Advent isn’t a time we usually want to be watching the calories. Roasted almonds, punch, cookies, Christmas cake…the list of temptations is particularly long at Christmas time. But you don’t want to end up as a Christmas pudding? Then we have just the thing for you: a light Christmas menu as an alternative to the traditional, high-calorie variant. The best thing about it? It makes you happy, full and satisfied!
Instead of a hearty soup with lots of whipped cream or crème fraiche, we recommend a light, yet tasty winter salad to start.
Ingredients for 4 servings:
Wash the Hokkaido and cut it into cubes. Tip: if you want to give the salad a Christmassy touch, cut out stars with a cookie cutter. Then drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius until the pumpkin is soft and golden brown. In the meantime, wash and dry the rocket and place it in a bowl. For the dressing, mix the lemon juice with four tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper. Peel the garlic cloves and add them to the dressing with a garlic press. Mix everything together well. Briefly roast the pumpkin seeds in a pan and set aside.
As soon as the pumpkin is cooked, the salad can be served. To do this, spread the rocket on four plates, place the pumpkin stars on top and pour over the dressing. Finally, crumble over the feta and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.
Tip: If you want, you can serve it with crusty bread. Alternatively, you can cut out more stars from toast bread and toast them in the pan with a little butter. That makes great star-shaped croutons! Those who like fruit can top the salad with orange segments!
Ingredients for 4 servings:
For the risotto:
Wash the fish and pat it dry. Cut the sundried tomatoes and fennel into strips and wash the cherry tomatoes. Chop the garlic and onion into small pieces. Lay two sheets of parchment paper on top of one another and brush with olive oil. Place the vegetables and fish in the middle of the baking paper and season with salt, pepper and thyme. Tie into small parcels with kitchen string and bake in the oven for 180 degrees for about 45 minutes. Heat the vegetable stock. Finely chop the shallots and garlic and sauté in a saucepan with a little oil. Add rice and sauté too. Deglaze with 100ml stock, stir until it has boiled off, then add more stock. Repeat this process until all of the broth has been used. After about 15 minutes, stir in the wine, cheese and butter. Cook for another 10 minutes and add the chopped parsley. Serve the risotto with the fish parcel.
Even for dessert, it doesn’t have to be cake, mousse or parfait. And let’s be honest, what could be more Christmassy than a combination of apple, cinnamon, vanilla and marzipan?
Ingredients for 4 servings:
For the yoghurt vanilla sauce
Cut off the ‘lid’ of the apple. Use a spoon to remove the core. Do not pierce the bottom. Keep the lid. Grease a baking dish and preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
For the filling, chop the walnuts. Then mix the walnuts, flaked almond, raisins, honey, cinnamon and marzipan in a bowl. Once all the ingredients have been mixed together the apples can be filled.
The filling may protrude slightly. Put the lid back on the apple and place into the baking dish. Put a small bit of butter onto each apple. Bake the apples in the hot oven for about 15 to 30 minutes.
In the meantime, mix all the ingredients for the vanilla sauce together in a bowl. Take the apples out of the oven, place them onto plates and serve with the vanilla sauce.
Eurobike wishes: Bon Appetit and a Merry Christmas!
Tip from the Eurobike Christmas elves: Are you still looking for the right present for your loved ones? How about the cycle tour in 2024? After all, shared experiences are the best gift!
