Summer is coming, and the good weather and vacations invite us to gatherings with family and friends, where snacks are the order of the day to share in these moments of relaxation. So that you can surprise your guests with an easy and original snack, our diet and nutrition consultant Ma José Grande proposes 4 ideas for a healthy and light appetizer, ideal for these dates.

Eggplant pate

Eggplant is a very nutritious vegetable, and acts as a perfect diuretic and antioxidant, providing many minerals to our body. Sesame is also very beneficial for our health, as it provides us with very interesting nutrients.

Ingredients

3 eggplants
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon sesame
4 tablespoons olive oil
Zucchini chips and/or carrot sticks

Preparation

With the oven preheated to 180º, roast the unpeeled eggplants for about 45 minutes or until soft. Then let them cool.
Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh with a soup spoon. Blend the eggplant flesh with the garlic cloves and the olive oil until you obtain a homogeneous paste. Add a pinch of salt.
Serve the eggplant pâté on zucchini chips and/or carrot sticks, with a pinch of sesame seeds on top.

Endive with smoked salmon and vinaigrette

Endive is a fresh vegetable rich in fiber, beneficial for the regulation of intestinal transit. While smoked salmon provides vitamin D, vitamin B3 and protein.

Ingredients

3 endives
2 eggs
250 gr. smoked salmon
2 small spring onions
1 apple
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
water
salt
parsley (for decoration)
2 teaspoons mustard
1 lemon
extra virgin olive oil
chopped parsley
salt

Preparation

Place the eggs in a saucepan, cover with water and boil for 10 minutes. Then cool and set aside.
Remove the outer leaves from the endives, separate the rest of the leaves and wipe them with a damp cloth. Then set aside.
For the vinaigrette, mix the mustard with the chopped parsley, the juice of half a lemon and a good splash of olive oil in a bowl. Mix, season and set aside.
For the filling, finely chop the salmon and spring onion. Peel the apple, core it and dice it. Peel the eggs, and mix the spring onion, apple, salmon and chopped eggs in a bowl. Season and pour a little more than half of the vinaigrette (reserve a little). Mix well and set aside.
Toast the sesame seeds in a frying pan without oil and set aside.
Divide the filling among the endive leaves and drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette. Sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds on top and serve the endive and smoked salmon salad.

Mussels in vinaigrette

Mussels have many essential vitamins and minerals; they are rich in B vitamins, vitamin C, folic acid, iron, phosphorus, manganese, selenium and zinc.

Ingredients

1 kg of Galician mussels of good size
1 large tomato
1 green bell pepper
1/2 small onion
Extra virgin olive oil, vinegar and salt

Prepared by

Clean the mussels very well.
Open the steamed mussels with a few drops of lemon juice, and remove them as they open so that they do not become overdone. Once opened, remove one of the shells and place them neatly on a serving platter.
Chop the peeled tomato, bell pepper and onion very finely. Dress this mince with a vinaigrette prepared with the oil, vinegar, salt, and the liquid from opening the mussels, strained and reduced to half. Be careful with the salt because this liquid will salt the vinaigrette enough.
Spoon some of the mince on top of each shell, sprinkle with the remaining liquid and leave to cool in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Baked zucchini chips

Zucchini is composed of 95% of water; it has no caloric content, so it is an ideal vegetable for weight loss.

Ingredients

1 zucchini
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon of Provençal herbs
1 pinch of garlic powder

Preparation

Turn on the oven and set at 110 ºC. Line a tray with waxed paper and grease it with a little oil. To do this use oil spray or spread it with the help of an absorbent paper napkin.
On the other hand, wash and cut the zucchini into very thin slices. To achieve this, use a mandolin or a sharp knife.
The zucchini slices should be as moist as possible at the time of cooking, so dry them with a napkin before placing them in the pan.
Next, season the zucchini chips by sprinkling the herbs and garlic powder. As this is a light recipe, the vegetable chips are salt-free, and spices can be included instead.
Place the tray in the oven and cook for 45 minutes, turning the tray at least 3 times during cooking. Check that the chips are golden brown and crispy.