Got a party coming up? Nervous about impressing a new crowd with your cooking abilities? Worried about what kind of appetizers to make for your guests? Put all those worries aside and adjust that apron, because these healthy appetizer recipes will have your audience wanting more. When putting together appetizers for guests, friends or family, you want to go all the way, without having to slog it out in the kitchen. What you need is simple eats that will leave a smile on your guests’ faces, without them grimacing at something you didn’t think through enough.
When I am busy myself in the kitchen, the first thing I know that is extremely important when it comes to cooking is, flavor, flavor and flavor. Texture too is an important element in cooking, because how taste and texture combine with what you see, reins in all your senses and leaves you pleased. Use flavorful ingredients that never fail to do their jobs, like garlic, cilantro, chives, lemon juice / zest, ginger, onions, and so on. Always use good oil, like olive oil or those infused with flavors like sesame or garlic. For heart healthy appetizers using olive oil would be quite the apt choice, as well as lean cuts of meat, and lots of veggies.Easy Healthy Appetizer Recipes
So before you get down to making your appetizers, make sure you have all the necessary ingredients on hand, prior to when you are throwing your little get-together.→ Halloumi Cheese and Ham Sandwich with Garlic SauceWhat You’ll Need500g of halloumi cheese (more if not enough)
20 ham slices
6 cloves of garlic
1 cup of cilantro
2 large lemons
1 cup of cream (non fat)
4 tablespoons of olive oil (sesame flavored)
10 slices of brown bread (lightly toasted)
Salt to taste
½ a cup of dried chives
10 toothpicks (sturdy)
Method of Preparation↓
Take a shallow non-stick pan, and on a medium flame, let the pan heat up considerably before adding anything into it. Drop into this, your four tablespoons of sesame flavored olive oil, and carefully place your sliced halloumi cheese into the pan. If you’re going to make 10 sandwiches for instance, one thick slice of halloumi per sandwich will do just fine. Don’t overcrowd your pan, and make sure that each halloumi slice has enough room to sizzle away. Keep an eye on the pan until the halloumi starts to brown ever so slightly. Flip it over once you spot the coloring and let the second side lightly fry as well. Place your finished halloumi cheese slices on kitchen paper towels, and then lightly toss in the same pan, your ham slices. Wait for them to turn a deeper color, and flip them over once they start to crisp at the edges. Place these too on the kitchen paper towel, and place another one atop your cheese and ham, to soak up any excess oil.
For the garlic sauce, plop into the blender the 6 cloves of garlic, the one cup of cream, juice from the two lemons, a teaspoon of salt, the 1 cup of cilantro, and just a tablespoon of sesame olive oil. Blend this together until the contents take on a pasty look. Empty this out into a bowl and keep it to one side. Then take your toasted brown bread slices and lay them down on a tray face up. Apply a slather of garlic sauce to the bread, then place a ham slice, followed by the halloumi cheese, with another slather of the sauce. Then add another slice of ham above this, and then garnish the top with dried chives. Take a toothpick and sink this into the middle of each bread slice, so that all your ingredients are well centered. You could always pierce the top of each toothpick with two olives, for decoration and added flavor purposes.→ Crunchy Fish Fillets with a Spicy Tomato DipWhat You’ll Need10 fillets of black pomfret
5 large red tomatoes
6 cloves of garlic
1 medium-sized piece of ginger
3 jalapeños (with seeds)
1 tablespoon of chili flakes
1 and a ½ cup of all-purpose flavor
1 can of beer (for better crunch)
Wok filled with at least two inches high of olive/vegetable oil
Salt to taste
2 teaspoon of pepper powder
½ a cup of basil leaves (fresh)
Method of Preparation↓
First begin with the sauce, so that your fish is nice and crunchy when made last before being served. Peel the tomatoes, using only the pulp and not the skin. Then dunk this into a blender, coupled with the jalapeños, chili flakes, ginger, basil, half a teaspoon of salt and garlic. Blitz the contents into a frenzy, and wait for the tomato mix to turn nice and smooth. Pour this out into a bowl, and garnish with a sprig of mint (optional).
Coat each fillet with a pinch of salt, and then dust each one (both sides) with pepper. Keep this to one side, and then combine together the flour and beer using a beater to make sure that it mixes together well without clumping. Gently dip each fillet into it, before plopping it into the hot oil. Drop in only three fillets at a time, and add in more oil if the depth isn’t enough for it to deep fry. Gently turn over the fillet so that it cooks evenly. Three fillets at a time in the wok should fry away for about 4 minutes, before you lay them out on a kitchen paper towel. Place these strategically around a nice large plate centered with the dipping sauce. You’ll find that the beer gives the fillet an all-round crunch without leaving room open for a soggy finish.→ Cheesy Fondue with Bread SticksWhat You’ll Need1 cup of Parmesan cheese
1 cup of blue cheese
1 cup of heavy cream
6 cloves of garlic (crushed)
Two teaspoons of Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon of cracked pepper
2 teaspoons of chili flakes
1 tablespoon of non fat butter (unsalted)
1 cup of white wine (any brand on hand)
Lemon juice (1 large lemon, or 3 small ones)
1 packet (or more) of bread sticks
Method of Preparation↓
Grate the Parmesan cheese into a bowl, and dunk into this the softened blue cheese. Using a non stick pan, first put into this, your butter and heavy cream, mixing this about until slightly hot (keep on low flame at all times). Then include your cheese mix into it, gently stirring it continuously before adding into this the crushed garlic, pepper, wine and chili flakes. Once it turns thick and creamy, pour this into a fondue pot so that it stays nice and warm when eaten. Lastly, squirt into this your lemon juice before giving it one final stir. Serve with bread sticks and enjoy.
These appetizer ideas will set anyone’s taste buds aflame being rich in flavor and texture. Experiment with other meat options like squid or shrimp, or even turkey and chicken. You can always use your own add-ons to make it interesting like fruit bits or varied spices and herbs. Hearty eating!
Healthy Appetizer Recipes
