Healthy feasting: Enjoy guilt-free festive meals

The festive season is a time to indulge and celebrate with loved ones, but it doesn’t have to disrupt your healthy habits.

With a little creativity and smart choices, you can enjoy delicious meals guilt-free.

Nicole Jennings, spokesperson for Pharma Dynamics, encourages South Africans to embrace the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (Dash) principles during the holidays.

“The Dash diet emphasises fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy.

“It’s a perfect approach for festive feasting, as it allows you to enjoy flavourful meals without the guilt,” Jennings said.

To help you plan heart-healthy dishes this festive season, Pharma Dynamics, in collaboration with cookbook author Heleen Meyer and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of South Africa, shared recipes from their Cooking from the Heart collection.

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Pork sosaties recipe

Sosaties, also known as kebabs, are a popular way to cook meat over the fire.

This easy recipe uses a simple marinade and pairs juicy pork with colourful vegetables and sweet pineapple. It’s perfect for sharing at any braai!

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) sunflower oil
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) chopped fresh oregano
• ½ tsp (2.5 ml) salt
• Black pepper to taste
• 500 g leg or shoulder of pork, all fat removed and cut into cubes
• 1 onion, cut into pieces
• 1 green or red pepper, seeds removed and cut into pieces
• ½ pineapple, cut into pieces

Method

1. Mix the lemon juice, oil, oregano, salt, and pepper.
2. Place the meat in a shallow dish and pour the marinade over.
3. Stir through to coat the meat.
4. Marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
5. Thread the meat with onion, pepper, and pineapple onto sosatie sticks.
6. Braai over medium coals for 8–10 minutes on each side, or until the meat is cooked but still juicy.

*This recipe was sourced from My dynamics with permission.

Pork sosaties

• Author: My dynamics
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Category: Lunch, Dinner
• Method: braai
• Cuisine: South African

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

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• • 2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice

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• • 2 tbsp (30 ml) sunflower oil

• • 2 tbsp (30 ml) chopped fresh oregano

• • ½ tsp (2.5 ml) salt

• • Black pepper to taste

• • 500 g leg or shoulder of pork, all fat removed and cut into cubes

• • 1 onion, cut into pieces

• • 1 green or red pepper, seeds removed and cut into pieces

• • ½ pineapple, cut into pieces

Instructions

1. Mix the lemon juice, oil, oregano, salt, and pepper.
2. Place the meat in a shallow dish and pour the marinade over.
3. Stir through to coat the meat.
4. Marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
5. Thread the meat with onion, pepper, and pineapple onto sosatie sticks.
6. Braai over medium coals for 8–10 minutes on each side, or until the meat is cooked but still juicy.

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