Healthy Family Recipes

healthy family recipes

Holiday Cucumber Hummus Bites

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Genius healthy holiday bites in just minutes.
Cucumber Hummus Bites

Lighten up your holiday spread with these cute Cucumber Hummus Bites – ready in just minutes.

Confession time: This time of year I look for shortcuts. I mean, not to the extent of buying cookies at the bakery and running home and arranging them on a platter as if I had made them myself. NOT saying I have done this, but. = = cough = = cough = =

I like to look for shortcuts that are healthy-ish. Store bought hummus and cucumbers fit that perfectly. I love the hummus at Costco, and we always keep some on hand this time of year. Just. In. Case.

All you do for these pretty little yummy bites is slice some cucumber and spoon some hummus on top. Then, just top with festive foods – I like green and red. So, sliced green onions, sliced jalapenos, smokey paprika, diced roasted red peppers, pesto – red or green = these are all perfect toppers. And, you can have a plate ready in five minutes. NOT making that up!

Happy << easy >> holidays, all!

Cucumber Hummus Bites

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Holiday Cucumber Hummus Bites
 
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Healthy holiday cucumber bites - ready in just minutes!
Author:
Recipe type: aPPETIZERS
Serves: 24 appetizers
Ingredients
  • One English Cucumber
  • 1 cup of hummus
  • Assorted toppings, such as sliced peppers, green onions or pesto
Instructions
  1. Slice cucumber into ¼ inch thick slices. Press slices with a paper towel to dry completely (toppings won't slide off this way!)
  2. Spoon a little hummus on top, then top with your favorite toppings.

 

Sesame Almond Butter Radishes

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Sesame Almond Butter radishes

A friend of mine from the South came to a party recently with a platter full of radishes and a small bowl of peanut butter. “What the . . .?” said I. “We dip them and then crunch on them whole,” was her reply. “I’m from the South. It doesn’t have to make sense.” I was astonished, to say the least.

The idea just seemed heinous to me – radishes dipped in peanut butter. That is, until I tried them.

The richness of the peanut butter and the peppery bite of the radishes are a heavenly match. So, so lovely.

I decided to do my own spin, of course. Hey! I’m a food blogger. That’s what I do! So, I tired several nut butters and my favorite is almond butter. If you warm the almond butter, it gets more liquid and is easier to dip. (NOTE: if your almond butter doesn’t behave and thin out like it should, stir in a splash of cream – just enough to thin it, not too much to dilute the flavor.)

You must choose a really great almond butter for this recipe. I like MaraNatha No Stir Roasted Almond Butter, mostly because that extra “roasted” touch is wonderful and give the almond butter a deep flavor.

I also decided that some sort of seeds would go well as a coating – and so I rolled the dipped radishes in roasted sesame seeds. AAaaahhhhh! The perfect bite!

The next time you go to a summer party – take along a huge platter these fabulous DIY noshes, and I promise you will get raves all around!  They are perfect as a starter bit or just on the side of your plate for the meal. You don’t have to keep the leaves on – I did that just for the photo drama. Again, I’m a food blogger. It’s what I do!

Aren’t you happy that summer is here???

— posted by Donna

Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe

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Stuffed mushroom bites – pizza edition.

Mushroom caps with a pizza filling.

Mushroom caps with a pizza filling. Just think of these as Mushroom Pizzas – but all mushroom and no crust.

I learned to cook in the 80’s. Remember the 80’s? Big hair, florescent fashion. Hammer pants and stuffed mushrooms were all the rage. Classic stuffed mushrooms were typically made with bread crumbs, cheese and sometimes crumbled sausage, and as the fabulous Elise from Simply Recipes declares – every home cook should be able to make this recipe as a go-to appetizer.

With all the couch time coming up in the near future – Hello: Superbowl, Olympics – I decided a twist on the classic 80’s appetizer was in order. I was inspired by Kalyn at Kalyn’s Kitchen, who made fabulous portobello mushroom pizzas. Mine are in handy little bite-size form.

The only trick is getting the water out of the mushroom caps so they won’t be soggy when cooked with the pizza stuffing. So, I brushed the caps with a little oil and roasted them in a hot oven for about 8 minutes. They filled up with water, and I just took them out of the oven and turned them all upside down and let them cool to room temperature. Then, I flipped them back over and stuffed them with pizza fixin’s and gave them a second roast. Perfect!

I just love love LOVE mushrooms – in any way, shape or form. Check out the Mushroom Channel for other mushroom delights.

I bought cute little mini pepperoni slices and used little round slices. Then, I made small round slices from a mozzarella cheese stick. And of course, sliced olives are a must. I made a variety of toppings so you get a different classic pizza bite with each mushroom cap.

Happy couch time everyone!

— posted by Donna

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Healthy Halloween Carrot Rice Ball Jack O’ Lantern Bites Recipe

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The words Healthy and Halloween don’t usually appear in the same recipe title. And, I absolutely love decadent Halloween treats myself, don’t get me wrong.

But, taste buds do need a respite now and then. Hence, these healthy Halloween bites.

I created these bites a few years ago by cooking rice in carrot juice to get an orange color – but what surprised me was how delicious they are. Just a bit of sweetness from the carrots and the olives and bell peppers – admittedly for effect – add a savory note. Pure YUM.

Happy Healthy Halloween to You!

–posted by Donna

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Sun-Dried Tomato Spread Recipe

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This recipe proves my theory that any recipe can be made delicious by adding sun dried tomatoes. Even a tofu recipe!

Ok, ok, we know you’ve always walked by that block of white stuff stashed in the corner of the produce department and thought “I should eat tofu,” but you never knew what to do with the stuff. Well, we here at FFF have a solution: Sun Dried Tomato Spread made with THREE ingredients: 16 ounces extra firm tofu; 1 jar (8 ounce) sun dried tomatoes in oil; and garlic powder. That’s it! (You can, of course add S & P and a little diced parsley to make it look pretty, but those are entirely optional.)

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Good Ole’ Summertime Summer Rolls

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Whether you call them Fresh Rolls or Summer Rolls or Thai Salad Rolls – these are a fresh and fabulous treat, especially good in summer because they are cool, light and fresh. And, they are so, so easy to make!

My take on summer roll recipe calls for lightly marinated julienne veggies and some fresh veggies, too.

And, don’t be afraid of those rice paper wrappers. You can buy them in some grocery stores now, and you can always buy them at any Asian mart. All you do is dip them in warm water for about 10 seconds and then lay them on your cutting board and proceed as if you were rolling a small burrito.

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