An excellent snack that's under 200 calories!
If you’re looking for a great party snack under 200 calories, you’ve found it. It’s not only low in calories, but this vegetable skewer appetizer recipe is incredibly healthy overall. Apart from the low-fat cream cheese and extra-virgin olive oil, the rest of the ingredients are vegetables! So you can imagine how rich in vitamins and minerals it is.
Fresh and Nutritious
These vegetable skewer appetizers are great for your health because they are low in saturated fat, calories, and sodium. They also contain essential vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, iron, and potassium. Additionally, they are a great source of dietary fiber, which can help to improve digestion. They’re also great for social gatherings and don’t take a lot of time to prepare.
The key is to use fresh ingredients to make these vegetable skewer appetizers as punchy and flavorful as possible! You can also use a variety of vegetables to make these skewers more interesting. For example, try using a combination of peppers, onions, and mushrooms. You can also add other seasonings such as garlic and herbs to give them a unique flavor. We’ll deep dive into the details shortly!
The Perfect Appetizer for Any Occasion
When you’re planning a party, it’s always a good idea to feature a few low-calorie appetizers. They will help you stay on track with your diet and weight-loss goals, and I’m sure some of the other party-goers will appreciate that, too! Not to mention the benefits of having a few tasty, well-planned vegetarian dishes on-hand.
In fact, every time we serve this vegetable skewer appetizer at parties, everyone always asks us for the recipe! As a bonus, it’s not only delicious but it also takes little to no time to prepare and it can be made well in advance.
Making these Vegetable Skewers and Dipping Sauce
Our vegetable skewer cocktail recipe honestly couldn’t be easier to make. You can use a hand blender, a small food processor, or even a blender to whip-up the cream cheese dipping sauce. When the cream cheese and the olive oil combine, they create an ultra-creamy texture that’s hard to beat. Add in chopped celery for some crunch and lemon juice to give it a boost of tanginess, and you have a winner!
Perfect Pairings
The skewers themselves are simple to create, too. We’ve suggested using cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, and very thinly-sliced zucchini. These vegetables create a nice blend of texture and colors that are visually appealing. You could actually use whatever is in season, though, so don’t be afraid to think out-of-the-box. Blanched broccoli, colorful bell peppers, roasted baby Portobello mushroom caps, or yellow summer squash would also make great choices.
Every vegetarian at the party will love this very simple, healthy vegetable skewer! They’re incredibly refreshing and will make a great counterpart to the heavy-flavored appetizers, like meatballs or buffalo cauliflower bites.
Our vegetable skewer appetizer is easy to pair with wine, too. If you want to accompany this recipe with wine, we suggest a young, dry white wine that has been vinified in stainless steel. Anything with a good balance of acidity and sapidity will go well, especially a wine that shows off its floral and fruity characteristics. Try Muscadet, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Gruner Veltliner, Pigato and a whole lot of varieties.
Vegetable Skewer Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 ounces cream cheese low-fat, room temperature
- 1 celery stalk diced
- 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
- 8 cherry tomatoes small
- 4 baby carrots halved lengthwise
- 2 zucchini sliced thinly with a mandoline
Instructions
- With a hand blender, puree the cream cheese, celery, extra virgin olive oil, lemon or vinegar, salt, and pepper.
- Divide into 4 portions place them in a small serving bowl or glass.
- Divide the tomatoes, carrots, and zucchini into 4 portions then skewer them alternately. For the zucchini, roll them first before skewering them.
- Place 2 skewers in every glass of puree. Serve and enjoy.
Nutrition Information
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