Healthy Eating Tips –

If you’re like me, you probably have a few people on your Christmas gift list that are almost impossible to buy for.

Whether it’s your coworker or your kid’s teacher, perhaps you feel a little embarrassed by your lack of creativity year after year to come up with a unique gift for them.

Well, handmade gifts are perfect for those people in your life, and it doesn’t have to be complicated, or time-consuming to be an awesome gift, either!

In fact, the perfect gift for many people is a food gift, but I’m not taking about generic chocolates or stale shortbread here.

I mean something fab, something they really want to receive, something that little bit special… as well as being tasty and healthy, too, of course!

So, here are 9 homemade Christmas food gifts for you to try this year…

#1 Christmas Muesli

by British Chef Gordon Ramsay

Muesli makes a lovely food gift that can easily be made ahead of time, so that it’s ready to give out during the busier days leading up to Christmas.

This would also make a wonderful and easy breakfast for Christmas morning, which you could eat plain with milk, or as Gordon suggests, with Greek yoghurt and a dollop of fruit compote on top.

Serves: 8-10
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
400g porridge oats
75g unsweetened desiccated coconut
100g skinned hazelnuts
100g skinned Brazil nuts, roughly chopped
100g soft light brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon or mixed spice
1 tsp ground ginger
180ml water
120ml flavorless oil
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp fine sea salt
75g pitted dates, roughly chopped
75g dried apricots, roughly chopped
75g dried cranberries 50g crystallized ginger, finely chopped (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Combine the oats, coconut, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, brown sugar and ground spices in a large bowl. Mix well.
2. Whisk together the water, oil, vanilla and salt and then stir into the dry ingredients.
3. Spread the mixture out in two large, shallow roasting trays. Roast in the oven for 20–30 minutes, stirring and swapping the trays occasionally, until the muesli is golden and crisp, checking frequently towards the end. Leave to cool.
4. Stir in the dried fruit and crystallized ginger. Store in an airtight container.

If you are packing this up as a gift, place the muesli into a glass jar and give with a small jar of fruit compote.

Here’s Eating Well’s recipe for Fig-Anise Compote, if you want to try making your own.

#2 Marinated Feta and Olives

by Better Homes and Gardens

Makes: 20 servings
Serving size: 1/4 cup
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Marinate: 4 to 6 hours

Ingredients
16 ounces feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup pitted kalamata olives
1 cup pitted green olives
1/2 cup jarred roasted red peppers, cut into strips
1 red onion, cut into thin wedges
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh oregano, finely chopped Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

1. In a large bowl combine cheese, olives, peppers, and onions.
2. In a screw-top jar, combine the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, thyme, oregano, and pepper. Cover and shake well. Pour over mixture in the bowl; toss gently to coat.
3. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours. Spoon into airtight jars and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.

#3 Spiced Peaches

by Nigella Lawson

This recipe makes a very quick gift, which could be served with hot or cold roast ham, or even on your cheese board.

Ingredients
800g canned peach halves in syrup
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
2 short cinnamon sticks
1 x 4 cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and sliced thinly into rounds
½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
3 cloves

Method

1. Empty the cans of peaches with their syrup into a saucepan and add the vinegar, cinnamon, sliced ginger, chili flakes, salt, peppercorns and cloves.
2. Bring the pan to the boil, and let the contents bubble for a minute or so, then turn off the heat and leave in the pan to keep warm.
3. This can be served hot with a hot ham, or stored in a jar and eaten cold with cold ham or cheese.

Note: This is not a preserve, so do keep that in mind if you are giving it as a food gift. Eat within 4 days of making.

#4 Southwestern Three-Bean and Barley Soup Mix

by Eating Well

Layering the ingredients in a glass container make this is a lovely, colorful gift to give — just remember to write the cooking instructions down and include that with your gift, so that the recipient knows what to do with it.

Makes: enough dry soup mix for 8 cups of soup
Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/3 cup dried black beans
1/2 cup pearl barley
1/3 cup dried kidney beans
1/3 cup dried great northern beans

Method

1. Layer chili powder, cumin, oregano, black beans, barley, kidney beans and great northern beans in a clean, dry 2-cup jar or bag.
2. Instructions for cooking: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil/butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 diced large onion, 1 diced celery stalk and 1 diced carrot; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add 9 cups water, 4 cups broth and the soup mix. Bring to a lively simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 hours (adding more water, 1/2 cup at a time, if necessary or desired). Season with 3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste.

