Ring in the New Year With Tasty Healthy Holiday Tapas

New Year’s Resolutions are a time honored worldwide tradition.

According to surveys, 71% of us are striving to make healthful dietary changes for 2017.

Why wait for the New Year?

Start now by cutting out sugar, and eating more fruits and veggies.

Try these 4 healthy party pleasing tapas treats:

Smoky Orange Jicama – A twist on crudités

Let’s face it – the boring veggie platter gets tossed in the trash at the end of the night. Try cutting up some jicama – a tuber found in Asian and Latino, and most supermarkets. It is sweet like and apple, with the crunchy texture of a raw potato. Just peel the skin and cut into 2″ strips. Pair with sliced carrots, if desired, then sprinkle with some orange vinegar, sea salt, and a dash of smoked paprika. Not only will it be devoured, it will be a conversation piece.

Moroccan Lamb Slider with Sweet Potato Latke and Cucumber Tzaziki – Ditch the white flour slider roll and top a yummy sweet potato latke with a grass fed lamb slider. Use your favorite Hanukkah latke recipe, and substitute sweet potato for white potato, and egg white for whole egg.  Bake instead of frying. If you cannot get grass fed ground lamb, substitute lean grass fed ground beef. In lieu of the traditional calorie laden mayo topping, use a yogurt based sauce such as a cucumber raita or tzaziki. There are plenty of quality commercial yogurt sauces on the market, or scroll down to use my recipes for the slider, latke, and yogurt sauce.

Moroccan Lamb Slider Recipe

Yield 25 Sliders

For the latke:

1lb shredded sweet potato

1/4c cornmeal

4 scallions, minced

2-3 egg whites

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cumin

Pinch cinnamon

-preheat oven to 350

-combine all ingredients, form into quarter size patties and drop on parchment lined sheet pans

-bake until cooked through, and outside is browned, about 15-20 minutes

-top with tzaziki, then cooked slider, and serve

 

For the sliders:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix in a bowl:

1 lb ground grass fed lamb

1 tbsp fresh grated ginger

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup minced green onion

1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro

1 tbsp BBQ sauce

1 egg

1 tbsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp chipotle chili powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

Form into ping pong sized balls, flatten and bake on a parchment paper lined pan 20 minutes.

 

For the tzatziki sauce

8oz 2% Greek yogurt

½c grated English cucumber

Juice from ½ lemon

1 minced shallot

½c minced scallions

Salt and White pepper to taste

Optional:  1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro

Crab Avocado and Endive Boats – Instead of crackers (read: flour and sugar) use endive as a vehicle for this elegant crab and avocado bite. Use your favorite store bought guacamole, or make your own with by mixing fresh lemon juice, garlic, fresh basil, and sea salt with ripe mashed avocado. Choose jumbo lump or lump crab. Place 1 tsp avocado mixture on the endive, and top with 1-2 tsp crab, and serve.

Cocoa Truffles – When cutting out sugar, fruit based desserts are the way to go. These little bites are so fudgy and delicious; you won’t believe they are fruit based.

1c pitted Mejool dates

1/2 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder, plus additional 1/4 cup for rolling truffles

2 tbsp water

Pinch sea salt

1-1/2 tsp vanilla

Pinch cinnamon (optional)

Pinch cayenne (optional)

-Pulse all ingredients in the food processor – remembering to reserve 1/4c cocoa powder – until it forms a paste

-Using 1 tbsp measure, roll into balls, then roll in cocoa powder, and serve