Healthy Holiday Recipes and Tips

HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON PATCHERS!

I have decided to feature different healthy recipes that I suggest are perfect for this season. For my first suggestion, I found this amazing recipe for stuffed dates. 

Stuffed dates are a great appetizer. They're delicious, with just the right amount of gooey sweet warm flavor for fall and winter, and are a good alternative to cakes and cookies to hold over your sweet tooth.

Ingredients:

• 12 medjool dates
• 3 oz goat cheese
• 1/8 cup pecan meal (or finely chopped pecans)

Process:

1. Turn on your oven's broiler and move an oven rack to the top.
2. Slice dates lengthwise to remove pit and create and opening for the date.
3. Stuff date with goat cheese.
4. Sprinkle with pecan meal.
5. Place dates on a parchment lined backing sheet and broil for 3-4 minutes.

You can enjoy these dates as an after dinner treat, or an appetizer. Either way they are delicious.

FUN FACTS

• Goat Cheese is rich in calcium, protein, vitamin A, vitamin K, phosphorus, niacin and thiamin. It is also easier on digestion than cow’s milk cheese.
• Dates are an excellent source of iron and potassium. They are also rich in minerals such as calcium, manganese, copper, and magnesium. Calcium is an important mineral that is an essential constituent of bone and teeth, and required by the body for muscle contraction, blood clotting, and nerve impulse conduction. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Copper is required in the production of red blood cells. Magnesium is essential for bone growth.
• Pecans are also rich source of minerals like manganese, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc and selenium. They are rich in monounsaturated fatty acids like oleic acid and a rich source of energy.

Enjoy! --Tara Gidaly, Nutritionist

Recipe adapted from: http://astore.amazon.com/thefoodlovprip-20/detail/1936608863