#5 Winter Berry Dressing

by British Larder

This dressing would make a lovely, seasonal food gift, made with whatever berries you have to hand.

Makes: about two 200ml size bottles.
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Maturation time: 5 days

Ingredients
120g frozen raspberries, defrosted (or whatever berries are fresh and in season)
340ml distilled or white wine vinegar

Method

1. Prepare the berries by washing under cold running water, drain.
2. Place the berries into a large bowl, and with a fork lightly mash them. Then, add the vinegar, cover and let it mature for 5 days.
3. At this stage, pass the vinegar through a fine sieve into sterilized bottles/jars, then store in the fridge or in a dark, cool cupboard until needed.

#6 Spicy-Lime Pistachio Nuts

by Better Homes and Gardens

Makes: 24 servings
Serving size: 1/4 cup
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Bake: 20 minutes
Stand: 2 hours

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 – 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
6 cups roasted salted pistachio nuts, whole blanched almonds, and/or cashews Method

1. Preheat oven to 160°C. In a large bowl combine olive oil, lime juice, maple syrup, salt and crushed red pepper. Add nuts; stir to coat. Spread nut mixture onto two large rimmed baking sheets in a single layer.
2. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the nuts are toasted and appear dry, stirring occasionally. Spread nuts on a large sheet of foil; cool completely. Let stand 2 hours before serving.
3. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.

#7 Ginger and Honey Roasted Almonds

by Barefeet in the Kitchen

Ingregients
2 cups raw almonds
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon coconut oil (or another flavorless and odorless oil)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160ºC. Place the nuts on a large baking sheet in a single layer. Toast in the oven until nuts are fragrant, approximately 15 minutes. While the nuts are roasting, combine the sugar, salt and ginger in a small bowl and set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, over high heat, combine the honey, water and oil and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and add the almonds when they are done in the oven. Cook, stirring every so often, until all the liquid has evaporated and the honey has thoroughly coated the almonds. This should take less than 5 minutes. The almonds should be shiny at this point.
3. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the coated almonds, about a tablespoon at a time. Stir well between each addition. Once all of the sugar is combined with the nuts, toss to combine thoroughly. Spread the warm almonds in a single layer on top of parchment paper or a silpat mat to cool. Use a couple of forks or your fingers to separate the still warm almonds if they clump together while they are cooling.
4. Store in an airtight container.

#8 Figs in Honey

by Jamie Oliver

I will definitely be serving this recipe on my cheese board this Christmas, but Jamie also suggests drizzling a little over some pork or other meat before cooking for a little extra sweetness.

Serves: 12
Total time: 4.05 hours

Ingredients
24 figs, halved
2 clementines
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 large jar runny honey

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 110ºC. Lay your figs, cut-side up, in a baking tray. Using a fine grater, zest your clementines over the figs then dust the figs with a sprinkling of cinnamon and a teaspoon of sugar.
2. Pop the figs into the oven to bake for 4 hours, checking on them every hour or so. When they come out of the oven you’ll have semi-dehydrated figs.
3. Stack them into a sterilized jar and cover them completely with honey. Seal the jar with an airtight lid, label and give out to friends and family as a gift.

#9 Homemade Chocolate

by Chocolate Covered Katie

This is the chocolate recipe I use frequently. It tastes pretty luxurious, and the fact that it’s healthy, too, is just a bonus!

Ingredients
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
4 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil (melted)
1-2 tbsp honey Method

1. Melt the coconut oil and the honey, remove from the heat then stir in the cocoa powder until it is smooth and thickens slightly.
2. Pour into a flat container (I line mine with parchment paper and leave a bit over two edges so that it is easier to remove), then place in the fridge until it hardens.
3. Store in the fridge, as it starts to melt if left out.

Tips for making your homemade Christmas food gifts look as awesome as they taste:

• Old-fashioned glass jars and bottles look very pretty, but cellophane bags work great, too.
• Give your gift a little rustic charm by putting a square of fabric on top of glass containers, then secure with some twine or ribbon.
• Handwritten labels make your gift truly unique — let the recipient know what’s inside, maybe write a personal note, or give any instructions that are necessary for cooking/serving.
• Then, pop everything into a gift bag and you’re done!

What are your favorite homemade Christmas food gifts? I’d love to hear your suggestions!

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The post Ideas to Make Gift-Giving a Breeze This Christmas appeared first on Healthy Eating Tips.

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