The List: Easy, Healthy, and Cheap Appetizers
- Allie
- Aug 31, 2017
- 6 min read
Being a food person in my group of friends, many of whom are foodies, themselves, I definitely feel the pressure to showcase what I do. When I hear the words "bring a snack to share", I light up with excitement but I also start riddling my brain for the next new idea - one I haven't brought before. One that's perfectly seasonal and appears effortless. One that's not going to cost me any more than what's left in the grocery budget that week (usually not much). And one that I, myself, would actually eat (obviously). Because let's be honest, buffalo chicken dip only seems like a good idea while you're still wearing the high-waisted compression yoga pants. #amIright?
In case you have snack anxiety, too, I've put together this list of my10 go-to appetizer ideas to bring to your next get-together. These are unique ideas that'll have your friends asking for the recipe -- which you can gladly give with confidence, because they're all so easy (and you've got more where that came from).
Now, really quick, I want to be clear on something. When I refer to these recipes as "healthy", what I should really say is "REAL". These are all real foods, no weird ingredients. That's not to say that they don't have carbs or fat or sugar. Many of them do. I am a huge believer, however, that if you eat more real foods and less fake ones, you'll be holistically healthier. Ok. Getting down from my soapbox now.
It should come as no surprise that I have an immense love for Aldi. I've put together an Aldi appetizer list of my favorite products and ingredients for throwing together a quick (and impressive) snack, using off-the-shelf Aldi items! Grab your “I Heart Aldi | Appetizers” download HERE!
Without further ado, here are my 10 favorite, tried-and-true appetizers!
1. Cauliflower pesto with garlic crostini
For the pesto:
Boil the stems, leaves, and core from a head of cauliflower in salted water until completely tender (save the rest for your meal plan for the week!) Add to a blender with 1/4 Cup olive oil, 1-2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, 1 Tbsp fresh basil, the juice from 1/2 a lemon, 2 Tbsp pecans, salt and pepper.
For the garlic crostini, simply slice a baguette into thin rounds. Arrange them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Brush with a little olive oil on both sides, and sprinkle with salt. Bake until they're starting to brown and crispy.
When you remove the crostini from the oven, rub a whole raw garlic clove over the tops of the little rounds.
2. Herb and nut rolled goat cheese with crackers
On a large plate, add a mixture of chopped fresh herbs, dried fruit, and chopped nuts. Some of my favorite combinations are pistachio + dried cherries, mint + dates + sliced almonds, and toasted pecans + basil + figs.
Remove one of the long logs (8 oz) of goat cheese from the package and roll it back and forth on the plate, pressing gently to form a crust of nuts and fruit on the outside of the log. Serve with wheat thins, crostini, or whatever!
I know this is different. That's the point, right? I promise, you will be so glad you tried it. This is always a hit when I bring it to parties, even though it's usually the most unfamiliar-looking dish on the table. I love to help people see common foods, like onions, in a new light. Here, they're all dressed up in a gorgeous salad with goat cheese and a vinegary, spicy walnut sauce.
4. Strawberry and Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta
Strawberries and tomatoes might seem like an unlikely combination, but trust me on this one. You'll never want to eat bruschetta with only tomatoes ever again.
Mix a cup of chopped strawberries with one chopped yellow heirloom tomato in a bowl. Add olive oil, salt, pepper, and a little (GOOD) balsamic vinegar.
Cut 4-6 basil leaves into little ribbons and sprinkle on top. Serve alongside the garlic crostini from #1.
Do me a favor and don't try to make this in the winter. It just won't be the same.
This is SO easy. The hardest part about this recipe is getting the seeds out of the peppers (which is not hard at all). If you don't have time to grill the peppers, don't worry about it! I've served them raw and they're delicious like that, too.
Also, if you want to sub the cream cheese for softened goat cheese, by all means...
There are a few things in the food realm from which I nary stray: 1. Aldi. 2. An Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler. 3. Ina Garten. I'm in love with absolutely EVERYTHING she does -- including her wardrobe and her house in the Hamptons. I am enchanted by her effortless ease and her never ending list of fabulous gay besties. I got a cookbook of hers for Christmas last year... and CRIED when I opened it. #fangirl.
Anyway, bake this cheese, and then roast some tomatoes to go with it, like this:
Dump a BUNCH of cherry tomatoes on a cookie sheet and season with salt, pepper, olive oil, and Italian herbs. Bake until they are JUST ABOUT to burst. They'll be plump, with little blistered spots. Don't let them go until they actually burst and make a mess all over your sheet pan. You'll lose a lot of flavor and it just won't present as well. The tomatoes will wrinkle a little as they cool. Dress them with an extra drizzle of olive oil and a little white wine vinegar. Serve the tomatoes with a spoon, alongside the baked fontina and garlic crostini from #1.
I make this as a snack for Ryan and myself all the time. It covers all the snack bases - salty, sweet, and crunchy. It's supremely decadent and takes about 5 seconds to put together. This recipe is also a great way to introduce your friends to dates, if they've never tried them.
8. Charred Corn Pico de Gallo
This is another recipe best reserved for mid-Summer when everything is at it's peak of freshness.
First, char a couple of ears of shucked corn on a grill pan. You don't have to cook the corn all the way through. Allow it to keep its crispness, but you want the smoky flavor.
Then, cut the corn from the cobs, and in a large mixing bowl, combine the corn, a couple of chopped heirloom tomatoes of different colors (making sure to add in any juice that runs while chopping), 1-2 minced jalapeño peppers, 1 clove of minced garlic, and 1/4 finely chopped red onion. Drizzle everything with a good glug of olive oil, and the juice of 2 limes. Season with salt, pepper, cumin and paprika. Then, sprinkle a handful of chopped cilantro over the whole thing. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.
9. Dark chocolate, toasted coconut chips, and fruit
That's it. That's literally the recipe. My friend, Erin, brought this over once and it just felt so European and fancy, even though she hadn't even removed anything from its packaging ahead of time! Doesn't have to be difficult to be damn good.
This was a recommendation from my best friend, who said it was a crowd-pleaser when she made it for a birthday party. From the Schnucks magazine (who knew they had good recipes?!) I have to be honest here -- I haven't actually tried this one yet, but it's on my list to do ASAP because it looks like a winner!
Because I have an intense love affair with Aldi (and I think you should, too), I've put together a freebie that goes along with this post, with my list of favorite fancy snacking items from Aldi. With this download, you know what to pull straight from the shelf and confidently throw together an impressive app in a few simple steps. Some of them are as easy as opening packages and transferring to a pretty bowl! Grab yours by clicking below:
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