No party is complete without chip and dip – here are my healthier alternatives.
Pita Chips
Ingredients
4 – 5 whole-wheat pitas
A drizzle of extra-virgin coconut oil
Himalayan rock salt and black pepper to taste
Method
Pita chips are my favourite alternative to almost any crisp. Simply open up the pitas into quarters, dry bake for a few minutes in the oven, then serve with a drizzle of olive oil.
Baked Zucchini Sticks
Ingredients
½ cup whole-wheat flour
Himalayan rock salt and black pepper to taste
2 medium zucchinis, cut into dipping sticks
2 egg whites, beaten
Method
Soak your zucchini sticks in warm, salted water for 10 to 15 minutes then dry them off. This removes bitterness. Combine the flour, salt and pepper. Roll the sticks firstly in the egg whites, then in the flour. Scatter on a baking tray coated with non-stick spray, pop into the oven and bake for ten minutes, or until golden brown.
Guacamole
Ingredients
3 ripe avos
Generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons plain Greek yoghurt
Himalayan rock salt and black pepper to taste
Method
Blend your avos first, and season with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add yoghurt, and blend to desired consistency.
Hummus
Ingredients
3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup plain Greek yoghurt
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Himalayan rock salt and black pepper to taste
Method
Simply blend all ingredients and season to taste. For a smoother consistency, add more yoghurt.
Creamy Basil Pesto Dip
Ingredients
½ tub basil pesto
¼ cup low fat mayo
¼ cup fat-free Greek yoghurt
Method
Simply blend all ingredients and season to taste.
If it's individual servings you're after, try these bite size snacks…
Smoked salmon bites
Ingredients
5 slices rye bread
½ cup cream cheese
1 large avo
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Salmon chopped and rolled into 20 bite sizes
Coriander for garnishing
Himalayan rock salt and black pepper to taste
Method
Toast rye bread, remove crust and cut into squares – about 4 per slice. Mix the cream cheese, avo and lemon juice, seasoning with salt and pepper to your preference. Pop a teaspoon of the mixture on each square, press a small, rolled piece of salmon into its centre, and garnish with a sprig of coriander.
Tomato, mozzarella and basil bites
Ingredients
20 Italian cherry tomatoes
20 fresh mozzarella balls
2 packs basil (you'll need 20 leaves)
A drizzle of olive oil
Himalayan rock salt and black pepper to taste
20 toothpicks
Method
It doesn't get easier than this! Simply pop a cherry tomato, mozzarella ball and basil leaf onto a toothpick. Once all your bites have been made, give a very small drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
Stuffed mushrooms
Ingredients
1 punnet of button mushrooms, at least 4cm in diameter, de-stemmed
1 pack good quality Danish feta
¼ tub basil pesto, or pesto of your choice
Method
Grease a baking tray with non-stick spray and assemble your mushrooms stem-side up. Pop a small piece of feta into each one and grill on high for 5 to 10 minutes or until feta has softened. Once out the oven, dress each mushroom with a drizzle of pesto and serve.
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