How to...Gravy includes vegetarian, Jaimie's classic and with red wine
How to...Make-Your-Own Cranberry Sauce: for sophisticates or kids kids'
Tuesday, 17 December 2024
Don't Fancy Turkey This Year? incl: poultry, beef, pork, fish, vegetarian/vegan
TURKEY FREE CHRISTMAS DINNERS
(Please check against current prices)
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| Vegetarian Pate & Mushroom Dome with Vegetarian Red Wine Gravy |
Turkey prices are expected to be high again this Christmas.
Pairing up with a pal to buy half a bird each is possible, as is buying a joint of turkey. In past years, Selfridges sold solitary (large) legs and wings but the meat department has just been taken over by the very posh Donald Russell. Markets or frozen supermarket birds may be the better bet.
If your household is opting for something smaller but doesn't want to sting on the usual trimmings, these recipes from the archive offer scrumptious main courses. They run the range from spectacular to frugal, some are quite healthy, most are easy and some can be prepped in advance.
Buy the best you can afford. If organic is out of the question, some higher welfare meats are a good third cheaper. But even common-all-garden supermarket meat, presented in an exciting new way, can provide a tasty attractive crowd-pleaser for the festive table.
The usual alternative to the Big Bird is Chicken but others are guinea fowl and capon, pork, beef, lamb and fish, vegetarian or vegan delights.
POULTRY
Festive Desserts including 'Cheats" treats: indulgent and wallet friendly
OK, we can indulge during the Christmas and Hannukah, and any of these terrific recipes is guaranteed to wow guests and family.
Some are easy, some healthier than most; some 'never-mind-the-calories; just enjoy the deliciousness!' But all are mouthwatering and utterly delicious.
Options include luxury, tea-time, easy, vegan & cheats' delights.
Many have not appeared in previous compilations.
Note: for those celebrating Hannukkah, the dairy free options are clearly marked. Or some friends make the cream-filled desserts as a special treat but wait 1-6 hours after the main course before offering them to guests.
Many posted Prices do not reflect recent inflation; note the dates on the individual posts, top left hand above the photo.
1. SPECIAL OCCASION -- Pure Indulgence
Luxury Pistachio Cheesecake: pale richly creamy fillling, studded with bright green chopped pistachios, slathered over a generous crumb crust
Singleton's Quick & Easy Chocolate Coconut Cream Torte; 15 mins prep; option for full size:high calories but wallet-friendly ingredients. Tasters said: 'Restaurant quality; sublinme; light, airy and delicious.
Egg Nog Truffles: boozy, creamy rich indulgence, surprisingly easy to make
Choco-Mint Croissant Bread & Butter Pudding: Truly To die for. Households have been known to make one for Christmas Mass supper and another for Christmas Day. Rich, light, gooey, with a crispy top, the intensity of chocolate sends guests into raptures. Cook's Delight: its made 3 days before it's needed and left until it's time to bake.
2. FESTIVE FABULOUSLY FRUGAL & WALLET-FRIENDLY
Creamy Pineapple Pudding, thrifty, easy, dairy free opt, choice of fruit
Boozy Orange Marmalade Bread & Butter Pudding: Inexpensive but yummy with an alcoholic twist
TEA-TIME TREATS
Sensational Lemon-Mint Angel Food Cakes: tender fluffy interiors with unexpectedly crackly tops. Think they look boring? Prepare to be blown away!
Blueberry, Pineapple & Walnut Cake: rich, fine-crumbed Blueberry, Pineapple & Nut Cake is the perfect indulgence for visitors/guests. Tasters loved it.
Light Gingerbread Sheet Cake - (Dairy-free option) gingerbread cake but not as we know it, Jim: it's lighter and less gummy, fine textured and 'scrummy' without losing its gingery-ness. Heavily praised by tasters!
3. DIETERS' DELIGHTS
Skinny Chocolate Peppermint Mousse: Dairy-free unless you want it as a to - and the pudding's choolate flavours are still deep & dark. Option to replace mint with fresh fruit soaked in liqueur.
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| Light & lovely but still intensely chocolatey; no-bake, butter-free, cream optional |
Luscious Lemon Pudding: gloriously gorgeous crowd-pleaser; diary-free option:; yoghurt lightens & enhances creaminess and flavour; 67's Foolproof lemon curd instead of shop-bought elevates the dish
4. Easy-Peasy
4-ingredient shortbread: dairy-free option; first class melt-in-the-mouth Scottish treat, needs only butter, sugar, flour and flavouring. And you can leave out the flavouring! Perfect for a cost of living crisis.
1 Recipe=2 Delicious Treats: Cinnamon Breakfast Twists for breakfast & Blueberry Scones for Tea: mouthwatering contrast of flavours
5. VEGETARIAN/VEGAN
Special Occasion Lemon Drizzle Cake: VEGAN, Indulgent, fat & egg free. Easily the best of the vegan cake recipes tested by 67goingon50. Truly fabulous taste & texture but cake has a maddening tendency to sink in the middle but taste & texture not affected, just fill the dip with fresh fruit!
Cherry Garcia Ice Cream: VEGAN , easy-peasy; the nicest, tastiest, healthiest ice cream ever; no cream - just bananas...
'Irish Coffee' Chocolate Cake': Vegan-glorious; dark, rich and gorgeously chocolatey, the cake is fine-crumbed and hints of whiskey. The frothy topping is served on the side or turned into icing
Orange Berry Plate: fresh, colourful, guilt-free, budget friendly
6. CHEATS' DELIGHTS
Cheat's Christmas Log: When the pressure's on, a good supermarket Swiss Roll, smothered in simple home-made chocolate ganache, makes a great impression.
