Healthy Christmas Dinner Starters

Recipes

Posted on December 05, 2013 by Jenny Cromack

Everyone looks forward to Christmas dinner. It doesn’t need to be unhealthy to be tasty. Here are 3 recipes for a perfect Christmas starters based on the 3 main ingredients my family traditionally have for Christmas starter. Soup, smoked salmon and Melon.

Over the next few weeks we will be giving you healthy main course and healthy pudding recipes

Carrot & Coriander Soup

Kcal 115, Protein 3, Carbs 19 fat  4, Sat 1g

Serves 4
Ingredients Process
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 potato, chopped
  • 450g carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 1.2l vegetable or chicken stock
  • handful coriander

 

 1. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion, then fry for 5 mins until softened. Stir in the ground coriander and potato, then cook for 1 min. Add the carrots and stock, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat. Cover and cook for 20 mins until the carrots are tender.2.Tip into food processor with the coriander. then blitz until smooth (you may need to do this in two batches). Return to pan, taste, add salt if necessary, then reheat to serve.

 

 

Asian Smoked Salmon

Kcal  196, Protein 14g, Carbs 6g, fat 13g, Sat 2g,

Serves 8
Ingredients Process
  • 2 x 200g packs smoked salmon
  • 2 large just-ripe avocados, peeled, stoned and diced
  • ½ cucumber, deseeded and diced
  • handful coriander leaves
  • For the dressing
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
  • zest 2 limes
  • 4 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp light soy sauce

 
  1. Mix the ingredients for the dressing. It will keep in the fridge overnight, although the flavours will get hotter as the chilli sits in the liquid.
  2. Mix the avocado, cucumber and coriander, then pile or scatter on top. Spoon over a little of the dressing and serve.

 

 

Melon and Tomato Salad

114 kcalories, protein 4g, carbohydrate 19g, fat 6g, saturated fat 1g,

Serves 2
Ingredients Process
  • ½ ripe green or orange-fleshed melon, cut into large chunks
  • ¼ cucumber, peeled and chopped into chunks
  • 3 vine tomatoes, chopped
  • ½ bunch mint, roughly chopped
  • ½ bunch coriander, roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ¼ tsp mint sauce

 
  1. Gently combine the melon, cucumber, tomatoes and herbs in a large bowl. Mix the olive oil and mint sauce with some seasoning, then pour over the other ingredients and stir again to coat in the mint dressing. Serve chilled,