Do you also feel like you eat way too much unhealthy food at Christmas? Feel like a healthier option? Then this is the solution to your problem!
There’s nothing like having a nice dinner with friends and/or family. This year, however, I’m planning to offer them a healthier alternative. One of the dishes I’m going to make is this healthy Christmas snack below:
The healthy ingredients for this Christmas snack:
The quantity of these ingredients depends on how many people you’re serving. The following recipe serves four.
- 1 cauliflower
- 1 broccoli
- Salty sticks
- 1 yellow pepper
- Cherry tomatoes
- 7 oz. (200 g) of Greek yogurt
- 15 cm cucumber
- 1 crushed clove of garlic
- 1 teaspoon of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of finely chopped dill
The cauliflower:
Let’s start with the basis of the Christmas snack, the cauliflower. Before you start boiling it, you need to chop the cauliflower into smaller florets. It’s completely up to you how big or how small they are. Personally I find it better to chop them really small so they look more like snow. Now it’s time to boil our florets. Don’t forget to wash them first!
Ready? Fill a pan with water and add some salt. Bring to the boil and then turn the heat down. Now add the cauliflower. For a nice soft cauliflower it takes about 15 to 20 minutes. Do you prefer your vegetables firmer? Then limit the boiling time to 10 minutes. Do you think it’s ready? Prick the florets with a fork to see if they’re done. Completely satisfied? Then drain the cauliflower.
The broccoli:
The preparation of broccoli is quite similar to cauliflower. Cut the broccoli into florets and determine the size for yourself. I find the smaller the florets are, the better the Christmas tree effect I get. Don’t forget to wash the broccoli before you start boiling it. Bring to the boil in exactly the same manner as the cauliflower.
It’s very important that you don’t overcook the broccoli. If you boil it too long, important nutrients can be lost. The ideal cooking time for broccoli is between 5 and 8 minutes. Again, this depends on how firm you would like the broccoli to be. Satisfied? Then drain the broccoli.
The dip:
A tasty dip is essential with a Christmas snack, isn’t it? A Tzatziki sauce is really healthy and above all extremely delicious. Have you already laid out the Greek yogurt, the cucumber, the garlic, the olive oil and the dill? Wash the cucumber and grate it coarsely. Make sure to squeeze all the excess liquid out of your grated cucumber. Then mix together the cucumber with the other ingredients. Leave the mixture in the fridge for an hour or two and you’ll have a delicious Tzatziki sauce! For added presentation add a sprig of dill and a leaf or two of mint.
The presentation:
A tasty Christmas snack stands or falls on the presentation. It has to be absolutely perfect. In my example I’ve used the cauliflower florets for the base as snow. Make the trunk of your Christmas tree using the salty sticks. Place the broccoli florets in such a way that they form a Christmas tree. Make sure that you can’t see your plate through the broccoli, it could ruin the effect!
Like all Christmas trees, the next step is to decorate. You can use the cherry tomatoes to make garlands. It’s also fun to cut the tomatoes in half and place them with the round side up to make them look like Christmas ornaments! Have fun with this. Remember it’s your creation.
It wouldn’t be the perfect Christmas tree without the top. Slice the yellow pepper into thin strips and place the pepper above the broccoli so it looks like a star. Do you have a better idea for the top? Feel free to experiment. As a finishing touch, place the sauce next to it. Doesn’t your Christmas snack look delicious?
Time to serve!
Don’t keep your guests waiting and serve this delicious Christmas snack right away. What did they think? I’m very curious! Did you take a picture of your creation or do you want to let us know how it went? We love it when you share your experience with us, either in the comments below or in a personal message on our Facebook-page.
Finally, we would love to wish you a wonderful Christmas! We hope you’ll have a great time with your loved ones! 🙂
