Making Christmas Yummies at Home!

With Christmas setting the season anew with cheer and festivity, yummy aromas to fill your senses aren’t far behind. Here are some recipes to make the perfect Christmas Goodies for you, your friends and families (Mm-mmm)!

1.    Winter Fruit Salad

This delicious and colourful salad can be served as a light dessert or as a palate cleanser between meals. What you need to make this gorgeous salad are 2 Blood Oranges, 2 Oranges, 1 Pink Grapefruit, 1 Yellow Grapefruit, 2 Star Fruits and a Pomegranate.  Peel and segment the oranges and grapefruit by removing the piths, pips and membrane. De-seed the pomegranate and slice the star fruit and then arrange citrus segments in a bowl with the star fruit. Mix gently and finally, sprinkle the pomegranate seeds on top. Chill the salad until ready to serve!

2.    Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Try this low-fat version of the flavourful dollops for your holiday table. You will need 2 pounds of peeled and cut potatoes, 6 garlic cloves (peeled), 1/3 cup fat-free milk (warmed), 1/3 cup fat -free sour cream, 1/2 tsp black pepper and freshly chopped chives (or small white onions).
First, boil the potatoes and garlic cloves in a large saucepan for 20 minutes until potatoes are tender. Drain and return to pan as you add heated milk plus sour cream to the potatoes and garlic, and mash with a potato masher until smooth. Use more milk if you prefer thinner mashed potatoes. Add black pepper to taste and garnish it with some chopped chives.

3.    Lemon and Herb Roast Chicken

No worries, this dish is completely low fat and ideal for your holiday meal because olive oil is used instead of butter and lemon juice makes up for the zesty flavor.  What you need to prepare this scrumptious dish is: 1 whole chicken (5 pounds), 1 large lemon, 1 tsp mixed dried herbs and 2 tsp olive oil.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Wash the chicken and pat dry, then place it breast-side up in a baking pan. Cut the lemon into two halves, place one in the cavity of the chicken and with the other half, squeeze its juice into a small bowl. Add herbs and olive oil to this as you stir it together. Apply this mixture to the chicken and roast for approximately 90 minutes and when the chicken is done, the juices should run clear, not pink. You can serve the chicken with roast potatoes and steamed veggies, plus mushroom and onion gravy as per your taste!

4.    Low Fat Eggnog

This should be a completely divine concoction and to start, you need: 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, 1 egg, 4 egg whites, 1 1/2 cups fat free milk, 1 1/2 cups fat free half-and-half milk, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence, 1/4 cup rum or brandy (optional) and freshly grated nutmeg again to garnish the drink.

The sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg are mixed in a large bowl. Add the egg and egg whites, and beat with a mixer for 3-4 minutes. Gently heat the milk in a large saucepan and gradually stir the egg mixture into the hot milk. Heat and stir the mixture constantly, until it thickens slightly and after that, stir in the vanilla essence and remove from heat. Once you’ve cooled the mixture, blend with half-and-half milk. Cover the mixture and let it chill in the fridge. Before serving, add rum or brandy if desired and sprinkle with freshly grated nutmeg on top.

5.    Low fat holiday sugar cookies

These low-fat babies won’t tug at your conscience at all (that’s right, you can whoop for joy)!  You’ll need 5 tbsp softened butter, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt.
Beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until creamy. Add in the egg and vanilla, mixing well and in another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually stir the flour mixture into butter and sugar until dough forms. Don’t worry if the dough is a little crumbly at first; it will come together. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Once the dough is chilled, roll it out into 1/8 inch-thick cookie shapes. You can use holiday cookie cutters dipped in flour to make the cutouts. Place the cookies an inch apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 9-10 minutes in a preheated oven of 350 degrees. Top the cookies with colorful sprinkles (if you like) before baking or add a layer of frosting once they’re baked.

Here’s where you can find what you need to make these goodies in the city that you reside in: Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Delhi, Kolkata