67GOINGON50 CLASSIC CHRISTMAS CANAPES 2023

Please note: Prices are historical and do not reflect 2023 inflation

Carrot, Cashew& Date Pate, Lo-fat Sausage Palmiers & Chinese Tea Eggs 

Courtesy of Freepik Geographand licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Enjoying the Seasons' Treats while still eating Healthily 

On Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Eve, relax; eat anything you like.   Otherwise, stay as close as you can - or would like to - to your usual eating plan.  Practice portion control.  Remember: 

• if you've stopped tasting it, stop eating it
• if you're overdoing it, replace a meal or two with Broth, Granola Porridge or Savoury Custard
• eat as much salad, vegetables and fruit as you can
• cut back on meat and white carbs 
• if you've eaten something dodgy or are feeling bilious, try ginger root tea or jasmine and mint tea (see How to...Wean Kids off Fizzy Drinks) 
• an over-the-counter homoeopathic remedy called Nux Vomica 30 from Boots and most chemists, can also be effective if taken properly
• don't forget your Exercise Programme, even if you only manage a half hour walk every 2nd day!  

See also: Tips for staying stress-free 

Familiar treats with a twist

Mini-Sausage Yorkshires with Carmelised Onion and Maple Dijon Dip: carnivore or veggie options: gorgeous combo of textures & flavours - a stunning variation on the sausage roll

Luxury Double Smoked Salmon Canapes;  Simple but sensational  creamy Double Salmon Pate, hot and cold smoked in a crisp cucumber cup.  And it's lower-fat, too!

Avocado & Ham Devilled Eggs, Vegetarian option: quirkily yummy with delicate heat and a sublime salty sweetness 

Devilled Tuna gourmet open faced sandwiches: creamy mashed tuna & cooked egg yolk with celery, spring onions & radish plus tabasco/chilli & mustard accents; serve on square bread, in quarters.  Frugal, low-fat.

Easy-peasy Dill Pickles, lower sugar, prep 3 days ahead: Hard to beat - 'Wow!  I love these. Very refreshing.' 'Better than I expected.' Tasters

Frugal & Fast

Kids' Delight Glazed Wings: lower fat but kids will love them;  crispy, smokey, sweet and more-ish.

Braised Oriental Wings: Low-fat, low-sugar, low-salt. 'Great Chinese flavour with lovely amount of garlic!' Taster

Almost Instant Beetroot Chive  

 

Carnivore's Delights

Mini Lamb Bites: not the usual Christmas starter but tender succulent lamb slices with tahini-mint dressing proved but popular & more-ish 

Beef Skewers with Hoisin & Orange, crowd-pleasing Asian accents 

'Oh my goodness; these are wonderful - full of umami flavour.' Tasters

Spanish Pinchitos: popular Arab inspired Spanish tapas, boldly flavoured & tender meat cubes, marinated a day ahead 

Beef Mini-Koftas: prep ahead; spicy, herby & meaty mini-koftas with exotic tahini sauce delights crowds  

VEGAN 

Unfried Crispy Chinese Dumplings: carnivore pleaser 'Crispy without being greasy' 'Unbelievable' 'Amazing with the sweet chilli sauce' Tasters

Thai Larb/mince in lettuce cups: a die-hard carnivore and Thai food fan tested this dish without knowing it was vegan and loved it! Fast & easy.

Caponata, Sicilian Aubergine Dip - family-friendly aubergine dip that doesn't need an oven; low-cal; sweet, sour & sassy

Sweet & Savoury Tomato Jam: sensational with cheddar, home-made bread and cucumber (and for carnivores, cold meats).  No need for brown pickle with this one!

Popular Blasts from 67's Early Years:

Artichoke & Spinach Dip, hot show-stopping dip served in a crusty bread bowl

Chive & Onion Dip - zingy low-cal dip includes scottage cheese for law fat creaminess

Crunchy 'Chicken' Gougons: VEGAN, kid/ults love them, easy, prep ahead, optional boozy sauce

Creamy Mushroom & Sherry Soup: low-dairy, silky smooth, no cream or potatoes

Skinnier sausages with honey(maple syrup) & mustard: does anyone need to know more?

