Discover how delicious healthy food can taste!
APPETIZERS, SNACKS, DIPS & SPREADS
Superbowl parties are not known for healthy snack food, but lots of healthy foods, such as crudités and popcorn, make perfect Superbowl fare. This easy dip is a winner for both taste and nutrition. The base of the creamy dip is artichokes, which provide fiber, Vitamin C, folate, and magnesium. Low-fat cottage cheese replaces much of the mayonnaise used in traditional recipes. Serve with Whole-Wheat Pita Crisps (see recipe below) or whole-grain crackers. Snack healthfully while cheering on your favorite team!
Lots more recipes coming soon!
Serve these Latin turnovers at a party or take them to a potluck and watch them fly away! To give these savory appetizers a healthful spin, I have replaced the traditional lard or shortening in the pastry with a mixture of cottage cheese and olive oil, and substituted whole-wheat flour for half of the white flour. Shredding, rather than pureeing, the squash gives the filling a more interesting texture. A food processor fitted with the shredding disk makes shredding hard squash a snap.
This pesto-like sauce makes a fine accompaniment to empanadas, but it can also be used to perk up fish, chicken or burgers, or as a dip for tortilla crisps. Pepitas, which are hulled pumpkin seeds, develop a rich, nutty flavor when toasted. This salsa makes a tasty alternative to nut-based pesto, so it is handy if you are dealing with nut allergies.
Root Vegetable Crisps For a guilt-free snack, try these baked crisps made with vitamin-packed vegetables and just a touch of salt. The vegetables have to be sliced very thin in order to become crisp; use a mandolin-type slicer, if you have one, or a swivel vegetable peeler to make paper-thin slices. Be warned that the vegetables will shrink considerably during baking.
Practical and healthful, hummus makes a perfect snack, appetizer or sandwich filling. There is certainly plenty of good quality commercial hummus available now, but it is easy to make it from scratch and definitely worthwhile. Cooking the garlic cloves with the chick peas allows you to add a rich, mellow taste of garlic and avoid the harshness that raw garlic can impart. In addition, the chick pea cooking water makes a flavorful broth that can be used to moisten the chick pea puree and adjust the consistency. (Save remaining chick pea cooking liquid for soups.) Chick peas are notoriously stubborn and take a long time to become tender, but in pressure cooker they take just 15 minutes! However, if you don’t have a pressure cooker, directions for cooking chick peas conventionally are provided in the Tip.
