Gluten free - grain free - dairy free - refined sugar free - vegetarian - contains egg and nuts
    I'm excited about this one!  I'm rather partial to a nice sugary coated nut!  Here's a wonderfully Christmassy version of sugar coated nuts....made with Coconut Sugar rather than refined sugar.
   Coconut Sugar is made by tapping the stems of the coconut palm, extracting the sap, and then dehydrating it at very low temperatures.  This minimal amount of processing produces a nutrient and mineral-rich product with a great toffee-like taste.  It has a low GI (about 35, compared with refined sugar's 68), providing a slow energy release for your body.  It's also a very sustainable product- once a stem is tapped, it flows for the next 20 years.  You can use it measure-for-measure to replace sugar in baking.
    Coating the nuts with egg white produces a crispy-crunchy coating and the spices I've used just scream 'Christmas' to me...I hope you love them as much as I do! 

Ingredients:

• 500g (1 pound) mixed nuts.  Choose your favourite mix or just one type of nut- it's up to you!  I use 100g macadamias, 200g cashews, 200g almonds.  You can use raw, or activated, or roasted nuts...whatever you're into!
• 2 large egg whites
• 3 tablespoons coconut sugar (you could also use rapadura)
  
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350F).
• Line a large baking tray/cookie sheet with baking paper.
• In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites with the cinnamon and cloves and coconut sugar until all are just incorporated and there are no lumps.  A hand whisk or fork is fine- no need to use electric beaters.
• Add the nuts and stir until the nuts are evenly coated.
• Spread evenly over the lined baking tray, making sure the nuts are in one layer.
• Place tray in the oven at a level as far away from the element or gas as possible (my oven has gas at the base so I place the tray on the top shelf).
• Back for 18-20 minutes, ensuring the nuts have a crisp coating but are not burning.
• Remove from oven and cool completely before storing in an airtight container. 
• Serve them for Christmas nibbles or pop them in little jars and give them gifts.
• For other Christmas food ideas, scroll through the list here.
  

Gluten free - Grain free - Dairy free - sugar free - egg free - nut free

For me, Christmas doesn't quite feel finished until I've cooked up the ham bone in a beautiful pea and ham soup. A few years ago I tried a new recipe which I've stuck to ever since. The original can be found in Australian Gourmet Traveller Magazine, August 2010 issue, but I made a couple of little tweaks of my own. Mine came out a little thinner that some of the more traditional recipes I've used in the past, and with the addition of frozen peas, it feels a bit more like a summer or spring soup than a winter soup, which is rather appropriate I suppose! The nicest surprise came on the day after- I grabbed some left overs out of the fridge, spooned it into a bowl, licked the spoon, and realised how fresh and fabulous it tasted cold! Maybe it was fact that is was a scorching 42 degree day, but I polished off a large bowl of cold soup and loved it.  It's also thicker when it's cold.
     This is the kind of soup that you make on a lazy day at home when you'll be around for a few hours. You don't need to be watching it the whole time, but it takes about 3 hours all together.

Ingredients

• A few big splashes of olive oil (about 4 Tablespoons)

• 2   onions, finely chopped

• 4   garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 2   ham hocks or a large Christmas ham bone (about 1 .5 kilos total)

• 3 medium sized carrots, roughly chopped

• 750 g   dried green split peas

• 360 g (3 cups)   frozen baby green peas, defrosted

Method
    Heat the oil in a large stock pot over low-medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until tender (about 10 minutes). Add ham hocks or bones, cover with cold water (about 4 litres), bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and cook until ham is falling from the bone (1 - 1 .5 hours).
    Remove the bones from saucepan, set aside to cool and, when cool enough to handle, remove skin and bone, coarsely shred meat and set aside.
    Meanwhile, add the split green peas and chopped carrots to the stock and simmer until very tender (45 minutes -1 hour). Add baby peas (reserve some for garnish if desired) and simmer until bright green (1 -2 minutes).
    Purée in batches in a blender until smooth (or in the pot with a hand held 'stick mixer').
    Add shredded ham to soup (reserve a little for garnish if desired), season to taste and keep warm till ready to serve. This is great served with crusty bread.

You need to plan ahead for this recipe as the dough needs to firm up for 2 hours in the fridge before baking.

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups almond meal
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 150 g (1/2 cup) honey or rice malt syrup
  
• 1 Tablespoon plain yogurt (preferably sheep’s or goat’s or coconut)
  
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon each of

         Ground cinnamon
         Ground ginger
         Ground cloves

Method:

• Line two baking trays with baking paper.

• In one bowl combine the almond meal with the baking soda. In another bowl, whisk together the honey, yogurt, egg and spices. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and knead lightly into a firm dough.
  

• Refrigerate, wrapped in plastic wrap, for at least 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 150 o Celcius (this low temperature is VERY important!)
• Roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper until about 2 mm thick. Cut desired shapes with cookie cutters and place on the lined trays. Keep rolling out the off-cuts and make more shapes. If dough becomes too sticky when rolling out subsequent batches, place dough back in the fridge until firmer and repeat the process.

• Bake for 10-15 minutes, until nicely golden, ensuring they do not over-brown.
• Cool completely before decorating or storing in an airtight jar.