Last weekend bubs and I were showered with love and (mostly) nourishing delights thanks to our beautiful friends and family. If you missed it, you can see a little piccie across on instagram.

I understand that times of celebrations and entertaining can pose a difficult task when aiming to create tasty dishes that won’t compromise your health, so here I have included some naturopath approved recipes to help with your next social gathering.

BEETROOT DIP

What you’ll need:

400gm fresh beetroot

2 litres water

500ml apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup boiling water

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 small red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp almond meal

Pinch Himalayan, Celtic or Peruvian Pink salt (I use one from here with added seaweed, for thyroid health)

What to do:

Boil the beetroot whole in water and vinegar for 30-40 minutes, or until easily pierced by a skewer

Leave to cool in the water and vinegar, then drain and peel and chop thickly

Place the beetroots and all the remaining ingredients into a food processor and process and smooth

Serve with seed crackers or veg sticks and enjoy as part of your nourishing nibbles

GUACAMOLE DIP

What you’ll need:

2 large avocados

1 tbsp coriander, chopped

1 large tomato, seeded and chopped finely

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 small red onion, chopped finely

1/2 small red chilli, seeds removed and chopped finely

4 drops lime essential oil*

Himalayan salt and cracked pepper to taste

What to do:

Mash the avocado until smooth and combine with the other ingredients

Serve with seed crackers or veg sticks and enjoy as part of your nourishing nibbles

THAI CHICKEN NUGGETS

Makes approximately 20 nuggets

What you’ll need:

500gm chicken thighs, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 leek, chopped

4 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander + extra for garnish

2 small birds eye chillies, seeded and finely chopped

1 tablespoon tamari

1 egg

2 egg yolks

3/4 cup tapioca flour

2 tablespoon coconut oil

Extra 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C

What to do:

Grease 2 baking dishes with 1 tablespoon coconut oil each 

Add chicken, garlic, leek, coriander, chilli, tamari and egg into a food processor and process until well combined 

Roll a large teaspoon of mixture into a small ball and coat in tapioca flour to help bind before adding to your baking dish

Continue until all mixture is made into ball, lightly squish each ball into a nugget shape and drizzle with extra (melted) coconut oil before adding into the hot oven and bake for 25 minutes

Turn the nuggets after 25 minutes and bake for a further 25 minutes

Remove from oven, garnish with coriander and serve with a small bowl of tamari as a filling cocktail style dish for entertaining 

STRAWBERRY & LIME GUMMIES

Makes about 30 gummies

What you’ll need:

7 tablespoons gelatine (I use this organic one)

3 cups chopped strawberries

2 tablespoon raw honey

6 drops lime essential oil*

What you’ll need to do:

Stir the gelatine into 2/3 cup cold water until dissolved (to allow it to ‘bloom’)

Add the strawberries and honey to a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until the fruit has softened and it’s almost boiling and then turn off the heat

Break apart the bloomed gelatin and mix into the cooked fruit and stir until dissolved

Use a stick blender to puree

Add the lime essential oil and mix further

Pour into a 20 x 35 cm dish and allow to set in the refrigerator for 1- 1.5 hours

Cut into squares and serve as a yummy & gut healing dessert 

CHOC CHAI GUMMIES

Makes about 30 gummies

What you’ll need:

7 tablespoons gelatine

2 tablespoons cacao powder

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup coconut milk (I use Ayam brand)

2 cup water

2 tablespoon raw honey

3 drops doTERRA On Guard essential oil*

What to do:

Stir the gelatine into 2/3 cup cold water until dissolved (to allow it to ‘bloom’)

Add the coconut milk, water, vanilla, cacao and honey to a small saucepan until it’s almost boiling and then turn off the heat

Break apart the bloomed gelatine and mix into the liquid and stir until dissolved

Use a stick blender to puree

Add the OnGuard essential oil and mix further

Pour into a 20 x 35 cm dish and allow to set in the refrigerator for 1- 1.5 hours

Cut into squares and serve as a yummy & gut healing dessert 

CHOC ORANGE BROWNIES & CHOCOLATE DELIGHTS

Head over here for my delish grain and sugar free brownies recipe and find my Chocolate Delights recipe in this blog post.

CITRUS FIZZ

What you’ll need:

1 grapefruit, orange, lemon and lime, sliced into circles

Handful fresh mint

5 x 1 litre bottle sparkling mineral water

10 drops your favourite citrus essential oil* (lime, lemon, wild orange, grapefruit)

10 drops liquid stevia (with alcohol as a preservative)

1 large glass dispenser

What to do:

Add your chopped fruit, mint leaves, essential oil and stevia to the bottom of your dispenser and top with sparkling water

Stir well and serve in champagne glasses to create a fancy feel 

ORGANIC CHAI

Makes about 6 litres (approximately 30 cups)

What you’ll need:

60gm eKoo organic chia spice mix

2 litres water

2 litres Pure Harvest Unsweetened Almond Milk

2 litres Pure Harvest CocoQuench Milk

What to do:

Gently simmer chai spices in a large pot and water for up to 1 hour  

Add almond milk and coconut milk and approximately 3 tablespoons honey (for a sweeter taste up to 1 cup)

Allow to brew for 20-30 minutes over low – medium heat

Strain spices and serve

Note: you can keep the spices to reuse as the flavour intensity remains 

ENTERTAIN HEALTHILY

Next time you have a social gathering, try out these healthy savoury nibbles, desserts and drinks recipes to create dishes that will satisfy and nourish you and your loved ones.

For more health conscious recipe inspo, head over here.

*Note: Not all essential oils are created equally. I use doTERRA 100% pure essential oils due to their strict purity and quality standards. Each batch is tested for traces of solvents, pesticides, synthetics, fillers or any other chemical residues. They are solely bottled pure plant extracts. If they don’t pass the test, they simply are not bottled. This can be checked by entering the unique code on the bottom of each (single oil) bottle at www.sourcetoyou.com.  The oils are also sourced from where they are indigenously grown (or where the highest quality plant for the oil can be found) in a sustainable and ethical way to support the farmers and the wider community. Higher purity and quality means increased therapeutic value. 

If you would like to learn more about how these powerful gifts of nature can support your health, happiness and home, head over here.