I have a holiday potluck coming up at work. I need to take something to share. I'd prefer to take a yummy, healthy option because I know others will bring lots of fattening stuff. Any suggestions for something that will feed 10-15 people? I do have access to a fridge. I'd prefer not to have to heat anything, but if needed I can.
One of my favorite potluck recipes is very easy. You just need about 15 hours in advance (I've done it in less with microwave on thaw, but it's easiest if you just start it the evening before). Depending on how many extras you add and what salad dressing you use, the calorie count can mount, so be careful with higher calorie ingredients (or just don't add them)
At it's simplest: a bag or two of frozen vegetables and a medium bottle of italian dressing or other vinaigrette. Pour veggies in bowl, pour dressing over veggies, stir and put in fridge - the end. Pull out before potluck (and even if veggies are a bit frozen, they will thaw within 20 minutes of being outside the fridge).
For a potluck at noon, I usually start the salad at 7 the night before.
I usually use a light dressing I know is good, or I'll take a small bottle of a full-fat dressing and add rice wine vinegar in equal proportions and a bit of splenda to taste. Many full-fat vinaigrettes are fairly reasonable calorie wise, so I always check that too. There's a red wine and vinegar dressing (regular) that has under 50 calories a tablespoon, so I use that brand alot as is. Or I make my own dressing.
Frozen veggies: I use whatever looks good. California mix is a standard, but I also LOVE Walmart's brand of Asparagus or Snap pea stir fry. If you use two bags of veggies, they do not have to be the same variety.
I always add some stir-ins, but you don't have to use any and certainly don't have to use all of them, but here are some of mine (and I stir in when I mix it in the evening).
Diced or sliced raw onion, celery, or green pepper.
Green or black olives from a jar or can
Jar, can or freezer bag of artichoke hearts (if marinated, drain first or count as part or all of the dressing - it's usually an oily marinade, and if so add two parts of rice wine vinegar if using the marinade as a dressing)
Mild cherry peppers, pepperocini, or yellow pepper rings (the vinegar from the jar can be used in the dressing too, but it's stronger than rice wine vinegar so use less)
Sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, or other nuts (small amount)
Shredded or tiny cubes of cheese
grape tomatoes or cherry tomato halves (or seed a bigger tomato and dice - if using larger tomatoes I always remove the seeds, because the seeds can become bitter - and I just don't like the slimy texture).
Thanks for the ideas. I'm am completly open to anything. I'd probably be better off with something finger-foodish. I've never been so stumped trying to think of somthing but all my old standbys are not healthy options.
I do hummus and bean dips alot too, in fact they're my last minute invite specialty, because I always keep a few cans of assorted beans on hand.
My basic Hummus or bean spread recipe
Drain 1 can of beans, any type. Rinse if desired
(such as cannellini, kidney, pinto, black, pink, garbanzo beans, even baked beans, but remove fat cube if using pork and beans).
You can puree until desired consistency from chunky to smooth, your preference (when I do light, thin skinned beans, I like to leave the spread chunkier, but with kidney and other thick, dark skins I like to puree until very smooth).
Add desired seasonings and puree in food processor. Serve with chips, crackers, or raw vegetables
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For example, some combos I've used before:
Bean
Garbanzo beans (chick peas) with garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, a dash of walnut oil is nice
Pinto beans salsa, cumin or taco seasoning
(or use refried beans and instead of pureeing, just fold in seasonings)
Pink beans with ranch dressing powder (like hidden valley ranch) Salt, pepper, parsley
Beans for Chili, Barbecue beans or baked beans ( (drain, but do not rinse).
with garlic or onion
Cannellini beans with Splash of Caesar or Italian dressing or olive oil
I usually bring crab cakes. They are always a big hit and with the recipe I use, they are baked with almost no oil, which makes them easy to prepare and fairly healthy. To make them healthier, you could make your own bread crumbs with whole wheat bread if you have a food processor.
Crab Cakes
2 6-oz cans crab meat, drained
1 cup bread crumbs
4 tbsp finely diced green onion
4 tbsp finely diced red pepper
4 tbsp fat free mayo
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1/4 cup egg beaters
Mix all ingredients together (make sure you dice the onion and pepper as small as possible or the patties will be crumbly). If mix seems dry, add a tbsp or two of skim milk. Form into 18 patties (the patties will be small--only about a tbsp of mix per patty) and bake at 350 for 15 min.
I need ideas for a work potluck dish.
