It has taken me so long to put this together! Typing all  of this up is a breeze…but actually creating my Christmas menu was insane!!! This year, we are hosting Christmas Eve ANDDDDDDDD Christmas Day! EEK! We don’t have many people, but I still freak out about having enough food & make a million things because I get nervous!!!! Some of these recipes are my own, some were borrowed & some dishes are being brought! (Phew!) So here is my menu, for some inspiration AND some recipes for replication!!!! I hope this round up gives you some ideas! Enjoy!

Traditionally, fish is the end all be all of Christmas Eve. I’m cool with that…but like always, I like options!! So here is a look into what we will be enjoying on Christmas Eve & Day! So from start to finish…here are some of the stars! **Keep in mind, this recipes are geared towards a group of about 10 people! Adjust as necessary!

Pomegranate Pear Spinach Salad:

3 5oz containers of baby spinach

Seeds from 2 pomegranates

about 3/4 cubed grass-fed cheddar, optional

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

2 small pears, cored & thinly sliced

Dressing of your choice! I will be using my favorite balsamic vinaigrette, which can be found here: https://psimadethat.com/2014/02/22/killer-salad-dressing/comment-page-1/

Layer each of the ingredients on top of the spinach. Toss with dressing or leave it on the side!

Mussels in a Garlic Tomato Broth:

3 2lb bags of mussels, scrubbed clean

about 1/3 cup EVOO

1 onion, finely chopped

8 garlic cloves minced

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, adjust to your liking

4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes

2 cups vegetable broth

S & P to taste

Heat the EVOO in a large pot, add the onion & garlic, stirring occasionally until translucent. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, except the mussels. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat & simmer for about 20 minutes. Now, to the mussels…be sure to scrub & rinse them VERY well. You don’t want any sand or other bits getting into your sauce! While you are looking through & babying your mussels….check for any shells that are cracked or open. These you will definitely want to discard, as they are dead & NOT EDIBLE! If they are slightly open, but close when lightly tapped, those little guys are fine to steam! Add the mussels to the pot & bring to a boil, covered. Cook for about 3-5 minutes until shells open wide. You may need to take out some sooner than others. Discard any mussels that do not open after that time period. Put cooked mussels into a large bowl, with sauce & serve with some of your favorite Paleo Garlic Bread!!!! Bread recipe can be found here: https://psimadethat.com/?s=bread **With this recipe, I cut into pieces, brushed with a fresh garlic & butter blend & broiled for a few minutes until crispy & brown! This is going to be wonderful dipped into the tomato broth!

Shrimp & Quinoa Casserole: I’m winging this one!! Recipe will be posted after! Sorry folks 🙂

Sautéed Green Beans with Almonds:

Serves about 9ish people

4lbs green beans, cleaned & trimmed

1 cup slivered almonds

S&P

This is probably the easiest side dish to make. Simply heat some olive oil in a large pot. Add the green beans & almond. You’ll only want to cook these until the almonds are toasted & the beans are slightly tender! They are good with a little crunch! Salt & pepper to taste!

Roasted Garlic Mushrooms:

4 packages portabella mushrooms (halved or quartered)

6 garlic cloves, minced

1/4-1/3 cup EVOO

S & P

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Combine all ingredients into a large bowl or a couple of ziploc bags. Make sure mushrooms are nicely coated with marinade, Let them marinate in the refrigerator for a couple of hours;

Cranberry Sauce:

see my earlier post… https://psimadethat.com/2014/11/26/simple-cranberry-sauce/

Carrot Cake: see my earlier post…

Paleo Easter Roundup!

Paleo Samoa Cheesecake:

Crust:

1 1/2 cup almonds, roughly chopped in processor

1/2 cup pitted dates

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut

2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

pinch of sea salt

Add remaining ingredients to the processor with the almonds. Pulse until everything is combined. Press into a greased 9 inch springform pan.

Filling:

3 cups of raw cashews, soaked for at least 5 hours

3/4 cup honey or agave

3/4 cup coconut oil, melted

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 T vanilla

pinch of sea salt

Caramel Topping:

about 15 dates, pitted and soaked in water for an hour

5-6 tablespoons canned full fat coconut milk

3 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of sea salt

Chocolate Drizzle & Coconut:

1/4 cup dark chocolate

about 3 tbsp coconut milk

2 tbsp coconut oil

couple TBSP of toasted coconut flakes

**For the chocolate, simply melt the chocolate & the coconut oil/milk over low heat on the stove. Let cool for a few minutes and drizzle over the caramel. Finish with coconut!

Once your cashews have soaked, put them & all of the other ingredients into a food processor. Puree until completely smooth with no lumps. Pour into the crust & freeze for a couple of hours until set. Then we’ll add the topping, after you dates have been soaked, put them into a food processor with a tbsp or 2 of the milk. Begin to puree & add the remaining ingredients. Pulse until you get a rich creamy caramel!! If you still think it’s too sticky and thick, more coconut milk can be added! Spread over the top of the cheesecake. Follow will a drizzle of dark chocolate & toasted coconut! Put back in the freezer for about 20 minutes, then store in the refrigerator at least an hour before serving. This seems like a project to make, but so so so simple! No baking required! YUM! You will be amazed at how much this resembles cheesecake! CRAZY!

Gluten Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies:

2 1/4 cup gluten free oats (I like trader joes brand)

1 tbsp arrowroot powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened..(NOT melted)

2/3 cup coconut palm sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup dark chocolate (chopped or chips)

1/2 tsp sea salt

parchment paper

Preheat oven to 375. In a food processor, pulse 1 1/4 cups of the oats until finely ground. Put into a large bowl & add the arrowroot, baking powder & salt. In another bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together butter & sugar. Add the egg & vanilla to butter mixture. Combine the two bowls & mix to combine. Add in the remaining cup of oats & the dark chocolate. This should form about 24 TBSP size cookies. Drop onto parchment lined baking sheet & bake for about 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

and here are two of my favorites from Elana’s Pantry:

Homepage

Chocolate Cream Pie (to die for…)

Chocolate Pecan Pie (oh em gee…)

Ok…..phew! So after alllllll that, I am making quite a few more dishes. I just couldn’t get around to finishing up a written recipe!! We’ll also be having, turkey, ham, paleo eggplant lasagna (Lynns Deli, Branford) & stuffed clams! OH EM GEE! Mouth=Watering… I am crossing my fingers & saying a prayer to the food gods that this all comes together for the holiday!!!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! HAPPY EATING! ❤