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A Nutritionist Shares Her Christmas Cooking Tips & Recipes

Emily English – or @EmThe Nutritionist on Insta – has 126k followers thanks to her healthy recipes you’ll actually want to eat. Her new e-cookbook, The Nutritionist’s Christmas, features 39 dishes to make over the festive period, from brunch and canapés to yummy puddings. Here, Em shares the inspiration for her book, alongside five recipes to try at home…
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I come from a big family of foodies, my granny is a chef and my first ever job was in her kitchen. I’ve been cooking from such a young age so it’s definitely part of my identity. My journey from food into nutrition wasn't as straightforward one; when I was 17, I was scouted to become a fashion model. The pressure of the industry destroyed my relationship with food and I ended up developing an eating disorder, which thankfully I was able to overcome. I then decided to go to university to study nutrition and the rest is history.

I love festive eating and drinking, but after a few days on the trot, I feel a bit sluggish. I tend to centre my meals on lean protein and low-starch vegetables after a party or meal out, one of my favourites being my ‘rebalance turkey soup’. I also incorporate low-intensity movement through long walks to help flush out my system. Lots of water and ginger tea too! It's not about restriction, but a sense of rebalancing your body.

Balance is all about nourishing both your mind and body. I always remind my clients that they have to respect both in order to be the best version of themselves. A lot of people think healthy eating is black and white, good or bad. I like to encourage people to remove the sense of guilt they have with food, to make sure we give our body what it needs from a nutritional point of view, while also having freedom. My recipes focus on making people go, ‘Wow that is delicious,’ as well as providing them with a dose of nourishment.

My favourite recipe from the book is my ‘so good’ stuffing. A recipe I’ve made for years, the combination of sweet apricots, soft courgettes, sausage meat, sage and breadcrumbs is delicious. It’s also great in a Boxing Day leftover sandwich – nothing beats turkey, cranberry sauce, roasted parsnips and stuffing. Add some sliced brie and toast, and it’s a game changer.

For a quick, healthy swap, try using chicken sausages in your stuffing and pigs in blankets for a slightly lighter touch. It will be higher in lean protein and lower in fat but still just as delicious.

One thing I like to indulge in at Christmas is sweet treats and puddings. There’s something about mince pies, tins of Quality Street and sticky toffee pudding. I definitely have a lot more sugar around this time of year, but it’s important to remember that health is determined by cumulative behaviours in the long term. A few weeks out of the year isn’t going to make a big impact.

If you’re hosting over Christmas, choose recipes you can prepare in advance. You want to prep and pre-cook 90% of your meal during the day. Clean down, set up the table and welcome your guests cool, calm and relaxed. A stressed host will affect the room, so choose something that is manageable and that you enjoy making. During the festive period, I love to cook my chicken lasagne with a side of homemade garlic bread which I can preassemble and pop into the oven as my guests arrive, filling the room with all the gorgeous smells. A few little canapés are always a good idea, too.

It’s the smallest things that feel extra special around Christmas. Cold, sunny winter walks, bundled up in fluffy knits, hats and a large scarf. Then, heading into a coffee shop for a flat white and mince pie while Christmas songs play in the background is just perfect.

I come from a very big family, so I’ll be spending this Christmas at home with 16 of us crammed around our dining table. We start the day with bubbles and present opening, having a Christmas brunch of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. We then all muck in for the dinner, peeling, prepping and basting, finally sitting down to the most amazing feast in the afternoon. The star of the show is always my mum’s golden and bubbling dauphinoise potatoes.

Christmas is always such a special time for me, and I truly believe the moments we share at this time of year are influenced by food. My new cookbook is about the memories we create during the festive season – and the type of food you want to laugh and smile over. There’s always a sense of balance in my cooking, but this book also has a hint of cheekiness which I love.

The Nutritionist's Christmas is available to purchase online at EmilyEnglish.com

Follow @EmTheNutritionist on Instagram

Feeling inspired? Em shares five recipes to try over the Christmas break…

TO START THE DAY: The Royal Christmas Breakfast

Serves
2
Total Time
20 Minutes
Ingredients
Ingredients
2 eggs, I like to use Burford Browns
1 large Maris piper potato (around 200g)
1 tsp of cornflour
1 tbsp of olive oil
100g of smoked salmon (4 slices)
Half or full-fat crème fraiche
1/2 avocado
Handful of chives
Method
Step 1
Peel the potato and coarsely grate the potatoes. Place the grated potato in a tea towel and squeeze out all the excess water thoroughly.
Step 2
Place into a mixing bowl, and season with a generous pinch of salt and a crack of black pepper.
Step 3
Drizzle in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and rub into the potato. Sprinkle in 1 heaped teaspoon corn flour and the flour into the potato, shape into rounds around 0.5cm thick.
Step 4
Bring a pan of water up to a rapid boil. Take 2 eggs and place them into the water, set your timer for 6 minutes exactly and prepare a bowl of ice water. Once done remove the eggs and place them into the ice water for 5 minutes then peel.
Step 5
Heat a frying pan with a little oil and pan fry the rostis for 4-5 minutes, flip and fry for another 4-5 minutes until golden and crisp on both sides. Drain on some paper towel.
Step 6
Serve a rosti topped with 1 tsp of creme fraiche, a soft egg, smoked salmon, a sprinkle of chives and sliced avocado.

