Delicious food ideas for a sustainable and 'No Waste' Christmas...
Last week we gave you a great sustainable seafood Paella recipe to cook and serve over Christmas. Why not marry this dish with some delicious seasonal salads (what's even better is they all have a red and green theme).
Have a Christmas feast to remember, keeping in mind these better choices for the planet like eating seasonal produce or researching your seafood to make sure it's the most sustainable choice. Also, always have some takeaway containers at the ready so your friends and family can easily take any leftovers home with them, you don't want there to be any food waste. This is 'No Waste Christmas' after all.
To give you some more inspiration for a greener Christmas we have also listed a few favorite recipes from our archives to cover you over the entire holiday period.
Morning:
Lunch/Dinner:
- Caramelised Grapefruit and Avocado Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette - Seasonal, vegetarian, vegan
- Beetroot tart with marinated tofu - Seasonal, vegetarian, vegan
- Brazilian Fish Stew - Sustainable seafood
- Sustainable Table's Lentil and Haloumi Salad - Seasonal, Vegetarian
- Maeve O'Meara's Summer Ratatouille - Seasonal, vegetarian
- Maeve O’Meara’s Mexican Guacamole - Seasonal, vegetarian
- Bill Granger’s Salt & Pepper Tofu - Vegetarian
Dessert:
- Cake Batter Ice Cream using frozen overripe bananas - Dairy Free
- Dominique Rizzo's No Cook Date, Pecan & Strawberry Tart - Seasonal, No Cook
- Vegan Lemon Pound Cake - Dairy free
Drinks:
Now, here are our 3 favourite seasonal and festive salad ideas...enjoy!
Classic Caprese:
2 cups Balsamic Vinegar 3 whole Ripe Tomatoes, thickly sliced 1 to 2 large fresh mozzarella or bocconcini ball, thickly sliced Fresh Basil leaves Olive Oil, for drizzling Salt and black Pepper
Directions:
In a small saucepan, bring balsamic vinegar to a boil over medium-low heat. Cook for 10 to 20 minutes, or until balsamic has reduced to a thicker glaze. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Allow to cool.
When you're ready to serve, arrange tomato and mozzarella slices on a platter. Arrange basil leaves between the slices. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the salad, getting a little bit on each slice. Do the same with the balsamic reduction. Store extra balsamic reduction in fridge for a later use.
End with a sprinkling of salt and black pepper.
Watermelon, Feta and Mint Salad:
1 small red onion 4 limes 1.5 kilograms watermelon (sweet and ripe) 250 grams feta cheese 1 bunch fresh flat leaf parsley 1 bunch fresh mint (chopped) 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 100 grams pitted black olives black pepper
Directions:
Peel and halve the red onion and cut into very fine half-moons and put in a small bowl to steep with the lime juice, to bring out the transparent pinkness in the onions. Two limes' worth should do it if they are juicy, you may need to add a little more juice if not.
Remove the rind and pips from the watermelon, and cut into chunks, if that makes sense. Cut the feta into similar sized pieces and put them both into a large, wide shallow bowl. Tear off sprigs of parsley so that it is used like a salad leaf, rather than a garnish, and add to the bowl along with the chopped mint.
Tip the now glowingly puce onions, along with their pink juices over the salad in the bowl, add the oil and olives, then using your hands toss the salad very gently so that the feta and melon don't lose their shape. Add a good grinding of black pepper and taste to see whether the dressing needs more lime.
Shaved Brussels Sprout Christmas Salad ( Recipe via Green Kitchen) :
300 g brussels sprouts 3-4 kale leaves 3 oranges 1 pomegranate 150 g walnuts or hazelnuts
Dressing:
2 tbsp tahini 1 tbsb honey 1 tbsp dijon 2 tbsp orange or lemon juice 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil sea salt
Directions:
Prepare the dressing, by whisking all ingredients in a small bowl, set aside. Rinse the brussels sprouts, pick the outer leaf and shred very finely with a sharp knife (be careful) or use a food processor. Rinse the kale and shred very finely. Place shredded brussels sprouts and kale in a large bowl.
Use your hands to massage the shredded greens with the dressing for 5-10 minutes or until they becomes soft.
Toast the nuts in a dry frying pan on medium heat until browned and crispy, be careful not to burn them. Peel and cut the oranges into small wedges and remove seeds from the pomegranate. Place nuts, oranges and pomegranate seeds in the bowl and toss with your hands to mix. Serve right away or let sit for an hour, nice both ways.
