So here’s my take on this one. Have a Christmas feast. Have a New years party. But how about making it one that’s not completely overtaken by rich food. Let’s have yummy food, perhaps even food that’s a bit more on the calories than daily fare but let’s not make choices that we know are completely fried and full of butter and cream.

Want a nibble with drinks?

• Brush whole wheat bread with olive oil, sea salt and oregano and bake for a few minutes. Store them in a airtight container. Serve with a choice of green olive tapenade, chargrilled peppers or simply mushrooms tossed with olive oil, garlic and herbs. It’s a great alternative to fried, white bread based or cheesy starters
• Simply marinade some small pieces of chicken in soy, honey and chili flakes. Toss in a wok with a bit of sesame oil and serve hot.
• Instead of heavy mayonnaise based salad dressing make healthier option - a spinach salad with chicken bacon dressing or a romaine lettuce and cucumber salad with yoghurt dressing.

Main course 

A simple roast chicken with a light brown gravy. It’s a good alternative to red meat. On the side, serve baby potatoes smashed lightly and tossed in a bit of olive oil and sea salt. Its still potatoes – it’s just not mashed potatoes filled with butter and cream or a mayonnaise based potato salad. Want another side dish? Serve steamed asparagus or steam broccoli with a very light butter dressing.

Dessert

Christmas comes just once a year so don’t deprive your body of Christmas cake – it won’t forgive you. But instead of a big chunk of cake – how about layering small pieces of it with some chilled yoghurt lightly flavoured with honey and topped with crunchy muesli? It’s less than half the calories but still very yummy.

The idea is not to starve yourself from the Christmas goodies but rather to avoid overindulging. Taking a middle of the road approach will mean that you will actually enjoy this period. Try this Christmas menu – it’s certainly not diet food but won’t break the calorie bank either.

ROAST CHICKEN

I love this particular dish. Its actually quite idiot proof and one that actually needs very little in terms of measured ingredients or equipment.

• 1 chicken
• 1 large lemon cut into half
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• olive oil
• mixed herbs
• salt and pepper

Rinse the chicken and then pat it dry with paper towels. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil including the cavity. Then rub the lime juice, chopped garlic, salt, pepper and mixed herbs all around the chicken again including the cavity. Leave the chicken for at least 3-4 hours in the fridge. Bring it to room temperature before cooking.

Preheat the oven to 220°C. Line a roasting pan with foil. Place both lemon halves into chicken cavity. Place breast side up in the roasting pan and cover the pan with foil making almost a tent. This will prevent the chicken from drying up. After 30 minutes remove the foil tent and cook for another ten-fifteen minutes. You can check if the chicken is done by cutting through the skin between the leg and the breast. If the juices run out clear then the chicken is ready.

Once you bring the chicken out, let it rest for a couple of minutes before you carve. Place the chicken in the serving dish, pour the pan juices over the chicken and serve hot with brown gravy.

Hints: If I feel like indulging, I rub a bit of butter around the chicken with the olive oil – it adds a little zing to the flavour. If I have fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme in the house, I put in a few sprigs in the cavity with the lemon halves.

EASY GRAVY

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 3/4 cup red wine
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp mixed herbs

Sauté the garlic and onion in the butter butter over a high heat for about 3 mins until lightly browned, stirring often. Pour in the red wine, chicken stock, soy sauce, season with salt, pepper and herbs and let the sauce simmer for at least twenty minutes or till reduced by more than half. Cool the gravy and then whish in a blender for a minute to make it smooth.

Hints: I generally use a lot of herbs especially celery when making the chicken stock which makes the sauce very flavourful. I generally make the gravy a day earlier because the flavours develop better. Also overnight in the fridge, it thickens it a bit, which helps because we avoid using white flour to keep it healthy. If you do want the gravy to be a touch thicker then add half a teaspoon of cornflour or arrowroot when heating it before serving.

Pic: Donald Cook