20 tips for healthy entertaining

One of the most difficult times to stick to your healthy eating plan is when friends come to dinner. Here are 20 ways to help keep your dinner parties light and healthy

Use cooking oil sprays when sautéing or grilling to use less fat. Learn from the pros: garnish food to make it attractive to the eye as well as the palate. Set a spectacular table. It doesn't have to be the finest crystal or china, but it should have pizzazz. Learn a few napkin-folding tricks. Make a centrepiece out of fresh fruits and vegetables. Use mirrors as place mats. When planning your menus, buy fresh, seasonal produce. If a recipe calls for asparagus and it's not in season, feel free to substitute broccoli or other suggestions in the recipe variations. Use yoghurt as the base for dips and salad dressings in place of mayonnaise or sour cream. Use egg white instead of whole egg when coating meat, fish or poultry with crumbs. Prepare soups and stews a day or two in advance and refrigerate them overnight. The fat will rise to the top and congeal and can be removed easily. If time is a problem, use a fat or gravy strainer to remove fat from sauces and soups before serving. Use cooked and puréed vegetables as natural thickeners for soups and sauces in place of butter, flour and cream. Cooked potatoes are good thickeners for soup. Grill meats, fish and poultry to remove excess fat and add flavour. Instead of sauteing meats in stews and braised dishes, grill them to remove fat and save on clean-up. Cook en papillote (in paper or foil packets) . The natural flavours and juices of the ingredients are sealed inside the parchment paper packet.Use heavy pans with good non-stick coating. To maintain their non-stick surface, use plastic or wooden spoons, never metal.

Over the page: 10 more healthy entertaining tips