This holiday season, have a party for friends and family and rather than asking everyone to bring a covered dish or preparing all the food by yourself, ask each person to bring the makings for a delicious meal and prepare it together. When everyone arrives, put on some fun music, pour everyone a glass of organic wine or a sparkling cider, give them a prep task and let the fun begin.

There are so many delicious recipes you can concoct with the fruits, vegetables and nuts of the season. With a few basic tips for everyone, in an hour or so you and your friends will be feasting on this delicious meal, dessert and all.

Keep creations simple, easy and uncomplicated, but don’t be afraid to try new combinations of tastes that you’ve never tried before. This party is the time to experiment, so invite your most fun-loving, adventurous and cooperative friends. While you’re having fun preparing these delicious new recipes, you can feel really good that you’re also bringing some health benefits to your friends and loved ones.

Send your friends out to shop for these healthy ingredients. Clementine, a type of tangerine, is sweet and juicy and will aid in digestion. Collard greens, with their deep bluish-green leaves, have natural antibiotic and antiviral characteristics. Onions promote transpiration and can cleanse the pores as effectively as a good sauna bath. Sweet potatoes contain substances called phytochelatins that can bind heavy metals like cadmium, copper, mercury and lead and help detox them out of the body.

Pears and coconut contain iodine, which helps keep the thyroid functioning properly. Pomegranate is excellent for the bladder and cooling to the system. Walnuts are warming and can strengthen the kidneys and the lungs. Medjool dates are renowned for helping heal throat and chest ailments. Turnips help alkalize and purify the body. Cinnamon contains a substance that kills various fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms. Ginger promotes overall circulation of energy and warms the body. Mangoes are a great blood cleanser and good for the kidneys, too. Spinach is also high in iron and chlorophyll which helps build healthy blood.

When you combine all of these ingredients in just the right way you will create a delicious and satisfying gourmet meal fit for a festive celebration.

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Mango Frosty

Prepare this recipe first and put it in the freezer to set while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

8 very ripe mangoes 3 cups grated coconut 2 cups spinach 1 cup strawberries

Peel the mangoes and combine in the Vitmix with 2 cups of the grated coconut and the spinach and blend until creamy. Put it in the freezer in a shallow dish so it will freeze quickly. When you are ready to serve, spoon out into a dessert dish and top with grated coconut and a strawberry. Your green, red and white dessert will be a festive holiday treat for everyone.

Heavenly Holiday Greens

6 cups turnip greens 2 cups clementines 1 cup clementine juice 1 cup sweet onions 2 cups turnip bottoms 2 cups ripe pears 2 Tbsp lemon juice ¼ cup flax seed oil 2 tsp Himalayan salt Dash of nutmeg Shred the turnip greens and the stems into thin strips. Peel and chop the turnip bottoms into bite-size pieces. Chop the pears into bite size pieces. Mince the sweet onions. Peel enough clementines and separate them into their small wedges so you have 2 cups. Put one cup of extra peeled clementines into the Vitamix or other high-speed blender and add the lemon juice, oil, nutmeg and salt. Blend into a creamy dressing. Combine the greens, clementines, onions, turnips and pears with the dressing and toss until all is well coated.

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My Sweetie Date Delight

4 cups sweet potatoes 1 tsp cinnamon 1 cup pitted medjool dates 1 tsp ginger 2 cups walnuts 2 tsp. lemon juice ¼ cup Clementine juice 1 tsp Himalayan salt Grate the sweet potatoes. Break up the walnuts into small pieces. Chop the dates. Grate the ginger. Combine all the ingredients and toss together.

Macadamia Pecan Balls

2 cups pecans 2 cups macadamia nuts ½ cup onions 1 cup red pepper 1 cup celery 1 Tbsp lemon juice 2 Tbsp coconut aminos 2 tsp sage Blend 1 cup of the macadamia nuts in the Vita-Mix or other high-speed blending machine until you have a fine powder. This is your macadamia flour that you will use to roll the nut balls in. Combine all of the other ingredients in the Vitamix or food processor until you have a smooth texture. Form into little balls, roll in the macadamia flour serve on the side or on top of the Heavenly Greens.

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Brenda Cobb is author of The Living Foods Lifestyle and founder of the Living Foods Institute, an educational center and therapy spa in Atlanta offering Healthy Lifestyle courses on nutrition, cleansing, healing, anti-aging, detoxification, relaxation and cleansing therapies. For more information, call 404-524-4488 or 1-800-844-9876 and visit LivingFoodsInstitute.com. See ad, inside front cover.