Dec 22, 20204 min read

Tasty and Healthy Christmas Recipes

Creamy mushroom soup (6 servings) - kcal: 213 Fat: 11g Carbs: 22g Protein: 10g

900g mushrooms of your likings
2 medium onions, diced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp low sodium soya sauce
1 tsp thyme, leaves (or 1/2 tsp of dried thyme leaves)
70g all-purpose flour
1ltr vegetable broth
230ml milk (reduced-fat milk or almond milk)
salt & black pepper to taste

Rinse the mushrooms with cold water to remove any dirt and pat dry with paper towels (do not soak them). Slice half of the mushrooms and roughly chop the other half. In a large saucepan, heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook gently for about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, thyme, a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring regularly, until the mushrooms start to brown, about 10 minutes. Spoon out 3 tablespoons of mushrooms and keep them for later (if you like to serve the soup topped with saute' mushrooms). Stir in 2 tbsps of oil, add the flour and cook, stirring constantly for about 30 seconds to a minute. The flour, the oil and part of the mushroom moisture will form a thick paste called roux that will thicken the broth. Add the vegetable broth and stir while returning the mixture to a boil. You want to dissolve all of the flour from the bottom of the pot. After a couple of minutes, as soon as the liquid comes up to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low and add the milk. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 15-20 minutes. Finally, add the soya sauce and cook for a further minute. Taste and adjust seasoning, as necessary (it depends on the salt content of your vegetable broth). Spoon the soup into bowls, garnish with the remaining mushrooms and a drizzle of olive oil.

Turkey Roast (6 servings) - kcal: 350 Fat: 7g Carbs: 22g Protein: 47g

2kg turkey crown on the bone
3 oranges , 1 cut into wedges, ½ sliced, 1 ½ juiced
1 tbsp honey, plus extra for drizzling
handful thyme sprigs , leaves picked from one, two left whole, plus sprigs to serve (optional)
1 tsp soy sauce
2 bay leaves
500g carrots , peeled and cut into long batons
500g parsnips , peeled and cut into long batons

Take your turkey crown out of the fridge 1-2 hrs before you want to cook it. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan. Cut 4 slices from one of the oranges. Juice the rest of it along with another of the oranges. In a small bowl, stir the orange juice together with the honey and the picked thyme leaves, the soy sauce and a good grinding of black pepper. Loosen the skin over the turkey breast. Place two slices of orange, a bay leaf and thyme sprig under the skin, on both sides of the breast, then spoon in some of the juice mix and smooth the skin back over. Tip the orange wedges into a roomy roasting tin with the carrots and parsnips. Nestle the crown amongst the vegetables and oranges. Drizzle over about a third of the remaining orange juice mix and roast everything in the oven for 30 mins. Remove, give the veg a stir and drizzle over another third of the juice mix, then return to the oven and do that again one more time, roasting the turkey for a total of 1hr 30 mins (covering with foil halfway through if it begins to colour too much). Remove the turkey from the roasting tin and place on a board covered with foil, then turn the oven up to 220C/200C fan. Toss the veg in a drizzle of honey and put the tin back in the oven to caramelise the veg for 25-30 mins, leaving the turkey crown to rest. Serve the crown on a platter surrounded by the glazed roots, orange wedges and extra thyme sprigs, if you like. Remove the sticky skin from the breast before carving the meat to serve as a side.

Veg Balls (6 servings) - kcal 194 Fat: 10g Carbs: 16g Protein: 8g

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 sticks celery, stringed and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
15g dried apricots, roughly chopped
75g peeled chestnuts
75g almonds
100g wholemeal bread, crusts removed and roughly torn (about 6 slices)
large bunch parsley, chopped
large pinch dried sage
1 egg

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan. Heat the oil in a shallow saucepan then add the onion, celery, and garlic. Keep everything sizzling on medium heat for 15 mins until soft. Move into a food processor with the rest of the ingredients, except the egg, plus a small pinch of salt, if you like. Pulse until everything is chopped, then add the egg and pulse until combined. Use wet hands to roll the mixture into bite-size balls, then place on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Bake in the oven for 25-30 mins until golden and hot through. Will freeze for up to three months; defrost fully before reheating.

Juicy Gravy (6 servings) - kcal: 70 Fat: 1g Carbs: 12g Protein: 1g

1 tsp sunflower oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 large carrots, chopped
1 tbsp ketchup
handful dried porcini mushrooms
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1l low-salt vegetable stock, or chicken stock if not making it vegetarian
1 tbsp cornflour

Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the vegetables and cook them over medium-high heat for 10-15 mins to brown – if they burn at the edges, then all the better. Stir in the ketchup and dried mushrooms and cook together until everything becomes sticky, then splash in the vinegar. Stir in the stock and season with a pinch of salt, if you like. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 20 mins. Using a hand blender, blitz to create a thin soup-like consistency, then pass through a sieve into another saucepan and bring to the simmer. Slake the cornflour with a dash of water, pour into the liquid, and continue to cook until thickened. Serve straight away, chill, or freeze for reheating at a later date. Can be frozen for up to three months in an airtight container.

Guiltless Cheesecake (per cup) - kcal: 329 Fat: 6g Carbs: 34g Protein: 14g