Want to impress this festive season, but would rather spend your hard earned cash on a new party dress and avoid high fat party food?
Here are some recipes which are healthy and won’t break the bank, plus you’ll impress your guests!
Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls Makes 24 pieces
1 large handful of vermicelli noodles 1 large carrot, grated (blot with paper towel to remove excess liquid) 1 cup of finely sliced, freshly cut iceberg lettuce ½ red onion finely chopped. ½ cucumber cut into matchstick sized sticks 1 cooked chicken breast, sliced into thin strips 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce 1 teaspoon of soy sauce 2 cloves garlic, crushed Juice of one lemon 1 teaspoon sugar 8 rice paper sheets
Soak noodles in warm water for around 15 minuets until soft. Drain well. In a large bowl add add the noodles, vegetables and chicken breast. Mix with the sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, garlic, lemon juice and sugar until it is well mixed. Now prepare the sheets of rice paper. Dip each one separately into hot water and lay on a damp tea towel. Leave for about a minute. This is so they can be soft enough to roll.
Take a small handful of filling and form a 3cm band across one edge of the rice paper, leaving about 2cm space from each side. Roll up tightly, folding in each end as you go. Slice each roll into 3. Place in the fridge until ready to serve. Place on a platter with some sweet chili sauce in a small dish for dipping. Yum!
Approximate cost per serve 55 cents
Roast Vege Sticks Makes around 10 (depending on how much you put on a skewer)
1 kumara, cut into chunks 1 potato cut into chunks 3 carrots cut into thick rounds 2 zucchini cut into thick rounds Small pot of sun dried tomatoes from the deli 1 packet of skewers 1 ½ tablespoon of olive oil. 2 cloves crushed garlic 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds (you can find these in the bulk bins and only need to buy as much as you need) Ground pepper and a sprinkle of salt
In a large roasting dish, measure in the oil and garlic. Mix around together. Put the cubes of vegetables in the dish and mix around to cover in the oil. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and sprinkle on salt and pepper. Roast in an oven at 200c for around half an hour or until tender. Once out of the oven, leave until cool enough to touch.
Place 4 - 5 pieces of the roasted vegetables on each skewer along with pieces of sun dried tomato. Trim the tops off the skewers to make a nice size. You can serve these hot or cold. If you want, you could vary these depending on your budget and put on marinated mushrooms, or some cubes of feta cheese.
Approximate cost per serve 80 cents
Herb Grilled Chicken Nibbles Makes around 10 - 15
550g skinless chicken breast or tenderloins 2 teaspoons crushed garlic 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon honey 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley Skewers
Cut the chicken into cubes, or if you have tenderloins you can cut them in half. In a bowl mix the rest of the ingredients. Add the chopped chicken and mix to coat in marinade. Cover bowl and place in fridge, ideally overnight or for at least an hour.
Once marinated, thread the chicken onto the skewers. Remember these are for nibbles so you don’t need to make them that big. If you want, trim the top off the skewer so they are about half the size, or buy smaller ones if you can find them. Put on plate and microwave for 4 minutes then grill on a high heat for 10 minuets or until cooked. You could also cook these on a bbq.
Approximate cost per serve $1.18
Optional dipping sauce: Mix the following ingredients together and place in bowl.
2 tablespoons of low fat sour cream 1 tablespoon of natural yoghurt 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon chopped parsley 1 small teaspoon of honey
cash on a new party dress and avoid high fat party food? 
1 large carrot, grated (blot with paper towel to remove excess liquid)
1 potato cut into chunks