Help! Christmas recipes for very restricted diet.

[ArtichokeAardvark]

I'm hosting Christmas this year and have my PIL staying for three days. FIL has a very restricted diet (medical reasons, not just fussy) and I'm getting very stuck on what to cater for three days. He can't eat:

• red meat
• anything high in fat, including cooking anything in butter
• cheese
• anything with alcohol
• shellfish
• grapefruit.

He also keeps carbs to a minimum: no pasta and avoids potatoes.

Christmas lunch itself isn't too difficult (he'll eat turkey and veg, and I'll do a fruit salad option for pud) but what can I do for pre lunch canapes?

And then there's Boxing Day lunch (catering for 11 - I'd normally do big buttery baked potatoes and ham plus leftovers, but he can't eat that).

Hit me with your uber-healthy yet festive and winter-warming recipes please!

Christmas buffet!

Big green salad
Sliced ham or left over meat from dinner
Roasted veggies e.g. onion, peppers sweet potato.
Chutney
Various salads
Coleslaw (make with 50/50 yogurt to avoid fat)
Tuna mayo
Cucumber dill salad
Roasted broccoli salad
Bread and butter for the carb eaters.

Chicken and leek soup
Crustless quiche/fritata
Fajitas with everything out so fil can help himself to what he needs.
Meatballs in tomato sauce on sauteed cabbage instead of pasta.

For canapés, there are lots of ideas with cucumber slices or lettuce/chicory leaves as the base. Can he eat low fat cream cheese? If he can maybe something like this?

https://www.recipetineats.com/cucumber-canapes-with-smoked-salmon-mousse/#h-what-you-need-for-this-cucumber-canapes

And for Boxing Day I would do a whole salmon as the centre piece rather than ham. Serve with plenty of salads and veg. Crusty bread for those that want it.

Cranberry and chestnut falafel https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/cranberry-chestnut-falafel

Mushroom bourguignon https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/mushroom-bourguignon.html

Spiced parsnip soup - use low fat yogurt https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables/spiced-parsnip-soup/

I'd do normal canapes and a few veg sticks with dips for the healthier option.

Make some salad and/or steamed veg to go with the ham and baked potatoes. .A tuna steak one would be quick and easy as a FIL alternative, one minute each side. One salad could have egg, olives and green beans so he can basically have a niçoise, some protein in there to fill him up, and it would also be nice with the ham and potatoes for others. Do a couple of baguettes in the oven so if he does want a bit of carb he could have a slice.

A few pomegranate seeds in the salad could make it look a bit more festive and pretty.

A couple of canapés which might work for fil:

mini soup shots - chestnut maybe?
smoked salmon fits his requirements - served on cucumber with a citrus salsa maybe
asparagus works too and is a good luxury option. Maybe serve the tips with some sort of low fat dip

I'd start by making a list of what he can eat, and the thing that shouted at me was fish.

Maybe herby fish parcel, put the fish and herbs (maybe with a slice of lemon) in foil. They can be cooked in the oven or popped in a steamer. You can use any white fish or salmon.

For canapes as someone already said you can use slices of cucumber as a base. Mini kebabs - a bit of chicken and a couple of veg. Mini meatball on a cocktail stick.

How strict is the 'no fat' rule? I make an asparagus thing that could be a canape.

I use streaky bacon but I imagine serrano ham would work just as well.

'Butter' the ham with Dijon mustard, wrap it around an asparagus spear and bake for 10 mins.

Pickles on cocktail sticks? Onion, cauliflower, I'm sure you could buy or make more.

Just another thought OP you can use passata as the basis for stew or soup.

White fish
Passata
Herbs and spices
Personally I would have garlic in it but not everyone appreciates it.
Optional olives and fresh basil.

Bang in the oven or cook on the hob.

Those having baked potatoes can have it ladled over their potatoes.

Or you could use left over turkey.

Stuffed cabbage using the left over turkey - mince or finely slice the meat, add any other ingredients you might have, I often use rice but that doesn't go with your FIL's diet. Maybe some peppers, beans.

Blanch some cabbage leaves, then let cool, roll them around your filling. Put in an overproof dish 'seam' side down. Pour over the passata and cook for 20-30 mins.

Lots of amazing ideas here, thank you all!

I'm guessing gallbladder issues?

So basically nothing fattier than a skinless chicken breast?

I've been surviving on sweet potato based dishes, bake sweet potato chunks with chopped red onion, beetroot and serve in a salad with cous cous/ chickpeas, cherry tomatoes and a 0% yoghurt dressing (I usually make lemon garlic and mint) served with sliced chicken breast that I've flavoured in some way.

Ditto rather than as a salad I've also eaten it in pitta breads

Chicken skewers as canapés - lots of different flavour options and 0% yoghurt can be used as a yoghurt based marinade.

You could also do something like hoisin flavoured shredded chicken with spring onions in a take on duck pancakes

If the no red meat thing is because of gallbladder issues and the fat content usually in red meat then it's worth discussing if he wants to try venison as its actually very low fat (potentially even lower fat than chicken depending on the comparator).

Just to add as well - the fancy M&S 0% fat Greek yoghurt tastes really creamy. I couldn't believe it was fat free or actually yoghurt rather than cream and it goes really nicely as a cream alternative with meringues/raspberries. They also do a sublime raspberry sorbet.