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7/11/09 2:12 P

I love all the great ideas on here.

One thing I usually bring to parties or potlucks are tortilla roll-ups that I've cut like sushi rolls. You can put whatever you like in them, but I spread hummus or tzasiki on them, then spinach or lettuce, cucumber or sprouts and tomato. Then you roll them up, and cut them in rounds. I don't eat meat, but I'll do some meat ones for everyone else. Everyone loves them.

A slowcooker full of homemade chili usually goes over well, too.

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7/10/09 10:04 A

I had a birthday party for a friend once and made a clean version of a recipe I found in Oprah.
www.oprah.com/recipe/food/recipesappetizer
s/200809_oah_shrimp_piri_piri

It was crazy easy to make. The most expensive ingredient is the Shrimp, but I just got 2 jumbo shrimp per person, which didn't really cost as much as I thought it might.

The recipe makes a marinade that you use in parts, first for a marinade and then as a sauce. It calls for 1/2 c of OLIVE OIL!!! Geez. I've made it twice, once with the oil and once with a fraction of the oil. The oily version was only a fraction better


And it's a healthy oil so maybe you don't care. Plus you can use as little or as much of the sauce as you like. I drizzled the it. Fantastic! Oh and if you can't find the right pepper (I couldn't) I just used a jalapeno.

I'm copying the recipe here, but you can also see it from the link:
Jumbo shrimp marinate in piri piri—a fiery Mozambican sauce of garlic, cilantro, and chili—before being wrapped in bibb lettuce leaves.

Ingredients:
Makes 6 servings

* 1/2 red bird's-eye chili or habanero chili (seeds and ribs removed) chopped
* 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
* 1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
* 1 Tbsp. chopped parsley
* 2 cloves garlic peeled
* 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. olive oil
* 12 jumbo shrimp (peeled and deveined)
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 1 lime quartered
* 12 leaves Bibb lettuce

To make piri piri sauce: Combine chili, lemon juice, cilantro, parsley, and garlic in a blender, and puree until smooth. With blender running, add olive oil in a slow stream until well combined.

In a bowl, toss shrimp with 1/3 of the piri piri. Refrigerate 20 minutes.

Heat remaining oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add shrimp and cook for 2 minutes on each side or until opaque throughout. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with salt. Squeeze lime quarters over shrimp.

Spread 1 to 2 teaspoons of remaining piri piri onto each lettuce leaf. Place 1 shrimp in center of each leaf; arrange in bowls and serve, encouraging guests to treat lettuce-wrapped shrimp as finger food.

Edited by: JAC-ATTACK at: 7/10/2009 (10:07)

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7/10/09 10:03 A

i am TOTALLY going to be making these roasted sweet potatoes tonight for this party i'm throwing!!

thanks HAWGWILD1!!

Pounds lost: 2.0

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SparkPoints: (16,531)
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7/10/09 10:00 A

i do the same thing with the pitas HEATHERHUSKER :) last time i made them for people they said they were better than store bought bagged chips, and i could say was duh of course they were!

i like the tacos idea. my boyfriend's friends typically eat those kind of things so it won't be far out of their comfort zone.

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7/7/09 6:04 P

oh, YES! Potato skins!
Also pita chips with hummus AND tzatziki (sp?).
Crab stuffed mushrooms, Hawaiin chicken kebabs,

Just found this recipe for HEALTHY, SUPERBOWL, SNACKS...

Roasted Sweet Potato Slices

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
* 3/4 pound sweet potatoes, scrubbed, left unpeeled, and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
* coarse salt for sprinkling the potatoes

PREPARATION:

In a small bowl whisk together the oil, the butter, and salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the potato slices, not touching, in rows on an oiled baking sheet, brush them with the oil mixture, and roast them in the upper third of a preheated 450°F. oven, turning them once with a spatula, for 18 to 22 minutes, or until they are golden and crisp. Transfer the potatoes to paper towels to drain, sprinkle them with the coarse salt and pepper to taste, and serve them warm.

I'm gonna put it into the Spark recipe database. YUM!

Edited by: FIT_ARTIST at: 7/7/2009 (18:06)

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7/7/09 4:13 P

What an excellent thread!
I second everything others have said. You could also do potato skins, tacos and things with beans.

I bake cut up pitas and tortillas for crispness and use them as chips and people like them.

SparkPoints: (94,035)
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Posts: 18,706
7/7/09 11:55 A

Seasoned popcorn, nuts, dried fruit, trail mix. What about a chocolate fondue using dark chocolate and fresh fruit.


Edited by: FIT_ARTIST at: 7/7/2009 (11:56)

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7/7/09 11:06 A

I'd make:

Veggies and homemade pita chips with hummus, salsa and guacamole dips

Deviled eggs

Cheese bread fingers

Nuts


...Pam

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7/7/09 10:26 A

i am the clean eater in the relationship (my boyfriend and i) and whenever we have groups of friends over to entertain i am all about giving my guests healthier options for food and snacks. for my boyfriends birthday i did clean pizza and snacks and everything, and no one knew the difference but loved what they were eating!

i guess my question is do any of you have any clean eating options for entertaining? my resources are running dry for cooking for groups, so i am looking for appetizers and snacks and smaller finger food that will feed hungry boys.

thanks!

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