SURVIVING CHRISTMAS 2017: SIDES, BREAKFAST & THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING

PART 111 OF 67GOINGON50 SEASONAL RECIPE COLLECTION: SIDES 

                                  (Part 1: Quick & Easy Family Recipes Pre-Christmas...)
                                                (PART 11: Appetisers & first courses)

CRANBERRY & RED WINE SAUCE: great on the plate & as a gift
Don't buy cranberry sauce without trying this easy recipe first;
supermarket jars will always rank well below this. 

THIS WEEK'S SIDES

Christmas Slaw: Sprout, Pear, Walnut & Cranberries, it'll get kids to love sprouts
No-Knead Rolls, easy soft pillowy buns perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner
Simple Pickled Veg, new flavours & textures for 2017, easy-peasy



(TIPS FOR MAKING LIFE EASIER is at bottom of page)

WARM SIDES

 Hot Veg Carousel

2-potato champ

Carousel of Low-carb Veg, mouth-watering

Stir-fried Sprouts & Corn kid-pleaser 

Vegetarian Gravy muscular 

Two-potato Champ, healthy,   frugal

VERY QUICK

Potatoes Vinaigrette 

3-min Asparagus, Corn
& Pea Salad

3-min Asparagus, Pea & Corn Veggie 
                                       

15-min Potato Salad 
                                

New Potato Vinaigrette, old favourite; new twist
                
Smashed Potato Salad, frugal

          

BREAKFASTS


English Breakfast Salad, sassy brunch stays fresh as guests wander down as and when; serve with coffee and/or orange juice with brandy & something fizzy 

Breakfast Roll, Lebanese Style, Exotic: stuffed with omelette, toms, 'shrooms &  tahini mint dressing.  Breakfast will never be the same again!

Instant low-sugar jam

Plum & Ginger Jam, low-sugar Almost-instant and you won't believe how good this is 

How to do healthier Sunday brunch & make it ahead Planning and doing as much prep as possible the day before makes English breakfast for a crowd a doddle 

Spiced Nectarine & Cucumber

SALADS 

Ham & Peach Pasta Frugal, Veggie option,low-carb 

Nectarine & Cucumber Spiced Salad, Vegan, thrillingly innovative

Lunchbox Slaw, Vegan, super-healthy, super-crunchy 

Nectarine, Avo & Brown Rice Salad, low carb,
Triple Duty: carnivore, piscatore & vegan options

SOUPS 
Silky Mushroom & Sherry Potage, sophisticated, no cream or potato; Vegetarian opt; kids option 

White Bean Soup, Vegan, Frugal, Dairy Free with Veggie Bacon Bits; lovely!

Spinach & Bean Soup: Vegan, strikingly delicious, Frugal, quick & substantial




VEGETARIAN/VEGAN 

Sassy Pulse & Veggie Salad, Frugal (uses up leftovers), easy, healthy

Cauliflower Casserole with a twist; kid/ult pleasing



BREADS

Heart-friendly Molasses Oatmeal Bread 

Easy-peasy, incredibly more-ish, sweet (but in a good way)  

Flatbread, SunBlush Tomato, wheat & yeast free, easy peasy

Cornbread, Mediterranean Savoury

 Avocado Soup 

BLAST FROM THE PAST
Veloute of Smoked Haddock, almost no dairy; utterly ambrosial; a financial indulgence


Avocado Soup, gorgeously smooth & light with a kick

                                ****

BE KIND TO YOURSELF

1. Get organised.  Whenever you have guests, make a shopping list and a 'to do' list.  On the 'to-do' list, list every single thing that needs doing for your meal.  Make a timeline, working backwards from serving time.  What can be made in advance?  Can anything be done the day before; perhaps setting  the table?  What must be served straight out of the oven?  Integrate the 'to-do' list and the timeline.  
2. Assign tasks to others.  Kids and partners can prepare veg or even take over the preparation of a simple dessert.  Do a group shop and divide up the tasks: veg, bakery, tinned goods.  Meet near the cash registers for paying and packing.
3. On the day, have a good breakfast (eggs? smoothie?) and a simple but sustaining lunch (soup & sarnie? whole meal salad? something from the freezer?)
4. Pace yourself; leave room in the schedule for breaks for tea, coffee and hugs 

If you can't afford...

• Turkey...treat yourself to an organic chicken. (M&S does a good sized, tender tasty one for £10)  Game is also good bet: pheasant, grouse or venison.  Slow roast or slow-cook a cheaper cut of beef, lamb or pork, such as beef brisket, shoulder of lamb or pork belly.  Don't stint on the usual Christmas sides -- roast taters, gravy, cranberry or fruit sauces, roast veg.

• Smoked salmon...smoked salmon offcuts are back in supermarkets after disappearing for awhile; offcuts are the untidy slices that don't look good on a plate but are still decent quality and cost less.  Chop them up and brighten up dips (Smoked Salmon Dip).  For a special breakfast, split croissants and fill with scrambled eggs, smoked salmon & dill; warm in med oven 10 mins  

• A Gammon joint ...try frugal ham hocks; it won't slice like ham or have the lovely glaze but is very tasty shredded and used at breakfast, in salads or soups, or in open-faced sandwiches or heavily stuffed doorstops with celeriac & apple slaw    

• Artisan Bread...in terms of prices, supermarket specialist breads are not far off artisan breads.  If you can or want to indulge, it is probably worth getting the real thing; it is Christmas!  If not, make your own -- homemade bread, straight out of the oven, will wow your guests and cost pennies instead of pounds.  Here are a few more recipes that are all quick and easy:  Tear & Share Cheese & Walnut Loaf, Cornbread with Chilli & Spring Onions, Breakfast Sweet Bread and Soda Bread, Light Wholemeal.

   For more Sides go to Recipes on the Nav Bar 

Also: How to...Christmas 2015 & 2016

(Questions & comments, pls go Comments box at the bottom of this page 

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These recipes were developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and  may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.