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Sunday, 7 December 2014

Healthy Buddy the Elf Spaghetti

Buddy the Elf Spaghetti. A Holiday Recipe


If you love sugary sweets and the classic holiday movie Elf – this post is for you!! I just love Christmas movies and Elf is one of my all time favorites. The star of the show, Buddy the Elf makes me smile and laugh with his endearing shenanigans. I watch it every year, at least twice, and afterwards I’m always wondering what his famous breakfast spaghetti noodles would taste like… 


Buddy loves his sweets. In the movie he makes breakfast which consists of a heaping plate of spaghetti topped with smarties, sprinkles, marshmallows, chocolate fudge pop tarts, chocolate syrup and maple syrup. 

According to Buddy, elves have four main food groups, candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup. Elves love sugar and so do I, but I like healthier sources of sugar like fruit! 

I was inspired to replicate this holiday breakfast for all the Elf-lovers out there, in a nutritious and fruity way, replacing the noodles with spiraled zucchini. And for the toppings I used pomegranate seeds for candy, mulberries for marshmallows, my healthy brownie bites for chocolate pop tarts and I made a sweet caramel date syrup. The mint ‘sprinkles’ on top are the final touch. They add a Christmassy taste to the dish. Nothing will get you in the holiday spirit like this super sweet noodley treat! You can make it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner or eat while you watch the movie itself.

Caution: The sweetness in this recipe may cause smiles.

I just like to smile, smiling’s my favorite!

*This recipe is nut-free, raw, vegan, low-fat, gluten-free and dairy-free.

Buddy the Elf Spaghetti Recipe:
Serves 2-4

To make the zucchini noodles you will need:
·      3 medium zucchinis (straight ones work best!)
·      a spiralizer or a julienne peeler (amazon.ca)
·      a vegetable peeler

Directions for a spiralizer:

1.    Peel the zucchini using a vegetable peeler.  I like my zucchini room temp so I soak them in some hot water first.
2.    Cut off the top end of the zucchini.
3.    Insert the smallest blade that makes noodles.
4.    Place the center of the zucchini on the blade first, lining up the middle with the hole
5.    Slide the crank and spikey prongs towards the other end of the zucchini and stick into the center
6.    Crank your spiralizer with the handle and enjoy watching the noodles appear before your eyes! 



*If you do not have a spiralizer you can use a simple julienne peeler, an inexpensive tool similar to a vegetable peeler that makes straight noodles.



Directions:
1.    Peel 2 zucchini with the vegetable peeler.
2.    Use the julienne peeler to make strips from top to bottom.
3.    Peel all sides until you hit the seeds in the middle.

*You could also try this recipe with brown rice spaghetti, but the zucchini helps cut the sweetness of the rest of the ingredients and tastes better in my opinion!




Sweet n Fruity Toppings:
The seeds from 1 pomegranate
1 batch of my brownie bites (made into mini-bites)
¼ cup of mulberries
2 tbsp fresh chopped mint
Caramel Date Syrup

Brownie Bites
The brownie bites are in my recipe book Healthy Childhood Favorites, but I’m feeling generous this holiday season so I’m going to share this easy and yummy recipe with everyone! 


Ingredients:
       ½ cup dried mulberries
       10 medjool dates, pitted
       3 tbsp carob powder (or raw cacao/organic cocoa)
       ½ teaspoon vanilla powder

Directions:
1.    In a food processor, process the mulberries until it’s a coarse flour. Add the carob powder, and vanilla and process until combined.
2.    Add the dates a few at a time and pulse until a ball forms.
3.    Roll into small, bite sized balls with your hands and refrigerate 1 hour before serving!
4.    Save any extras for snacks later. They taste great frozen and store best in the fridge.


To make the caramel syrup:

1.    Soak 1 cup of pitted dates in water- about 10 medjools, (Try to find barhi dates if you can, they taste just like caramels)
2.    Soak for 1 hour and discard the water.
3.    Make sure there are no pits and place in the blender.
4.    Boil 3 ½ cups of water and pour 3 cups into the blender with the dates.
5.    Blend with 1 tsp of vanilla powder until syrupy smooth.
6.    Add the other ½ cup water if too thick
7.    Pour hot syrup on top of noodles when ready to eat. I usually save this for the last step because I like it hot!
    
    Assemble your noodles:
·      Divide the noodles into 2-4 plates. 
·      Add as many brownie bites as you like
·      Divide the pomegranate and mulberries amongst the plates
·      Pour date-syrup generously on top Garnish with fresh mint sprinkles!


Enjoy your Buddy the Elf Noodles with a fork and spoon like traditional spaghetti or eat it with your hands like Buddy does! It’s ok, I said so!


I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did. Happy Healthy Holidays to you and your loved ones! xoxo

Lots of Love and Fresh Squeezed Hugs
xo












Ashley Clark
Holistic Health Coach
Naturally Ashley Nutrition

Ashley Clark is a Holistic Health Coach, Artist, Photographer and the owner/operator of Naturally Ashley Nutrition. This prairie girl from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan loves to nourish her body with positive thoughts and ripe seasonal fruits. She is happiest being creative and loves to share healthy recipes, taking lots of photos of her colorful, fruity creations. Ashley wants to share everything she knows about holistic living to inspire and support others on their journey to create happy, healthy lifestyles, naturally.

Ashley received holistic health coach training from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She began her health journey after being diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2007, trying many different diets to find out what works best for her. Ashley has been following a low-fat, raw vegan diet since May 2012, inspired by Dr. Doug Graham’s book The 80-10-10 Diet. She has overcome several health issues including Candida, gall bladder inflammation, chronic UTI’s, chronic hives, allergies and sinus problems, and now has more energy, a clearer mind and feels more vibrant than ever!

Connect with Ashley:
Email: naturallyashleynutrition@gmail.com

Follow Naturally Ashley for lots of recipes, tips and inspiration!
Instagram - @missnaturallyashley
Twitter - @MissNaturalAsh
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My Sweetie Loves them too! 




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