7 Delicious Winter Treats

Winter is the perfect time to explore some hot comforting treats, to warm us up from within, and to keep our spirits up during the colder part of the year. Brrr…

So warm up your hands, get your aprons on, and let’s get started!

1. Sautéed Fruit

This delightful hot dessert is surprisingly sweet and filling although it is made almost entirely out of fruit, with no additional sweetening, and without any pastry.

I recommend you use very ripe fruit.

In case you wonder why:

For one, they are naturally sweeter than their less ripe counterparts.

Secondly, they’ll turn tender faster.

If you’re looking to jazz things up a little, here are a few suggestions:

If you like your dessert…
More fruity? Add some peach chunks, and you have a fried fruit salad…
More nutty? Toss a few walnuts into the fruit.
More stodgy and rich, something that feels like pie? Add a ripe plantain, peeled and diced small.

And speaking of plantains, I tried it once with plantains only, sliced small and sautéed in ghee with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
It came out great! And probably the stodgiest of them all.

If you go that way, you want to make sure the plantains are very ripe (skin is strong yellow, mottled with black, and fruit is somewhat more tender to the touch)

I also had a go at the Granny Smith apples (without any other fruit, but with cinnamon, ghee, and some lemon zest) in the slow cooker, which resulted in a lovely fruity apple puree.

Oh, the options, the options!

I have included a multi-fruity recipe below. Enjoy!

Preps:

• Making: 10-15 minutes
• Cooking: about 15 minutes

Serves:  2-3

You will need:

• 1 ripe banana, diced
• 1 Granny Smith apple, cored, and thickly diced
• 1 ripe Bosc pear, pitted, and diced small
• 1 tbsp. brown raisins, soaked
• A pinch ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp. ghee
• Optional: 1 ripe plantain, peeled and diced small 
• Optional (for serving): whipped cream / plain yogurt / plain kefir

How to make it:

1. Sauté fruit, raisins, and cinnamon in ghee, alternating between stirring occasionally and covering, until fruit is tender.
2. Switch off heat, but leave covered for a couple more minutes.
3. Serve hot, with whipped cream, yogurt or kefir.

2. Baked Fruit

Straight from the oven, here comes one of the best desserts ever!

Preps:

• Making: about 15 minutes
• Baking: about 30 minutes

Serves:  4-5

You will need:

• 2 Granny Smith apples, cored, and quartered
• 3 ripe Bosc pears, pitted, and quartered
• 2 ripe bananas, cut into rings
• ¾ cup brown raisins, soaked
• 1 ½ cups raw, unsalted walnut halves
• ¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3 tbsp. ghee
• Optional: 1 ripe plantain, peeled and diced small 
• Optional (for serving): whipped cream / plain yogurt / plain kefir

How to make it:

1. Set oven to 200 C / 400 F.
2. Melt ghee in a saucepan. Remove from heat, add cinnamon, and stir.
3. In a baking pan greased with ghee, place apples and pears (and plantains).
4. Sprinkle walnuts and raisins on top of the fruit.
5. Lay out banana rings on top of the fruit, and sprinkle melted ghee and cinnamon evenly.
6. Bake for about 30 minutes or until pears and apples are tender.
7. Serve hot, with whipped cream, yogurt or kefir.

3. Baked Oatmeal with Fruit

Great hot or cold.

For a little finishing touch, serve with a dollop of cream.

Preps:

• Soaking: 12-24 hours
• Making: about 25 minutes
• Baking: about 50 minutes

Serves: 7-9

You will need:

• 2 cups old fashioned oats, soaked for 12-24 hours in 3 cups warm water, mixed with 3 tbsp. kefir
• 3 tbsp. kefir (see above)
• ¾ cup brown raisins, soaked
• 1 Granny Smith apple, grated
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• ¾ cup milk
• ¹⁄₃ tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3 sachets stevia powder
• ¼ tsp. lemon zest
• 2 eggs
• Ghee

How to make it:

1. Set oven to 180 C / 350 F.
2. In a saucepan combine oats (in their soaking liquid) with milk. Bring to a simmer. Stir until mixture is quite creamy and well blended.
3. Add raisins, apple, bananas, cinnamon, and lemon zest. Stir. Switch off.
4. Add stevia, stir. Take off burner.
5. Lightly beat eggs and add into mixture. Mix.
6. Grease an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with ghee.
7. Pour mixture into baking pan.
8. Sprinkle some ghee flakes on top of the mixture.
9. Bake for about 50 minutes.

4. Plantain Chips

No, these are not bananas… But I nearly got you there, didn’t I?

If you’re not yet familiar with the banana’s wilder and stodgier cousin – the plantain, this can be a nice introduction.

And if Paleo nutrition is your thing, then this simple recipe will deliver.

This snack is great for school, the office, or just like that when you need a lil’ munchin’...

It can be made salty or sweet, depending on the ripeness of the plantain.

The riper the plantain, the sweeter it is, but never as sweet as a banana.

Why am I saying this?

Just to adjust your palate’s expectations, really.
Because even the sweeter version of this recipe will only be GENTLY sweet. Nothing like banana chips, which are almost like candy.

When only semi ripe, the plantain is more suitable for savory dishes.

A tip for peeling plantain:

If not very ripe, it could be a bit of a challenge to take off the skin of the fruit.
What you should do is cut both ends off, then slit skin lengthwise with 2-3 evenly spaced cuts, but don’t pierce too deep into the flesh.
Now peel.

