Creating an Elegant Holiday Feast

Try It!
Here is the menu we suggest for an elegant holiday feast your friends and family will love.
Hors d'oeuvres
Main course
Dessert

Who doesn't love to be the host or hostess with the mostest? Especially during the holiday season, entertaining for friends and family offers huge rewards.

First, when you cook the food, you know you can eat and enjoy (from both a health and pleasure standpoint) without reservation. For anyone on a special diet, a holiday invitation is something that is truly better to give than to receive.

Second, when you give a holiday dinner party you can indulge your creative fancy: from food that looks beautiful and tastes fabulous to a pretty table or buffet (even if you're only using color-coordinated paper plates and napkins).

A Shopping List
This shopping list will come in handy and save you time as your prep for your holiday meal.
  • one 8-ounce container fat free sour cream
  • one jar mild or medium salsa
  • one small jicama (11/2 pounds)
  • one medium seedless English cucumber
  • 151/2-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzos)
  • one head fresh garlic
  • one medium lemon
  • two 141/2-ounce cans reduced-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
  • one pint medium-size grape tomatoes
  • one 8-ounce box white mushrooms
  • one 12-ounce jar roasted sweet red peppers
  • 1/4 pound fresh snow pea pods
  • one package celery hearts
  • two 10-ounce bags mixed broccoli-cauliflower florets
  • curry powder
  • one 2-pound carton non-fat plain yogurt
  • one 4- to 6-ounce bag mixed baby salad greens
  • one 6-ounce box fresh raspberries
  • one 41/2-ounce jar prepared pureed ginger
  • one 41/4-ounce jar prepared pureed garlic
  • four whole fresh Rock Cornish game hens
  • one 2-pound, 4-ounce bag whole, frozen unsweetened strawberries
  • one jar low-sugar strawberry preserves
  • one carton pasteurized liquid egg whites
  • one carton light frozen whipped topping
  • one pint fresh strawberries
  • fresh mint
  • unflavored gelatin (two 7-gram envelopes)
Pantry Staples
  • olive or canola oil
  • salt
  • sugar
  • white and black pepper or peppercorns
  • raspberry vinegar
  • balsamic vinegar
  • dried thyme
  • sweet paprika
  • long grain white rice
  • sucralose sugar substitute
  • vanilla
  • cream of tartar
  • honey
Special touches may include candles in profusion, handwritten place cards with a special message for each guest, or an extra wine glass at every plate filled with water and a single floating flower.

Third, and best of all, you can dazzle everyone with your savoir faire -- provided you plan and cook ahead in order to enjoy your own party. (And who hasn't slaved over the proverbial hot stove all holiday long and wound up feeling more frazzled than festive?)

This special holiday meal has been designed to neatly sidestep any final frenzy. From the shopping list to the game plan, you can prepare in advance the hors d'oeuvres, salad dressing, and dessert while the game hens are marinating in tandoori-style spices.

On the day of the party the only work left is to set the table or the buffet -- this meal can be served both as a sit-down dinner or buffet style. Then prepare the Vegetable Rice Confetti while the game hens are roasting. Around this time, just unmold the elegant Strawberry Bavarian Deluxe, garnish, and refrigerate. At dinner time, toss the salad, plate the entree, and voila! Dinner is served. When the meal is finished, the dessert comes onstage as the grand finale.

The recipes for this dinner are generally low in sodium, carbs, fat, and cholesterol (if you remove the poultry skin after it's cooked), and high in fiber. And, because you will surely want to enjoy a serving of Strawberry Bavarian Deluxe, you'll want to adjust your carb consumption so you can fit it into your meal plan.

So if you follow the game plan below, you'll be the host or hostess with the most finesse and the least stress.

Elegant Holiday Feast
©2006 Publications International, Ltd.
Elegant Holiday Feast

Game Plan

Day before the party:

  • Go shopping.
  • Marinate game hens; refrigerate overnight.
  • Make all hors d'oeuvres; arrange on serving plates; refrigerate overnight.
  • Make Strawberry Bavarian Deluxe; refrigerate overnight.
  • Mix salad dressing; refrigerate covered.

Day of the party:

  • Set table or buffet.
  • When guests arrive lay out hors d'oeuvres.
  • Bake game hens.
  • Make Vegetable Confetti Rice.
  • Unmold Strawberry Bavarian Deluxe; refrigerate.
  • Toss salad with dressing; plate salads.
  • Garnish Strawberry Bavarian; return to refrigerator.
  • Serve meal buffet style or on individual plates for seated dinner.
  • Serve dessert at the table.
  • Make coffee and/or tea.

Don't let your diabetic restrictions restrict your holiday fun and feasting. There are plenty of ways to still enjoy all the delicacies of the season while staying in tune to your diet and your body.

©2006 Publications International, Ltd.

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.