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15 Best Appetizers in Soups, Salads and Starters

Here it is…your Best Appetizers in Soups, Salads and Starters Resource…

 

Recipes 1)Best Appetizers: Crunchy Cannellini Salad…

 
cannellini salad
Courtesy of thelunacafe.com

 

Recipes Food You Need:

 
4 small cucumbers, scrubbed clean and diced small
1 sweet red bell pepper, cleaned and diced small
2 green onions,  small
1 celery stalk , diced small
2 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon grated sweet onion
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 radish, diced small (optional)
1 T parsley, fine
1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained well

 

Recipes Making or Cooking:

 

In a large bowl, put all the prepared vegetables in, and toss together.  Put in the beans and lightly toss them, just to combine together.

 

Put the remaining ingredients in a small bowl, and whisk vigorously until blended well.  The dressing will get lighter in color and become frothy.

Taste for seasoning and adjust to your preferences.

 

In the bowl with the vegetables, drizzle about half the dressing in. Toss, then add more if you’d like…tossing each time.

 

Serve right away, or you can chill it slightly (about 20 minutes) before serving.

 

appetizersRecipes Change Up–You can change it up!:

You can twist and tweak this salad in a variety of ways…

 

*If you can’t eat cannellini beans, you can always substitute another type of bean that works for you, or substitute cooked chicken or turkey in your recipes.

*In larger portions, it can be the main dish, but can also be a side dish with chicken, turkey, pork or grilled fish.  You can serve it as supper, lunch or even brunch recipes.

*To vary this dish, you can use different herbs in the dressing.

appetizersRecipes 2)Best Appetizers: Gazpacho California Style…

 

How about some Gazpacho California Style?  It’s still warm enough here in our climate for this classic dish, but can also be a good summer to fall recipes selection…

 
gazpacho
Courtesy of www.thedeliciouslife.com

 

 

Appetizers Food You Need:

 
4 cups tomato juice, chilled
1/2 of a whole chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, including 1/2 tsp of the sauce
1 can (14 oz) diced tomato
1 medium green bell pepper, cut fine
1 small sweet onion, diced fine
2 small cucumbers, scrubbed and diced fine
2 green onion, fine
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. garlic flakes
3 Tablespoon olive oil
1 t. hot sauce (more or less to taste)
4 to 6 ripe avocados
1 Tablespoon cilantro
sour cream or Greek yogurt to garnish

 

Appetizers Making Food:

 

Put the tomato juice, chipotle pepper, and adobo sauce in your food processor and process on puree until smooth.

 

Put diced tomato and pulse until chopped slightly and combined well; pour into a large bowl.

 

Put in the bowl the remaining ingredients (except avocado and cilantro), cover with a glass plate or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

 

When ready to serve, peel the avocado and dice small.
Stir the avocado pieces and cilantro into the cold soup and serve immediately.

 

May garnish recipes with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt.

 

appetizersBenefits of Tomatoes in Recipes:



The tomato is a fruit, but considered a vegetable for culinary purposes. The U.S. Supreme Court considers it a vegetable too. It’s rich in lycopene, which is a carotene giving it its red color, and responsible for its antioxidant activity.

 

Recipes 3)Best Appetizers: Mustard Sardine Deviled Eggs…

 

Here’s a twist on the typical deviled eggs recipes with some mustard and sardines.
 

 

deviled eggs

 

Appetizers Food You Need:

 

6 eggs, hard cooked
1 can water packed sardines
1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
1 Tablespoon spicy brown mustard
1 t. finely diced chives or green onion
1 t. lime juice
1/4 t. kosher salt
1/8 t. black pepper
dash cayenne
dash smoked paprika

fresh parsley for garnish

 

Appetizers Making or Cooking:

 

Peel and cut the hard cooked eggs in half lengthwise, removing yolks to a bowl.

 

In the bowl with the yolks, put the remaining recipes ingredients and mash together, mixing until smooth.

 

Spoon mixture into hollow of each egg white and set on serving platter.

