Here is a trio of Christmas treats that are full of rich, indulgent flavours but weigh in with a few less calories. Perfect if you’re minding what you eat between now and the new year.
- Christmassy walnut cake with lingonberry and lemon icing
- Pomegranate and orange stuffed turkey
- Gluten-free festive fruity mincemeat puddings
Christmassy walnut cake with lingonberry and lemon icing
Serves 10–12
Ingredients
- 400 ml wheat flour
- 100 g margarine
- 250 ml iMat / Organic Creamy Oat
- 250 ml sugar
- 100 ml lingonberry jam
- 100 ml coarsely chopped walnuts
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 pinch salt
- Fresh lingonberries for decoration
Lemon icing
- 150 ml icing sugar
- 1.5 tbsp lemon juice
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Melt the margarine together with the iMat and allow to cool.
- Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, spices, icing sugar and salt in a bowl, then add the melted margarine. Mix into a smooth batter, then add the lingonberry jam and walnuts. Stir thoroughly so that the walnuts become evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
- Grease and flour a cake tin, then pour in the mixture. Cook the cake in the lower part of the oven for around 30-40 minutes, then leave to cool completely.
- Add lemon juice to the icing sugar until it has the right consistency. Pour over the cake and top with fresh lingonberries.
Recipe provided by Oatly
Pomegranate and orange stuffed turkey
Serves: 6 people
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 170 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 medium fresh turkey (approx. 4-4.3kg)
- 300ml orange Juice with Bits
- 1 chicken stock cube, dissolved in 150ml boiling water
- sea salt and black pepper
- 1 punnet pomegranate seeds
- Chicken stuffing
- 2 punnets pomegranate seeds
- Grated rind of 2 oranges
- Juice of 1 orange
- 100g flaked Almonds
- 1 stick celery, finely chopped
- 1 bunch spring onions, finely chopped
- 1 large egg
- salt and white pepper
- 8 slices white or brown bread, torn into pieces
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5.
- Stuffing: Put the bread, rind, celery, spring onions and almonds into a food processor and pulse until combined.
- Add the orange juice, pomegranate seeds and egg, then season with some salt and white pepper.
- Pulse again for a minute to mix.
- Roasting times: Roast for 20 minutes per kg plus 90 minutes. So, for a 4kg bird, the cooking time would be 170 minutes.
- Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey and wash inside and out.
- Stuff the stuffing mixture into the neck of the turkey or place in an ovenproof dish and cook for 20 minutes, towards the end of the turkey cooking time, if preferred.
Recipe provided by Aldi
Gluten-free festive fruity mincemeat puddings
Serves: 10 individual puddings
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Ingredients
- 1x 400g Delicious Alchemy vanilla sponge mix
- 180g unsalted butter or dairy-free alternative
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 3 large eggs
- 20ml water
For the topping
- 10 heaped tbsp gluten-free mincemeat (Meridian Mince Pie filling)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan. Grease 10 individual pudding moulds and place onto a baking tray. Spoon a heaped tablespoon of mincemeat into the base of each mould and smooth into an even layer.
- Make sure your butter (or dairy-free alternative) is soft. Place the vanilla cake mix, butter (or dairy-free alternative), mixed spice, eggs and water into a large bowl. Beat together with an electric whisk for 15 seconds. Stop, scrape down the bowl and mix for a further 10 seconds. Divide the mixture between the pudding moulds, filling three-quarters full. Bake for 18 – 20 minutes until risen and lightly golden brown.
- Leave to cool in the tin for 1 minute. The puddings will be very HOT. Use rubber gloves or a tea towel to help you, run a knife around the inside rim of the tin and flip out onto a plate. Spoon any mincemeat left in the pudding moulds back on top of each pudding.
- Serve with cream, custard, brandy sauce, ice cream or dairy-free alternative of your choice.
Recipe provided by Delicious Alchemy
If you enjoyed Christmas with less calories – three perfect festive treats, you’ll find more festive recipes and treats on our Food and Drink channel.
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