If you – like many of us – are wearing the festive season on your hips, you may want to kick the New Year off with good intentions by whipping up some healthy grub. From crunchy granola and homemade baked beans to char-grilled salmon and velvety beetroot soup, here are 30 healthy recipes to try in 2015.

Breakfasts

Bircher muesli
Swap sugary breakfast cereal for a wholesome, easy-to-prepare muesli topped with tangy raspberries, coconut shavings and pistachios. If necessary, cut out the dairy completely by soaking the oats in apple juice.

Bircher muesli

Cinnamon oatmeal with fresh fruit
Combine muesli, soya milk and cinnamon to create this healthy, metabolism-boosting breakfast. Serve with honey, dried blueberries, strawberries and apples for a powerful dose of vitamin C.

Homemade granola
Granola is generally very low in cholesterol and sodium, full of fibre, and while seemingly lightweight, it keeps you full for hours.

Light meals

Beetroot soup
This ruby-red, velvety soup is a smart choice for the health conscious as beetroot is low in fat and packed with vitamins, minerals and powerful antioxidants.

Braaied spicy brinjals with poppadoms
Vegetarians will love this tasty combination of sweet roasted brinjal, chilli, lemon, coriander and yoghurt. Cut out the poppadoms for a banting-friendly option.

Chilled tomato and basil soup
Served cold, this refreshing vegetarian soup is a great starter or light meal for summer. As tomatoes are a rich source of vitamins A, C and folic acid, this meal is both nourishing and tasty.

Grilled rye crostini with roasted peppers, broad beans and ricotta
If you’re staying off the wheat, this rye crostini topped with sweet roasted peppers, creamy ricotta, sundried tomatoes and broad beans is a delicious alternative.

Homemade baked beans on rye
This meat-free, sugar-free snack is ultimate comfort food material. Prepared with chickpeas, tomatoes, mung beans and curry paste, it can be served as a side or paired with rye bread for a light lunch.

Lettuce, mango and mozzarella wraps

Lettuce, mango and mozzarella wraps
This wrap is perfect for vegetarians, banters and those with gluten-related intolerances, as it contains no meat or wheat. Using lettuce in place of a traditional wrap, this healthy snack is filled with mango, spring onion, mozzarella, mange tout, and beetroot, and doused in a tangy dressing.

Pan-fried courgette flowers with goat’s cheese stuffing
Dig into a platter of gently fried courgette flowers with a creamy goat’s cheese, parsley and garlic filling. This is a perfect light lunch for those following a low-carb, high-fat eating plan.

Pan-fried fish with cucumber yoghurt
White fish is delicately fried and served with a crisp tzatziki made with plain yoghurt, garlic, lemon and cucumber. The dish is banting friendly, but fish may be baked instead of fried to suit a low-fat eating plan.

Salmon with yoghurt potatoes
Pescetarians will delight in this light, nutritious meal that’s rich in essential omega-3 fatty acids. Serve the pan-fried salmon with yoghurt potatoes seasoned with lemon and dill.

Slow-roasted tomatoes with goat’s milk cheese
Perfect as a starter or light lunch, this relatively low-carb, high-fat dish is prepared with juicy red tomatoes, almonds, goat’s cheese, spicy rocket and a drizzle of honey. Leave out the honey if you’re a strict banter.

Strawberry, feta and melon salad cup
This refreshing, sweet salad is the perfect starter or light meal to enjoy on a warm summer’s evening. As strawberries are packed with vitamin C, and feta cheese is a great source of calcium, this small meal is as nutritious as it is tasty.

Main meals

Baked fish
This wholesome, low-fat meal is bound to satisfy with a flavourful coriander, orange juice, lemon and garlic marinade. Served with fresh coriander or give the dish an oriental twist with a soy sauce, chilli, garlic, ginger and orange juice sauce.

Bloke’s steak with avo guacamole and biltong
This steak is so superb that banting sceptics won’t even notice it belongs in the low-carb, high-fat food family. Pair with a green salad for a nutritious, sensational main meal.

