Host a Healthy Oscar Party

Oscar night is kind of our equivalent to Superbowl Sunday. It’s the one night we completely indulge in the glamorous celebrity lifestyle. What better way to celebrate this enchanted night than with family and friends? Send out the invites, dress to the nines (or your yoga pants! Either works!). But, don’t forget the champagne.

A designer dress might be enough to get the paparazzi's attention, but a homemade Oscar appetizers are the key to anyone’s heart. Wow your guests with these red carpet-ready recipes for your special night at the Oscars (aka your living room).

Tomato & Avocado Bruschetta

No contest here, this recipe will win The Oscar for “Best Dish.” Serve as a bruschetta or a star-studded simple salad.

Ingredients:

1 large tomato, chopped

1 medium cucumber, chopped

1 medium avocado, ripe, chopped

½ medium yellow onion, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 box whole grain crackers

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine your chopped vegetables including: tomato, cucumber, avocado, and onion.

2. Add olive oil, salt, and pepper to the bowl. Stir well.

3. Top each cracker with a tablespoon of bruschetta mix. Serve!

Serves 4

Pomegranate Wine Spritzer

This light and refreshing white wine spritzer is the perfect pair to your Oscar winning appetizers.

Ingredients:

½ cup white wine

½ cup sparking water

4 tablespoons pomegranate juice

Directions:

Pour all ingredients into a wine glass. Stir and serve.

Serves 1

Recipes from our wonderful contributing blogger, Jaime Ruisi.

Avocado Yogurt Dip

Even the most sophisticated eaters still love to dip.

Hummus always makes eating carrots a little more fun.

 

And what’s a pita chip without the guacamole? 

Sweet yogurt dips are also starting to make a comeback with fruit.

And dipping strawberries in dark chocolate will never, ever go out of style.

One of our favorite dips is this Avocado Yogurt Dip. Not only does it taste great, the healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats from the avocados pair perfectly with protein-rich Greek yogurt to satisfy hunger while making for a more nutritious alternative to many store-bought, processed dips.

 

Lisa loves this dip paired with her fish tacos, while I love using it as a spread on my veggie sandwiches. It also is great for a topping on your chili, or as a dip for homemade tortilla chips and sweet potato fries.

 

Ingredients:

1 large ripe Hass avocado

4 ounces Greek yogurt
Dash hot sauce
Juice of 1 lime, about 2 tablespoons
Sea salt, to taste
Lemon pepper, to taste

 

Directions:

1.      In a small bowl, mash together the Hass avocado, yogurt, hot sauce, lime juice, salt, and lemon pepper.

2.      Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Enjoy, preferably with those you love.

Game Day Turkey Chili

I love sporting events. For the most part, I don’t really understand the rules or know any players (with the exception of hockey), but I always love an excuse to get a group of people together and enjoy good food.

Photo courtesy of our friends at NatureBox

When most people gather around for Superbowl Sunday, it’s typical to coincide the event with nachos, burgers, traditional chili, deep dish pizza – typically anything that piles on the cheese and meat and skimps on the plant-based proteins, veggies, healthy fats, and whole grains. But there certainly is a way you can have your pizza and eat it, too. We've talked about this before here.


What most people may not realize is that it’s actually quite easy to serve up nutritious versions of these classic football favorites while also satisfying even the heartiest of appetites. All it takes is simply "shifting the plate" to give the plant-based foods more of a starring role. A lot of these good-for-you ingredients add tons of flavor while also dishing out some beneficial nutrition. Take this chili recipe (below), for example, which features mushrooms, beans, and avocado. We think it's a winner!

Photo courtesy of our friends at NatureBox

Superbowl Turkey Chili

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 large bell peppers, chopped

3 medium carrots, finely chopped

10 oz mushrooms, chopped

5 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon oregano

1 ½  teaspoons cumin

1 pound ground turkey

12 oz Lager beer

2 14.5oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes

1 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 15oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

1.    Heat olive oil in large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell peppers, carrots, and mushrooms until the onions turn golden brown and the carrots begin to soften – about 8 to 10 minutes.

2.     Add the garlic, chili powder, oregano, and cumin and stir 1 minute.

3.     Add the turkey, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until meat loses its raw color – about 3 minutes.

4.    Add the beer. Cover pan; reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes. 

5.     Add tomatoes with their juices and the three kinds of beans. Simmer uncovered and stir occasionally until chili thickens – about 20 minutes.

Garnish chili with shredded cheddar cheese, non-fat plain Greek yogurt, avocado, guacamole, or our Avocado YogurtDip.

These seasonal tips &recipe were featured in the January 18th issue of Health & Family Guide for The Santa Clarita Valley Signal. For more “In Season” tips & recipes (I'm talking Valentine's Day next!), pick up the next issue of The Health & Family Guide on February 8th.