Our QENDO Friendly Festive Food Guide
by Isabella Gosling
Having a chronic condition such as endo, adeno or PCOS is hard, and unfortunately the festive season can sometimes make it even harder! Not just the increased expectations (which you definitely don’t need to buy into), social commitments, energy draining questions and explanations about your condition etc, but also if you have food intolerances, triggers or are following a specific lifestyle can be hard when it comes to festive food! So we’ve done the hard work for you and rounded up our fave QENDO friendly recipes for entree / canapés, mains, salads + sides , and desserts, so you can enjoy the holiday season and not worry about feeling sick for days afterwards (because we’ve all been there)!
From all of us here at Team QENDO, we wish you and your family the merriest of Christmases! You deserve a lovely, pain free day to celebrate and connect after the year that was 2020! x
Entrees / Canapés
Our fave entrees + canapés:
Two Delish Vegan Dips by Meredith East-Powell - Clinical nutritionist, and QENDO Wellness Coordinator, Meredith East-Powell has got your Christmas snacking covered with a fabulous Beetroot, macadamia and tahini dip and zucchini, coriander and tahini dip! Pair with your fave gluten free crackers, corn chips or on the side of your main!
Turkey, Cranberry + Apple Canapés by Casey-Lee Lyons - A fresh, crisp, summer starter with a creamy, dairy free dressing! If you’re not a turkey fan (which lots of people aren’t), you can swap for chicken or a roast veg alternative.
Antipasto Platter by Sophie Guidolin - Sophie has taken the hard work out of Christmas, not only with this recipe, but she also has a whole range of others in her 12 Days of Christmas e-book (available free).
Garlic + Lemongrass Prawn Skewers by Leah Itsines - A classic Aussie Christmas inclusion with a zingy twist. This recipe features garlic, so if that’s a no go for you, you can swap for garlic infused oil instead!
Gluten Free Veggie Pasties by Jamie Oliver - If you’re after a warm entree or canape, Jamie Oliver has you covered. This one is gluten free only, however if you use a dairy free butter alternative (such as nuttlex) it can be dairy free too!
Salads + Sides
Our fave salads + sides:
Pumpkin, Pea, Feta + Mint Salad by Liv Kaplan - A veg packed salad with nutrient dense pumpkin is the perfect accompaniment to any Christmas main. If you’re vegan, you could swap out the feta for a dairy free alternative, or sprinkle some nutritional yeast on top instead.
Chargrilled Vegetable Skewers with Harissa + Yoghurt by Good Food - If your Christmas centres around the barbeque, like so many Aussie ones do, these chargrilled vege skewers should be a go to! They can easily be made vegan / dairy free, if the Greek yoghurt is substituted.
Best Roast Vegetables by Minimalist Baker - Filled with tips and tricks to give you the perfect roast veg, including which veg should be roasted and what mightn’t, as well as how to store and reheat your roast veggies, this recipe is a winner!
Easy No Mayo Coleslaw by Eb Gargano - Coleslaw lovers unite with this egg free alternative! Eggs are an incredible thing, but if you’re intolerant, allergic, or vegan then they are in the no go zone! This coleslaw recipe by Eb Gargano from Easy Peasy Foodie will be music to your ears, or tummy!
Buckwheat, Pomegranate and Roasted Carrot Tabbouleh by Tom Walton - A twist on classic tabbouleh with lots of summer faves featured such as pomegranate and mint. This one is gluten, dairy and egg free, so its super accommodating and super delicious.
Mains
Our fave mains:
Mango, Maple + Mustard Christmas Ham by Sofie van Kempen - Fellow endo sufferer and self titled bad ass nutritionist, Sofie van Kempen makes amazing recipes which cater to dietary reqs, and this Christmas ham is no exception!
Wild Salmon En Papillote with Greens and Olives by Liv Kaplan - If you’re a seafood fan, then this delish salmon en papillote will be the perfect addition to your Christmas table. You can indulge whilst also getting your Omega 3’s checked off too!
Mexican Pan Fried Prawns with Garlic and Chipotle by Neil Perry - Prawns are usually a feature on most people’s table come Christmas in Australia, but this little Mexican twist gives them a delightful flavour. If you can’t do garlic, swap out for garlic infused olive oil.
Best Roast Leg of Lamb by Jamie Oliver - Jamie Oliver does it again with this fab recipe for the best roast lamb! If your family loves a Christmas roast, this is your go to for sure. Again if you can’t do the garlic in this recipe, you could substitute for infused oil, or leave it out all together.
The Perfect Roast Pork by Mike McEnearney - A winning roast pork needs good crackling, and this recipe will give you just that! This one is in it for the long game taking 8 hours to slow roast, but if you’re prepared and cook it the day before, you’ll be good to go come Christmas lunch / dinner time.
Persian Squash + Pistachio Roast by Jamie Oliver - This one is for our veg lovers out there! The perfect meat-alternative to a Christmas roast with similar flavours and a Persian twist, which is vegetarian friendly and also has a vegan option too. This one also features garlic, so if that’s a no go for you, swap for a little infused garlic oil, substitute it for something you can enjoy, or leave it out all together.
Desserts
Our fave desserts:
Healthy Gingerbread Men by Pheebs Foods - Phoebe makes the most incredible creations and her instagram is just #foodporn! These gluten and dairy free gingerbread men are no exception, and are the perfect addition to your Christmas dessert table!
Sugar Free Chocolate Bliss Balls by Meredith East-Powell - Meredith does it again with these delicious chocolate bliss balls! These are perfect for Christmas, as well as all year round.
Aussie Classic Gluten Free Pavlova by Champagne and Gumboots - An Aussie Christmas is not complete without a pavlova, and this gluten free one is fabulous! If you are needing a dairy free alternative to the cream on top, you could substitute for coconut cream! Alternatively, if you need an egg free pav recipe, you can try this one here!
Healthy Christmas Trifle Recipe by The Merry Maker Sisters - Another Aussie Classic is a trifle, and if you can’t have the traditional one, this food intolerance friendly option is just as good!
Christmas Chocolate Bark by Taste - This Christmas chocolate bark is the perfect gifting option, as well as an easy one for the dessert table post lunch / dinner food coma.
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