News Year's Eve Appies

For many of us the holiday season is marked by sharing great food with friends and families. It’s a challenge not to over indulge at this time of year. Yet it’s not healthy to feel deprived from avoiding food at social gatherings in an attempt to stick to a diet. Part of having a healthy relationship with food is being able to enjoy all foods in moderation. However, having more healthy options available allows us to eat some nutrient dense foods along with the inevitable consumption of goodies.

One of the things that add up to a lot of unwanted calories over the holidays is appetizers. Despite their small size appetizers are often made with rich ingredients and can be very calorie dense.

Are you hosting a New Years Eve party? Why not contribute something a little ‘lighter’ to appetizer scene? To up the nutritional value without overdoing the calories incorporate vegetables, whole grains, plain yogurt or bean dip, into your appetizer selection. People will appreciate having a healthier option. Here are a few ideas to consider.
Fruit Skewers: put a new spin on the classic fruit platter. Cut assorted fruit into chunks and thread onto small barbeque skewers or toothpicks. Serve with flavoured low fat Greek yogurt for a dip that contains a good source of protein and is easy on the calories.
Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes: slice cherry tomatoes in half and scoop out the pulp. Stuff with a small crumble of goat cheese and top with a little pesto. Or stuff with a small cube of feta and a thin slice of kalamata olive.

Assorted Cracker Toppers: Choose your favourite whole grain cracker ( Wasa Crackers are low GI) and top with things such as low fat cream cheese and jalapeño jelly, low fat cream cheese and smoked salmon, or cucumber and hummus.
Tortilla Pinwheels: Cover the surface of a 10-inch whole grain or sprouted tortilla with low fat spreadable cream cheese, add some lettuce and fill with any of the following combinations: thinly sliced cucumber, red pepper, green onion, and salsa; smoked salmon, capers and red onion; or feta, dried cranberries and green onions. You can also fill with hummus and veggies. Or use salad sandwich ingredients such as egg, salmon or tuna. Roll the tortilla tightly (imagine rolling sushi) and cut into one or two inch pieces.
Vegetable Crudités with Hummus and Tzatziki: Crudités is a French word basically meaning an appetizer with raw vegetables. Choose a variety of colored vegetables and arrange decoratively on plate with hummus and/or tzatziki. Try this hummus recipe from our Low Glycemic Meals in Minutes Cookbook.

Holiday Hummus

1 can (540 ml) chickpeas, drained
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 green onions, chopped
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (juice of one lemon)
¼ cup peanut butter or tahini
½ cup low fat plain yogurt
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt

Place ingredients in a food processor and blend well. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.