appetizer

Happy Monday! With 6 days left until Christmas  – I’ve decided to share a few tips and tricks on how I found a few budget-friendly Christmas Appy’s for your upcoming Holiday festivities!

Homemade Hummus:

Hummus is a great option for an appetizer because of it’s nutritional value, cost effectiveness, and it is delicious! It is super rich in protein, dietary fiber which promotes healthy bacteria and a happy digestive system. What I love about homemade hummus – is that I am not afraid to douse it in a ton of olive oil! (Olive oil is a healthy fat – and helps with the digestion of the dietary fiber)

Ingredients:

• 1 can of chickpeas (look for the can with the lowest sodium)
• 1 lemon
• A tablespoon of cumin
• Paprika, to taste
• Salt ‘n Pepaaa
• Olive Oil (I free pour)

Recipe

• Open the can of chickpeas & drain – I often rinse out as much preservative as possible by running the chickpeas under cool water
• Pour the chickpeas into a blender, add spices & olive oil till it reaches about 1/3 of the height of the chickpeas.
• Cut the lemon and squeeze all the juice into the blender.
• Blend. And maybe do a happy dance.
• Pause the blender and taste the hummus, add more paprika, or any of the spices of your choice to taste. I sometimes add Siracha salt… because it’s Siracha salt!!!
• Use a spatula to pour the creamy goodness into a bowl, use a large fork to make circular striations.
• Powder the striations with cumin then paprika, add more olive oil on top!
• Yum!!!

Homemade Lentil Dip:

Another great source of dietary fiber, I learned my lentil recipe from my bestie, B! (She just founded Wellspace Studio) These little legumes are great with cucumber slices and has a refreshing taste & profile! See below for the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 can of lentils (find the one with the least amount of sodium)
• Cumin
• Paprika
• Salt ‘n Pepa
• Lemon Juice
• Parsley flakes
• Dijon Mustard
• Olive Oil

Recipe:

• Open the can of lentils, rinse under cold water.
• In a mixing bowl, add the lentils with the spices
• Free pour (in a zig zag pattern) the dijon mustard, do the same with the Olive poin
• Cut the lemon open and squeeze all of it’s juice
• Mix and add more spices to taste, how simple is that?!

Prawn Skewers:

Armed with its’ protein & omega-3’s prawn skewers are a quick and easy appetizer to entertain your guests!

Ingredients:

• Frozen large prawns, find the uncooked ones in the freezer section
• 1 clove of garlic
• Parsley flakes
• Salt ‘n Pepa
• Lemon (1/2)
• Coconut oil

Recipe:

• In a non-stick pan, melt a tablespoon of coconut oil
• Dice the clove of garlic to tiny pieces, add to the pan
• Let the garlic sit till sizzling
• Take the prawns out of the freezer and lay them into the pan, cook until pink
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Add lemon juice and cook till the prawns have a brown cooked tinge, or till the lemon juice has evaporated
• Yum!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas & a Happy Holiday Season!

Cheers,

Veronica