For more Christmas dishes, see How to...on the Nav Bar above; they're 2/3 of the way down the page
These recipes have been developed by B Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.
How to...Cranberry Sauce
While 67goingon50 always has on hand a jar of supermarket Cranberry Sauce (preferably with Port) for emergencies, when it comes to Christmas dinner Cranberry Sauce is always home-made and always from fresh berries
Neither difficult nor time-consuming, make-your-own cranberry sauce is lower in sugar, free of the usual preservatives and so tasty, diners are astounded. Once you've made your own, there will be no going back
Cranberry Red Wine Sauce
Easy, make ahead, low sugar & preservative
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Sophisticated, a little different but full of character. Punchy but not over-the-top, savoury rather than sweet with a hit of fresh ginger - and all the better for it. Tasters usually reel back a little, go 'Whoa!!' and enthusiastically dig in again. |
Kid-friendly Cranberry Orange & Cinnamon Sauce
Make ahead, lower sugar & preservatives; freeze till needed
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| Does what it says on the tin; kids love it, especially the jewel-like texture |
Please leave a Comment in the box below
This recipe has been developed by B Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.
Tuesday, 10 December 2024
Vegetable sides, hot & cold, for Christmas & Hannukka
Obviously sprouts feature hugely at this time of year and 67 offers several delightful versions, in addition to root vegetable and salad alternatives
67's top choice: SIMPLE SENSATIONAL SPROUTS
Vegan with carnivore option, low-salt, low cost. Relax; this is so easy & tasty, you can get on with the rest of Christmas dinner without worries!
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| Simple but sensational: Steamed Sprouts with Savoury Spice Mix & Lemon 'Makes sprouts a tasty must-have; the spice mix utterly makes it!' |
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| Every festive table needs raw food - salad or fruit - to offset the richness of festive dishes. This multi-textured slaw is one less vegetable to cook, prepped ahead & refrigerated until needed. |
Vegan, easy-peasy, eat hot or cold
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| Unusual but sophisticated combo for an intriguing delicious side that won't take up oven space! Dairy-free, kids options. |
Vegetarian with vegan opt, wallet-friendly, gluten-free, high fibre
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| Stonkingly delicious sprout latkes with a tangy balsamic sauce: a worthy addition to any festive table |
ROAST VEGETABLES
67 makes no apologies for including these recipes from Jaimie Oliver for zhuzzing up carrots & parsnips for Christmas dinner or Hannakah. The carrots are roasted with oil, honey or maple syrup, rosemary and clementine. The parsnips, by contrast, are roasted in olive oil, red wine vinegar and bay leaves. Cook in separate pans or in 2 foil packets in one pan.
oven roasted: perfect consistency
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| Careful preparation ensures the dense round sprouts, starchy parsnips and crunchy baby corn are all ready at the same time. |
SINGLE VEGETABLE SALADS: Wallet friendly, healthy (recipe includes all three salad veg shown here)
- One vegetable transforms into a crisp, tart salad in minutes...giving them a new ease of life
Radishes in tangy creamy dressing, dairy-free option
Holiday Breads, Rolls & Crackers: Luxury, Family & in-between
Even the most disciplined dieter is unlikely to resist a bit of bread during the holidays, especially if it is a mouthwatering offering from the archive.
This post includes unforgettable items which pack a culinary punch when trying to impress guests, tasty wallet-friendly treats for family meals and something in-between when rewarding family for good behaviour!
And guess what? Many of the items are ultra easy and take little time to prepare(kids will love getting stuck in).
67goingon50's favourite celebration breads:
Vegetarian, Dairy-free option, fat-free: prep ahead; slice & bake as needed
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The stuff of heaven, a crispy take on fruit and nut breads. Crunchy and delicately earthy; the crackers require a bit of a financial outlay if you haven't a store of nuts and seeds on hand. That said, the recipe makes 50-70 crackers. |
an essential for the cheese course; easy-peasy
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| Versatile: a centrepiece on a cheeseboard, a healthier alternative - or addition - to the usual Cinnamon buns Or pick-me-up toast the morning after indulgent evenings. |
Exquisite home-made cream crackers: egg-free, easy, prep ahead, dairy-free option
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| Crisp white shards - broken not cut - are a stunning surprise: so far above shop-bought in taste and texture as to be a different animal. As easy as scones; the dough can be frozen for a month. |
SNACK BREADS
with corn niblets, chilli & spring onions, 1 bowl wonder
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Tender and slightly sweet but with a kick of heat; it's low-sugar, yeast-free and comes in slices or muffins; perfect for brunch, dinner and pot-lucks. The version pictured has a small amount of wholemeal flour but you can stick with plain white. |
This one is for foccacia-lovers who don't like kneading and will wait 24 hours (or more) for the dough to rest. (It's worth it!!)
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| Heavenly foccacia with very little effort; |
SIMPLE DAILY BREADS: quick prep: even tweenagers can make them
An easy-peasy light healthy loaf; a stir or two and it's virtually ready for baking. Ambrosial warm from the oven. .jpeg)
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Sweetened with dried fruit not sugar, this lovely bread is for a leisurely holiday breakfast/brunch with family & guests
Quick & Easy rustic soda breads are terrifically versatile and egg & butter free (from left: Olive; Walnut & Seeds; Dried Cherry with Nuts & Seeds)
Irish Soda Breads are a lifesaver in busy households: there's no kneading or rising; no preservative and the amount of salt is controlled. 10 mins prep, max. It's uber tasty and beautifully textured - make it top of your home baking list.
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| Perfect for small households - freezes well! |
Please leave a Comment in the box below
This recipe has been developed by B Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.
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