Top 5 Healthy Finger Food Recipes

I love finger foods. I was trained that way. I grew up on Doritos and cheese puffs. When I started hanging out at bars, it was natural to socialize over chicken wings and fried mozzarella sticks. Eating with a fork is more for fancy restaurants and dates, when you have a need to look like you have progressed beyond the cro-magnum level. However, now that I have entered my thirties and want to remain as attractive and energetic as possible, health concerns have crept into my head and the psychological need to snack and munch is still there. Thankfully, cooking gurus have caught on to this trend and have done the work for us, concocting recipes for finger foods and party foods that are not too difficult to create if you can follow the directions. The following is a list of the top five nutritional finger foods that are excellent for parties or self-enjoyment at home in front of the tube.

Healthy Fried Chicken? Sound too good to be true? Not according to Ellie Krieger who maintains an online magazine called Healthy Living With Elllie. You just need the following ingredients: cooking spray, 20 whole grain crackers, some cereal, sesame seeds, 3/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, four chicken breasts and four chicken thighs. This finger food is an excellent source of Vitamin B6, B12, Iron, Phosphates, Niacin, and much more. For detailed baking instructions, go to http://www.healthylivingwithellie.com and search for Oven Fried Chicken.

How about some French fries without the health hazards of the fried part. You can accomplish this in 10 minutes of preparation followed by an hour of actual cooking. You need to get yourself about four good sized potatoes that you will then slice in halves. You will then slice those halves into four pieces. You then add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of onion flakes and a half teaspoon of oregano. Then, you mix in three minced garlic cloves and 1/4 teaspoon of paprika, a little salt and pepper and about a tablespoon of olive oil. Imagine: a mound of French Fries with 200 calories and less than four grams of fat. For specific baking instructions go to http://www.drgourmet.com/recipes/extras/frenchfries.shtml

Meatless Fruit Kabobs. For an exotic, healthy kabob you will need about a half hour of preparation time and cooking times can vary. It turns into a rather simple 160 calorie treat with 0.5 grams of fat. It can also make you look sophisticated, like you could be a chef on a tropical island. You only need a cup of sugar, water, fresh basil leaf and two tablespoons of honey for basting and a little over a pound of fresh strawberries. You're also going to want a fresh, whole pineapple, cantaloupe, and a honeydew melon. You simply slice or cube the fruit how you wish, create a baste by mixing the ingredients and brush it on the fruit cubes then barbecue until you reach the desired tenderness. This is loaded with vitamins A, B and C.

Portobello Mushroom Burgers. This burger is the perfect substitute for a greasy hamburger without substituting too much flavor. According to the MayoClinic.com website, the Portobello mushroom, which has a meaty texture, has about 30 calories a piece and no fat or cholesterol.

All you need are four large portabella mushroom caps, some balsamic vinegar (about 1/3 cup), a half cup of water, a tablespoon of sugar, a garlic clove, some cayenne pepper (about 1/4), and about two tablespoons of olive oil. For this quantity you'll need to purchase four whole wheat buns and four tomato slices. Also, add some onions if you wish and other traditional fixings like lettuce. I'd recommend that you toast the buns and fry or barbecue the portabella mushrooms as you would a hamburger patty, flipping over until dark and tender.

Perhaps my most favorite seafood kabob or skewer is the prawn and scallop skewer. Like any other seafood, it's brain food which contains the Omega 3's and other essential fatty acids, minerals and vitamins necessary to ward off cancer and depression. If you plan to barbecue, you can use two skewers, one for each seafood for easier turning. It's best to find the largest scallops and prawns you can find. As a dip, or basting sauce, you can use wasabi or any popular Asian dipping or basting sauce.

Any of these recipes will more than pass for good party finger foods and possibly even make you look more sophisticated as the local health conscious creative chef. You may find yourself receiving an endless slew of requests for recipes or a whole new social network of guests swarming to your parties.

Sources-

MayoClinic.com

http://www.drgourmet.com

http://www.healthylivingwithellie.com

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