Sprinkle with more paprika if desired, then garnish with parsley sprigs.

Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.


You can buy sardines packed in mustard sauce and omit the mustard from the recipes, but depending on your diet, you may want to buy water packed sardines and choose the mustard that suits your diet.

 

appetizersRecipes 4)Best Appetizers: Simple Almond Butter…

 

 

Appetizers Food You Need for Simple Almond Butter Recipes:

 

2 cups raw almonds
2 teaspoons of olive oil (more or less for texture)

 

Appetizers Cooking or Mixing:

 

Place the almonds on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven and roast for 8 to 10 minutes, turning them once or twice during that time. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.

 

Put 1/2 cup of the almonds in your food processor and pulse to break them up.

 

You can save a bit of time by chopping the almonds up a little by hand before putting them in the food processor.

 

You can do this on a cutting board with a large knife or by putting the nuts in a ziplock bag and hitting with a rolling pin or sturdy pan.

 

Drizzle in a bit of the oil and turn processor on and let it run for a minute, stopping to scrape down the sides a few times.

 

A ball will begin to form. Stop the processor and use a fork to break the ball apart.  Then, start the processor again.

 

Put more nuts, then more olive oil, and keep repeating the process.

 

Keep drizzling in oil until you get a consistency you like.  Also, the longer you process the nuts, the creamy the mixture will get.

 

Store in a sealed jar in the refrigerator.

 

You can throw in salt or other flavorings if you like.

 

Recipes 5)Best Appetizers: Try some Avocado Tarragon Creamed Soup…

 
avocado

 

Appetizers Food You Need:

 
3 quarts milk (your choice whole to fat free)
1/4 cup fresh tarragon leaves
1 Tablespoon salt
12 ripe avocados
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
sour cream and fresh tarragon leaves for garnish
 

Appetizers Directions for Cooking:

 

Pour milk into large saucepan and add tarragon and salt; put over medium-low burner and bring just to a simmer (Do NOT boil.)

 

Remove saucepan from heat and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.

 

When the 1 hour is almost up, prepare the avocados by peeling and cutting into chunks. Place the avocados and lemon juice into food processor and puree until smooth.

 

Place the puree to the cooled milk mixture in saucepan, whisking to combine. Stir in cayenne pepper.

 

Put saucepan in refrigerator and chill for 2 hours so the flavors combine.

 

Serve chilled.

 

However, you can serve this soup slightly heated.  Put saucepan over low heat and reheat very slowly, making sure not to let it come to a boil.

 

Top with a dollop of sour cream and fresh tarragon on either chilled or hot soup recipes.

 

appetizersRecipes 6)Best Appetizers: Cheesy Mustard Dip…

 

easy cheesy mustard dip
Courtesy of A Common Man’s Bible Journey

 

 

Appetizers Food You Need:

1 pkg (8 oz) softened cream cheese
1/4 cup milk
3 Tablespoon spicy brown mustard
2 Tablespoon olive oil mayonnaise
2 Tablespoon finely minced green onion tops

 

Appetizers Making Food:

 

 

In a dish, put all the ingredients and mash together with a fork or pastry cutter until the dip is nice and smooth and creamy.

 

Serve as a dip with celery, carrots, or other vegetables, or crackers, depending on your diet. You may also substitute any low fat recipes ingredients if that suits your diet better.  Compare the fats, sugars, and carbs when you do.

 

I like easy recipes like this one for guests, or those last minute get-togethers you don’t plan.  You know when you’re home for work, and your husband says your friends are stopping by, before heading out to dinner.  This is an easy one to offer as quick appetizers before you go.

Most of the ingredients you keep on hand in your fridge, except the cream cheese.  I actually keep cream cheese as a staple exactly for this reason, because you can always put it on crackers with capers on top on the fly.  It’s a perfect base for any cheese spread to whip up in a flash.