Smoked salmon dip: offcuts make this a wonderfully wallet-friendly treat

Cheese & Chive crackers: You"ve never tasted a cheese cracker until you've tasted homemade; melt-in-the-mouth & light yet explosively tasty.  

Simple Easy Starters 

• Parmesan Crisps.  Drop tablespoons of freshly grated parmesan on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper or a silicone mat, leaving a bit of room between; level with clean fingers; bake at 180c/350f 7-10 mins. Rest a minute then carefully lift with a metal fish slice; place on cooling rack.  Broken ones will be fine but not crumbs. 
• Cucumber & spiced sausage.  Slice cucumber 1/4in/1/2 cm thick; top with similar-sized slices of good salami or Polish sausage like kielbasa.  Scone cutters will make evenly shaped sausage slices.  

• French Bread Crispbreads: easy-peasy, frugal, VEGAN. Thinly slice French bread (1/4in/1cm); lightly spray with olive oil both sides; salt lightly; bake at 180c/350f  7-10 mins or until lightly golden, turning once.  (watch they don't burn).  Cool on a wire rack.  A good vehicle for cheese or smoked salmon on a slice of lettuce (anchor both with a dab of mayo) or pate or vegetarian dips.  Assemble at last minute to retain crispness.

• Parma ham Sticks. Roll parma or serrano ham round breadsticks or thin mango wedges or drained peach slices. (Fruit ups the healthy quotient.)

• Date & Walnut Yummies.  VEGAN opt.  An Indulgence.  Fresh Medjool dates are at their best at this time of year; slit tops, fill with cream cheese & top with (a) a dab of set honey or (b) a walnut half or (c) coarsely chopped walnuts

• Baby tomato & mozzarella balls.  VEGAN. Alternate baby tomatoes & mozzarella on cocktail sticks.  Serve with a pesto dip.  

• Stuffed New Potatoes.  VEGAN opt.  Take a thin slice off the bottom of boiled new potatoes to keep them upright. (The potatoes are slightly underdone; a sharp knife inserted into the centre should meet a little resistance; they will keep cooking after being drained.) Use a melon baller or sharp knife to make a depression in the top, stuff with sour cream or thick yoghurt; sprinkle with (a) chives or (b) strips of offcuts of smoked salmon or (c) whatever you fancy

Go to How to... on NavBar for recipes from Christmases past

Please leave a comment in the box below

These recipes  have been developed or adapted by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  They may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission. 

67GOINGON50 PRE-DIABETES WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAMME

 PRE-DIABETES/WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAMME FROM 67GOINGON50

11 Nov: 

The Blogger has been registered on an NHS pre-diabetes digital  programme with a personal guide and access to other digital participants.  

The programme will start in earnest after Christmas.

'HUMAN GUINEA PIG' TRIAL

The Blogger has overweight friends who struggle to diet,  mainly because of a lack of cooking skils and time.  They're mostly - but not all - men and a food blogger like me longs to provide easy, tasty, budget-friend food to help them lose weight and improve their health.

67 is thus pleased to introduce the first volunteer 'guinea pig' who'll test ther blog's weight loss/pre-diabetes recipes.  How tasty are they?  Was it  easy to make the dish?  Are the instructions easy to follow?  Was money saved?  (After a period of time...) are you losing weight?   

The answer to these questions will be posted in due course. 

Man A is 68 years old and a former town planner.  He spends 'quite a lot' on food, mainly on fresh food kits which leave him 'very hungry by the end of the week when the kit runs out.'  He's a vegetarian. 

Man B is an early-30’s professional in creative industry.  He is fairly fit but wishes to eat more healthily and cook more from scratch rather than rely on take-aways.  He’s a flexitarian and likes easy recipes that are healthy’ish butaste really good."

To begin with, they'll send comments on the recipes posted either weekly, fortnightly or monthly.  

The Recipe(s)

67goingon50 will post at least 1 recipe a week.

