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A Healthy Roast for Christmas in July


Enjoy a low fat roast this Christmas in July (or for Christmas later in the year).

By Annette Sym from Symply Too Good

Christmas is a special time of the year so why not celebrate it twice a year and have double the joy. Christmas in Australia is during summer so to experience having an “English” Christmas, July is the perfect time. Here are some tips to making a delicious roast dinner with my healthy spin to it.

Cooking a low fat roast:

If you are cooking roast pork then the best choice is a lean loin. If you want crackling remember it is quite high in saturated fats so my suggestion would be to remove all the crackling from the leg or loin, place the crackling on a separate baking tray, rub in a generous amount of cooking salt and cook in a hot oven.The fat should dissolve but if there is any left under the rind then scoop it out.

Baked Vegetables:

For delicious low fat baked vegetables par boil, drain then place on a baking tray that has been coated with cooking spray, then spray generously over vegetables and bake in a hot oven for around 40 minutes until golden brown, turning once. Some vegetables I love roasting are carrots, potato, sweet potato, onion, parsnip, beetroot and swede.

A Healthy Roast for Christmas in JulyRoast Chicken:

To roast either a whole chicken or turkey breast the low fat way, prick the skin in several places then place the bird on a wire cake rack (that has been coated with cooking spray) and sit rack in a baking tray.

Ham:

If you want to eat ham as well then buy a lean leg of ham and cut as much fat off as possible.

White Sauce:

To make a white sauce to top cauliflower, melt 15g low fat margarine in a small saucepan, add 2 tbsps. plain flour and mix well. Gradually add 1½ cups skim milk using a whisk. Once boiled add in ? cup grated low fat cheese and add a little pepper.

Gravy:

To make a low fat gravy use Gravox low joule gravy mix.

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