I'm headed to a dinner party Friday and I offered to bring a veggie appetizer.

It was a selfish move -- I wanted to make sure there was something WLS-friendly there for me to eat that wouldn't derail my food plan.

Any ideas for making something classy and healthy? I'm tired of my old standby, the raw veggie and dip tray.

I did read over the Food and Nutrition thread before posting this here, but I think that doesn't get as much traffic.

Thanks in advance!

I attended a football party this weekend...and was asked to bring an appetizer. I did a sampling of: my fav veggies, hummus, shrimp, low fat cheeses, and ham cubes. Everyone was super excited, especially over the shrimp.

Maybe ricotta stuffed tomatoes?

Roasted jalapeno poppers:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/roasted-jalapeno-poppers-recipe.html

Bacon-wrapped olives:

http://www.popsugar.com/food/Bacon-Wrapped-Olives-37660364

Spicy parsnip wedges (delicious with guacamole):

http://thingsmybellylikes.com/2013/02/01/spicy-parsnip-wedges/

Spiced edamame:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/spiced-edamame-recipe.html

Squash blossoms with pimento ricotta

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/squash-blossoms-with-pimento-ricotta

These are great! I'm getting hungry!

Pinterest has great WLS/Sleeve appetizer and meal ideas.

What about a spinach artichoke dip with veggies as the dippers, you can also include some nice light tortilla chips that others could leverage.

Make this a hot dip. I am clearly hungry right now.

Mini Caprese skewers are fast, easy, and colorful. Using a bamboo skewer, insert it through one cherry tomato, a basil leaf, and a mozzarella ball (or cube if you can't find the little balls). Drizzle with pesto sauce and leave it on the side.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/244749/avocado-basil-cucumber-bites/

http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com

Lots of really good recipes!

What about a spinach artichoke dip with veggies as the dippers, you can also include some nice light tortilla chips that others could leverage.

Make this a hot dip. I am clearly hungry right now.

You could also make the spinach dip (recipe on the package of Knorr veggie Soup mix), then clean and remove the stems from mushrooms, then fill the mushroom caps with the dip (cold).

Before WLS I did this so people could eat this without balancing a plate (and no one double-dips).

I have also done a Mexican 7 layer dip with fat free refried Beans, greek yogurt mixed with lime and chili powder (instead of sour cream), avocado, onions and tomatos (or pico de gallo), black olives, jalapenos and low fat shredded cheese. Huge hit and no one knew it was low fat. You can serve with chips, but I ate mine just on a plate or in a tortilla or lettuce cup.

I have also made Buffalo chicken Dip - lite cream cheese, Frank's red hot, shredded roasted chicken, greek yogurt, lite blue cheese and lite mozzarella cheese. I took chips and crackers but used cucumbers and bell pepper strips to dip.

With all these ideas, I'm going to have to throw my own party. Thanks, everyone!

One trick that I've been doing is to make my own pita chips. I start by buying the thinnest ones I can find and cutting them into the skinniest little triangles possible. With any luck, each one ends up under 15 calories.

Then I warm up some EVOO with crushed garlic and brush them lightly. Then top them with cracked pepper and sea salt.

Bake at 350 and watch them until the edges get brown.

You should try to bake them at the party and serve them hot.

You can serve these with any healthy dip or humus and people will go crazy.

I like the Greek yogurt dips which are low cal and have some Protein.

Shrimp Cocktail (combine diced tomato, onion, cilantro, avocado and jalapeno [optional] in a bowl; add in V8 juice, lime or lemon juice, and a bit of Tabasco sauce; then fold in your shrimp with salt and pepper to taste)

Pasta salad (cook those swirly, whole grain colored pasta; while the pasta is cooking, cut a mozzarella block of cheese into cubes, cube some ham and cucumber, and then dice up some tomato, red onion and black olives; once the pasta is cooked and strained, mix the cubed and diced foods with the pasta; top it with a light vinaigrette or Italian dressing (I like the one with basil)

These two are a a crowd favorite! I personally just eat a couple of pieces of pasta and munch on the cheese, meat and cucumbers. I will add corn tortilla chips with lime flavoring as a side for the cocktail.

I did a layered bean dip that everyone loved and not one person knew it was the only thing I could eat at the party (still on pureed).