Nutritioulicious Cocktail Parties
This past weekend Andy and I hosted a small cocktail party for our friends. Since we both love to cook and love wine, there is nothing better than entertaining friends in our home! As a dietitian, I like to make sure my guests can fill their plates with a balance of protein, carbs, fruit, vegetables, and some healthy fat. In order to achieve this balance, we served a variety of hors d’oeuvres. I also wanted to make use of some of the produce from our Bare Foot Organics CSA, so we tried to incorporate our week’s delivery into what we served.
To start, we put together a cheese plate with three different types of cheese, sliced apples (from our CSA), and grapes. (Note: to keep the apples from browning, we mixed them with fresh lime). We also made a “Mediterannean Platter” of hummus, olives, and a roasted eggplant, tomato, and onion salad featuring the CSA eggplants and heirloom tomatoes. We served these two platters with a mixture of crackers and whole wheat pita bread. Already these two platters provided our guests with protein (from the cheese and hummus), healthy fat (from the olives and hummus), whole-grain carbs (from the crackers and pita), and fruits and vegetables.
In addition to these platters, we served some more interesting items. First up, Salmon-Cucumber Rounds with Chive Crème Fraîche (using our CSA chives!).
Ingredients:
- 1 English cucumber, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds (about 20 rounds)
- 10 ounces smoked salmon
- 2 ounces crème fraîche
- chives, chopped, to taste
Directions:
- Top each cucumber round with about 1/2 an ounce of smoked salmon. Set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine crème fraîche with chopped chives and mix together. Reserve some chopped chives.
- Top each salmon-cucumber round with about a 1/2 teaspoon of chive crème fraîche. Sprinkle reserved chives on top and serve.
Nutrition Facts (per 2 rounds): 58 calories, 3 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 1 g carbohydrate, 5 g protein
This hors d’oeuvre is very light, leaving you with room to try other items at a party, and is also a good source of protein from the smoked salmon. Although smoked salmon is high in sodium, this recipe provides guests with only a small serving of the salty fish, so no need to worry about too much sodium here.
Unfamiliar with crème fraîche? It’s the western European counterpart to sour cream, and is slightly less sour than American sour cream. Although it’s high in fat (especially saturated fat), don’t skimp on the real thing. Each serving of these rounds contains just the right amount of crème fraîche to enhance the flavor of the fish, without providing you and your guests with too much fat.
Over the next few days stay tuned for some more Nutritioulicious cocktail party recipes!
