Christmas canapés courtesy of Liz Earle

Tasty canapés are an essential ingredient to a successful Christmas get-together but catering for hungry mouths on mass is always a mammoth task - luckily, Liz Earle  is here to help.  Not just a skincare pro, Liz has gone back to her writing and editing roots and combined her interests in natural food, health and beauty to create a new website and digital magazine titled Liz Earle Wellbeing . The Christmas issue is jam packed with feel-good, healthy festive recipes including plenty of easy-peasy gluten and diary free canapé ideas.

Crabmeat, Chives, Lemon & Creme Fraiche on Cucumber Slices

(makes approx. 36 canapés)

Ingredients:

300g white crabmeat (tinned is fine)

300ml low-fat crème fraîche

Juice & zest of 1 lemon

2 whole cucumbers (small-sized works best)

Fresh chives (to garnish)

Method:

1. Mix up the crabmeat, crème fraîche, lemon juice and zest and season well with black pepper and salt.
2. Chop up the cucumbers into slices about 1cm thick, and place a teaspoonful of the crab mixture on each slice.
3. Garnish with chopped fresh chives.

Squash, cranberry, garlic & rosemary on whole grain crostini

(makes approx. 32 canapés)

Ingredients:

8 slices of wholegrain brown bread

5 cloves of garlic

100g dried cranberries

1 large butternut squash

Splash of olive oil

Splash of balsamic vinegar

25g fresh chopped rosemary

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.
2. Peel and cut up the butternut squash into very small 1cm squares. Spread onto a baking tray, season well and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Place in the oven, with the whole cloves of garlic scattered around, for approx 10 minutes, then sprinkle over the rosemary and cook for a further 10 minutes until golden.
3. Meanwhile, using a small biscuit cutter or shot glass, cut out 4 circles from each slice of bread, drizzle with oil, place on another baking tray in the oven and toast for 5 minutes until golden, then place to one side.
4. Once the squash is cooked, remove the garlic cloves and crush up, then add into a bowl with the squash and cranberries, and mix well.
5. Scoop a teaspoon of mixture onto each crostini and season with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

Quail egg, truffle oil, smoked mackerel & watercress on rye

(makes 24 canapés)

Ingredients:

12 quail eggs

500g rye bread

280g packet of peppered mackerel

Juice of 1 lemon

Low-fat crème fraîche

Truffle oil

Watercress (to garnish)

Method:

1. Cut out 24 squares of rye bread about 2.5cm square in size.
2. Flake the mackerel into a bowl and add a dollop of low-fat crème fraîche, a squeeze of lemon and a splash of truffle oil.
3. Spoon a small amount of the mackerel mixture onto the rye bread squares.
4. Place the quail eggs into a pan of boiling water for 2 minutes 45 seconds. Drain and then cool under cold running water. Carefully peel, cut in half and place a half on top of the mackerel mixture.
5. Garnish with watercress and a drizzle of truffle oil.

The magazine is available by subscription only for £2.99 per issue or £9.99 for 4 issues per year via  Zinio  (for all your devices),  Apple  (for iPhone & iPad) and  Amazon  (for Kindle Fire)