Butterbean burgers with herb salad and turmeric dressing
This meat-free burger is packed with protein and fibre and will give your metabolism the boost it needs to kick off the new year. Drizzle with an olive oil, lemon juice, honey and turmeric dressing.

Chargrilled salmon with litchi and cucumber salad
Get your fix of omega-3 fatty acids with a scrumptious helping of grilled salmon accompanied by a tart litchi and cucumber salad. This meal works well with banting, low-fat diets and those with gluten-related intolerances.

Poached chicken with tender steamed broccoli, almonds and grapefruit dressing

Grilled salmon with citrus glaze served with mashed sweet potato and spring vegetables
Omega-3-rich salmon and fresh green vegetables make this a nutritious, light lunch for a hot summer day. Sweet potato is also a smarter alternative to white potatoes due to its high fibre content.

Grilled tuna with caper berries and polenta wedges
Tuck into a lightly grilled tuna steak with sour caper berries, grilled polenta wedges and sprigs of wild rocket. This dish is low in fat and delightfully guilt free.

Poached chicken with tender steamed broccoli, almonds and grapefruit dressing
Full of flavour and boasting a satisfying, crunchy texture, this healthy, low-fat recipe is bound to be a hit at the dinner table. Chicken breasts are poached in chilli, garlic and ginger and doused in a tangy soy, chilli, pickled ginger and grapefruit dressing.

Salmon with chilli salad
Rich in healthy omega-3 fats, the salmon is flavoured with fresh basil, mint, coriander, lime leaves and lime juice. The chilli salad adds zest with green chillies, red chillies, ginger and peanut oil.

Smoked chicken wraps
Low in fat yet full of flavour, this wrap is accompanied by a tangy homemade pesto made with roasted red peppers, sundried tomatoes, garlic and olive oil. Opt for gluten-free wraps or cut out the sweet potato side if you’re keeping clear of carbs.

Spring vegetable stir-fry with tofu and a ginger-honey sauce
This low-fat vegetarian dish is a medley of tofu, spring onions, cabbage, sugar snap peas and baby corn spiced fried in a zesty chilli, ginger and honey dressing. Alternatively, meat eaters can replace the tofu with skinless chicken breasts or prawns.

Salads

Broccoli, avo and bacon salad
The perfect side or light lunch for banters, this satisfying salad is bursting with broccoli, bacon, baby peas, spinach, avocado and parmesan cheese.

Broccoli, avo and bacon salad

Orange poached beetroot with goat’s cheese and spinach
Beetroot is low in fat, full of vitamins and minerals and packed with powerful antioxidants, making this salad a smart choice for those on a health kick. While it’s recommended that the salad be served with a baguette, the carb conscious will find it just as delicious without.

Peach salad with prosciutto
This low-carb salad is a treat with juicy peaches, salty prosciutto, buffalo mozzarella and peppery rocket leaves.

Quinoa, smoked mackerel and broccoli salad
Get your greens and protein in abundance with a helping of succulent smoked mackerel with roasted cashews, apple, broccoli and lemon. Fish is also a fantastic source of omega-3 fatty acids – the type of fat you don’t want to cut back on. Cut out the quinoa for a banting-friendly meal.

Quinoa, smoked mackerel and broccoli salad

Salad in a jar
This low-fat salad creates fascinating flavour combinations with strawberries, asparagus, lime juice, micro greens and roasted garlic.

Tangy Asian chickpea salad
Grated ginger, sesame oil, tangy soy sauce and melon add beautiful Asian flavours to this salad recipe. Chickpeas are also naturally low in fat, high in protein and rich in fibre, making this salad the ideal choice for those following a weight-loss diet.

Tangy Asian chickpea salad

If all this talk has made you recklessly hungry, check out our anti-banting recipe list of 50 pasta, bread and potato recipes for dedicated carb lovers.