Healthy dinner parties
Don't let dinner dates sabotage your weight loss goals. We show you how...
Socializing and healthy eating aren’t always happy bedfellows. But having mates round for a meal doesn’t have to mean leaping into the calorie chasm. Here’s how to rustle up a fitness-friendly foodie feast to wow friends and family, with a little help from a few of our favorite culinary experts.
Be prepared: Stock your cupboards with the basics you’ll need to whip up a hearty storm in the kitchen.
Key items include coconut oil (good for frying because it’s packed with healthy medium-chain triglyceride fats that help you burn fat faster), nuts and seeds (protein powerhouses), raw cocoa (a healthier alternative to refined chocolate), a selection of herbs and spices (sources of antioxidants and other benefits), onions (packed with disease-fighting phytonutrients), garlic (another one-stop-shop for antioxidants), chillies (whose capsaicin is an inflammation-fighter) and quinoa (rich in nutrients, especially protein).
Hot tip: ‘Always have a clock in the kitchen so you are on time and don’t overcook the meal. There’s a worse than guests arriving when you still have dessert to make and make-up to put on,’ says nutritional therapist Stephanie Ridley.
Hot tip|: ‘Practise!’ advises nutritionist Faith Shorney. ‘Try things out beforehand so you know roughly how long each dish takes to prepare and cook, then plan your day accordingly.’
The wow factor
If your dinner party is doubling as a covert operation to push a healthy eating agenda on your partner or mates, the food’s got to look great to get them on board. ‘Make things in small individual dishes to avoid unnecessary clutter,’ suggests chef Faith Shorney (faithshorney.com).
Alternatively, go big with sharing dishes. ‘I find a table laden with homemade, colorful, delicious smelling dishes – or one large pot, like a casserole that everyone helps themselves to – better-looking than individual plates of fancy food,’ says nutritional therapist Stephanie Ridley (nourishtoflourish.com).
Be bold
Having a kitchen full of staple ingredients is essential. But to impress your guests with food that really has the wow factor, you’ll need a couple of interesting items, too.
Butternut squash (packed with antioxidants such as beta-carotene and high in fiber), exotic meats (such as wild boar, which is low in fat, low in cholesterol and high in protein) and seafood (rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals) can all add va va voom to your dishes. ‘Fish is always a winner for a light and healthy dinner party,’ says Faith. ‘But try to keep it simple.’ Grilled salmon has all the flavor of swordfish spiedini, but fewer risks!
Get fresh
Whether you’re cooking up a weekend feast or preparing for a special occasion, fresh and preferably organic ingredients are a sure-fire way to ensure your healthy fare goes down a treat. Go for the best quality meat, fish and veg you can afford and try to buy it on the day you plan to cook. ‘Anything fresh and seasonal can make all the difference to a “healthy” dish being dull or having plenty of texture and flavor,’ says Stephanie. ‘Not just fruit and vegetables, but meat and fish, too.’
Fancy flavors
Starter
Try scallops with pancetta on rocket salad. A good selection of tapas-style nibbles can’t fail, while Parma ham with melon balls is cute and light.
Main
Try wrapping small whole fish, such as tilapia or sea bass, in parchment parcels with Thai seasoning, and pop in the oven. They look beautiful and the flavors are fresh and inviting. Serve them with steamed bok choi and broccoli.
Dessert
Melt one bar of 85 percent dark chocolate with 1 tin of thick coconut cream. Add 100g Willie’s 100 percent cacao (from £5.99, willies chocolate shop.com), whisk over a very low heat until the mixture is even in color and consistency, pour into 4 ramekins, and serve topped with a handful of blueberries or raspberries. Easy, but exquisite!
Tasty tipples
Stephanie Ridley’s top tips:
Water
‘Have a glass water jug on the table with berries frozen in ice cubes, or cucumber strips (use a potato peeler).’
The juice
‘Make juices with broccoli, parsnip or cos lettuce, and see if your guests can guess what’s in them! Use lemon or lime to soften the bitterness.’
WEBSPIRATION
Sisters Jasmine and Melissa make healthy eating look a breeze with their amazing foodie features and ideas.
Essential if your guests don’t eat gluten. The recipes look delicious and the hints will steer you safely through special requirements.
Check out our very own healthy eating suggestions.
Be inventive
Meat and two veg may be a simple route to healthy, but it’s not always the most appealing or aesthetically pleasing. If you’re out to impress, do your research: amazing cookbooks are offering all sorts of health-conscious inspiration. We
love Gizzi Erskine’s book Skinny Weeks and Weekend Feasts (£19.99), Jane Kennedy’s OMG! I Can Eat That? (£14.99) and Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Turshen’s It’s All Good (£20), all available via amazon.co.uk.
Remember to have a flick through back issues of Women’s Fitness, too: we feature healthy and nutritious recipes every month. (See page 121 for this month’s suggestions.)
Pepping up a basic meal can be as simple
as changing one key ingredient. ‘A simple meat recipe, such as a Paleo lasagne made with courgette strips instead of pasta, can
be super-stylish if served individually in smaller dishes,’ suggests Faith.
Keep it simple
We’re all for trying new things, but give yourself a break: experiment with one course rather than all three.
‘If you feel confident about getting creative, go for it,’ Faith says. ‘But if you’re unsure and feel pressured by the number of people you’re cooking for or the time constraints, don’t try to get fancy. Simple is always better as there’s less that can go wrong.’
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