 12 to 24 candies, depending on size. NOTE: Coconut cream concentrate also is known as coconut cream, coconut butter or coconut spread, depending on brand that produces it. Warm it to peanut butter consistency before beginning recipe by putting jar in a bowl of hot water. Reach freelance writer Sarah Lemon at [email protected].             IF YOU GOWhat: “Nourishing Foods: Yummy Desserts That Will Love You Back,” a cooking demonstration and nutrition lecture with Summer WatersWhen: 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13Where: Wise Women Care Associates, 400 Crater Lake Ave., MedfordCost: $15 per personTo register: Call 541-772-2291More information: See www.summerwaters.com/events http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20141105/NEWS/141109995 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->