Christmas meals set the right mood for the festive season and end the day on a high note. 

It is important to choose healthy but hearty meals to enjoy with your family on the day.

How about chicken, turkey, duck, or the famous “Turducken” - a deboned turkey breast layered with chicken breast and free-range duck meat.  This is often topped with a wood-smoked streaky bacon lattice.

ALSO READ: Simple Summer Recipes

This can be served with rice, pap, or pasta.  The rice can be any one of your choices because people have different preferences.  Salads are also famous during Christmas, others so filling that a staple food is not necessary.  Some families prefer steamed bread.

Turducken is described as an easy-to-cook 2kg three-bird roast, that serves 8 people, is uncooked and oven-ready. Instead of cooking meat, rather buy it and save yourself the stress of standing too long in front of the stove.

Rice can be savoury basmati rice, cauliflower rice with herbs, savoury rice, spicy rice, or plain rice. 

Or, how about adding some South African flavour?

Christmas pap:

Ingredients:

• Maize meal
• Salt (optional)
• A pot
• Water
• Diced bacon
• Cheese (optional)
• Rama

Pap method:

Boil the water in a pot, add salt to the water when it starts to boil, pour the maize meal into the boiling water and mix together while you put the stove on low heat, stir until it is firm but not too hard, after it has cooked for 20 minutes, put it aside until it is cool enough to add the bacon, cheese and Rama.

Macaroni Salad:

Ingredients:

• 250g macaroni elbow pasta
• 1 1/2 tbsp. salt (to cook pasta)
• 1 cup celery, finely sliced (1 stalk)
• 3/4 cup red capsicum/bell peppers, finely diced (1 small)
• 3/4 cup green onions, finely sliced (1 large stem)
• 1 medium carrot, grated (using a standard box grater)

Dressing: 1/2 cup mayonnaise (Hellmann's, Best Foods, S&W, or other whole egg mayonnaise) 1/2 cup yoghurt or sour cream, full or low fat 1 tbsp. cider vinegar 2 tsp Dijon mustard 2 tsp sugar 3/4 tsp garlic powder 1 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper

Method:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil - 4 to 5 litres/quarts. Add salt then add pasta. Cook per packet directions.

Drain pasta then cool.

Meanwhile, mix dressing ingredients in a bowl.

Place pasta in a bowl. Add remaining Macaroni Salad ingredients. Pour over the dressing.

Toss. Adjust salt/sugar/sour (vinegar) / mayo to taste.

Set aside for at least 20 minutes. Then serve at room temperature (not cold). It's great the next day too!

Broccoli and Cheese Salad:

Ingredients:

2 heads broccoli, cut into small florets

1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

½ red onion, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1 (6-ounce dr. wt.) can of whole black olives, drained

1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1/2 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ cup cooked crumbled bacon (optional)

Method:

In a large bowl, combine broccoli, tomatoes, onion, olives, Monterrey Jack, and Cheddar cheese.

• In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, mayonnaise, honey, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Pour over vegetables and toss until evenly coated. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Sprinkle with bacon, if desired, just before serving.

Enjoy these with your family this Christmas.