Eating Healthier in Today's World

MAKING HEALTHIER APPETIZERS

We all like to over-indulge a little during the holiday season, with all the parties, events,  and dinners we are invited to at this time of year.  If you plan to have a large party of your own, or just a few good friends over to share the Christmas Spirit, can I suggest a few really good healthier recipes for appetizers that will not only please you but even the most discriminating, non-healthy guest you may be entertaining.  It takes a little creativity to take a very high fat recipe and change the way it is prepared and cooked to make it a little healthier.  I am also going to include a few recipes that are just plain indulgent as well, after all it is the holiday season with Christmas and New Years fast approaching.  Many of these appetizers can be prepared in advance so that they don't have you frazzled at the last minute getting everything together.  We will also make good use of vegetables and whole grain flours and suggest some alternate ways of cooking the food, rather than deep frying. 

Here are some really colourful and tasty tidbits made with vegetables.   These Calabrese Salad picks are easily made using cherry tomatoes (red or yellow) either left whole or cut in half (which I find easier to work with), and threaded on a toothpick with a cube or coin shape of mozerella cheese and a small leaf of basil.  Drizzle a little white Balsamic Vinegar (which has no colour) or regular Balsamic over the skewers for the unmistakable Calabrese taste. 

Using vegetable crudits or sticks and slices is very popular and also very healthy but it is the dips that we use with them that are a little high in fat.  Many of them have mayo or sour cream bases.  You can substitute a greek-style yogurt in place of the may and get an equally delicious dip for your fresh vegetables.  You can try out our Homemade Ranch dip recipe here for a both the regular and the healthier version of this recipe.

 Using a whole wheat Bread bowl and either whole grain bread cubes or crackers, this delicious Cold Spinach dipcan also have the Greek-Style yogurt substituted in place of the mayo. Click here for that printable recipe. 

For a hot appetizer with vegetables, that is sure to make a hit, try these Oven-Fried Zucchini Sticks.  We cut the zucchini is 3 to 4" lengths and then cut the zucchini in thirds lengthwise to make the sticks.  Using 2 egg whites that are slightly beaten with 1 Tbsp. hot water, and 1 cup of your choice of flour in a Ziploc bag,( we use 1 cup fresh milled whole wheat flour), we dip the zucchini sticks in the egg and then the flour bag where we shake them with several others.  Place the coated sticks on a baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper and spray lightly with Vegalene or your favorite cooking spray.  Bake at 475 degrees F. in a pre-heated oven for 10 min and then turn over and re-spray with the Vegalene and bake 10 more minutes.  Easy to make and delicious to eat!!!  Click here for the printable recipe.

You can also "oven fry" your own hot wings recipe to make a delectable treat for your guests or even just your family.  These are prepared very similarly to the Zucchini Sticks but are basted with a hot sauce while they are baking to give them the HOT wings touch.  We also have included a Blue Cheese dip that are a little lower in fat but you can also use the Ranch dip mentioned above for dipping your hot wings. 

Click here for the Baked Buffalo Wing Recipe.

Another one of our favorites that is also a hot appetizer (just in temperature not in taste) and very easy to make, is Stuffed Mushrooms.  You use a low fat spicy sausage and low fat cream cheese to make them with our Bamix Stick Blender food processor.  After stuffing the mushroom caps you place them under the broiler (we sometimes sprinkle them with a little grated parmesan) for a few min. and they are done. 

Click here for the Stuffed Mushroom Recipe. 

For a real great presentation as well as a real great taste, try these easy to make Chicken Salad Wonton Cups.  These are quickly made with store-bought wonton wrappers that are browned in a muffin tin and filled with a healthy Chicken Salad.  The Chicken salad is easily prepared using your BRK pressure cooker and the Bosch Universal Plus mixer with the whips to shred the cooked chicken in seconds.  Add a few other healthy ingredients like grapes and peacns and mix lightly and then fill the cups and you are done.  Easy as pie!  Click here for the printable Chicken Wonton Cups recipe.

Another crowd-pleaser is our Herbed cheese log.  Now this is not necessarily low in fat but it sure is good!   We usually only make it once a year and try to include whole grain crackers for spreading.  It is made with our Bosch Universal Meat Grinder attachment which creams the cheddar cheese and cream cheese together along with grinding the walnuts and onions that are incorporated into the log.  Saran wrap is used to shape the log before it is chilled for a couple of hours and then rolled in the chopped parsley, spices and chopped nuts. Click here for a printable Herbed Cheese Log Recipe.

We hope these helpful ideas and recipe suggestions will help your next get-together to be a great success and yet be a little heathier than the regular Christmas fare you are offered at parties. If you have any suggestions or ideas on this topic we welcome the feedback. We wish you all a wonderful holiday season with your family and friends.