 

appetizersRecipes 7)Best Appetizers Recipe: Salmon Log Dressed with Pecans…

I know that when I have guests coming, I like to offer something when they first arrive that is different, not too filling, and feels special for them. This recipe is quite easy to prepare, and comes across as very festive and unexpected. You end up making an impression, and start them off on the right foot, so that they already have in their heads how fabulous you are when they sit down for dinner.

 

Salmon and pecans are also nice to serve around the holidays.They fit in well with your other food choices, and a log, like a cheese ball, is what people know for that time of year, but you have your own little spin on it.  

 

Photo by Gayla J

 

Appetizers Food You Need:

 
16 oz. flaked cooked salmon (Canned is okay, but just drain first.)
2 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon chives, diced fine
8 oz. cream cheese, softened at room temperature
dash hot sauce or Tabasco
1 cup pecans

 

Appetizers Making Food:

 

Mix all ingredients (except pecans) together, and form them into a log shape. Roll gently over chopped pecans, and pat them gently so they stick.

 

Wrap your log in plastic wrap, and seal tightly. Place it in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Present your Tangy Salmon Log Dressed with Pecans with hearty crackers or fresh vegetables.

 

Recipes 8)Best Appetizers Recipe:Tomato, Lentil & Kale Soup…

 

appetizersThe ingredients in appetizers can be low calorie and good for you, and when you make everything from scratch, you are getting some of the most healthful food around.

In this recipe, it calls for a can of crushed tomatoes, but you can chop up and crush some fresh, organic ones instead. It’s up to you if you want to cook your lentils and vegetable stock from scratch as well.

 

Appetizers Food You Need:

 
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 celery stalks
1 small sweet onion, small
1 garlic clove, grated or crushed
8 C kale, trimmed, cleaned, and rough chopped
2 cans (15 oz size) lentils, rinsed and drained
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
4 C vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
Fresh Parmesan cheese shavings for garnish(optional)

 

Appetizers Directions for Cooking:

 
Put the olive oil, celery, and onion in a large pot over medium-high heat.
Cook, stirring often, until the celery and onion starts to soften.
Place the garlic, and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
Dump in the kale, and stir it until it starts to wilt.
Put the remaining ingredients, and season to taste.
Bring your stew just to a boil, then quickly reduce the heat to low.
Cover your pot, and simmer slowly for about 15 minutes.
Present immediately.


soup bowl
This French Onion Soup Bowl on Etsy caught me eye.

 

*If Parmesan cheese is on your diet, shave a few curls on top of each bowl of soup. To save extra calories, just skip the Parmesan.


*If you race-walk for 1 hour and 10 minutes, you’ll burn 500 calories.

appetizersRecipes 9)Best Appetizers Recipe: Berry Breakfast with Almonds and Quinoa…

A Berry Breakfast with Almonds and a twist of Quinoa replacing oatmeal or other cereal is your ticket to keep you on track with your diet, feed the kids and hubby, and make it as the CEO of Everything Mom.   

Mornings and breakfast can be your busiest time of the day to get yourself ready, and everyone else ready, so you need something fast and easy, so that you’re not grabbing that croissant or cinnamon roll to ruin your diet.

 

Whenever you have a dish that cooks in a single pan, then right to your serving dishes, you have a much easier time completing a meal. Just get that pan going, and then you can do other things, like address the kids’ lunches and do your makeup.

 

 

berries
 

 

Appetizers Food You Need:

 
1 cup almond milk
1 cup water
1 cup quinoa
1 medium orange, zested
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 T honey
1 1/4 cup fresh blueberries
1 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1/4 cup honey
chopped almonds for garnish

 

Appetizers Making Food:

 

Place the almond milk, water, quinoa, orange zest, cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon honey in a medium sized sauce pan and bring to a boil. Immediately lower heat to low, cover pan, and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 13 to 15 minutes.

 

Remove saucepan from heat and leave covered while it sits for 5 more minutes.

 

Gently stir in berries and serve in cereal dishes, dividing the 1/4 cup honey over each serving and garnish with almonds.

