The holiday season all too often goes hand in hand with calories. To keep the scales from tipping into the point of no return while still enjoying every bite, here are 8 delicious recipe ideas for a festive low-calorie meal.
Sommaire
Appetiser ideas
Salmon tzatziki
???????? Ingredients (serves 6):
- 250 g salmon
- 1/2 cucumber
- 2 Greek yoghurts
- 1 garlic clove Chives
- Salt and pepper
Method:
1. Peel the half cucumber, slice it lengthways and remove the seeds. Cut into small dice. Set aside in a salad bowl. Peel and finely slice the garlic clove, then add it to the bowl.
2. Fold in the Greek yoghurt and mix until well combined. Rinse and dry a few sprigs of chives. Finely chop them, then add to the bowl.
3. Add the salmon cut into small dice, season with salt and pepper, then refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. Serve as an appetiser.
Savoury lollipops
???????? Ingredients (serves 4):
- 250 g fresh goat’s cheese
- 100 g shelled unsalted pistachios
- 50 g flaxseeds
- 1 pomegranate
- About 10 pretzel sticks
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Freshly ground pepper
Method:
1. Roughly crush the pistachios into a coarse powder. Halve the pomegranate and remove the seeds. Set aside.
2. Place the goat’s cheese in a large bowl. Add the oil, season with pepper and stir.
3. Shape the mixture into about 20 small balls, rolling them between the palms of your hands.
4. Roll one third of the balls in pomegranate seeds, one third in pistachios and one third in flaxseeds.
5. Arrange on a serving plate and keep chilled until ready to serve. Just before serving, press a pretzel stick into each ball.
Starter ideas
Oyster and scallop tartare with ginger
???????? Ingredients (serves 6):
- 12 oysters
- 12 scallops
- 1 small jar of lumpfish roe
- 20 g fresh ginger
- Juice of 1 yellow lemon
- Juice of 1 lime
- A few sprigs of chives
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Method :
1. Open the oysters, detach them from their shells and set aside in their juices. Keep the shells. Clean the scallops (or ask your fishmonger to do it for you) and rinse under very cold water.
2. Prepare the tartare: cut the scallops and oysters into small dice. Finely chop the chives and mince the ginger.
3. A few minutes before serving, finish assembling: combine the shellfish, chives, ginger and citrus juices. Add a drizzle of olive oil. Season very lightly with salt and pepper, if desired.
4. Spoon the tartare into the oyster shells. Top each one with a teaspoon of lumpfish roe and a little chopped chive.
5. Serve and enjoy!
Smoked salmon with fennel and orange salad, honey vinaigrette
???????? Ingredients (serves 6):
- 12 slices of smoked salmon (two generous slices per person)
- 1 fennel bulb
- 1 large orange
- Honey
- Mustard
- Dill
- Juice of 1 lime
Method:
1. Wash the fennel bulb, remove the stalks and grate it. Peel the orange and cut into 6 even slices. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, whisk together some honey, a little mustard and the lime juice to make a sweet-and-sour vinaigrette.
3. On each plate, lay two slices of smoked salmon. Place an orange slice on top, followed by a little grated fennel. Drizzle with the honey vinaigrette. Finish with a sprig of fresh dill.
4. Enjoy!
Main course ideas
Poultry blanquette
???????? Ingredients (serves 6):
- 6 poultry fillets – chicken or guinea fowl
- 1 litre poultry stock – from a cube or homemade!
- 1 large onion
- 1 leek (white part only)
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 egg yolk
- 15 g butter
- 15 g flour
- 15 g light crème fraîche
- Thyme, bay leaf
- Vegetables of your choice: carrots, broccoli, parsnip…
- Salt, pepper
Method:
1. Cut the poultry fillets into strips. Peel the onion and cut into quarters. Wash the leek and celery stalk.
2. In a sauté pan or casserole dish, place the chicken strips. Add the thyme, bay leaf, onion, leek, celery, salt and pepper. Cover with the poultry stock and simmer over a low heat for one hour.
3. Wash the vegetables and boil until cooked through but still slightly firm. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
4. Once the poultry is cooked, set the strips aside and strain the cooking juices. In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk to make a roux. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cooking juices until smooth.
5. Once the sauce is ready, add the poultry and vegetables and heat gently. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolk and crème fraîche, then fold the mixture into the dish.
6. The blanquette is ready! Serve in deep bowls.
Coconut Curry & Prawns
???????? Ingredients (serves 6):
- 30 large raw prawns or king prawns, fresh or frozen, peeled and deveined
- 2 onions
- 1 garlic clove
- Fresh coriander
- 300 ml coconut milk
- 2 tbsp light crème fraîche
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- 2 tbsp sesame oil (or olive or sunflower oil if unavailable)
- Salt and pepper
Method:
1. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a sauté pan and, once hot, cook the prawns over a high heat for about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then remove from the heat. Set aside.
2. Add the remaining oil to the pan and gently fry the sliced onion and garlic for a good minute. Add the curry powder and stir well. Pour in the coconut milk and crème fraîche. Bring to a gentle simmer.
3. Once the sauce is simmering, return the prawns to the pan. Cook over a very low heat for a few minutes, allowing the prawns to soak up the sauce.
4. Pour into a serving dish, scatter with freshly chopped coriander and serve immediately.
5. You can serve this dish with roasted sweet potato chunks and/or green beans, as you like.
Dessert ideas
Santa Claus strawberries
???????? Ingredients (serves 4):
- 1 punnet of strawberries
- Poppy seeds
- 200 g mascarpone
- 1 sachet of vanilla sugar
- 100 ml cream
Method:
- Rinse the strawberries under cold water, then hull them. Slice the tip off each strawberry and set the tips aside.
- Mix together the mascarpone, cream and vanilla sugar, then spoon the mixture onto the bottom half of each strawberry.
- Place the strawberry tips back on top, add a small dollop of the mascarpone mixture to form the hat’s pompom, then shape 2 tiny balls to create the buttons. Add poppy seeds for the eyes.
- Serve the Santa Claus strawberries straight away.
Refreshing citrus fruit salad
???????? Ingredients (serves 6):
- 3 oranges
- 3 blood oranges
- 1 pink grapefruit
- 1 tbsp cane sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 tbsp orange blossom water
- 1 pomegranate
- Fresh mint
Method:
1. Peel the citrus fruits and slice them, making sure to collect the juices. Arrange them attractively on a serving plate.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the collected juice, sugar and orange blossom water. Heat gently until you have a light syrup.
3. Once the syrup has cooled, pour it over the citrus slices.
4. Leave to soak for at least one hour in the fridge. Meanwhile, halve the pomegranate and collect the seeds. Finely chop the mint.
5. Just before serving, scatter the salad with pomegranate seeds and chopped mint.
6. Serve and savour this fresh, seasonal recipe that’s wonderfully kind to digestion!