Healthy Holiday Appetizers: Nourishing Apps that Everyone Will Love

Published on: November 30, 2024

Appetizers, MIND Diet Recipes

It’s that time of year – parties and celebrations, family dinners and get-togethers, and relaxed evenings at home. Appetizers and pre-meal snacks with cocktails are a big part of the holiday season and can be heavy and filling. But that doesn’t have to be the case.

If you are working on eating in a more brain-healthy way, there are many delicious snacks you can make and take along with you that will fit the MIND diet. I asked my colleagues for some of their favorite healthy holiday appetizer recipes that fit the MIND diet principles to share with you.

And if you’re new around here – welcome! I’m Laura Ali, culinary dietitian and Author of the MIND Diet for Two with an enthusiastic focus on the Mind Diet, an eating plan that lowers our risk of chronic disease, especially the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia. However, as a culinary dietitian, it is just as important that the foods and recipes that I recommend taste great, too.

In this article, I’ll share 12 delicious, healthy holiday appetizers and tips for adapting your favorite recipes to align with the guiding principles of The MIND Diet.

Let’s dig in!

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What is the MIND Diet?

The MIND diet is a diet, or eating plan, that is focused on including foods known to help improve brain health and reduce the risk of dementia. It is a combination of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet and incorporates many of the same principles of these two eating plans.

What’s nice about the MIND Diet is that it is not a strict diet. In fact, it is quite flexible.

In general, the goal is to eat MORE of the following foods:

Berries
Leafy Green Vegetables
Other Vegetables
Whole Grains
Beans
Nuts and Seeds
Seafood
Olive Oil
Red Wine

And LESS of these foods:

Cheese – limit to 1 oz a week
Butter – limit to 1 tbsp a day
Fried foods – limit to a few times a week
Sweets and pastries – limit to a few times a week

While there are foods to focus on and some to limit, that is just it -they aren’t off the table. You can still work them into your appetizers. Just enjoy them in smaller portions and fill up on the MIND diet-friendly foods. For more information on the MIND Diet, click here.

12 Healthy Holiday Appetizers

These healthy (or healthier) holiday appetizers are fun to make and delicious. You may see some with a little cheese, like a crostini with a little parmesan cheese, or some made using butter; just remember to keep your portion small or enjoy one or two but fill up on other things.

1) Seafood Wreath

A round platter with a ring of fresh rosemary surrounding the outsied and the middle filled in with cooked shrimp, scallops, lobster and condiments making a wreath shape.

This gorgeous seafood wreath will be the star of any holiday party! My colleague and author of the book Coastal Kitchen, Jenny Shea Rawn, shared this festive seafood platter filled with shrimp, scallops, lobster, and a seafood salad.

While shellfish is lower in omega-3s than many types of fin fish, it contains a couple of powerful antioxidants, selenium and astaxanthin. Both may help reduce inflammation and protect your brain as you age.

MIND Diet Ingredients: Shrimp, lobster, and scallops (Seafood), Seafood salad (leafy greens)

2) Festive and Flavorful Spinach Balls

A white serving platter filled with spinach balls. A ramekin of tomato sauce and wine glasses are in the background. — Crispy and Savory Spinach Balls

These cute little spinach balls are one of my husband’s favorite recipes from when he was growing up. I adapted his mom’s recipe to make them more MIND diet-friendly. But don’t worry; they are incredibly flavorful and moist!

Using olive oil in place of melted butter and a blend of spices makes these little veggie balls a delicious appetizer perfect for a holiday party. Serve them with a tomato sauce for dipping.

MIND Diet Ingredients: Spinach (Leafy Greens) and Olive Oil

3) 2-Bite Sweet Potato Bites

Sweet potato cups filled with baked beans and topped with a little shredded cheese

These little 2-Bite Sweet Potato Bites from Bracha Kopstick, RD, are filled with antioxidant-rich sweet potatoes and baked beans. They are topped with a little cheese, but you could drizzle them with a little EVOO instead for a delicious, rich flavor.

MIND Diet Ingredients: Sweet potatoes and beans

4) Veggie Hummus Cups

Glass cups with a little hummus in the bottom and sliced veggies filling the cup.

An appetizer in its own little cup! These cute little veggie hummus cups from Maria at Hälsa Nutrition are easy to assemble and fun for guests.

I love these little Weck Jars for treats like this. You can make your own hummus or use store-bought and fill them with easy-to-eat veggies like colorful carrot sticks, pepper strips, and cucumbers.

MIND Diet Ingredients: Tahini paste (Sesame Seeds), Chickpeas, Olive Oil, Vegetables

5) Whipped Avocado White Bean Dip

A light green dip made from beans and avocados in a white bowl with crostini crackers next to it. A hand is holding a silver spoon in the dip.

From my colleague Julie K. Andrews, RD, this whipped white bean dip is made from chickpeas and avocados and has a silky rich texture and zesty flavor. The lemon juice keeps the avocados fresh and colorful.

This hearty dip would be delicious served with whole-grain pretzels or cut-up veggies. Dips like this one are also an amazing addition to your morning toast for breakfast or as a spread on a sandwich with sliced tomatoes and microgreens for lunch.

MIND Diet Ingredients: Chickpeas, Avocados, Olive Oil

6) Pumpkin Pie Dessert Hummus

A white pottery bowl filled with pumpkin pie hummus surrounded by cut apples, whole wheat crackers and pretzel sticks on a while platter.

Hummus for dessert? Why yes, yes, and yes! This Pumpkin Pie Dessert Hummus from Elysia Cartlidge from Haute & Healthy Living is easy and delicious.

Serve it with apple and pear slices, whole grain pretzels, or dark chocolate-dipped rice cakes.