 

*You can forego the extra honey on your serving.  And if you want to really be Martha Stewart, and inspire your family to eat their berry breakfasts, just set these Eat, Chow, Yum & Bite placemats out the night before ready to go for the morning…

 

placemat

 

Recipes 10)Best Appetizers: Orange Raisins Quinoa Toss Recipe Idea…

 
quinoa

 

Appetizers Food You Need:

 

 

1/2 C quinoa (rinsed)
2/3 C water
1/3 C orange juice
1 T golden raisins
1 T chopped walnuts

 

Appetizers Directions for Cooking:

 

 

Place the rinsed quinoa in a medium saucepan and add the water and orange juice, stirring lightly to combine. Bring mixture to a boil, then immediately turn heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Add the raisins and walnuts and lightly toss. Present immediately or you may refrigerate and serve as a cold salad.

 

As you can see this Orange Raisins Quinoa Toss recipe is really simple, and gives you options of a warm breakfast choice or a cold salad later. You can keep or discard the raisins and walnuts as you see fit for your family tastes.

 

If you haven’t tried quinoa yet, this is any easy way to introduce it to your diet.  By incorporating it into simple dishes, and combining it with natural sweetness. Quinoa is an excellent choice for protein and fiber while keeping you gluten free.

appetizersRecipes 11)Best Appetizers:Tomato and Broccoli…

 

Here’s a very simple recipe that incorporates the power of antioxidants into your very busy day as CEO of Everything.

Antioxidants are mostly found in fruits and vegetables, and particularly not in the juice form with sugars added. The hardest part about being busy and on the go, is that you grab the quickest thing to eat, instead of the good thing to eat.

This recipe is designed to be part of some easy and healthful ideas to replace the usual fast grab. It’s also to go, so that you can take it to work if you need.  

If you work at home, treat this the same way as working away, and have it ready for your eating break.

lunch ideasCourtesy of Wikinut

 

Appetizers Food You Need:

1 broccoli bunch
12 cherry tomatoes
3 tablespoons minced parsley
2 tablespoons chives
Salt to taste

Appetizers Instructions for Food:

Wash and cut broccoli. Slice tomatoes into quarters. Place cut up broccoli in a take along dish. Add cherry tomatoes on top of broccoli. Next sprinkle parsley, chives and salt on top of tomatoes. Do NOT mix ingredients.Cover dish and chill in refrigerator until you’re ready to eat. Once you are ready to eat, remove lid from container and mix ingredients together. Microwave for 6-8 minutes depending on whether you want your broccoli soft or crunchy. Serve.

appetizersRecipes 12)Best Appetizers: Zesty Shrimp and Cod Soup…

Soup is always a good food anytime of the year, because of its nutritional value and caloric makeup. Plus, you can keep them light, spicy and zesty for warmer days.

For a busy Mompreneur and CEO of Everything, soup can be your go-to in your diet, because of all of its function. It can simmer while you’re doing other things. It can be made from scratch, and contain such a variety of ingredients for all of your necessary vitamins and minerals, and if you’re too busy to fit in your exercise, you know that you didn’t over do it. I’m partial to spicy, but you can always tone it down with any recipe.

soupCourtesy of newasiancuisine.com

 

Appetizers Food for Zesty Shrimp and Cod Soup:

1/2 onion, cut
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 C low fat chicken broth
1 (4 ounce) can canned green chile peppers, cut
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 C canned peeled and cut tomatoes
1/2 C chopped green bell pepper
1/2 C shrimp
1/2 pound cod fillets
3/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt

Appetizers Cooking for Zesty Shrimp and Cod Soup:

Over medium heat place a large saucepan sprayed with low fat canola nonstick spray, sauté onion until translucent. Add garlic and chili powder and continue to sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add chicken broth and stir. Add green chile peppers and cumin and mix well.Bring mixture to a boil. Lower heat to lowest temperature, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove lid and return heat to medium high. Add tomatoes, bell pepper, shrimp and cod. Return to a rapid boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 5 more minutes. Remove lid and stir in yogurt until heated completely.