Preps:

• Making: 5 minutes
• Baking: 20-25 minutes

Makes: a snack for 2

For sweet chips you will need:

• 1 ripe plantain (skin is mottled black and yellow), peeled, and evenly sliced into thin rings

How to make it:

1. Set oven to 200 C / 400 F.
2. Line a baking sheet with a non-stick baking mat, and place rings in one layer.
3. Bake on lower rack for about 20 minutes.
4. Check plantains: take the brown and crisp rings out of the oven.
5. Flip the rest of the rings, and bake for about 3-5 more minutes, or until quite crisp.
6. Take baking sheet out of oven, but leave plantains on baking sheet until cooled down.

For salty chips you will need:

• 1 semi ripe plantain (skin is pale yellow), peeled, and evenly sliced into thin rings
• Salt

How to make it:

1. Set oven to 200 C / 400 F.
2. Line a baking sheet with a non-stick baking mat, and place rings in one layer.
3. Sprinkle a pinch of salt on plantains.
4. Bake on lower rack for about 20 minutes.
5. Check plantains: take the brown and crisp rings out of the oven.
6. Flip the rest of the rings, and bake for about 3-5 more minutes, or until quite crisp.
7. Take baking sheet out of oven, but leave plantains on baking sheet until cooled down.

5. Sprouted Flour Pancakes

Usually when we think ‘Pancakes’, we think sweet. We think fluffy.

But here’s a little twist for you.

In our family, we’ve taken this all-time breakfast favorite, and turned it into a fabulous SAVORY supper.

How exactly?

Mainly with the help of a few simple adjustments:

1. The pancakes are made with sprouted whole wheat flour, which gives the pancakes a more bread-like flavor.

2. More salt is added to the batter.

3. The pancakes are fried in avocado oil (which you will not taste in the final product, but the result of this combination is rather savory).

And here’s another thing - there is no baking powder of any kind in this recipe, so expect quite a dense pancake, one that will gladly welcome any condiment, filling, or topping that tickles your fancy. A bit like a wrap or a tortilla.

Check out the following list!

We’ve tried (and loved!) our pancakes with:
Cheese, (of any kind: cream cheese, cheddar, mozzarella, cottage), ham, bacon, pepperoni, hummus spread, sausage, hotdog, tahini spread, vegetables, liver pâté, lettuce and tomatoes, avocado, olives, pickles, sauerkraut, sweet corn, tuna salad, chicken salad, marmite, vegemite, hard-boiled egg, butter… and the list goes on….

Just put some of these on your dining table, and roll’em up!

To take it up a notch, why not use organic ingredients? Now we’re talking a real health WOW!

Preps: 40-45 minutes
Makes: around 25 pancakes

You will need:

• 2 ¹⁄₂ cups organic sprouted whole wheat flour
• 5 organic eggs
• 4 cups organic milk
• About ¾ tsp. salt
• Avocado oil

How to make it:

1. In a bowl combine flour, eggs, milk, and salt. Whisk until batter is well blended.
2. Pre heat a small frying pan with some avocado oil.
3. Pour about ¾ cup of batter into pan. Fry, covered if necessary, till all liquid has firmed up.
4. Flip and fry the other side.

6. Carob Hot Chocolate

This is a nice alternative for a cup of hot chocolate (or even coffee… maybe?) when you fancy indulging in a rich winter beverage, but without the perk.

If you’re not yet familiar with carob powder, then there are a couple of things you need to know before we get to the recipe:

Carob powder doesn’t really dissolve, so you should stir again just before sipping.

Also, expect a much nuttier flavor than either hot chocolate or coffee, and a much muddier bottom in your cup.

Bonus point:
Carob has a natural pleasant nutty sweetness to it.
You might find that you don’t need any extra sweetening.

Organic carob powder is always a good choice, and should be available at your local health food store.

Preps: 5 minutes
Makes: 1 cup

You will need:

• 1 cup organic milk
• 1 tbsp. organic carob powder
• Optional: 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract or rum
• Stevia to taste

How to make it:

1. In a small saucepan heat up milk and carob powder, stirring from time to time to avoid clumps, until well combined.
2. When milk is very hot (but not boiling), pour into cup. Add stevia and vanilla extract or rum. Stir.

7. “Grammy’s Tea”

(Lemon & Honey Tea)

When I was young, whenever I complained of sore throat, my grandma would make me her ‘special-tea-just-for-me’.

For over five generations now, this simple beverage  -or as we fondly dub it “Grammy’s tea”-  has been used in my family as a natural remedy to help relieve symptoms of cough, sore throat, and various other winter ailments, including general winter blues and low spirits…

To this day, my kids would ask me to make them “Grammy’s tea” whenever they’re a bit under the weather, or just like that, for no real reason, when they fancy a little treat after supper.

Since there’s no caffeine in this drink, you should be fine for a good night’s sleep even after a late sip.

Just a little caution:
Although this is a hot drink, make sure it is not TOO hot.

For one, you don’t want to burn your tongue…

Secondly, in case you’re already running a fever, you certainly don’t want to raise your temperature even higher.

Third, some of the nutrients in the lemon and honey are temperature-sensitive and will be destroyed if overheated.

Preps: 5 minutes
Makes: 1 cup

You will need:

• 1 fresh organic lemon
• ¾ tbsp. raw honey
• Water

How to make it:

1. Squeeze some fresh lemon into a cup of pleasantly hot water (not boiling!)
2. Add honey and stir.

So…
Are you ready for winter yet?

I think I might just crawl under the blanket with a nice cuppa tea...  
Make it Granny’s Tea for me, please!
Now that’s better…

Stay warm!