Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Make Your Holiday Potlucks a Little Skinnier!

A great way to lighten up your caloric intake over the holidays is to bring a light dish to your next potluck party.  I generally opt to bring a vegetable of some sort, because I know that is the one thing that is often missing from the table.  Yes, I am partial to vegetables for numerous reasons: health benefits, often lower in calories, fiber, and yes, tasty! Over the next 4 days you'll find out about 4 easy and healthy recipes to consider for your next party or even enjoy at home!  All four are packed with vegetables: one appetizer, one main dish, and 2 desserts!  Enjoy!

Let's get started with an appetizer. Every time I see a vegetable tray I always cringe at the sight of Ranch Dressing--yes, it has flavor, but is it the only thing people like to dip their vegetables in? Let's change that! Bring this dip next time, and don't tell anyone that it is fat free!  They'll never know!
Chipotle Stuffed Celery Bites

Ingredients:

16 oz container Fat Free Cream Cheese

2 tsp - 1 Tbsp Chipotle Peppers, chopped (more if you like it spicy!)

1/4 cup Roasted Bell Peppers, pat dry and chop

1/2 cup Green Onions, thinly slice

1/4 cup Cilantro, chop

Celery for dipping or stuffing

Directions:

Mix cream cheese, peppers, green onions, and cilantro until smooth. Stuff celery or serve as a dip!
Don't stop with just celery--I chose it because of how inexpensive celery is.  You can try this with with endive leaves, bell peppers, carrots, asparagus, or even roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes!  Spice up the party next time with this dip!

1 comment:

Nicole, RD said...

Those look so good! And lighter fare, yes! My mom sent me a link to a recipe for crab stuffed pea pods. It was so cute-looking, I'm going to have to make them!