With the holiday season in full swing, here’s one last healthy hors d’oeuvre suggestion for you and yours! Stuffed mushrooms are a cocktail party favorite but they are often loaded with high fat sausage and tons of cheese – they can tip the scales at more than 300 calories per mushroom! This vegetarian version swaps the sausage for fresh spinach and uses the big flavors of shallots, garlic, and a bit of Gruyere to keep the fat down but the flavor worthy of a celebration.

I love that you can make these up to two days in advance and simply heat them when it’s party time…anything to take a bit of stress out of this season!

Stuffed Mushrooms with Spinach

makes 24

adapted from Real Simple

Ingredients:

24 medium mushrooms (about 1 1/2 pounds)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot

2 cloves finely chopped garlic

1 5-ounce package baby spinach, chopped

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup Gruyere cheese, grated (2 ounces)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Wipe mushrooms clean. Remove the stems and finely chop and set aside.

3. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Bake the mushroom caps, stem-side down until just tender, 10-12 minutes.

4. While mushrooms are cooking, heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic, and chopped mushroom stems. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add the spinach, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and cook, tossing, until wilted, 2-3 minutes more.

5. Combine the spinach mixture with the bread crumbs and cheese in a bowl. Spoon into the mushroom caps. (You can prepare these to this point two days in advance. Just refrigerate covered.)

6. Bake until golden brown, 12-15 minutes.

Are you ready to par-tay? The season is in full swing so here’s the next Nourish idea for a healthy holiday app that is a sure crowd pleaser. These adorable potato bites are prepped in a snap and save you from fussing with individual canapés (I’ll save that for next week!). Warning: these won’t last long on your buffet because they’re oh-so-good. I promise even the kids will love them.

Note: If you can’t find fingerling potatoes (they’re the small skinny ones) you can use small red potatoes, but the shape of the fingerlings makes for a beautiful presentation.

Rosemary Fingerling Potato Treats

serves 6

Ingredients:

16 fingerling potatoes, washed and cut in half lengthwise

olive oil

2 tablespoons finely minced rosemary

coarse salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1/2 cup light sour cream

skim milk

1/4 cup diced  jarred roasted red peppers

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Place potatoes in a large bowl. Add enough olive oil to lightly coat. Gently mix in rosemary and salt and pepper.

3. Place potatoes, cut side down, on a baking sheet at bake for 35-45 until cooked through.

4. Remove from oven and arrange potatoes on a plate or platter. Sprinkle with salt & pepper and scatter diced red pepper over potatoes. Serve with sour cream thinned with a little skim milk (mix the sour cream and milk in a bowl with a whisk and then transfer to your serving bowl) for dipping. (These can be served hot or at room temperature.)