Untraditional Christmas Appetizer Recipes

13 Comments | Written on December 14, 2011 at 5:00 am , by Kristina Vanni

Do you have a holiday guest who is gluten-free? Maybe you invited a vegan friend over for a cocktail party? Traditional holiday fare can be tough when dealing with a variety of dietary restrictions. No worries! I have a list of my top 5 favorite appetizer recipes – each of which is great not only for those on a special diet, but ones anyone can enjoy!

Take a look at my Top 5 Untraditional Christmas Appetizer Recipes for Special Diets:

1) GLUTEN-FREE

This Gluten-Free Fiesta Dip with Homemade Corn Chip “Stars” is a great addition to any holiday menu. Everyone will love the spicy dip and the star-shaped chips make the recipe even more festive!

Gluten-Free Fiesta Dip

Ingredients:

8 ounce package block-style cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup hot taco sauce

4 ounce can chopped green chiles

2 Tablespoons chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

Garnish:

Chili powder for dusting

Chopped cilantro

Gluten-free chips for dipping

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except garnish and chips. Spoon into serving bowl; dust with chili powder and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips, corn chips, or homemade baked chips.

*To make homemade corn chip “stars” I used a star-shaped cookie cutter and my favorite brand corn tortillas. I lightly spritzed them with olive oil and baked at 350 until crispy!

2) VEGAN

Healthy and adorable! This Vegan “Christmas Tree” Veggie Plate with Hummus is prepared without any animal products.

Vegan “Christmas Tree” Veggie Plate with Hummus

Ingredients:

Your favorite homemade or prepared hummus

Broccoli florets (reserve stem)

Cauliflower florets

Cherry or Grape tomatoes

Garnish: Slice of starfruit, or yellow bell pepper cut in a star shape

Directions:

On a large serving platter, spread a layer of your favorite homemade or prepared hummus. Lightly press the broccoli florets into the hummus in the shape of a Christmas tree. Use the reserved broccoli stem to make the tree trunk. Use the cauliflower florets to fill in all the blank space on the platter. Garnish the broccoli “tree” with cherry or grape tomatoes and top with a slice of starfruit! (If starfruit in unavailable, simply cut a yellow bell pepper into the shape of a star.)

3) DIABETIC-FRIENDLY

Bottled cocktail sauce can be laden with extra sugars or high fructose corn syrup. This recipe for Shrimp Cocktail with Spicy Sugar-Free Cocktail Sauce tastes so much better and can be enjoyed by everyone!

Shrimp Cocktail with Spicy Sugar-Free Cocktail Sauce

Ingredients:

6 ounce can tomato paste

1/4 cup Spicy V-8 Vegetable Juice

1 Tablespoon prepared horseradish

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl until well blended. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour to blend flavors. Adjust seasonings, if needed. You can make it as spicy as you like! Serve with cooked cold shrimp with tails. Make the shrimp even more festive by wrapping them with chive “bows!”

4) LOW-CARB

Bite-sized appetizers are always fun for a party. In this recipe, the “cups” are made out of sliced turkey! Everyone will love these Low-Carb Turkey-Spinach Cups.

Low Carb Turkey-Spinach Cups

Ingredients:

24 slices refrigerated deli-style shaved smoked turkey or oven-roasted turkey slices

10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1/2 cup pre-shredded Italian blend cheese

1/3 cup Garden Vegetable flavor tub-style cream cheese spread

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt, or to taste

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place one turkey slice into each of 24 miniature muffin pan cups. Press and form into a cup shape with high sides. Combine all remaining ingredients until well blended. Spoon a couple teaspoons into each turkey cup. Bake for 15 minutes or until filling is hot and edges of turkey start to brown slightly. Serve warm.

5) VEGETARIAN

You don’t even need a recipe to make these Veggie “Chicken” Bites with Festive Garnish! Holiday guests will love the splash of color and burst of flavor.

Veggie “Chicken” Bites with Festive Garnish

Ingredients:

Vegetarian “Chicken” Patties

Cherry tomatoes, halved

Green onion, sliced

Parmesan cheese, grated

Sour cream

Jalapeno peppers, sliced

Red pepper, sliced

Directions:

Prepare “chicken” patties according to package directions. Slice into quarters. Top half of the wedges with cherry tomatoes, green onion and Parmesan cheese. Top the other half of the wedges with a dollop of sour cream, jalapeno slices and thin slices of red pepper. Serve with toothpicks.