The best holiday canapés are always packed full of gourmet promise. From Thanksgiving cocktail hour to intimate get-togethers to theater soirees, tantalizing canapés will float drunkenly past our noses without a care to our waistlines. Dainty toasts bearing fois gras, sweet mango chutney butter, Roquefort walnut, and more that are all simply too delicious to have only one.
So to avoid that despondent groan from our bathroom scale, here are some healthy holiday canapés tips and recipes for you to try this holiday season. Your clothes will thank you.
TIPS TO AVOID OVERDOSING ON CALORIES
- Have a cup of vegetable broth before going out to an event. Foods high in water and fiber are known as high volume foods that can help to fill up your stomach. This “volumetric” theory was researched extensively by Barbara Rolls, PhD., and her colleagues at Pennsylvania State University. “We have found in numerous studies that when you allow people to eat as much as they want of foods that are high in volume yet low in density (calories), they eat less at the meal or during the day,” says Rolls.
- Try and avoid reaching out for canapés that are served on toasts, crackers, or puff pastry.
- Look for protein canapés on a stick – chicken teriyaki, lamb chops, small beef rolls. “You are most likely to feel fuller after eating protein than other nutrients, including fiber, and one of the theories behind why higher-protein diets work well with weight loss is because it helps you not feel hungry,” says Purdue University nutrition professor Wayne Campbell, PhD.
- Start the evening drinking a glass of water with lemon first. Ask the barman to serve the water in a wine glass. Perception is reality.
- Spend the cocktail hour learning about other people’s lives. It is amazing how interesting the evening becomes if you pause to listen to others tell you something fun they remember doing a year or ten years ago.
QUICK RECIPES TO TRY IF YOU ARE HOSTING THE PARTY
ASPARAGUS BOATS
Small cocktail whole wheat bread rolls
1 tin of chopped asparagus (drained)
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
Grated cheddar cheese
Paprika
Heat the oven to 350F (180C). Cut the bottom crust of the bread roll and scoop out fleshy centers.
Mix asparagus with mayonnaise and fill the rolls.
Sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese.
Sprinkle with paprika. Bake in oven until cheese is melted (about ten minutes).
CORNUCOPIAS
12 slices smoked salmon
½ cup full cream cheese
1 teaspoon chopped spring onions
Salt, pepper, paprika
12 black olives (pitted)
12 thinly sliced lemon (for garnish)
Parsley sprigs
Shape the salmon slices into cones and fasten with toothpicks.
Combine cream cheese, onion, salt, pepper, and paprika.
Stuff the cornucopias with the mixture.
Garnish with a dash of paprika, a black olive, lemon piece, and a sprig of parsley.
Chill until firm and remove toothpick before serving.
MUSHROOMS ALMOND PÂTÉ
1 cup slivered almonds
1 small onion – chopped
350g mushrooms – sliced
½ teaspoon thyme
2 tablespoons oil
¼ cup butter
1 clove garlic – crushed
¾ teaspoon salt
Pepper
1 English cucumber – sliced thickly to hold pâté
Parsley chopped finely
Set oven to 350F and toast almonds on a baking pan for a few minutes until browned.
Melt butter in frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, salt mushrooms, thyme, and pepper. Cook stirring occasionally until most of the pan juices have evaporated. Blend almonds in a blender to form a paste. With motor running, add oil until creamy. Add mushroom mixture and blend until smooth. Scoop a tablespoon onto a sliced cucumber and sprinkle with parsley.
