Happy Healthy Sweet New Year!

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is a time to reflect upon the past year, reunite with family and friends, and celebrate the happy year to come. It is a time for both joy and self-reflection.

There are many traditional foods that are eaten on this holiday. Many of the foods symbolize the goodness and happiness that we aspire to be and do in the coming year. Most prominent on the family table are APPLES AND HONEY. The apples (fruits of our labor) are typically dipped into honey, symbolizing the sweetness of the year to come. Did you know that many family meals also feature pomegranates? It symbolizes the numerous good deeds that have been performed over the year.

There are many healthy foods that you can prepare and eat during this holiday.  Sweet roasted veggies, dried fruits,  baked fish, and slow roasted meat are easy and healthy choices.

I have included a favorite sweet to end the meal!

Apple Honey Bundt Cake:

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 3 apples - peeled, cored and shredded
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 inch Bundt pan. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar and oil. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice; stir into the batter just until moistened. Fold in the apples and nuts. Bake 50-65 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before inverting onto a plate and tapping out. 

You can also make a honey cream cheese frosting to lightly glaze the top of the cake. You need 2 packages of cream cheese softend. 1/3 cup honey, 2 tsp vanilla extract. Beat all until light and fluffy. Chill until stiff enough to spread.

For more healthy treats (vegan, gluten-free) and how to get though the holidays without the guilt, contact me at rachel@livehealthynyc.com