From marmalade ham to chipotle prawn salad: Steph Claire Smith's 6 Christmas Day recipes.

I absolutely love Christmas. Nothing beats spending quality time with my family, it’s honestly the best. 

It’s even more special now that we have little Harvey with us, and after spending last year in isolation we will definitely be making up for it this year!

Having a delicious spread is so important to me, food is something that brings my family together. 

Throughout December we've been dropping brand new Christmas inspired recipes to the Keep It Cleaner (KIC) app every week and I’m so excited for our community to try them. 

Watch: Things Aussies never say at Christmas. Post continues after video.

My favourite would have to be the Christmas Scrolls. Although they're a bit fiddly and take a bit of time, they are totally worth the effort! It’s the perfect recipe to whip up on Christmas Eve, so they can be enjoyed fresh on Christmas morning. 

Mum’s famous in our family for her Christmas ham, but our Marmalade Ham is so delicious I think she'll be trying our recipe instead this year.

2021 has been a really hard year for most of us. It’s so important that we remember to enjoy ourselves over the break, focus on the things that make us smile, like chocolate, wine and cheese, not the numbers on the scale. 

If you want to exercise, do it because it makes you feel good, not because of what you ate the day before, and don’t be afraid to give yourself a break, because honestly, you deserve it!

Below you'll find the dietitian-approved recipes I'll be making this Christmas. Try not to drool!

Christmas Scrolls.

Image: Supplied. 

Egg-free.

Serves: 12.

Ingredients:

• 250ml low fat milk 
• 10ml apple cider vinegar 
• 345g self-raising flour 
• 1 x 7g sachet dry yeast 
• 70g coconut sugar
• 50g butter 
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 100g mixed peel 
• 50g sultanas
• 50g cranberries 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 70ml maple syrup 
• 30g pecans 

Method:

1. In a small bowl, combine milk and apple cider vinegar; whisk together. Set aside for a few minutes to curdle and thicken. 

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine flour, yeast and 20 grams (2 tablespoons) of coconut sugar. Add the milk and vinegar mixture and butter to the bowl. Use the whisk or flat beater attachment to mix on low speed until everything is combined. 

3. Use the dough-hook to beat the dough on medium speed for 6-8 minutes, or until it appears smooth and elastic. Feel free to add more flour if the dough sticks to the base of the bowl. If you do not have an electric mixer, simply mix all ingredients in a large bowl with a wooden spoon, then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. 

4. Grease a clean large bowl with oil, then place the dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean damp tea towel and place in a warm area for 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size. If your oven has a ‘proof’ function, set the temperature to 35°C and prove dough for 1 hour. 

5. Meanwhile, prepare the filling by adding the mixed spice, cinnamon, mixed peel, sultanas and cranberries in a bowl, along with remaining 50 grams of coconut sugar. Mix together and set aside until needed. 

6. Once the dough has doubled in size, liberally dust a clean surface with flour, and gently turn out the dough, then sprinkle with more flour. Roll the dough into a large rectangle, approximately 35x20cm. Sprinkle the filling mixture on top and gently press into the dough. Starting at the long end, roll the dough into a tight log and place it seam side down, then cut into 2.5cm pieces using a sharp serrated knife.

7. Line a large circle or rectangle baking tray with baking paper, then carefully place the rolls inside. Cover again and let rest in a warm place for another 30 minutes, or until they have grown in size.

8. Preheat the oven to 200°C and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until slightly golden on top. We recommend covering the rolls with aluminium foil at the 15-minute mark to prevent them from getting too dark.

9. For the glaze, roughly chop the pecans and set aside. Place maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer for 2-3 minutes, then reduce to heat to low and add your chopped pecans. Brush rolls with glaze and serve!

Notes: 

• Substitute normal butter for vegan or dairy-free butter to make this recipe suitable for a vegan diet.
• Substitute normal milk for dairy-free milk to make this recipe suitable for a vegan diet.
• If you do not have pecans, feel free to use any type of nut, such as walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts. 
• To make this recipe nut-free, remove nuts from the glaze.

Butternut Pumpkin Festive Roast.

Image: Supplied. 

Egg, dairy and gluten-free.

Serves: 8.

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut pumpkin
• 40ml extra virgin olive oil 
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ¼ teaspoon paprika 
• ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
• 100g onion 
• 2 garlic cloves 
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree 
• 170g mushrooms 
• 1 x 400g tinned lentils 
• 1 tablespoon fresh sage
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon vegetable stock powder 
• 2 tablespoons warm water 
• 40g walnuts
• 40g cranberries 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with paper. 

2. Wash the pumpkin and slice in half lengthways, then remove and discard the seeds. Once your pumpkin is looking clean, drizzle two teaspoons of oil onto the pumpkin and rub into the flesh and skin and transfer to the oven and roast for 45 to 55 minutes, or until tender. 

3. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly, then scoop out the flesh from each half, leaving a 2cm border around the outside. Then, season the inside and outside of the pumpkin with 1 teaspoon of salt, paprika and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. 

4. Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the onion and garlic, dice the mushrooms, finely chop the sage and rosemary, roughly chop the walnuts and dried cranberries and set it all aside. 

5. Place a pan over medium heat and add the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes, then add the tomato puree. Cook, stirring regularly, for another 2-3 minutes, or until darkened in colour and then add the diced mushrooms and cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until soft. 

6. Drain and rinse the lentils, then add to the pan, along with the allspice, stock powder, warm water, walnuts and cranberries. Season with remaining ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Cook, stirring regularly for another 5-10 minutes then remove from the heat. 

7. Place the pumpkin on a large sheet of foil and spoon the filling into each half. Then gently join the two halves and use kitchen string to tie them together. 

8. Wrap your tied pumpkin in foil and return to the oven for another 25 minutes. Remove the foil after 20 minutes, to allow the skin to crisp.

9. Once cooked, remove from the oven and cool slightly for 5 minutes. Remove the kitchen string then slice and serve. 

Marmalade Ham.

Image: Supplied. 

Egg, gluten, dairy and nut-free.

Serves: 25.

Ingredients:

• 5.5kg leg of ham, skin removed
• 40 cloves
• 1 cup reduced-sugar orange marmalade 
• 80g honey 
• 120ml orange juice 
• 1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan-forced.

 2. Use a small sharp knife to score the fat diagonally to create a diamond pattern, then wrap the hock in aluminium foil.

3. For the glaze, place the orange marmalade, honey, orange juice and mustard in a medium saucepan. Whisk to combine, then bring to boil and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Set aside to cool. 

4. Line a baking tray with paper, then lightly grease a wire rack and place on top. Transfer the ham to the wire rack and secure a clove into each diamond, then brush all over with approximately half the glaze. Cook for 50-60 minutes, brushing with the remaining glaze every 10-15 minutes, until golden and caramelised. 

5. Once cooked, set aside for 10 minutes, then slice and serve.

Note: If the skin is not removed, use a sharp knife to score the skin around the hock, then use your fingers to gently remove the skin from the ham. Trim excess fat.

Lime Chipotle Prawns with Roasted Corn Salad.

Image: Supplied. 

Gluten, dairy, nut-free. 

Serves: 2.

Ingredients:

• 1 corn cob
• 1/4 red onion
• 8 cherry tomatoes 
• 1/2 avocado 
• 1 small red chilli
• 2 limes
• 15g coriander 
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 12 prawns, peeled
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp chipotle sauce 
• 1/2 cup quinoa

Method:

1. Prepare the veggies; slice kernels off the corn and discard the cob. Dice the avocado, quarter the tomatoes, slice the chilli and red onion, and chop coriander leaves. Juice the lime.

2. To make the salsa, place a cast iron pan over medium heat, add the corn kernels, and dry roast for 1-2 minutes until just beginning to char. Pour into a bowl and cool. When cool, add red onion, tomatoes, chilli and avocado, toss to combine and set aside until ready to serve.

3. Combine 1/2 cup of washed quinoa to 1 1/4 cups water and place them both into a pot. Add a very small pinch of sea salt and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to very low and place on a lid. Simmer quinoa over a low heat for 15 minutes or until all the water has absorbed then turn off the heat.

4. For the prawns, combine the lime, coriander, chipotle sauce, cumin and prawns together, stirring to coat the prawns well with the sauce. Add the oil to a pan over medium-high heat, and cook the prawns for 1-2 minutes on each side.

5. Serve the prawns immediately with quinoa, salsa and garnish with lime wedges and coriander leaves.

Whole Roasted Cauliflower.

Image: Supplied. 

Egg, nut and gluten-free. 

Serves: 2.

Ingredients:

• 800g cauliflower
• 15g parsley 
• 2 garlic cloves
• 20ml greek yoghurt
• 20ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 lemon
• 15g roasted pepitas

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 220 degrees celsius and line baking tray with baking paper. Wash whole cauliflower and place on baking tray.

2. Combine olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic and ½ bunch of parsley and pour evenly onto cauliflower.

3. Roast for 1 hour and then serve with greek yoghurt and sprinkle of pepitas. 

Crunchy Roast Potatoes.

Image: Supplied. 

Egg, nut and gluten-free.

Serves 6.

Ingredients:

• 1kg of baby white potatoes
• 2 heaped tbsp ghee
• 1 tbsp rosemary 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees then wash and scrub the potatoes, then cut in half. 

2. In a big pot, bring water to boil. Once boiling, place potatoes in for 15 min. Drain and let sit for a min or two. 

3. Then in the same hot saucepan add 2 heaped tbsp of ghee to melt down and toss the potatoes through. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp rosemary and continue to toss.

4. Line a baking tray and spread cut potatoes out evenly, then place in the oven for 30 min to bake.

Notes: When tossing the potatoes, toss gently - they're going to be soft, but it’s good to rough them up a bit as it will help them go crispy!

Which recipe will you be making this Christmas? Let us know in the comments.

Feature image: Supplied.

Love watching TV and movies? Take our survey now to go in the running to win a $100 gift voucher.