So, you came back from your summer holiday determined to eat more healthily and you joined the gym. It wasn’t easy, but you were getting there. And now you’ve taken a break over the festive period. That’s ok, but don’t throw your plan out of the window. We’re here to show you that a New Year’s Eve dinner doesn’t have to be a notorious blowout.
Chapter One: Starters
Make a warm vegetable soup that’s great for toning the body: creamy pumpkin soup with pistachios or a classic leek vichyssoise, for example. Replace foie gras with homemade nut and mushroom pâté or crudités and dips (cheese and yogurt or aubergine, for example). For seafood fans, how about some steamed mussels with creamy curry or gluten-free carrot hummus and eggs stuffed with guacamole and king prawns?
Chapter Two: Main Courses
If you go easy on the starters, you can serve up a classic main course: iberian pork Wellington stuffed with prunes. Don’t go overboard, though, it’s filling! For a lighter version, try with chicken breasts. If you’d rather cook fish, you can liven it up with a seed crumbing. Remember that baking or steaming will always be healthier, but don’t ruin it with a heavy sauce or piles of chips on the side. How about a garden vegetable and fruit salad instead?
Chapter Three: Desserts
You’ve done well so far, so don’t spoilt it now at the end. Balance out the menu and finish off with a dish that will linger in the memory but not lie heavy on the stomach. Panna cotta with dried apricot and prune sauce, glasses of yogurt with peach and raisins and fresh fruit brochettes with (a dash of) chocolate are three mouthwatering ideas.
