I Quit Sugar for Life (39 page)

SERVES

I’ve included a few sugar-free Christmas ideas here and have designed them so that much of the dish can be prepared in advance to save you
sweating it out in the kitchen on Christmas Day. Pork neck is a fantastic alternative to sugar and nitrate-laden store-bought hams, with a texture somewhere between ham and roasted meat.

Christmas Eve:
Start by making the meringues. Preheat the oven to 120°C (gas ½) and line a baking tray with baking paper. Beat the egg whites with
the salt to form stiff peaks. Add the syrup, if using, and beat a little more. Stop beating and gently fold in the coconut. Form mixture into rough balls, then arrange on the prepared tray and bake
for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 95°C (lowest gas setting) and bake for another hour, by which time the meringues will be chewy. Bake for several hours more if you like them crispy.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely before removing them from the baking paper. Store in an airtight container overnight.

Meanwhile, make a simple coulis by mixing the berries with the stevia, then bringing to a gentle boil and reducing for a few minutes. Store in the fridge overnight.

Christmas Day:
Roughly crumble 12 meringues and set aside. Whip the coconut cream or milk with the yoghurt or cream cheese and the salt until thick. Arrange
the crumbled meringue chunks (reserving a few for topping) in the bottom of 8 glasses (mugs or cocktail stems could also work). Divide three-quarters of the berries among 8 glasses, then place a
big dollop of cream on top of each. Arrange the remaining berries and meringue chunks on top and serve.

CHRISTMAS ‘MAPLE HAM’

SERVES

Christmas Eve:
Line a large baking dish with baking paper. Wash the pork under cold running water and pat dry with kitchen paper. Place the pork, fat-marbled
side up, in the prepared baking dish. Mix the spices, salt, pepper, syrup, olive oil, water, and orange zest and juice in a jug and pour over the pork, rubbing well into the meat. Cover and
marinate in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Christmas Day:
Preheat the oven to 200°C (gas 6). Remove the pork from the fridge and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Add ½ cup (125 ml) water to the
base of the dish and pop the lot in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes then turn the baking dish around and bake for a further 30 minutes, adding another ½ cup (125 ml) of water if necessary.
Bake for a further 30 minutes, turning the dish around after 15 minutes. Serve warm on its own or with relish, Stuffins, and your choice of vegetables.

YULE MULE COCKTAILS

MAKES APPROXIMATELY
DRINKS

The perfect gut-grounding tipple for the silly season. Please note: you’ll need to prepare the base Gingerade recipe a week in advance of
Christmas Day.

Christmas Day:
Juice 4 of the limes and add to the vodka in a jug. Combine the Gingerade and soda in another jug. Cut remaining 2 limes into small wedge-like
chunks. Half-fill tall glasses with crushed ice and lime wedges. Then pour ⅓ cup (75 ml) of the vodka and lime over the top, then top with Gingerade mixture. Serve.

STUFFINS

MAKES