Hello!

We live in North Queensland where it is already feeling like the middle of Summer…having grown up in Victoria I’m used to the big Christmas lunch with turkey and all the trimmings. What I am asking is if anyone has any ideas on what I can cook for Christmas Day lunch that isn’t going to make my house feel like I’m in a kiln, but still be as good as the turkey…. Does anyone have any suggestions for cold meals for Christmas Day?


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  • I’d suggest prawns as a starter. As a main you could buy a (pre-cooked) ham or (pre-cooked) turkey and serve slices of the meat with various salads.


  • Cold sliced ham off the bone. Stir fried vegies like beans and broccolini with garlic. Salads like a greens one and a potato salad or pasta salad. Smoked salmon wrapped around some philadelphia and fill with capers. Rum and raisin ice cream. Pudding.


  • Cook outside.
    Roast meat tastes beautiful when cooked on a spit on the BBQ.
    You can make a seafood platter, sliced ham, bacon rolls, salad, if you’re lucky enough to have a open supermarket close by a hot chicken, variety of sandwiches, even toasted sandwiches, salami, kabana, cheese, crackers & dip.


  • Cold chicken and turkey roll platter. All sliced beautifully on bed of lettuce.
    Prawn platter with seafood dipping sauces.
    Salami, cheeses, platter with different crackers.


  • Good question and good answers; will try some of these ideas out for belated Christmas get together.


  • I think a bbq with yummy potato salad, garden salad would be good. Maybe a a zucchini slice or some mini quiches, finger food.
    Also you could do a nice punch which would be nice and refreshing.
    Antipasto plate for entree. Seafood would be good too.


  • We tend to have a light brunch and have our Christmas meal around 4pm when it’s starting to get cooler and the flies aren’t so fierce!
    The turkey cranberry salad uses traditional ingredients so still feels Christmassy, we also love the prawn, mango and avocado salad which is light and really tasty. We also go for cold desserts like tiramisu, trifle and tropical fruit pavlova.
    http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/walnut-cranberry-turkey-salad
    http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/13426/chilli+lime+prawn+and+mango+salad


  • Salads of many varieties and cold cuts of meats, seafood such as prawns and oysters served on a bed of ice cubes in the middle of the table. You can cook your meats beforehand and serve cold on Christmas Day or if there is only a small number buy already cooked from a Deli. I would rather do my own. Pickled Pork, Ham, Chicken or Turkey.
    A touch of specialness to a tossed salad is toss in some cut Macadamia nuts, the crunch is divine. Add fine slices of red onion to water melon. Bowls of fruit and nuts.
    Cold deserts such as Melon balls Cheese cakes, Ice creams. I make a Tiramisu. I love cold cuts with Salads as in this Queensland heat at Christmas it is just too hot to be sweltering in a kitchen on Christmas Day.
    Google for recipes and other ideas, it is so easy. Merry Christmas.
    You can create your own Queensland Tradition

    You may like to have a Christmas Eve BBQ instead of the big Christmas Day meal.

    Or what my family have done for many years is we take turns in hosting Christmas Breakfast, Fruits, Campaign and Orange Juice, Fruit Juices, Avocado, Sliced Tomatoes, Cold Ham with Croissants. Bacon and Eggs. Bowls of fruit and nuts. The Breakfast is more of a Brunch. It is just most suitable than a heavy Dinner. Gifts are opened also at the host’s Christmas Tree.


  • Cheese and meat platters
    Cold toss salads and fruit salads
    Wraps
    Smoothies can freeze them the night before so like an ice pole
    Fresh squeezed juices


  • I love our cold seafood and slice meat selection on Christmas Day as well as a variety of cold salads. Those with some fresh vege and fruit for after if a cool and tasty Christmas lunch and left over for dinner.


  • We usually do a cold lunch, with cold meats (turkey, ham, beef) and lots of different gourmet salads and some nice breads. Always goes down well!


  • If you still want to cook roast meat like a chook or turkey roll you can use a slow cooker. I cook my roast chook and turkey in my slow cooker on low for approx 6-8 hours. Put scrunched balls of foil under the roast so it doesn’t sit in meat juices generated by cooking. Using a foil sling made out of 2 long strip of foil that go under the chook make it easier to get the chook out without it falling apart. The foil strips hang outside the slow cooker. The slow cooker won’t heat up your kitchen like an oven does and its cheaper to run too.


  • Vitello tonnato! It’s very tasty, you can prepare it the day before and leave it in the fridge. It’s festive too! :-)
    http://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/recipes/recipe-search/feature-recipe/2010/6/vitello-tonnato/


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