Christmas is just around the corner! Whether you are abroad or at your home, the festivities will always have you feeling excited, nostalgic, and warm. Imagine! All your favourite foods and treats are on the table, ready to be devoured by you. The holiday season is the time when most people don’t want to count calories because let’s be honest, it ruins the holiday spirit.
However, in some cases, you might feel like watching the calories you consume because you don’t want to let all your hard work at the gym go to waste. That’s why we have come up with 3 healthy Christmas recipes that you can indulge in guilt-free. They look and taste as delicious as any other regular Christmas dishes.
1. Ricotta And Roasted Vegetable Tart
Ingredients
- 150g Packet of rosemary and cashew crackers
- 1/3 Cup parmesan, grated
- ½ Cup toasted brazil nuts
- 100g melted butter
- 100g trimmed green beans
- 250g cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 2 bunches trimmed and halved asparagus
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tsp honey
- 375g ricotta, smooth
- 80g garlic and herb cheese
- Lemon zest
- Fresh basil leaves
- Put the nuts, parmesan, and crackers in a food processor and pulse into crumbs. Slowly add melted butter until thoroughly combined.
- Place the mixture in a rectangular tart pan and press it on and around the base.
- Put the tart pan in the fridge for an hour.
- Preheat your oven to 200 degrees centigrade.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper and place asparagus, beans, and tomatoes.
- Drizzle with oil and vinegar and sprinkle a bit of thyme.
- Season with salt and pepper and then pop the tray into the oven to roast the veggies for 15 mins or until the tomatoes get softened.
- Place the garlic, herb cheese, and ricotta with the thyme in a food processor and combine until thoroughly combined.
- Remove the tart from the fridge and place it on a serving platter.
- Spoon the ricotta onto the tart and top it with roasted veggies and beans. Drizzle with honey and the remaining oil.
- Sprinkle with lemon zest and basil before serving.
2. Confit Salmon With Lemon And Parsley Salsa
Ingredients
- 2 cups of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups of sunflower oil
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp bruised whole black peppercorn
- 800g skinless salmon and deboned
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Chervil leaves
- 1 cup chervil leaves
- 1 cup parsley, chopped
- 100g lemon with white pith and flesh removed, also finely chopped
- 1 small shallot, finely chopped
- 1/2 cups walnuts, roasted and chopped
- 1 tbsp capers, rinsed
- Preheat the oven to 150 degrees.
- To confit the salmon, combine together peppercorns, oils, lemon zest, and bay leaves in a roasting pan.
- Make sure the pan is shallow.
- Add the salmon ensuring it is fully submerged in the water and then cover it with the baking paper.
- Reduce the oven to 90 degrees and bake for 15 minutes until the salmon is cooked to your liking.
- Allow the salmon to sit in the oil for 10 minutes and then remove it with a slotted spatula so the excess oil is drained.
- Place the salmon on the serving platter.
- Mix the lemon and parsley salsa in a small bowl and then scatter the mixture on top of the fish along with chervil and then serve.
3. Caramel Pecan Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup butter, cut up into cubes
- ¼ cup ground toasted pecans
- ¼ cup softened butter
- 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
- 1 3 ounce packaged cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 tbsp packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup canned pumpkin
- 1 egg
- ½ cup caramel flavored ice cream topping
- ¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ cup chopped toasted pecans
- Preheat your over to 176 degrees.
- Grease your muffin pan and set it aside.
- In a bowl, mix together granulated sugar, ground pecans, and flour.
- Blend the butter in the mixture until it is grainy and there are pea-sized pieces. Add in the egg yolk and mix again until thoroughly combined.
- Once a dough forms, scoop it out and make 24 balls.
- Press the balls into the muffin cups.
- Bake the cups for 10 mins.
- For the filling, in a bowl beat together cream cheese, butter, brown sugar, and pumpkin until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and pumpkin pie spice and beat again until fully combined.
- Scoop out the filling and evenly fill the partially-baked crusts and then bake for 15 mins.
- Set aside the cheesecake cups on a wire rack for 5 mins and then run a thin knife or a metal spatula around the edges of the muffin tin to take out the cups.
- Before serving top the cheesecake bites with caramel and pecans.
