4 Healthy Appetizers for the Holidays

Vegetable soup to start and quiches to follow are only a couple of delicious holiday meals. Read our post to learn more recipes for appetizers.

The holidays are a time for reunions with family and friends. It’s also a time when many people let their healthy habits slip. In today’s post, check out our healthy appetizers for the holidays.

Potato and romanesco trees

Romanesco is a Italian variety of cauliflower. It’s green and has an interesting cone shape that’s comprised of little pyramid-like structures.

Part of the Brassicaceae family, romanesco is similar to broccoli and cauliflower. However, unlike its cousins, it doesn’t make you gassy. Romanesco is the main ingredient for our first recipe:

• 6 potatoes
• 1 romanesco
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
• Virgin olive oil
• Sea salt
• Nutmeg, optional

The recipe is easy to assemble. First, boil the potatoes and the romanesco with a little salt. Next, blend them all together until smooth.

Leave the puree to cool and when ready, add the peanut butter. Mix until the puree is completely blended and spoon into a piping bag. Pipe out tree-like shapes on a tray, lined with parchment paper.

Now, bake in an oven at 356 degrees F for 15 minutes and serve. Enjoy this delicious appetizer, along with the other dishes in your spread.

Beet hummus crepes: another of the delicious appetizers

The traditional crepe recipe calls for flour. But, this take on crepes include vegetables as well. Prepare the batter by gathering:

• 1 egg
• Whole wheat flour (1 cup)
• 2 cups of oat milk
• Spinach (the more, the better)
• Salt to taste
• Virgin olive oil to keep the crepes from sticking to the pan, if you don’t have non-stick

Start by mixing all the ingredients together in a food processor and blend well. Next, cook the crepes on a non-stick pan or previously oiled pan.

Beet hummus filling

You only need to blend the following ingredients in a food processor to make the filling:

• 9 ounces of white beans, cooked and drained
• One boiled beet
• One tablespoon of tahini
• Cumin powder and garlic to taste
• Half tablespoon of umeboshi paste
• A little beet water from the previous boil

And the last step, fill the crepes!

Once you finish your crepes and hummus filling, grill some asparagus spears. Plate your crepes by spreading the hummus on to the crepes and roll them around one asparagus spear each. After, cut into smaller pieces and serve.

Mini-quiches: perfect appetizers

Quiche (see featured image) is a savory dish that’s very versatile. You can serve it right along with your other holiday appetizers. For our recipe, we’re replacing the flaky pastry base with turkey breast (to give it more protein and reduce sodium).

Baking cold cuts dries them out, making them saltier. So make sure you use low-sodium turkey breast. Gather the following ingredients as well:

• Half a zucchini
• Half a red and green bell pepper
• One pack of soft white cheese
• One large egg or two small eggs
• Olive oil, salt, and black pepper

Start by cubing the vegetables and cooking them on the stove or in the microwave with a silicone steamer. Next, beat the egg with the cubed cheese and mix in the salt and black pepper.

After, oil the quiche mold to prevent quiche from sticking. Add the egg mixture and vegetables. Lastly, bake until the quiche sets, remove from mold and serve.

Pumpkin and curry soup

Popular especially in Asia, curry is a mix of spices that vary in spiciness. The specific components of curry vary from region to region. However, curry usually includes chili, caraway, cardamom, clove, cumin, turmeric, ginger and more.

To prepare this soup, you’ll need:

• 1 pound of pumpkin
• 2 potatoes
• A large leek
• 1 onion
• 4 carrots
• Virgin olive oil, curry, nutmeg and salt to taste

First, wash, peel and chop the vegetables. Only use the white part of the leek. Next, cook them with olive oil in a large pot for 5 minutes. When they’ve browned, add in the spices and water.

Let the soup boil over medium heat for 15 minutes until the vegetables soften. After, remove from heat and separate the water and vegetables. Blend the vegetables with a hand blender. After blending, adjust the texture by adding in more or less water from the previous step.

These recipes will help you receive your guests and surprise them with delicious flavors. Give them a try and tie up your holidays with some homemade dishes!