Love your festive leftovers
Yesterday we ate, drank and were merry – and wasted a lot of food! Here nutritionist Juliette Kellow reveals how to put those festive leftovers in your body rather than the bin
It wouldn’t be Christmas without heaps of food and drink. But over a third of us admit to throwing away more food at Christmas than any other time of the year. According to the Love Food, Hate Waste campaign, we bin 4.2 million Christmas dinners. Top of the list are Brussels sprouts – we ditch 17.2 million – but we also discard the equivalent of 263,000 turkeys, 11.9 million carrots, 11.3 million roast potatoes, 7.1 million pigs in blankets and enough gravy to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool!
So how you can you put the most popular festive leftovers to good use?
Turkey
Step aside turkey curry. This Boxing Day, try a turkey noodle stir-fry – it’s also perfect for using up carrots, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower lurking in the fridge. Or whip up some turkey fajitas – fry onions and peppers in oil with fajita seasoning then add turkey and heat through.
For an alternative to sarnies, heat turkey in leftover gravy, then shred with two forks and serve in baps with cranberry sauce, coleslaw and a drizzle of gravy.
■ Nutrition know-how: Turkey is rich in a protein building block called tryptophan, which is used to make serotonin in the brain. This helps us feel happier and calmer – perfect for combatting festive stress.
Stuffing
We bin almost eight million cups of stuffing. Use it as croutons for soups and salads – chop into chunks, transfer to a baking tray, spray with oil and bake until crunchy.
Alternatively, combine stuffing with a beaten egg, grated cheese and cranberry sauce then roll into bite-sized balls. Coat in flour, egg and breadcrumbs, fry until golden and serve as nibbles.
■ Nutrition know-how: Sausage meat stuffing can be high in fat and salt, but breadcrumbs provide starchy carbs and those containing nuts and/or dried fruit have more fibre, vitamins and minerals.
Roast potatoes
Make a potato-topped Christmas pie. Combine leftover turkey, veg and gravy in an ovenproof dish, top with slices of roast potatoes, brush with oil and bake until the top is crispy.
For a Spanish classic, chop potatoes into chunks, spray with oil, bake in the oven until heated through and crispy, then serve topped with a spicy tomato sauce. Otherwise, slice roasties and add with any other leftover veg to an omelette. ■ Nutrition know-how: Roast potatoes contain energyproviding starchy carbs and potassium, which helps keep blood pressure normal.
Leftover veg
Carrots, parsnips, cauliflower, cabbage, peas… Turn whatever you have left into a seasonal soup – just heat with leftover gravy and stock, then blend.
Alternatively, blend veg, mix into a basic tomato sauce and serve with pasta and grated cheese – perfect for getting vitamins into little ones.
■ Nutrition know-how: Veg provide fibre and nutrients like vitamins A and C, potassium, folate and healthpromoting phytochemicals.
Cauliflower cheese
Reheat and serve with bread or as a jacket potato filling. Or puree and mix with turkey stock for a tasty soup. For the ultimate comfort
food, blend cauliflower cheese with a little milk to create a thick sauce, then mix with cooked pasta and ham in an ovenproof dish, top with grated cheese and bake until it’s golden.
Make croquettes – lightly mash up the cauliflower cheese (add breadcrumbs if the mix is very soft), then roll it into croquette shapes. Coat in flour, egg and breadcrumbs, fry until golden and heated through, and serve with some tomato salsa.
Nutrition know-how: Cauliflower cheese is rich in bone-friendly calcium and phosphorus thanks to the milk and cheese in the sauce.