Felicity Cloake taste-tests our readers' ideas for clawing back a few festive calories – including Thai salad and frozen yoghurt
• The next theme will be smoothies and juices. Send us your recipes
As one reader observed this week, Christmas and healthy eating don't exactly go hand in woolly-mittened hand, but a nod in that direction never did any harm. Indeed, after a few days of stuffing yourself silly with bubble and squeak and cheap chocolates from the tree, I suspect a kale and butternut squash salad or scoop of festive frozen yoghurt might come as a positive relief.
On the big day itself, I'll be ringing the changes from the usual smoked salmon starter with Natalie and Valerie Wong's colourful crab, beetroot and avocado salad; a centrepiece sure to impress even the most diehard traditionalists; perhaps even, in Bake-Off lingo, a showstopper. I especially loved the tangy, dill-spiked dressing, and whether you use low-fat yoghurt or the creamy good stuff, I leave to you and your conscience.
*The winning recipe: crabmeat with beetroot carpaccio and avocado*
A simple but refreshing start to this year's Christmas feasting.
Twinny Dip, London, twinnydip.blogspot.co.uk
Serves 8
*4 avocados, thinly sliced*
*500g cooked beetroot, thinly sliced*
*480g drained crab meat*
*Wedges of lemon, to serve (optional)*
For the dressing
*A handful of dill, chopped*
*250g plain yoghurt*
*4 tbsp olive oil*
*4 tsp English mustard*
*Juice of 1 lemon*
*2 tsp honey*
*2 tbsp cider vinegar*
*1 garlic clove, minced*
*1* Set aside about 2 tsp chopped dill, then prepare the dressing by mixing all the remaining ingredients and seasoning to taste.
*2* Cover 8 plates with alternating slices of avocado and beetroot. Split the crab meat into 8 portions and place a portion in the middle of each plate.
*3* Drizzle the dressing over the salad and sprinkle dill on to the crab.
*4* Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.
*Thai-style vegetable salad*
I'm not sure there is such a thing as a healthy Christmas dish; my only addition to a traditional Christmas menu would be this Thai vegetable salad to serve with cold meats as an alternative to pickle – great for non‑salad lovers. It's not terribly authentic, but green papaya and snake beans are not easy to get!
Jenny Barrett, Hartlepool
Serves 4 as a salad, or 8 as a pickle
*2 fresh chillies: 1 hot, 1 larger and more fragrant; deseeded and finely sliced*
*3 small garlic cloves, crushed*
*1 tbsp palm or granulated sugar*
*110g French beans, trimmed and cut into 1cm lengths*
*1 cucumber, chopped into rough 1cm dice*
*¼ white cabbage, very finely sliced*
*2 tbsp Thai fish sauce (nam pla)*
*2 tbsp fresh lime juice*
*18 cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered*
*2 tbsp unsalted peanuts, crushed and roasted *
*1 lime, cut into 12 wedges*
*Fresh coriander, finely chopped*
*1* Mix all the ingredients except for the nuts, lime wedges and coriander, and leave for a few hours to allow the flavours to mix.
*2* Scatter with the remaining ingredients just before serving.
*Kale and butternut squash salad in spiced brown butter dressing*
You can use olive oil in the dressing if you want to feel healthy, but the browned butter gives the dish a sweet nutty finish, so I recommend it.
Angela Kim, via GuardianWitness
Serves 2 as a starter
*7-8 stems kale (1 bunch)*
*½ tbsp red wine vinegar or juice ½ a lemon*
*A good drizzle of olive oil*
*A pinch of salt*
*½ small butternut squash, cut to large cubes*
*5 very small red onions, peeled and halved*
*5 cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped*
*4 tbsp pomegranate seeds (or more to taste)*
* *For the dressing
*1 small shallot, finely chopped*
*1 tbsp red wine vinegar*
*20g butter*
*⅓ vanilla pod, halved lengthways*
*⅓ tsp ground cinnamon*
*⅓ tsp ground ginger*
*⅓ tsp ground cumin*
*A pinch of chilli flakes (optional)*
*1* Separate the kale leaves from the stalks and discard the latter. Chop the kale into bite-size pieces and if the leaves seem to be tough, shred them. Toss with the red wine vinegar, oil, and a good pinch of salt. Massage the leaves briefly so that the leaves soak up the dressing evenly and leave for 30 minutes or more to tenderise.
