Appetizer recipe collection

Light fiesta shrimp dip blends chopped shrimp with reduced-fat cream cheese, picante sauce, horseradish, cumin, and green onions. Lighter than your average shrimp dip, full of southwest punch.

Low-fat marinated vegetable platter with crisp broccoli, carrots, celery, red pepper, olives, and artichoke hearts in tangy Italian dressing. Make-ahead appetizer that gets better as it chills.

Moroccan spiced olives marinated in toasted cumin, fennel, coriander, cardamom, citrus, and garlic. Five-minute appetizer that improves for weeks in the fridge.

Pork chops baked over beans in a tangy tomato-ketchup sauce with onion. A simple, comforting casserole that slow bakes for up to 90 minutes until the chops are fall-off-the-bone tender.

Olive Profumate: oil-cured black olives marinated with fennel seeds, orange zest, and sliced garlic. A no-cook Italian appetizer that keeps for two weeks in the fridge.

Pakoras: crisp Indian fritters of onion, potato, and spinach dipped in spiced chickpea-flour batter and deep-fried to golden crunch. Monsoon-season street food at its finest.

Mayo-free pasta salad with marinated artichoke hearts, alfalfa sprouts, black olives, and red wine vinegar. The artichoke marinade doubles as the dressing in this tangy, make-ahead side.

Pecan cheese crisps made with sharp cheddar, dry mustard, and cayenne. A slice-and-bake savory cracker that makes 84 crispy, cheese-packed rounds.

So easy to make, and it is amazingly delicious, a beautiful way to cook these two root vegetables together, and tons of flavor.

Chilled Scandinavian raspberry soup, a silky cold fruit soup brightened with orange and lemon and a splash of white wine. Served cold over fresh orange sections with a swirl of sour cream and mint.

Spanish pan con tomate with Serrano ham slow-roasts plum tomatoes for a sweet, garlicky spread piled onto toasted baguette and topped with thin slices of jamón. A classic tapas party platter.

Silky pear butter simmered with white wine, vanilla bean, cardamom, and whole spices, then canned for year-round enjoyment. A gorgeous homemade preserve that makes Bartlett pears shine.

Spicy pinto bean dip made from scratch with dried beans, cumin, jalapeno, chili powder, and fresh cilantro. A bold, smoky Mexican-style dip loaded with garlic and heat.

Light spinach dip made with low-fat cottage cheese and yogurt instead of sour cream. Fresh spinach, lemon juice, and green onions in a creamy, tangy base.

Spinach pesto appetizer: a sliceable, high-protein cheesecake-style savory loaf with spinach, cottage cheese, cream cheese, and Romano. Perfect make-ahead party food served chilled with crackers or crostini.

Wine fruit cup with sliced plums, nectarines, and golden raisins soaked in a spiced white wine syrup infused with anise, cinnamon, and lemon. A chilled starter that doubles as a light summer dessert.