By Samantha Chabior, RD
This festive staple gets a heart healthy makeover! This eggless ‘nog is super rich and creamy, with a lovely balance of sweetness and spice. Even diehard eggnog lovers will be shocked at how delicious and similar the flavour and consistency is.
You wouldn’t even know it’s got a fraction of the sugar, saturated fat, and sodium compared to the classic store bought carton of eggnog – plus it’s great for anyone with an egg allergy!
Although I’m a firm believer that all foods can fit into a heart healthy diet (especially during special occasions like holidays!), sometimes it’s nice to find healthier alternatives to our favourite holiday dishes.
This recipe brings together the spicy flavours of traditional holiday spices such as nutmeg, and cinnamon, with the creamy texture that eggnog is known for.
It tastes surprisingly like eggnog, despite being completely egg-free!
It’s also rich in calcium, which has been shown to help with lowering blood pressure and is a key nutrient that’s part of the science-based DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Diet).
The DASH diet has been shown to lower blood pressure by a few points in just 2 weeks! It encourages 2-3 servings of calcium-rich dairy or dairy alternatives each day, such as low fat milk, yogurt, and soy beverage. One serving of dairy products is equal to about 1 cup of milk or low fat yogurt, and 1.5 oz of reduced fat cheese.
Dairy does contain varying amounts of saturated fat depending on the food source you choose. That’s why it’s important to choose lower fat dairy products such as skim milk, 0% yogurt, and lower milk fat cheeses, as higher amounts of saturated fat can raise our “lousy” LDL cholesterol levels.
In this recipe I used a 2% dairy milk to boost up the creaminess since this is meant to be a fun, holiday inspired drink! But if you wanted to even further boost the heart healthiness of this drink you can use a 0% milk or non-dairy alternatives such as soy beverage or almond beverage, which are fortified with calcium and could also act as a great base for this ‘nog.
Super Creamy Healthier Holiday Eggnog (Without The Egg!)
Equipment
- Blender
- Measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 2 whole Pitted prunes or dates
- 1 cup Milk of choice I used 2% cow’s milk, but almond or soy would work well
- 1 Tbsp Greek Yogurt 0% Milk Fat unflavoured, unsweetened
- ⅛ tsp Chinese five spice seasoning
- 1 pinch Nutmeg
- 1 pinch Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 2 tsp Natural maple syrup
Toppings (optional)
- Shredded dark chocolate
Instructions
- Measure all ingredients into a blender. Mix on high power for at least 60 seconds, or until prunes are completely pureed and mixture is frothy and smooth.
- Serve chilled immediately.
