What Are Your Favorite Appetizer Recipes That Don't Rely On Cheese/Mayo/Ranch Dressing/Sour Cream?

OhioTom76

OhioTom76

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Every year, particularly around the time of the Super Bowl, I start seeing tons of appetizer recipes popping up. But the thing that bothers me about the majority of them is that they are all pretty much some variation on the same thing. It's some concoction with cheese, ranch, mayo and sour cream, along with bacon. Don't get me wrong, I love all these ingredients, but I get sick to my stomach if the whole table of appetizers is made of these same things. One person will make some buffalo chicken dip that's got ranch and mayo and cheese in it, then another person will make some spinach and artichoke dip that's loaded with mayo and cheese, and yet another person will make a loaded baked potato dip with even more cheese, mayo, sour cream and bacon...

What are some of your favorite, and satisfying, appetizer recipes that don't feature the above ingredients?
 
Super Bowl day always seems like so much fun! The closest thing we have in the UK is the FA Cup but people tend to just go to the bars to watch that. Anyway, I digress! When I'm serving appetizers, I tend to just go for a selection of meats and cheeses along with some interesting breads and crackers. Mini pizzas and sliders are always a winner too, as well as chicken skewers. It's really hard to find healthy appetizers that aren't loaded with fats.
 
Cheese and pineapple on sticks!

Rich dips can be lightened by serving them with veg crudites like carrot, celery, pepper cut into sticks. And grissini breadsticks are good too.
 
I love vegetable spring rolls as appetizers. Carrot sticks are also a delicious option as well as mini cucumber sandwiches!
 
I make a fresh salsa with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, jalepenos, cilantro, and salt and pepper. The bowl is always empty by the end of the event, and maybe that is because it is the only food on the table that does not have mayo or cheese in it. I think the whole point of appetizers though is to gorge out and have fun eating them.
 
Rosyrain said:
I make a fresh salsa with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, jalepenos, cilantro, and salt and pepper. The bowl is always empty by the end of the event, and maybe that is because it is the only food on the table that does not have mayo or cheese in it. I think the whole point of appetizers though is to gorge out and have fun eating them.
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One hundred percent behind this one. Have you heard of pico de gallo? That's exactly what it reminds me of. Perfect balance as a salsa. I would also suggest a tabbouleh salad. A different spin on 'salsa'. Anything that incorporates herbs & vegetables into something you can easily incorporate into an unhealthy spread would work wonders. A lot of people get tired of too many heavy dishes.
 
I love love LOVE bruschetta. So simple to make and so delicious. I often make them with day old french bread and whatever I have lying around in the kitchen. I don't even grill the bread, just toasting it is fine for me
 
I had some 3 Cheese Salad Dressing that I did not really like on my salad, it was too oilly. I toasted some french bread and put the dressing on the warm bread it was a big hit, who knew.
 
Fruit kebabs, mini meatballs, bite sized soft pretzels with mustard sauce, miniature quiches with spinach, tomato, and onion (without bacon and cheese), and I was going to say homemade salsa as well. Always a hit.

When I say mini quiche, I mean really mini. I make them in a mini cupcake pan.
 
Well, since I've been having to get relatively creative lately, I've noticed that I like to cut up a tortilla with grape jelly into long sections and then roll the sections up into rolls and eat them like snack cakes. At first, I thought it was odd, but then I found out I could use less jelly or jam than I normally would this way without losing any of the sweetness in the taste.
 
ANYTHING Asian. Seriously, there's no real Asian dish I can think of that relies on the ingredients you mentioned. You could make california rolls, spring rolls, lettuce wraps, summer rolls, etc
 
How about open sandwiches? Easy to prepare and easy to eat. I use French sticks, slice them, a bit of butter on them, salad leaves topped with chicken breast slices, ham, salami, curried egg, asparagus, smoked trout, mini burger paddies, smoked salmon, Or anything your heart likes. Garnish with tomato, dill cucumbers, lemon, herbs and the like.
 
OhioTom76 said:
Every year, particularly around the time of the Super Bowl, I start seeing tons of appetizer recipes popping up. But the thing that bothers me about the majority of them is that they are all pretty much some variation on the same thing. It's some concoction with cheese, ranch, mayo and sour cream, along with bacon. Don't get me wrong, I love all these ingredients, but I get sick to my stomach if the whole table of appetizers is made of these same things. One person will make some buffalo chicken dip that's got ranch and mayo and cheese in it, then another person will make some spinach and artichoke dip that's loaded with mayo and cheese, and yet another person will make a loaded baked potato dip with even more cheese, mayo, sour cream and bacon...

What are some of your favorite, and satisfying, appetizer recipes that don't feature the above ingredients?
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Well, last year I made a simple hummus with toasted pita chips. Hummus is incredibly easy to make with just chick peas, lemon juice a little salt mixed in a food processor even a blender. Toasted pita chips the same. Simply toast them in the oven for a few minutes at 350.
 
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