Last Christmas I invited everyone to come to lunch at my place. We were a smaller group than normal as my brother and his wife decided to stay in Sydney. For me, it was an opportunity to entertain (which I love to do) but also an opportunity to design a menu that was not only decadent and delicious but also gluten, grain and processed sugar free (well, almost). I searched numerous food related magazines and found an amazing 3 course menu in the December edition of Delicious Magazine.
Over the next few days, I will share my healthy versions of all of these recipes with you in the hope that you might bring a little health and deliciousness into your Christmas lunch. Mine was a hit!!
Entree – Smoked Salmon Zucchini Pasta
This recipe calls for pasta which is definitely off the menu for me so I replaced the pasta with zucchini made with a Spirooli. It makes beautiful pasta like strands out of any vegetable. The freshness of summer zucchini is the perfect replacement for pasta in this dish and my guests commented that it was in fact even better than the real thing. The best part about it is you don’t feel bloated or super full so it’s the perfect way to start the meal without over indulging.
Ingredients
1 cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, finely chopped
400g of zucchini pasta
1tbs extra virgin olive oil
200g creme fraiche
1tbs of white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, crushed
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon plus juice of 1/2 lemon
1tbs capers, rinsed, drained
2 tbs chopped dill
2 tbs chopped chives
200g smoked salmon, finely chopped plus extra slices to serve
50g of salmon roe
Parsley to serve
Directions
Place cucumber in a colander set in the sink and sprinkle liberally with salt. Allow to drain for 30 minutes, then rinse, drain and pat dry with paper towel.
Toss zucchini pasta in olive oil.
Combine creme fraiche, vinegar, garlic, lemon zest and juice, capers, dill and chives in a bowl, then season and toss with pasta, cucumber and chopped salmon.
Divide among bowls and top with the salmon slices, roe and herb sprigs.
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