Still Feeling Peckish

So it’s that time of the year again and I’m feeling a little beset. Chinese New Year is the traditional time for reunions and visiting and lots and lots of food. The only problem is that most of the food is completely carb-laden and so the entire season is filled with land mines for me. After all, bak kua (sweet barbecued pork), nian gao 年糕， love letters, pineapple tarts and kueh lapis are completely off limits. I remembered I posted a question on a Facebook group on low carb diets about how they survived Chinese New Year and I realized the sad truth is that these people just don’t eat all the goodies and continue low carb like the festival never happened! Which is not the way I function. 

This is why I yanked out this recipe that I usually do to make sure I survive the CNY with something sweet to nibble on. This recipe originally used peanut flour but almonds are just as nutty and are much lower in carb content. The recipe is quick and easy and keep really well. In fact when I travel or go for retreats I usually bring a batch of these as they make a truly dainty little snack for those in between moments away from home.

Anyway, in the end I think Chinese New Year has become too commercialized anyway. The decorations have been up since early January and the shelves in supermarkets have been laden with canisters of sweet treats, crackers and nuts. Everything looks garishly mass produced. This year I am gunning for simplicity – (actually, it’s just an excuse; I have no time to make pineapple tarts this year!) so I will have a box of mandarin oranges, freshly roasted nuts and a bunch of almond dainties ready for the year of the Monkey.