Christmas is just around the corner and in the lead-up we’ll be sharing some of our favourite festive feasts.
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This week we’re focusing on the dishes that sometimes steal the show — sides to suit all dietary requirements.
Note: Serving size for the recipes is for 4-6 people.
Vegan Potato and Field Mushroom Bake
Ingredients:
Vegan white sauce:
1 litre oat milk, warmed
10 tbsp olive oil
10 tbsp plain flour
½ tsp ground nutmeg optional
Salt and pepper
Mushrooms:
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red onion, sliced thinly
500g field mushrooms, stalks removed, cut in half then thinly sliced
1 tbsp thyme leaves, removed from the stalks
3 tbsp tomato paste
Salt and pepper
Potatoes:
4 large white potatoes, sliced into 1-2mm thin rounds
½ cup nutritional yeast
Method:
Vegan white sauce:
Place oil in a saucepan and bring to heat. Add the flour and whisk it in until smooth.
Slowly add the warm oat milk, whisking continually until all milk is in and the sauce has thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Mushrooms and potatoes:
Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for two minutes.
Add the mushrooms and a little warm water and cook, tossing, until the water has evaporated and the mushrooms have wilted down. Stir through the tomato paste and thyme, then season with salt and pepper. Simmer mushrooms for a further two minutes then remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat oven to 200℃ fan-forced.
In a medium ovenproof frying pan or baking dish (1.5 litres) start by spreading a thin layer of the mushroom mix across the base, top with a ladle of vegan white sauce and sprinkle with nutritional yeast (optional), then top with a layer of potato rounds, making sure they overlap by about one third.
Repeat for two more layers, then finish by topping the third and final potato layer with sauce and nutritional yeast.
Bake for 40 minutes to one hour or until golden, bubbling and the potatoes are cooked through. A knife should move through the layers easily once the bake is cooked through.
Tip: You can swap out the vegan white sauce for standard white sauce and the nutritional yeast with parmesan cheese if that suits your family.
Recipe and photo: https://thegoodcarb.com.au/
Pear, Prosciutto and Pine Nut Salad
Ingredients:
4 cups of rocket leaves
700g Goulburn Valley pears, drained
100g prosciutto
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
250g mozzarella ball, torn
1 cup micro red sorrel
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
Method:
In a large serving bowl, combine all ingredients and serve immediately.
Recipe and photo: https://spc.com.au/
Tomato Medley Salad
Ingredients:
200g red cherry tomatoes, halved
200g orange grape tomatoes, halved
1 medium green or red tomato, cut into eight pieces
3 baby or cherry bocconcini cheese, about 60g total, cut or torn
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp fresh basil, leaves only (fresh basil leaves and other fresh herbs you enjoy)
1 sprinkle or grind of black pepper
Method:
Place all the tomatoes on a plate.
If using baby bocconcini cheese then slice into thin slices, leave cherry bocconcini whole. Toss with the tomatoes.
Sprinkle over black pepper, basil leaves and balsamic vinegar.
Recipe and photo: https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/
Sweet Potato Salad
Ingredients:
2 small orange sweet potatoes, about 350g, peeled and cut into 2.5cm pieces
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (optional: choose a garlic or chilli flavoured oil for some extra flavour)
1 tsp parsley, chopped finely
2 tbsp roasted unsalted almonds, roughly chopped
¼ cup reduced fat coleslaw dressing
1 spring onion, sliced
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Put the chopped sweet potato into a bowl, drizzle oil over and stir well to coat each piece. Place the oiled sweet potato on the baking tray and roast for 30 minutes until cooked through and lightly browned. Cool.
Mix together the chopped parsley, sliced spring onion and dressing.
Place the cooled, cooked sweet potato in a bowl and coat well with the dressing. Serve sprinkled with chopped almonds.
Recipe and photo: https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/