Have A Heart-Healthy Festive Feast This Year

Sponsored by Flora written by Michelle Nortje December 12, 2018

Finding ways to make your diet healthier will leave you some room to indulge in the festive season treats and Flora can show you how.

ALSO SEE: Healthy Heart Diet Advice

It can be very difficult to say ‘no’ to all the treats of the festive season when you’re trying to watch what you’re eating, with many a healthy eating plan falling by the wayside during this time of the year.

But how do you get your table laden with delicious food that is not just appealing, but also heart-healthy? The key lies in balancing plant-based foods with other meals and finding ways to make them healthier without losing the taste.

ALSO SEE: Should You Go Vegan?

To this end, Flora hosted a Festive Masterclass at Pick n Pay Good Food Studio in Johannesburg where some lucky woman&home readers got the chance to taste scrumptious festive recipes while learning more about making smart choices for a healthy festive season.

All of the dishes were made with Flora, which, in turn, is made from 100% plant-based oils like sunflower, canola and linseed oil. These oils support a heart-healthy lifestyle while adding flavour to your dishes. The vitamins and minerals contained in Flora are also absorbed into the body and assist in maintaining heart health.

ALSO SEE: ealthy Eating Tips For Summer

Flora is so much more than just a tasty spread; it can also be used as a cooking aid and ingredient, just as the special event host, Zintle Ntshikila showed by preparing the dishes everyone indulged in. Says Zintle: “As someone who has been on an extensive wellness journey, having lost a lot of weight and made big changes to my eating habits, I find Flora to be a great addition to my cooking”.

Dietician Roseanne Lombard also reinforced the importance of plant-based eating and the merits of margarine as a plant-based spread with heart health benefits.

One of the guests, Nthwana Ngoma, said that she was astounded by how delicious and flavourful the meals turned out: “Yummy! You can do more with Flora, it’s not just a spread!”

For more inspiration and great plant-based recipes and heart-healthy meals for this festive season, visit the Flora website.

Try this tasty Flora-inspired recipe

Gluten-free almond tart with whipped ricotta & grilled vegetables

Serves: 6

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• 200 g whole almonds, plus extra for garnish
• 1tbsp store-bought dukkah*, plus extra for garnish
• 1tbsp Flora Regular
• 1 large egg
• 2 red or green peppers, cored and sliced
• 3-4 courgettes, thinly sliced
• 1 large brinjal, thinly sliced
• Pinch of chilli flakes
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to serve
• 300g ricotta cheese
• Baby spinach leaves and thyme, to garnish
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to serve
• 300g ricotta cheese
• Baby spinach leaves and thyme, to garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 160°C. To make the tart base, place the almonds, dukkah, Flora Regular and egg in a food processor and process, scraping down the sides occasionally, for 3–4 minutes or until the mixture is fine and comes together.
Press into a lightly greased 22cm loose-based fluted tart tin and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Prick the base with a fork. Place on a large oven tray and cook for 15 minutes or until lightly golden.
Set aside to cool.
Preheat a griddle pan over high heat until smoking. Place the red pepper, courgette and brinjal slices on the griddle and chargrill until black lines form and the vegetables are soft.
Remove from the heat, and immediately sprinkle with chilli flakes, lemon zest and garlic. Season well.
Place the ricotta cheese in a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Season well with salt and pepper.
Fill the cooled tart case with the whipped ricotta then arrange the chargrilled vegetables on top.
Garnish with spinach leaves, thyme, extra almonds and dukkah.

Notes

*Dukkah is an Egyptian condiment consisting of cumin, coriander, nuts (pistachios or hazelnuts), seasoning and sesame seeds and is usually eaten by dipping bread into it. It is available at most supermarkets in the spice aisle.

health advice healthy diet healthy recipes healthy tips

Michelle Nortje

Passionate digital editor, social media manager and journalist. She gets excited about new trends in the digital industry and as a career-obsessed young woman, she is always ready to learn something new. To take a break from digital, she loves reading hard copy books and magazines. If she’s not working, you’ll find her in a yoga class or running a half marathon. And afterwards with a glass of champagne, of course.