Five Low Fat Holiday Party Appetizers

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by Renee Kennedy

Holiday foods are about different kinds of flavors that satisfy your taste buds. Here are some food picks - healthy, low fat, all easy to make:

1. Marmalade, apple butter, or whole fruit preserves served on low fat crackers with slices of gourmet cheese. (Be sure to read the back of the packages of cheese and crackers, look for low-fat options.)

2. Pears and low fat cheddar cheese. The sweet tang of the fruit with the sharp taste of the cheese is a mixture that will please any palette. When serving, allow guests to slice their own fruit -- this will keep the fruit from turning brown.

3. Ham and turkey are both low fat meats if you choose lean varieties. Here are a few special ways to serve them depending on the level of sophistication of your guests:

For kids: serve the meat in bite-sized chunks, also offer grapes and chunks of low fat cheese... let your guests pick up these healthy nuggets with toothpicks.
For the older crowd: Buy deli slices of ham, turkey, and cheese. Roll them up, serve with a choice of small dinner rolls (onion rolls, plain, egg, whole wheat...).
Add a selection of fancy mustard or any unique fat-free condiments. (Have some fun experimenting with fat free mayonnaise and/or yogurt and spices like chili, dry mustard, onion and garlic.)

4. Shrimp is a fabulous appetizer that has 100 calories per three oz, very little fat, and tons of protein! A less expensive option is imitation crab or lobster (made out of whitefish and flavored to taste like crab or lobster.) Serve with cocktail sauce and it tastes nearly as good as shrimp. Again, toothpicks come in handy for this appetizer.

5. Bruschetta:

Slice a loaf of French baguette bread into 1/2 inch slices, place on a cookie sheet.
Dice 2-3 large ripe tomatoes.
Chop 1/2 - 1 cup of fresh basil.
Mix tomato and basil together, add a little salt and pepper if you like.
Put tomato mixture on the sliced bread.
Sprinkle with shredded low-fat mozzarella.
Broil about five minutes until cheese is bubbly.

Come and visit the NutriCounter web site for more information on how nutrition influences weight loss, diabetes, pregnancy, heart disease and more! http://www.nutricounter.com