FOR A FESTIVE BRUNCH: Cinnamon Snow French Toast

Serves
2
Total Time
25 Minutes
Ingredients
120ml of semi-skimmed milk
2 slices of wholemeal sourdough bread
1 tsp of sweet cinnamon
2 egg whites
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 tsp of sugar or erythritol (my favourite sweetener)
Cinnamon snow: 2 tsp of sweet cinnamon and 1 tbsp of icing sugar
1 tbsp of 0% yoghurt
Handful of fresh raspberries
Method
Step 1
In a medium bowl whisk the egg whites for a minute until foamy but not holding stiff peaks. Gently mix in the milk, vanilla, sugar/sweetener and cinnamon. Beat for another minute.
Step 2
Soak the bread in the egg mix, flipping after 2 minutes and soaking for a final 2 minutes.
Step 3
Heat a frying pan over medium heat, bush a little oil or butter in the bottom and pan fry the French toast on either side for a minute or so.
Step 4
To serve, use a sieve to dust a few teaspoons of the cinnamon sugar over the toast, and add a dollop of yoghurt along with diced berries.

FOR BOXING DAY SANDWICHES: My So-Good Stuffing

Serves
6-8
Total Time
40 Minutes
Ingredients
170g pack of sage and onion stuffing
2 courgettes, grated
1 carrot, grated
150g of chopped apricots
3 shallots, diced
6 butcher’s pork sausages, removed from the case
250ml of white wine
Zest of one lemon
Method
Step 1
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a deep frying pan. Sweat the shallots, grated courgette and carrot with a pinch of salt for 10 minutes until all the water has been released from the mix and you start to see a golden caramelisation on the bottom of the pan.
Step 2
Deglaze the pan with the white wine and simmer for 5 minutes. Mix in the diced apricots and the zest of one lemon. Cook out for a few more minutes then transfer the mix into a bowl to cool for 15 minutes.
Step 3
Once cooled, mix in the sausage meat, the sage and onion stuffing premix and add 100-150ml of warm water. Combine well using your hands, if it feels too dry add a splash of more water. Leave to stand for 5 minutes then roll into balls.
Step 4
Bake at 190°C fan for 35-45 minutes until golden brown. Perfect for loading into a Boxing Day sandwich too.

WITH LEFTOVERS: Rebalance Turkey Soup

Serves
1
Total Time
15 Minutes
Ingredients
300ml of chicken stock or 1/2 stock cube dissolved into water
1 tsp of ginger purée
4 chestnut mushrooms, thinly sliced
Handful of kale
1 garlic clove, grated
1 carrot, julienned
1 nest of egg noodles
1 tsp of toasted sesame oil
2 tsp of soy sauce
1 spring onion
80-100g of leftover turkey meat, shredded
Optional: soft boiled egg and fresh parsley
Method
Step 1
In a pan, fry off the mushrooms, spring onion, and garlic in a little olive oil. After 5 minutes, pour in the stock, ginger purée, and soy sauce. Leave to simmer gently.
Step 2
Bring a pan of water to a boil and cook the egg noodles to the packet instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water, drain then place into a bowl, drizzle over 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil.
Step 3
Drop the shredded turkey, carrot and kale into the broth and simmer for another 10 minutes. Pour the warm broth over the noodles, scatter over fresh parsley and if using, crack in the egg and allow the yolk to ooze into the soup.

FOR PUDDING: Cinnamon Swirl Mince Pie Swirls

Serves
10
Total Time
25 Minutes
Ingredients
1 pack of pre-rolled puff pastry
2 tbsp of brown sugar
2 tbsp of sweet cinnamon
1 heaped tbsp of butter, softened
Small jar of mincemeat
Method
Step 1
Mix the sugar and cinnamon together.
Step 2
Roll out the pastry and spread the butter over in a thin layer. Sprinkle over the sugar-cinnamon mix, then finally spoon over a thin layer of mincemeat.
Step 3
Carefully roll up and place in the fridge for 5 minutes to firm up. Trim off the ends. Slice into 2cm rolls and lay on non-stick baking parchment. Bake at 180°C fan for 15 minutes until golden.
Step 4
Leave to cool and dust with icing sugar.

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