The 'guinea pigs' have been chosen to represent the people who find it most difficult to follow a food program: singletons and couples.  

Moist people try to eat healthily but portion control is harder for singletons than families..  Recipes will be planned for 1 or 2 but in keeping with 67's ethos will multiply easily for families.  

Batch cooking is a good way for beginners to start; there will be plenty of left-overs for freezing and re-heating.

THIS WEEK'S RECIPE 

Usually only a single dish but with all aspects covered: ingredients (with substitutions), method, equipment required, serving sugggestions;  storage; how to re-present leftovers 

Sometimes an easy low-fat dessert will be included.

EFFORTLESS CHILLI: Budget friendly, low-fat/salt, Triple-Duty, batch cooking; smal households

Want more details of the Weight Loss/Pre-Diabetes programme? Or which supermarket bargains got 67goingon50's thumbs up?  Or whether President 'squirty' creme deserves its great taste award?

Visit Welcome to the Blog (Nav Bar above) 

Beat the Cost of Living Crisis with this effortless low-fat, low-salt chilli with flavours and textures to knock your socks off...

Rich, thick, savoury chilli: budget friendly, weight conscious but nutritious and satisfying

(the first recipe on the Weight loss/pre-diabetes programme)

If you think cooking from scratch is too hard...think again.  If you can chop and onion, open a few tins and measure out a few spices, you can produce an intensely savoury pot of chilli that will knock your socks off.

It uses turkey, not beef, or vegetarian substitutes to reduce cholesterol and fat. Tinned tomatoes not salt-laden tomato paste reduces salt.  And all without loss of flavour.  

The texture is divine and so satisfying.

And the recipe produces a generous pot guaranteeing leftovers that can be frozen for future meals.

This is the recipe that started off 67goingon50 and has graced many a table  since 2015.

Cost: around £5 not including carb, salad and garnishes; possibly less for vegetarians

Serves: 3-4 (recipe easily doubles)

Ingred:
   250gm/9oz minced turkey OR firm tofu OR (67 has not tested this: your  usual vegetarian mince)
   scant 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
   1 large onion, finely chopped OR roughly processed 
   1 garlic clove, grated OR generous 1/8 tsp garlic granules (opt)

   1x 400g/14 oz pureed tinned tomatoes OR passata 
   

   1/2 further tin plum tomatoes, kept aside for later

   2 tbsp mild chilli powder OR

       1.5 tbsp mild chili powder + 1/2 tbsp hot chilli powder
   1 small or 1/2 med dried Chipotle chilli, reconstituted in 2-3 tbsp water (optional but adds tons of smoky flavour).

   1/2 tsp smoked paprika
   1/2 tablespoon flour
   1 bay leaves, crumbled

   1/4 tsp powdered cumin
   1/2 tsp oregano
   

   1 400g/14 tin kidney beans, rinsed and drained

   up to a tablespoon of sugar
   pepper & salt

     

   Garnish: chopped parsley

Method:

The FABULOUSLY FRUGAL FROM 67GOINGON50 Cookbook: DETAILS

 The cookbook FABULOUSLY FRUGAL FROM 67GOINGON50 is now available in e-book IOS (Apple) and Android (everyone else).  (A print version is underway.)

Fabulously Frugal offers terrifically tasty recipes that are healthy AND budget-friendly. (see below) Suitable for newbies and experienced cooks, the recipes are based on standard ingredients and cooking equipment.  Many are under £5 for 4.  The recipes are flexitarian with great vegetarian options.  

(The following is early Apple promo material)

 

Available From: 

IOS/Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/fabulously-frugal-from-67goingon50/id6443309798  £5.99

ANDROID/everyone else:  https://www.lulu.com/shop/bonita-lee/fabulously-frugal-from-67goingon50/ebook/product-mjdmvk.html?page=1&pageSize=4 £6.99

This material has been written by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises. 

The Blog: 67goingon50.blogspot.com.     Contact: b67goingon50@yahoo.co.uk

(Editor: Promo Codes)