The Christmas It is a time to celebrate with family, friends and work colleagues. This period features many notable days such as Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day or Epiphany. And they all have in common the tradition of celebrating them by getting together with our loved ones for lunch or dinner. Family get-togethers, office parties, Christmas sweets and shortbread, the Three Kings' cake… they sometimes lead us to overindulge and we almost always end up eating more than we should.
However, these festivities don't have to be incompatible with eating healthily since it is possible to prepare special dishes that are light and healthy at the same time. Therefore, from the Organic Tapas Bar We want to help you avoid putting on those dreaded extra pounds over the Christmas holidays by sharing with you some recipes with which to celebrate Christmas in style without neglecting your diet.
It is very important avoid as far as possible in alcohol and saturated fat consumption. Additionally, even though it is complicated, it is advisable keep up with exercise and to play sports regularly. Another relevant aspect is have the five meals a day, none of that “I'm hardly going to eat today so I'm hungrier for dinner”. Just like monitor the rations so as not to end up eating much more than usual.
One of the best ways to make a healthy menu for the holidays is to make a light starter, for example, a soup or a cream, followed by the main course. If for the main course we opt for fish, we will have already considerably reduced the calorie intake while enjoying a dish full of healthy fats such as Omega-3. Always better fish than meat. As for dessert, it is preferable to dispense with nougat or other processed sweets and opt for a homemade recipe.
Here is for you three ideas of delicious and simple dishes that meet these characteristics.
Leek and potato soup with crispy ham
Although the traditional Christmas consommé makes an excellent starter, for all those of you who want to try something a bit more innovative this festive season, we suggest a classic cream soup accompanied by a crispy ham garnish that will give it that sophisticated touch so typical of the holidays.
To make it you will simply have to sauté the leek and potato with a little extra virgin olive oil, season with salt and pepper to taste, cover the vegetables with water or stock, boil for about 20 minutes and blend everything. To give it more consistency and texture, you can add a couple of portions of processed cheese or a splash of single cream.
Finally, you take some slices of ham and the do you heat it in the oven or microwave until they are dehydrated and crispy. Then you will just need to cut them into small pieces and sprinkle them over the soup just before serving.
Hake with cava and king prawns
If you really want to go for a light and healthy Christmas, you'll have to put aside the traditional roast lamb or duck, which is characteristic for its high amount of fat and calories. As we were saying, it is always better to opt for the fish since it not only has fewer calories, but is also more smooth and lighter during digestion.
That is why we suggest that you opt for a dish of hake in cava with king prawns, a simple recipe to make, with few ingredients and yet very striking. Making a good dish is not incompatible with health or the pocket.
To prepare it, you will simply have to make a sofrito with the leek and when it is tender add the cava, the stock, saffron to taste and some potatoes round. Leave it to cook for approximately 25 minutes. When the potatoes are cooked, it is time to remove them and pass the stock through a food mill.
After that, you just have to add the hake slices and the peeled prawns and let everything cook together for another 8-10 minutes, check the seasoning and serve. We recommend that when plating up you sprinkle a little fresh parsley minced.
Berry and yoghurt ice cream
As a finishing touch to your lunch or dinner, you can opt for a light and refreshing red berry and yoghurt ice cream which, furthermore, is extremely easy to prepare and it doesn't need a fridge.
You simply have to take frozen berries, a banana, oat bran y a few mint leaves and blend it all thoroughly with a food processor. Once the mixture is uniform, you add the natural yoghurt and a bit of honey and mix again. It is ready to serve.
As you can see, Christmas doesn't have to be associated with overindulging in food. From our organic restaurant in Malaga we invite you to try these dishes. You can also check our seasonal menu where you are sure to find more ideas DJing here.