MIND Diet Ingredients: Chickpeas and Pumpkin Puree (vegetable!)

7) Garlic Roasted Chickpeas

These crunchy little garlic-roasted chickpeas from Vahista Ussery, RD, are an easy, snackable treat you can add to a charcuterie board or just put them in a dish alongside some mixed nuts for your guests to snack on. Feel free to make your own chickpeas in the oven, as this recipe calls for, or in the air fryer.

Chances are you won’t have leftovers, but if you do, they would also be delicious tossed in a salad for an extra bit of crunch.

MIND Diet Ingredients: Chickpeas, Olive Oil

8) Italian Stuffed Mushrooms

A white platter of spinach stuffed mushrooms — Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Stuffed Mushrooms

Filled with spinach and tangy sundried tomatoes, these Italian Stuffed Mushrooms are my creation and one of my favorite appetizers to make for the holidays.

While the recipe calls for a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on the top, you can leave it off or just know it is a tiny sprinkle of cheese and enjoy!

MIND Diet Ingredients: Spinach, Mushrooms & Sundried Tomatoes, Olive Oil

9) Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Mushroom caps stuffed with a creamy crab filling on a white platter. The mushrooms are sprinkled with paprika and herbs.

Creamy, crabby stuffed mushrooms are another delicious stuffed mushroom appetizer that is perfect for a holiday get-together. These stuffed mushrooms from my colleague Heather Mangieri, RDN, are a protein-packed treat. They are nutritious and filling and are stuffed with crab meat, a little mayo, chopped onions, and seasonings.

The filling could also be added to a large portobello mushroom for a delicious seafood dinner.

MIND Diet Ingredients: Crabmeat (seafood)

10) Holiday Cranberry Crostini

Crostini topped with mascarpone cheese and dried cranberries with orange zest sprinkled on top — Holiday Cranberry Crostini

Could these flavorful bites look any cuter? I don’t think so! These festive little crostini are super easy to make and delicious.

They have a layer of mascarpone cheese, but you can make them more MIND diet-friendly by using ⅓ reduced fat cream cheese instead to cut the saturated fat down or replace it with whipped silken tofu mixed with a little orange juice.

The cranberries and orange zest fill these with holiday flavor and nutrition. Cranberries contain vitamins C and E and antioxidants that help support our immune system and protect our heart and brain.

MIND Diet Ingredients: Cranberries

11) Arctic Char Potato Bites

Slices of yellow potatoes topped with arugula, artic char (seafood like salmon) and a blackberry

These little seafood and potato bites are a fun party appetizer from Maria at Hälsa Nutrition. Roasted potato slices topped with savory arctic char, arugula, and topped with a blackberry, this little bite is bursting with flavor.

If you aren’t familiar with arctic char, it is similar in flavor and texture to salmon and trout. It is a pretty mild fish and full of those heart-healthy and brain-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. If you can’t find it, other types of seafood, including salmon or trout, would work just as well in this delicious recipe.

MIND Diet Ingredients: Arctic Char (seafood), Arugula (leafy greens), and Blackberries

12) Savory Butternut Squash Walnut Flatbread

4 flatbread pieces topped with butternut squash and broccoli flowerettes and dried cranberries on a light blue platter.

Savory, sweet, with a crunch to boot? Yes, please!

These little plant-based flatbreads are topped with hummus and butternut squash and sprinkled with dried cranberries and chopped walnuts. It is packed full of MIND diet-friendly foods and is an unexpected treat.

You can use store-bought flatbread or make your own, as Melissa does.

MIND Diet Ingredients: Hummus (chickpeas, tahini, and olive oil), butternut squash (vegetables), flatbread (whole grains)

Tips to Make Your Favorite Holiday Appetizers MIND Diet-Friendly

If you have some favorite appetizers you love, you can likely adapt them to be more MIND diet-friendly, too.

Add a sprinkle of toasted nuts to the top of a crostini as a garnish for hummus, or add a dish to your charcuterie board.
Less Cheese: If a charcuterie board is a favorite, try swapping out some of the cheese with a few flavored hummus spreads instead. Add some tinned fish, like high-quality tuna packed in extra virgin olive oil or tinned sardines instead of salty meats.

Make it Plant-based: In place of cream cheese or mascarpone cheese on a crostini, try spreading some silken tofu or a nut-based vegan “cheese.” Miyoko’s has a cashew cream cheese, and Kite Hill has an almond cream “cheese.”
Add Extra Veggies: Put out a dish of steamed edamame beans, green beans, and snow peas alongside a dish of homemade hummus.
Instead of chips and salsa, top cucumber slices, potato slices, or zucchini slices with diced tomatoes, onions, and cilantro for a fun southwestern-inspired nibble.
Swap in Olive Oil: If a recipe calls for a drizzle of melted butter, try a little olive oil instead.
Bump up the Whole Grains: Add whole grain crackers to a charcuterie board or hummus platter, or swap whole grain pastry flour for all-purpose flour when making flatbreads or pizza dough.
Top with Berries: Strawberries, cranberries, or blackberries, with their sweet burst of tangy flavor, are delicious additions to crostini or a charcuterie platter.

Final Thoughts

The holidays should be a joyous time of year. Incorporating delicious food that you love is an important part of any celebration! One of the best things about the MIND diet is that it is a flexible eating plan, not restrictive. So experiment with some healthier options while working in some of your favorite and classic recipes, too!

If you want more details about following the MIND diet, check out my recent article – Your Ultimate Guide to the MIND Diet, or my cookbook, MIND Diet for Two. This book will equip you to follow the MIND Diet year-round with tasty and satisfying recipes for all meals of the day and improve your brain’s health, too!