5 healthy festive foods

To me, the holiday season is about getting together with family and sharing good food that will nourish our bodies and be lovingly prepared. Growing up in a European household, Christmas dinner was an eclectic mix of traditional recipes mixed in with fresh Aussie fare.

My dad would often catch fish before the event, which would be lovingly prepared by my mum and great aunt. We would wrap fillets of fish in foil with a squeeze of lemon and drizzle over olive oil, then bake them in the oven until cooked through. Polish people love their salads … and our table was full of wonderful beetroot salads drizzled with apple cider vinegar and cold-pressed olive oil. We enjoyed cucumber salads drizzled with buttermilk dressing and heirloom sun-ripened tomatoes served with homemade ricotta and fresh herbs.

For dessert, Mum would often make a pudding cake infused with orange, vanilla bean and plump sun-dried fruit. It could be served cold or warm with a creamy custard or thick Greek-style yoghurt. Aunty used to pick fresh strawberries from her Garden and serve bowls of them sprinkled with a little raw sugar and served with vanilla-scented Chantilly cream. No matter what food was served, the day was all about family, being together and celebrations.

These days, I try to let that “keep it simple and keep it fresh” philosophy flow through when I’m preparing for summer celebrations.

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I focus on seasonal fresh salads and vegetables that are effortless to prepare, look and taste amazing and are good for you. Platters of blanched garden peas, snap peas and asparagus served with micro-herbs and lemon-scented Persian fetta; a beetroot salad with fig and smashed raspberry dressing or a simple insalata caprese (an Italian salad) made with buffalo mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes, lemon and olive oil. I do fish fillets baked in baking paper served with roasted sweet potato chips. I love ratatouille and my roasted baby carrots on beds of freshly made hummus and dukkah.

Growing up, not a single Christmas would go by without a traditional Christmas pudding being served for dessert. Staying with tradition, we now celebrate with my “healthy Christmas pudding”, a delectably dense and moist fruitcake with naturally dried fruit, which provides a subtle sweetness so you don’t need to add any extra refined sugar to the recipe. I like to serve it in small portions after lunch or dinner, or warm it up and serve as a pudding with vanilla-bean custard or thick natural yoghurt and orange-blossom honey.

No matter what is on your summer menus, keep it fresh, keep it simple, keep it healthy and the rest will fall into place. The essence of good food, friends and family is what truly makes a healthy celebration.

Beetroot Salad With Pomegranate & Pistachio

The delicate sweetness of golden and red beetroot is accentuated when they are roasted in the oven then allowed to cool gently, slowly developing their flavours.

Serves: 6

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Insalata Caprese

This is one of the easiest salads of all time to create. Its flavour hit depends solely on the quality of the ingredients you use. I especially enjoy making this salad in summer as juicy, ripe tomatoes are bountiful. For me, healthy cooking is all about simplicity and keeping things as fresh and pure as possible. The ingredients in a classic caprese salad are minimal: tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, olive oil, salt, pepper. This is the way it should be eaten and my favourite way to eat it, as the clean selection of flavours is brought out and every mouthful is pure heaven.

Buffalo mozzarella is traditionally used for a caprese salad as opposed to cow’s milk fior di latte. The buffalo milk base provides the benefits of high levels of calcium and protein. Scatter fragrant basil leaves — whole or torn — delicately over the top of your salad and drizzle with the best cold-pressed olive oil you can find. Add a gentle touch of flaked sea salt and a small grind of freshly cracked pepper for your perfect summer salad. Enjoy!

Serves: 4

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Steamed White Fish with Ginger & Turmeric

The omega-3s DHA and EPA are absolutely essential in your diet and must be obtained from the foods you eat. Fish is high in the omega-3s that help support the health of every cell in the body. Omega-3s play a role in immune function by regulating inflammation and encouraging the body to fight infection. Other health benefits of omega-3 are helping to lower cholesterol levels, reducing high blood pressure and helping to improve symptoms of arthritis.

Serves: 4

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Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potato

Sweet potatoes are divine, especially oven-roasted with generous amounts of cinnamon and a little sea salt. You don’t need to do too much to prepare them — they practically make themselves and the final result is truly pure deliciousness!

Serves: 6

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Raw Christmas cake truffles

Bursting with antioxidants, mineral-rich cocoa and pure vanilla bean, this potent blend provides long-lasting energy. These balls enhance both mental and physical performance. A daily protein ball is a healthy way to get more out of every day.

Makes: 20 balls

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