Hosting this season doesn't mean choosing between real food and a table people get excited about. These 9 dishes are built on whole ingredients like eggs, grass-fed beef, root vegetables, pumpkin, citrus and dark chocolate.
We've split them into three courses: starters and sharing plates, mains and sides, then dessert. Mix and match, or cook the whole lot.
Starters and sharing plates
1. Burrata, Blood Orange & Fennel Salad
The easiest showstopper on this list. Blood and navel oranges are layered with shaved fennel, topped with fresh burrata and toasted pistachios, then finished with olive oil and raw honey. Serves 4 and sits nicely next to turkey, leg ham or king prawns.
2. Rainbow Veggie Crudité Platter
Carrots, baby capsicums, radishes, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, sugar snap peas and cauliflower, piled high around a creamy herb dip made with Greek yoghurt. Fifteen minutes of chopping feeds 12. Arrange it as a wreath for extra festive points.
Mains and sides
3. Smokey Scotch Fillet with Collagen Chimichurri + Shaved Asparagus Salad
Grass-fed scotch fillet seared in garlic butter, served on shaved asparagus, rocket, pecorino and pistachios. The chimichurri gets a protein lift from Chief Unflavored Collagen Protein. The recipe serves 2 and cooks in 15 minutes, so multiply it for a crowd.
4. Maple Roasted Root Vegetables
Carrots, parsnips, beetroot and sweet potato roasted in extra virgin olive oil, pure maple syrup and fresh thyme. Five ingredients plus seasoning, 40 minutes in the oven, serves 6. The colorful side every roast needs.
5. Healthy Fennel, Beef & Pork Sausage Rolls
The party classic, done properly. Organic beef and pork mince with fennel seeds, carrot, onion and herbs, bound with Chief Unflavored Whey Protein instead of breadcrumbs. One batch makes 24 rolls, which covers a lot of guests.
6. Roasted Pumpkin & Pistachio Soup
Roasted pumpkin blended with cumin, bone broth and Chief Unflavored Collagen Protein, topped with pistachios and seeds. Serve it in small cups as a starter, or as a warming first course if your holidays fall in winter.
Dessert
7. Gluten-free Pumpkin Pie
Spiced pumpkin filling with maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in a buttery gluten-free pastry. Add Chief Creamy Vanilla Collagen Protein to the pastry and filling if you want extra protein. Serves 8 to 10. Top with cream and toasted pecans.
8. Gluten-Free Chocolate Roulade
A family Christmas classic, rebuilt. The chocolate sponge skips refined sugar and flour, and the filling is thick Greek yoghurt mixed with protein powder. Rolled, chilled and sliced, it looks the part on any dessert table.
9. Peppermint Bark
Dark chocolate, a homemade peppermint white chocolate layer, and chopped Chief Chocolate Mint Protein Bars on top. Makes 10 to 12 serves. Break it into shards for the table, or bag it up as a gift for guests to take home.
Host smarter, not harder
- Prep ahead. Chop the veggies, roll the sausage rolls and set the peppermint bark the day before.
- Build one big platter. Crudités and sausage rolls on one board keeps guests fed while the mains cook.
- Scale the 2-serve recipes. The scotch fillet and soup both serve 2, so multiply by your guest count.
- Keep a snack on hand. Chief bars and biltong are an easy grab when you're cooking all day.
Which one are you making first? Find more whole food recipes on the Chief recipe blog.
