Christmas is coming, and of course we are all thinking about what we will eat at the festive tables. Hosts are stressed about how to prepare the turkey for their guests, guests are thinking about what gift to choose for their hosts, but we all share the same concern: how to avoid the extra pounds during this period! 

Below you will find recipes for a complete menu with low-calorie dishes so that we can all keep our figure, without depriving ourselves of taste and enjoyment at the festive tables. 

# Appetizer

Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup

An easy recipe for a delicious winter appetizer, ideal for starting a dinner. 

Ingredients:

• 1 kg sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces
• 500g carrots, peeled and cut into thin pieces
• 2 medium white onions, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 liters vegetable stock 
• salt, pepper

Preparation:

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion for 5 minutes. Add the carrots, sweet potatoes, vegetable stock, and salt, and boil for about 25 minutes over low heat until the vegetables are soft. Blend the soup with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if needed. You can serve the soup with breadsticks or croutons. 

Crepes with spinach and anthotyro

A delicious and healthy recipe for savory crepes that is sure to whet your guests' appetite.

Ingredients:

for the batter:

• 80g flour
• 140ml milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp butter
• salt

for the filling:

• 1 kilo spinach, washed and cleaned
• 160g anthotyro
• 50g butter
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• salt, pepper

Preparation:

Beat the batter ingredients with a whisk and leave the mixture in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Lightly butter a small pan and when it is hot, pour in a small amount of batter and spread it evenly. When it turns golden, flip the crepe over. Continue until the batter is used up, stacking the cooked crepes on top of one another. Melt the butter in a large deep pan and add the spinach to wilt for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over it, add salt, pepper and nutmeg, and leave on the heat for another 5 minutes so it can absorb its liquids. Remove from the heat and add the anthotyro. Preheat the oven to 180° and butter a Pyrex dish. Divide the filling among the crepes, roll them up and place them in the Pyrex dish side by side. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. 

# Main Course

Pork tenderloin with mashed potatoes and pomegranate sauce

A highly festive dish that will delight both children and adults. 

Ingredients:

for the marinade

• 2 pork tenderloin fillets
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar with pomegranate
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• pepper

for the sauce

• 1 cup fresh pomegranate juice
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar with pomegranate

for the mashed potatoes

• 1 kg potatoes
• milk as needed
• 100 g fresh butter
• 1 clove garlic
• 4 small fresh onions, finely chopped
• salt, pepper

Preparation:

In a small bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients and mix. Submerge the fillets in the marinade and leave for about 1-2 hours. When we remove the meat, dry it well, brush it with oil, and season with salt. In a frying pan, brown it on all sides and deglaze with 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar. Transfer the meat to an oven tray and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes.

For the sauce, place all the ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer for 1 hour, stirring regularly. Let it cool.

For the mashed potatoes, put the potatoes in a pot with water and milk in a 50-50 ratio until the potatoes are covered, 1 clove of garlic with the skin on, salt and pepper, and boil over medium heat until tender. Drain the potatoes and place them in a large bowl, add the butter, a little of the cooking liquid, and season with salt and pepper. Add the peeled and mashed garlic to the potato mixture. Beat with a hand mixer for about 2 minutes, add the onions, and adjust the flavor and texture if needed. 

Slice the meat and serve over the mashed potatoes. Drizzle with the pomegranate sauce and garnish with thyme if desired. 

Stuffed Chicken with Wild Rice and Mushrooms

A dish for our holiday feast, quite similar in flavor to the classic stuffed turkey, light and low in calories. 

Ingredients:

• 1 free-range chicken
• 200g wild rice 
• 250g mushrooms
• 50g butter
• 1 tbsp poultry seasoning mix
• ½ tsp dried rosemary
• salt, pepper

Preparation:

Clean the chicken and boil it in water with salt and pepper. Boil the rice in water with a pinch of salt. Sauté the mushrooms in butter for 5 minutes and add them to the rice. Stuff the inside of the chicken. Any filling left over will be placed as a layer in the baking pan or the roasting pan. Then, rub the chicken all over with the spice mix, the rosemary and salt and pepper. 

Bake the chicken in a preheated oven for 40-50 minutes. Before cutting it to serve, let it rest, covered with aluminum foil, for 10 minutes. 

# Dessert

Yogurt Cheesecake

An incredibly easy recipe that will be ready in 5 minutes and is the perfect way to end a festive dinner. 

Ingredients:

• 500g low-fat yogurt
• 400g cream cheese light
• 150g butter
• 300g biscuits
• strawberry jam or sour cherry spoon sweet

Preparation:

First, crush the biscuits, melt the butter, mix them together and create the base for our dessert. In a bowl mix the cream cheese and the yogurt and beat them with the hand mixer until they become a rich, fluffy cream. Spread the mixture over the base we made and place it in the freezer for 2-3 hours. When it has set, spread the jam of your choice.

Espresso Cupcakes

After finishing a meal, many people want to complete the flavor with a cup of coffee. So what could be better and more fitting than a coffee-flavored cake!

Ingredients:

• 175g self-raising flour
• 175g stevia
• 175ml olive oil
• 2-3 eggs
• 70g cocoa
• 1 cup espresso 
• 1 tablespoon bitter almond liqueur
• 1 tsp baking soda

Preparation:

Put the oil and sugar in a bowl and mix them. Add the beaten eggs and the coffee. Pour in the liqueur and the baking soda and mix. We have combined the flour with the cocoa and add them to the mixture, whisking until smooth. Put into floured and buttered cupcake molds and bake for 20 minutes.

However, if you can’t resist culinary temptations and don’t want to compromise on fat, there are certainly also ways to lose the holiday pounds!