Serve in something modern and chic like this dish from MelissaMayaPottery on Etsy…

soup

 

Additional Nutritional Information:*Fish are high in Omega 3 fatty acids.Calories: 147 Total Fat: 1.8g Cholesterol: 46mg Sodium: 873mg Total Carbs: 12.4g Dietary Fiber: 2.4g Protein: 19.3g

Recipes 13)Best Appetizers: Spiced Lime Greek Yogurt Dressing…

 
greek yogurt

 

Appetizers Food You Need: 

 

1 C plain Greek yogurt
2 t. olive oil
2 T lime juice
1 shallot, minced fine
1 t. paprika
1 t. chili powder
pinch of chopped dill
pinch of kosher salt and black pepper to taste

 

Appetizers Making Food: 

 

Place all the ingredients in a glass or plastic bowl and whisk together until blended very well.

 

Taste and season with salt and pepper.

 

*This is a great way to incorporate your probiotic or active bacteria into your diet and system through using yogurt dressing on your salads, or for your sauces and dips. Be sure to check for the active-live cultures labeled on the yogurt package. There is such a thing as good bacteria.

appetizers*The probiotics or live microorganisms can grow and populate in your intestinal system, essentially crowding out the bad bacteria. If you tend to have digestive problems, try eating live-culture yogurt more often to see if you notice a difference. The nice thing about yogurt as a treatment, is that it certainly can’t hurt you.

*If you are put on antibiotics, they will wipe out all of the bacteria in your system, so if you were populating your intestinal system with the good bacteria from yogurt, they will be wiped out too, and you’ll need to replace them.

Recipes 14)Best Appetizers:Tarragon Vinaigrette Dressed Mixed Greens & Sardine Salad…

 
tarragon vinaigrette

 

Appetizers Food You Need:

 

2 T red wine vinegar
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 t. coarse ground mustard
1/4 t. dried tarragon
pinch of salt and black pepper
1 garlic clove, left whole (removed later)
1/2 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
2 large hard boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
5 C mixed salad greens
1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 can (4 oz) sardines, drained
1 T sliced black olives

 

Appetizers Directions for Cooking:

 

Prepare dressing first by putting vinegar, oil, mustard, tarragon, salt and pepper in a small bowl and whisking until smooth and frothy. Add the garlic clove, stir, then set aside. (The garlic clove will be removed later before serving.)

 

In a skillet, place about 1 inch of water over medium heat and bring to a boil.  Add the asparagus spears, stirring and cooking for just 2 to 3 minutes or until just blanched; then drain in colander and place under cold running water until cooled, then set on paper towel covered plate to dry.

 

Divide salad greens between 2 plates and create salad by arranging the eggs, asparagus, tomatoes, sardines, and olives on top of the greens.

 

Remove the garlic from the dressing, Whisk again gently and drizzle over the salads.

 

Recipes 15)Best Appetizers: Pomegranate Seed Cantalope Salsa…

pomegranate

 

Appetizers Food You Need:

 

1 lime, zested and juiced
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1 small jalapeno, seeds removed and finely chopped
1 ripe avocado, peeled and diced
1 C diced cantaloupe
1 C pomegranate seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt

 

Appetizers Making Food:

 

In a glass dish, add all the ingredients and lightly toss.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
Lightly toss again before serving.
Serve as a dip with whole-wheat tortilla chips or as a relish with grilled fish or chicken, depending on your diet.

 

I remember eating pomegranates that we picked off of a tree near the church house.  I just wrote tree, but I think it was a bush of some kind. Technically after looking it up, they do grow on a small tree, that is classified as a shrub.

Thanks to the Spanish Settlers, we have them in California and Arizona. They brought them in 1769.…They were such a treat to me, and I like all of those individual seeds. I still love buying them today in the grocery store, and really crave them sometimes.

appetizersHow about you? Do you like pomegranate seeds?

Courtney & Betina

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15 Best Appetizers Recipes in Soups, Salads and Starters