Healthy Holiday Appetizers Part III

12/14/08 Posted in Rhiannon Banda-Scott  |  0 Comments

This week is the third and final installment of the Healthy Holiday Appetizer recipes I sampled, featured in Glow magazine, a Canadian publication. I am including the final two of the six featured treats, created by registered dietician Heather McColl, which are not only simple and cheap to make but are healthy and delicious enough to satisfy cravings of all kinds. Stay stress-free this holiday season with these time-saving recipes.

Veggies and Yogurt Dip

1 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp curry powder
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp salt
1 green onion chopped
¼ tsp turmeric

Whisk all ingredients together and let sit for 30 minutes to blend flavors and ingredients. For the veggies, buy a ready-made platter from the local grocery store to save time, or as the article suggests, purchase your own vegetables like green beans, mushrooms, fennel, radish, red peppers and baby corn to add interest, texture and substance to this recipe.

I am a sucker for raw veggies and dip so right away I was dying to try this combination. Not only can you make a great presentation with an array of colorful vegetables but this snack will easily be the healthiest thing you can serve to your guests. If you like creamy yet light textured dips like tzatziki sauce, then you will love the flavors and consistency of this recipe, not to mention the added calcium that comes from the plain yogurt. The onion with the lemon was a nice combination with zucchini sticks and cucumber slices. For the other vegetables, I used radishes, carrots, cauliflower and baby corn which all tasted great.

Sesame Chicken Skewers

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs/breast
1 cup Thai dressing/marinade
1 cup sesame seeds
1 package wood/bamboo skewers

To avoid burning the skewers when cooking, soak them in water 20-30 minutes before stringing with chicken. Either the night before or for a minimum of 2 hours, soak bite-sized strips of chicken in the marinade in a covered bowl or container in the fridge. Spread the sesame seeds over a plate and shake excess marinate from the chicken pieces. Roll each piece one by one in the seeds and then thread onto skewers. Line skewers on a cookie or baking sheet covered with parchment paper and bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. If planning to serve cold, be serve to cool completely in the fridge before serving.

What I loved about this finger-food recipe is the sesame seeds and the crunch they added to the chicken. They snack tasted very Asian-inspired and since chicken is a low-fat protein, I found I was feeling full only after two skewers. The article says that chicken contains cysteine, an amino acid that can help ward off colds, so I am all for eating foods and serving them to my guests, that promote a cold-free holiday season.