If you’ve made an effort to invest in your health over quarantine and want to continue over the holidays, we have the guide for you. But if you’re opting to rest and indulge? No shame. This has been a difficult year and the only way to cope is to find a system that works for you and honors your body’s and your mind’s needs.
For those furiously googling “alternative Noche Buena dishes,” prepare yourselves.
Here’s a list of recipes to replace the usual oily, sugar-laden food served every holiday season.
1. Roasted Eggplant Lasagna with Arugula Pesto – Instead of sticking to the usual Filipino-style spaghetti, try this vegetarian recipe with no-boil noodles. With eggplant as the star of this dish, expect a lighter version of your meaty lasagna.
2. Lumpiang Sariwa – No denying that the fresh counterpart of the fried lumpiang shanghai is the healthier option. This recipe is made of tofu instead of pork and shrimp and uses a sauce made with mushroom and vegetable broth.
3. Coconut Grove Fruit Salad – Here’s an instagrammable and tropical twist to the Filipino style fruit salad we usually serve every Christmas.
4. Samba – Instead of the usual cocktails to add fizz to the night, try this immunity boosting drink made of ginger, lemon, orange juice, apple juice, and honey, with a dash of cinnamon for the festive feel.
5. Sugar-free glazed Christmas ham – A Filipino Christmas isn’t complete without a ham on the table. Compared to hams cured with sugar and filled with nitrates, this recipe is nitrate and preservative-free and easier to make. This works well with pork neck and maple glaze.
Check more of our featured recipes here.
