If you like Pina Coladas

Grab a few of those sp iky, juicy fru i ts and get that BBQ, blender and oven ready, suggests LENA PEACOCK

Surely you've been to a stack of parties by n ow, you've ea ten way too much food and you're srnrtmg to worry abou t making yo ur , ew Year's resolutions, or even just fitting into your pants. So why nor buy some pineapples and have a bit of fun with these prickly : fruits?

They're high in fibre, vitamin C, fat free, and the best bi t?

They 're packed full of bromelain, an enzyme that b reaks down proteins, meaning it's great for : digestion (yay!), an d you can use it : to tenderise meat. You just might . be abl e to fit back into your work

. wardrobe after all!

And here s a random pineapple fact for you to pw.l out at the next dinner parry, pineapple is not strictly speaking a fruit, rather it's

I00-200 fruitlets all fused together.

You don't have to "like getting caugh t in the rain" for these easy recipes.

Ro21st pork with pineapple chilli salsa

.'ieme.r 4

I ngredi ents

1 5kg rolled pork roast

½ tbsp sea salt Aake.s

I tbsp olive oil

Salsa

½ pineapple, diced into small pieces

1 red chili, sliced finely (seeds optional)

Handful of fresh mint, finely chopped

½ avocado, diced into small pieces

Juice of a lime

Pinch of sea salt

Cracked b lack pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220 degrees

Celsius Rub salt and olive oil into skin and p lace in roasting tray. Roast for 30 mins, then turn down to 180 d egrees Celsius an d roast for a furd1er 30 mins or until skin is crisp and cracking (use t h is metl1od if the skin on optio n is chosen).

2. Mix aJJ the ingredients for d1e salsa in a bowl and leave in the fridge for an hour for tl1e flavours to develop

3. Remove the pork from the oven, discard the fat layer and slice the meat.

4. Serve the meat topped with the pineapple sal.sa and serve w:itb boiled kipAer potatoes and a big green salaJ drizzled with exu·a virgin olive oil and lemon juice dressing

Note: If you eat the cracklingyou are getting mo1'I!fat and energy, but ifyou'r e trying to lose weight, remov e it bef01'1! eating.

BBQ Pineapple

Sen;es 4

Ing re dients

1 pineapple

2 cups Greek style yoghurt

4 tbsp cr u shed macadamias

Method

1. Cut the pineapple lengcbways into eighths.

2. Grill on the BBQ for a few mins on each cue side of tbe fruit until you see nice caramelised grill marks.

3. Serve each quarte r with a small bowl of Greek yoghurt topped with tl1e crushed macadamias.

Note: No, don't peel it It looks divine with the skin still 011. Afte,· cooking, just nm a knife between the skin andflesh and cut into segments, but serve this dish intact, on the skin.

Pineapple green smoothie

Se-n,es 2

In gre die nts

½ pineapple, cut into chunks

1/2 banana (65g)

I cu p coconut water, chilled Leaves from 2 sprigs of fresh mine 20g (l cup) baby spinach leaves

1tbsp freshly squeezed lemon jui ce Small Lebanese cucumber (70g) c ut in half

Method

1. Put all ingredieots into a blender and blitz for a couple of mins.

2. Pour over ice cubes into two long glasses an d serve.