*2* Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Toss the squash with the red onion halves in olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Spread them out on a baking sheet in one layer and bake for about 20-30 minutes, checking after 15, until lightly browned and tender – the squash chunks should retain their shape.
*3* To make the dressing, mix the shallot and vinegar in a bowl. Melt the butter in a small pan on a medium-low heat and cook until brown bits appear on the bottom of the pan. Keep an eye on it as butter can burn very quickly. Once it smells nutty, add the spices then whisk it into the bowl of shallot vinegar and season or adjust the spicing to taste.
*4* Gently toss the kale, roasted squash and onion, chestnuts and pomegranate with half the dressing. Adjust the dressing to taste.
*Festive frozen yoghurt*
Perfect after a huge Christmas lunch (and just about all you can face at that stage).
emmajaneh via GuardianWitness
Makes 350ml
*2 clementines*
*100g frozen cranberries*
*100g frozen raspberries*
*300g low-fat Greek-style yoghurt*
*2 tbsp runny honey*
*1* Grate the zest from the clementines and put it, along with the segments, in a food processor with the berries. Pulse until smoothish but still with bits.
*2* Stir into the yoghurt, mix in the honey, pour into a container and freeze until ready to serve.
*Spiced sweet potato and carrot velouté*
This thick, creamy soup has all the rich flavour of carrots and sweet potatoes, spiced up with French quatre epices – it just smells of Christmas. A great garnish would be with sweet potato or carrot chips, instead of croutons or crackers. frenchrevolutionfood.com via GuardianWitness
Serves 4–6
*1 tbsp unsalted butter*
*1 medium onion, finely diced*
*¾ tsp quatre epices (equal parts ground black pepper, ginger, nutmeg and clove)*
*450g sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes*
*450g carrots, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes*
*950ml vegetable stock or water*
*80ml double cream (optional)*
*1* Melt the butter over a medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the onions and fry, stirring often, until translucent and fragrant, which takes about 3 minutes.
*2* Add the quatre epices and stir in, then after 20 seconds add the sweet potato and carrot, and cover with the vegetable stock or water. Season, stir everything together, and bring to the boil over a high heat.
*3* Cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes, by which time the carrots and sweet potato should be very tender. Take off the heat and puree, stir in the cream, and serve.
*Festive teabread*
I think this is a great alternative to Christmas cake – all the flavour, no fat. To make it look even more special, once the cake has cooled decorate the top with dried fruits and nuts, coated in a little warmed honey, instead of the almonds. If you want to make a smaller cake, half the quantities, use a 16cm cake tin and bake for 60–70 minutes. pilgrimskitchentales via GuardianWitness
Makes a 20cm cake
*450g mixed dried fruit*
*100g dates, chopped*
*400ml strong brewed tea*
*150g buckwheat flour*
*80g ground almonds*
*50g potato flour (aka potato starch)*
*1 tsp mixed spice*
*1 tsp ground ginger*
*2 tsp baking powder*
*40g honey*
*40g date syrup*
*2-3 balls of stem ginger, finely chopped*
*3 tbsp brandy*
*The zest of 1 large orange, plus 100ml juice*
*2 eggs, beaten*
*25g flaked almonds (optional)*
*1* Soak the fruit and dates overnight in the tea.
*2 *Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark 2 and grease and line a 20cm-diameter cake tin. Sift the dry ingredients together.
*3* Drain the fruit and transfer to a large bowl. Add the honey, date syrup, stem ginger, brandy and orange zest and juice, and mix well. Stir in the beaten egg and fold in the dry ingredients until well mixed.
*4* Spoon into the prepared tin, sprinkle over the flaked almonds and bake for 80–90 minutes. Leave to cool slightly then remove from the tin and transfer to a wire rack.
*Send us your smoothies and juices recipes *
On 4 January, we announce the Guardian home cook of the year for 2013, but in the meantime, please send us your SMOOTHIES and JUICES recipes.
Recipes will appear on 11 January.
Email your recipe suggestions to recipes@theguardian.com or upload your recipes and images to theguardian.com/witness by noon on Monday 6 January.
