5 Healthy Party Snacks
Start your New Year on a positive note with these healthy party snacks. Gorge on them along with your guests and bid goodbye to those guilt feelings while you party!
1.Vietnamese Spring Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 packet spring roll wrappers
- 200 gms bean sprouts
- A few basil leaves
- 100 gms spring onions chopped with the greens
- 100 gms cucumbers julienned
- 100 gms carrots julienned
- 100 gms coriander leaves chopped
- 100 gms lettuce leaves shredded
For the Dipping Sauce
- 1 Thai red chili finely chopped
- ½ inch piece ginger grated
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tbsp soya sauce
- 1 tsp of caster sugar
- ¼ tsp sesame oil
Method
- Soak spring roll wrappers in some warm water. Remove after 30 to 40 seconds and lay out on a clean napkin.
- Place a few vegetables in the lower half of the wrapper.
- Fold the bottom edge up to cover the filling. Then fold the left and right sides over it. Roll the wrapper up to the top edge.
- Cut in half.
- Similarly prepare the other wrappers and refrigerate.
To make the sauce
- Mix in a small bowl the red chili, ginger and vinegar and microwave for 20 seconds.
- Remove and mix in the other ingredients.
- Adjust the seasoning according to your taste.
2.Chicken Momos
Ingredients
For the Wrappers
- 200 gms flour
- Hot water for kneading
- A pinch of salt
For the filling
- 250 gms boneless chicken
- 10 flakes of garlic, finely chopped
- 2 spring onions, finely chopped
- ½ tbsp ajinomoto
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tbsp green chilies, finely chopped
For the Sauce
- 200 gms tomatoes, boiled and pureed
- 2 tbsp garlic paste
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp red chili paste
- Salt to taste
Method
- Knead the flour with hot water to make a soft, firm dough. Cover with a cloth and keep aside for 30 minutes.
- Mix the ingredients for the filling.
- Divide the dough into 15 portions.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out even portions into a circle of 10 cm diameter, place a tbsp of filling in the center of each circle and bring the edges together, pasting with a little water. Fold and pleat to make a neat joint.
- Take a vessel, half fill it with water and let it boil. Place a greased colander on top of it.
- Lightly brush each momo with oil and place it on the colander leaving an inch between each momo. Cover with a steel plate and steam for 20 minutes.
- Mix all the ingredients of the sauce together and serve with the steaming hot momos.
3.Parsley Mushrooms on Crackers
Ingredients
- 120 ml extra virgin oil
- 3-4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 500 gms button mushrooms sliced
- 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
- Salt to taste
- ½ tsp white pepper powder
Method
- Heat the oil in a very large frying pan.
- Add the chopped garlic and sauté for 10 seconds.
- Increase the heat, add the mushrooms and cook them for 5 minutes until tender.
- Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon into a bowl.
- Boil the liquid from the pan until it reduces to about 2 tbsps.
- Add the seasoning. Pour the remaining liquid over the mushrooms and leave to cool.
- Serve the mushrooms on crackers with the parsley sprinkled over.
- French Onion Dip with Crudités
Ingredients
- 2 x 200 gms low-fat yoghurt cartons
- 4 tbsp French onion soup mix
- 4 large carrots cut into sticks
- 4 celery stalks cut into even-size sticks
- 4 cucumbers cut into even-size sticks
Method
- Whisk the yoghurt and soup mix until well combined.
- Spoon it into a dish and create a crudité platter with the dip in the center and the vegetables arranged attractively around it.
- Tandoori Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 kg boneless chicken
- 1 onion
- 5 cm piece ginger
- 10 cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ cup yoghurt
- A pinch of red color
Method
- Make a paste of the onion, ginger and garlic.
- Cut the chicken into cubes.
- Marinate the chicken with the paste and other ingredients.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
- Put the chicken in a strainer an hour before cooking to drain out excess fluid.
- Cook in a preheated oven at 200 degrees C for 30 minutes, turning the chicken after 15 minutes to ensure it is cooked evenly. Baste with a bit of oil or butter.
- Once done, serve with onion rings and slices of lime.
