5 Healthy Appetizer Recipes

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Healthy Appetizer Recipes

Appetizers are a key component to a social gathering! But they can also be a drag if you’re trying to maintain your healthy eating habits and everything getting passed around is deep-fried, cheese-filled or processed. Whether you’re hosting an event, or simply in need of providing a tasty tray for one, these 5 healthy appetizer recipes are ones you’ll want to make over and over again:

1. Pistachio Pesto Baked Mushrooms

To make the pesto, add the following to a food processor and mix until combined:

  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 1/2 cup arugula
  • 1/4 cup pistachio nuts (raw, shelled, unsalted, or adjust salt)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  1. Cut the stalks off two dozen cremini mushrooms and fill the centre of each with the pesto
  2. Place the mushrooms on a baking tray and drizzle a little olive oil over them
  3. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes and let cool slightly before serving, or serve cold

2. Baked Chickpea Fritters

An ideal finger food, chickpea fritters are easy to make, easy to store and easy to eat!

Recipe makes around 24 mini fritters

  • 1 cup chickpea flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 3/4 cup hot water
  • 1 cup chopped spinach (fresh)
  • 3 minced garlic cloves
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 cup cooked chickpeas
  • 2 chopped scallions
  1. Combine chickpea flour, salt, and cumin. Add the hot water, a little at a time util a thick paste forms
  2. Let mixture stand for around an hour
  3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
  4. Add spinach, garlic, baking soda, cooked chickpeas and scallions to the batter
  5. Drop 1/4 cup amounts of batter onto a baking tray lined with parchment
  6. Bake for 15 minutes, flip, and bake for another ten minutes
  7. Serve with hot sauce or a creamy lemon cashew dipping sauce

3. White Bean and Parsley Dip With Pita Chips

Perhaps the simplest of healthy appetizers, this delightful dip is made by adding all the ingredients to a food processor and mixing until smooth (it’s also fine to leave it a little rustic):

  • 1 can of cannellini beans
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1/2 cup of fresh parsley
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For the pita chips:

  1. Bake triangles of whole wheat pita bread on baking trays in the oven for 7-8 minutes at 400 degrees
  2. Consider tossing the pita triangles in a little oil, salt, pepper and mixed herbs before baking, for extra pizzazz!

4. Quinoa Tabbouleh

Popular as a healthy food, quinoa is packed with protein and can easily be substituted for the traditional bulgur wheat used when making tabbouleh.

Recipe makes around 24 small servings

  • 2 cups quinoa, rinsed
  • 1 tsp salt
  • The juice of a fresh lemon
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup hemp oil (or 1/4 cup flax oil and 1/4 cup hemp oil for added omega-3)
  • 2 medium-sized English cucumbers (ridgeless), chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
  • 2 pints of cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 cup curly kale, massaged and chopped
  • 1 cup chopped fresh mint
  1. In a large bowl, mixx all the ingredients together.

5. Smoked Tofu, Avocado and Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade

This one is, admittedly, a little laborious, but it can be a fun activity to keep the kids occupied during party prep. The tapenade can also be made in advance.

  • 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted
  • 2 tbsps basil (dried)
  • 2 tbsps fresh lemon juice
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 tsps olive oil
  1. Begin by soaking a cup of sun-dried tomatoes in hot water for 15 minutes
  2. Cut 1/4 inch slices of smoked tofu and similarly sized slices of avocado
  3. Drizzle a little fresh lemon juice over the avocado to avoid oxidation (browning) and cover with plastic wrap while you process the tapenade
  4. Drain the tomatoes, but reserve the soaking water
  5. Add the tomatoes to a food processor along with the Kalamata olives, basil, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil
  6. Create open-top sandwiches with a slice of smoked tofu on the bottom, a slice of avocado on top of that, and a little bit of sun-dried tomato tapenade to finish