Please include your name, address and phone number (conditions apply: see theguardian.com Reported by guardian.co.uk 2 hours ago.
• The next theme will be smoothies and juices. Send us your recipes
As one reader observed this week, Christmas and healthy eating don't exactly go hand in woolly-mittened hand, but a nod in that direction never did any harm. Indeed, after a few days of stuffing yourself silly with bubble and squeak and cheap chocolates from the tree, I suspect a kale and butternut squash salad or scoop of festive frozen yoghurt might come as a positive relief.
On the big day itself, I'll be ringing the changes from the usual smoked salmon starter with Natalie and Valerie Wong's colourful crab, beetroot and avocado salad; a centrepiece sure to impress even the most diehard traditionalists; perhaps even, in Bake-Off lingo, a showstopper. I especially loved the tangy, dill-spiked dressing, and whether you use low-fat yoghurt or the creamy good stuff, I leave to you and your conscience.
*The winning recipe: crabmeat with beetroot carpaccio and avocado*
A simple but refreshing start to this year's Christmas feasting.
Twinny Dip, London, twinnydip.blogspot.co.uk
Serves 8
*4 avocados, thinly sliced*
*500g cooked beetroot, thinly sliced*
*480g drained crab meat*
*Wedges of lemon, to serve (optional)*
For the dressing
*A handful of dill, chopped*
*250g plain yoghurt*
*4 tbsp olive oil*
*4 tsp English mustard*
*Juice of 1 lemon*
*2 tsp honey*
*2 tbsp cider vinegar*
*1 garlic clove, minced*
*1* Set aside about 2 tsp chopped dill, then prepare the dressing by mixing all the remaining ingredients and seasoning to taste.
*2* Cover 8 plates with alternating slices of avocado and beetroot. Split the crab meat into 8 portions and place a portion in the middle of each plate.
*3* Drizzle the dressing over the salad and sprinkle dill on to the crab.
*4* Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.
*Thai-style vegetable salad*
I'm not sure there is such a thing as a healthy Christmas dish; my only addition to a traditional Christmas menu would be this Thai vegetable salad to serve with cold meats as an alternative to pickle – great for non‑salad lovers. It's not terribly authentic, but green papaya and snake beans are not easy to get!
Jenny Barrett, Hartlepool
Serves 4 as a salad, or 8 as a pickle
*2 fresh chillies: 1 hot, 1 larger and more fragrant; deseeded and finely sliced*
*3 small garlic cloves, crushed*
*1 tbsp palm or granulated sugar*
*110g French beans, trimmed and cut into 1cm lengths*
*1 cucumber, chopped into rough 1cm dice*
*¼ white cabbage, very finely sliced*
*2 tbsp Thai fish sauce (nam pla)*
*2 tbsp fresh lime juice*
*18 cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered*
*2 tbsp unsalted peanuts, crushed and roasted *
*1 lime, cut into 12 wedges*
*Fresh coriander, finely chopped*
*1* Mix all the ingredients except for the nuts, lime wedges and coriander, and leave for a few hours to allow the flavours to mix.
*2* Scatter with the remaining ingredients just before serving.
*Kale and butternut squash salad in spiced brown butter dressing*
You can use olive oil in the dressing if you want to feel healthy, but the browned butter gives the dish a sweet nutty finish, so I recommend it.
Angela Kim, via GuardianWitness
Serves 2 as a starter
*7-8 stems kale (1 bunch)*
*½ tbsp red wine vinegar or juice ½ a lemon*
*A good drizzle of olive oil*
*A pinch of salt*
*½ small butternut squash, cut to large cubes*
*5 very small red onions, peeled and halved*
*5 cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped*
*4 tbsp pomegranate seeds (or more to taste)*
* *For the dressing
*1 small shallot, finely chopped*
*1 tbsp red wine vinegar*
*20g butter*
*⅓ vanilla pod, halved lengthways*
*⅓ tsp ground cinnamon*
*⅓ tsp ground ginger*
*⅓ tsp ground cumin*
*A pinch of chilli flakes (optional)*
*1* Separate the kale leaves from the stalks and discard the latter. Chop the kale into bite-size pieces and if the leaves seem to be tough, shred them. Toss with the red wine vinegar, oil, and a good pinch of salt. Massage the leaves briefly so that the leaves soak up the dressing evenly and leave for 30 minutes or more to tenderise.
