What I'm cooking, eating, and drinking over Christmas

Plus, a festive drink: The Cuzco Sour

It was -18ºF at my house yesterday. The pups, Orzo and Livvie, were the first to alert me the temps had gone south by getting their business done outside in record time. For me, an ultra-cold day is an invitation to be in the kitchen. My adult children (along with a half-dozen or so of their friends) arrive tomorrow, so my plan is to cook while the house is quiet.

I’m bringing this cheery zero-proof Cuzco Sour to a Christmas Eve dinner with friends. Who could resist a ruby red drink with a festive foamy cap (made from aquafaba!) that smells like berries, cinnamon, and lemon? Created by Kevin Arteaga (our mixologist at the last Brain Health Retreat in Panama), it starts with strong elderberry tea, a flavonoid-rich infusion that lends a spirit-like bitterness. The monkfruit simple syrup I told you about last time balances the bitter flavors; steeping it with cinnamon sticks (or mulling spices) brings out the holiday vibe. This all goes into a Mason jar with aquafaba—the bean liquid from a can of chickpeas—which transforms into a foam topper. 

I’ll have the tea, syrup, and juice ready to go ahead of time. Then, when I arrive at my friends’ house on Christmas Eve, all I have to do is add aquafaba, shake vigorously, and pour over ice. Find the recipe below.

My brain-healthy approach to holidays is about keeping the cooking stress-free

On Sunday, I’m hosting Christmas Day dinner, a super casual affair where friends come directly from skiing at our local mountain. As much as I love to cook, I don’t want to spend an entire holiday weekend in the kitchen. For me, Christmas is about being with my people rather than executing a constant stream of flawless dishes. It’s about taking long snowy walks, skiing with my dogs, and visiting friends and neighbors. That’s why my menu is a mix of easy make-ahead recipes sprinkled with a few special ones, like homemade pasta and Bolognese. If I don’t have time to make the pasta from scratch, a good store-bought brand will be just fine.

I’ll greet everyone with a glass of Almond Oat Nog, rum optional. Instead of cheese and charcuterie platters, I serve really good plant-based dips. I make sure to serve at least one big salad and one vegetable side that I know everyone loves.

And I don’t skimp on dessert. There are no brain health swaps in the tiramisu, something I enjoy but once a year. A rich dessert is a nice indulgence at Christmas and a small portion suffices. (Since my caffeine curfew is around 1 pm, I make mine with decaf espresso.) If time allows, there will be a cookie platter, too: a few types of biscotti (my kids always request this one), anise-flavored pizzelle dusted with powdered sugar, and chewy chocolate ginger cookies.

Here’s my Christmas Day menu

Oyster-Stuffed Mushrooms with Anchovy Butter

In my Sicilian-American family, Christmas Eve always included some version of the Feast of the 7 Fishes. While I love the idea, I can never pull off seven different seafood dishes in one night. (My mom used to cheat by stuffing all the seafood into one enormous white lasagna.)

Instead, I’ll make this double-seafood appetizer: simple mushroom caps stuffed with tinned smoked oysters, anchovy butter, and bread crumbs. 

You’ll have to wait until my book comes out (in just 11 days!) for the full recipe, but you can make the anchovy butter now: Mash together 4 to 5 anchovy filets, ¼ cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter (at room temperature), 1 teaspoon minced garlic, and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice. It’s wonderful tossed with roasted vegetables (like broccolini, broccoli rabe, and cauliflower) and seafood, such as shrimp, scallops, or fish. Or, stir a spoonful into brown rice or bulgur wheat with a handful of herbs for an easy side.

Dried Fig and Olive Tapenade

I’ve taken this 5-minute tapenade to more parties than I can count. Everyone loves it and asks for the recipe. Bonus: it scores super high in brain health nutrients and fats, thanks to the olives, olive oil, capers, figs, and rosemary. Find the recipe here.

Beet Hummus 

I'm going to swirl roasted, pureed beets into store-bought hummus since I don't have time to make my own recipe, which I'm looking forward to sharing with you soon. 

Spinach and Artichoke Dip 

Here’s a recipe from the book I can’t wait for you to try. Mine’s a brain-healthy upgrade on the classic made with boxed baby spinach, canned artichoke hearts, cashew cream, and lots of lemon. If you want to lighten the brain-load of one of your dips, make this swap: replace 1 cup mayonnaise or sour cream with 1 cup cashew cream. Read about the method here.

Crostini with Morel Mushrooms and Preserved Lemons 

I have just enough wild morels stashed away from foraging outings last spring to create a special crostini. I’ll soak the dried morels in boiling water, squeeze them dry, and pan-fry in extra-virgin olive oil until crispy. Toasted baguette slices get smeared with goat cheese, the morels, and slivers of preserved lemon. 

Kale Salad with Persimmons and Spiced Walnuts

If I can’t find good persimmons at the grocery store, I’ll make this festive salad with red and green pears instead. Whatever salad you make, the key is to get plenty of leafy greens onto your holiday plate to offset the more rich elements of the meal.  Find the recipe here.

Stuffed Red Bell Peppers in Marinara Sauce 

These are just like the old-school stuffed peppers I grew up with, but I’ll fill them with the Chicken Miso Meatball mixture I wrote about here, nestled in a baking dish with marinara sauce (I used a good, sugar-free jarred brand like Rao’s), and roasted until the peppers are soft.

Garlicky Sauteed Broccolini with Truffles

I love serving a huge platter of crisp-tender broccolini cooked with lots of garlic and olive oil, a simple dish that everyone loves. Since it’s Christmas, I’ll drizzle black truffle salsa overtop from the stash I brought home from Italy. (I have Matteo and his dog Wendy to thank for these truffles. Here’s a fun reel I made of our foraging day.)

Homemade Pappardelle with Bolognese

Fun fact: I wrote a food blog called jacksonholefoodie for many years back when I was a full-time, practicing physician. While I cringe a little at my photography skills circa 2010, there are a lot of good recipes over there. It’s also interesting for me to look back and see how my cooking has evolved to be more brain-smart over the years. This Bolognese recipe, which I often made with locally harvested wild game, is one of the blog’s most popular. It’s also my boys’ favorite, and I don’t think they’ll notice that I’m making it with ground turkey and grass-fed beef, instead. And, since I never have heavy cream in the fridge, I’ll swap in almond milk for a brain-healthy upgrade.

Tiramisu

There are no brain health swaps here. I make my tiramisu the traditional way with ladyfingers soaked in espresso and rum, and generous layers of whipped mascarpone. 

Whether you are celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, or another holiday, I’d love to hear what you are making.

Are you including a few brain-healthy recipes? What are the traditional recipes you look forward to every year? Let me know in the comments section below.

I wish you all a stress-free, nourishing, and restorative holiday weekend.

Love,

Annie

RECIPE: The Cuzco Sour

The Cuzco Sour

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