*2* Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Toss the squash with the red onion halves in olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Spread them out on a baking sheet in one layer and bake for about 20-30 minutes, checking after 15, until lightly browned and tender – the squash chunks should retain their shape.
*3* To make the dressing, mix the shallot and vinegar in a bowl. Melt the butter in a small pan on a medium-low heat and cook until brown bits appear on the bottom of the pan. Keep an eye on it as butter can burn very quickly. Once it smells nutty, add the spices then whisk it into the bowl of shallot vinegar and season or adjust the spicing to taste.
*4* Gently toss the kale, roasted squash and onion, chestnuts and pomegranate with half the dressing. Adjust the dressing to taste.
*Festive frozen yoghurt*
Perfect after a huge Christmas lunch (and just about all you can face at that stage).
emmajaneh via GuardianWitness
Makes 350ml
*2 clementines*
*100g frozen cranberries*
*100g frozen raspberries*
*300g low-fat Greek-style yoghurt*
*2 tbsp runny honey*
*1* Grate the zest from the clementines and put it, along with the segments, in a food processor with the berries. Pulse until smoothish but still with bits.
*2* Stir into the yoghurt, mix in the honey, pour into a container and freeze until ready to serve.
*Spiced sweet potato and carrot velouté*
This thick, creamy soup has all the rich flavour of carrots and sweet potatoes, spiced up with French quatre epices – it just smells of Christmas. A great garnish would be with sweet potato or carrot chips, instead of croutons or crackers. frenchrevolutionfood.com via GuardianWitness
Serves 4–6
*1 tbsp unsalted butter*
*1 medium onion, finely diced*
*¾ tsp quatre epices (equal parts ground black pepper, ginger, nutmeg and clove)*
*450g sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes*
*450g carrots, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes*
*950ml vegetable stock or water*
*80ml double cream (optional)*
*1* Melt the butter over a medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the onions and fry, stirring often, until translucent and fragrant, which takes about 3 minutes.
*2* Add the quatre epices and stir in, then after 20 seconds add the sweet potato and carrot, and cover with the vegetable stock or water. Season, stir everything together, and bring to the boil over a high heat.
*3* Cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes, by which time the carrots and sweet potato should be very tender. Take off the heat and puree, stir in the cream, and serve.
*Festive teabread*
I think this is a great alternative to Christmas cake – all the flavour, no fat. To make it look even more special, once the cake has cooled decorate the top with dried fruits and nuts, coated in a little warmed honey, instead of the almonds. If you want to make a smaller cake, half the quantities, use a 16cm cake tin and bake for 60–70 minutes. pilgrimskitchentales via GuardianWitness
Makes a 20cm cake
*450g mixed dried fruit*
*100g dates, chopped*
*400ml strong brewed tea*
*150g buckwheat flour*
*80g ground almonds*
*50g potato flour (aka potato starch)*
*1 tsp mixed spice*
*1 tsp ground ginger*
*2 tsp baking powder*
*40g honey*
*40g date syrup*
*2-3 balls of stem ginger, finely chopped*
*3 tbsp brandy*
*The zest of 1 large orange, plus 100ml juice*
*2 eggs, beaten*
*25g flaked almonds (optional)*
*1* Soak the fruit and dates overnight in the tea.
*2 *Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark 2 and grease and line a 20cm-diameter cake tin. Sift the dry ingredients together.
*3* Drain the fruit and transfer to a large bowl. Add the honey, date syrup, stem ginger, brandy and orange zest and juice, and mix well. Stir in the beaten egg and fold in the dry ingredients until well mixed.
*4* Spoon into the prepared tin, sprinkle over the flaked almonds and bake for 80–90 minutes. Leave to cool slightly then remove from the tin and transfer to a wire rack.
*Send us your smoothies and juices recipes *
On 4 January, we announce the Guardian home cook of the year for 2013, but in the meantime, please send us your SMOOTHIES and JUICES recipes.
Recipes will appear on 11 January.
Email your recipe suggestions to recipes@theguardian.com or upload your recipes and images to theguardian.com/witness by noon on Monday 6 January.
Please include your name, address and phone number (conditions apply: see theguardian.com Reported by guardian.co.uk 2 hours ago.