Recipes: Healthy 4th of July party snacks

PHOENIX - Here are some recipes to create delicious, healthy snacks for the 4th of July.

Crunchy Jicama Salsa with Blue Corn Chips

• 3/4 cup diced, peeled jicama
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 bag baked blue corn chips

Combine 3/4 cup diced peeled jicama, 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper, 2 tablespoons chopped red onion, 1 minced garlic clove, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, and 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice in a medium bowl. Serve with baked blue corn chips.

Burger Bites

• 28 fancy toothpicks
• 1 lb ground beef, 93/7 or more lean
• 1 ½  tbsp steak seasoning
• ¼ onion, grated
• 2 tsp  Worcestershire sauce
• 28 cherry tomatoes
• 28 dill pickle spheres
• 6 slices 2% cheddar or pepper jack cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 leaves romaine lettuce, cut into 28 (1 1/2-inch) pieces
• Mustard, ketchup, and BBQ, chipotle sauce for dipping

Preheat oven to 350F and prepare a baking sheet with foil. 

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, grated onion, steak seasoning and Worcestershire sauce. Shape 1 to 2 tablespoonfuls of mixture into meatballs; flatten slightly to resemble hamburgers. Line them in rows of 6 on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. 

While the meatballs are cooking, cut each piece of cheese into 6 rectangles. Halve the cherry tomatoes, and cut lettuce into about 1 – 2 inch square pieces. 

When the burgers are done, put together your layers with a meatball on the bottom, followed by a piece of cheese, then pickle round, lettuce, and topped with a halved cherry tomato. Serve with ketchup, mustard, barbeque or any other burger style dipping sauce.

Berries and Yogurt Dip Platter

• 2 cups strawberries, washed and quartered
• 2 cups raspberries, washed
• 2 cups blueberries, washed
• 2 cups blackberries, washed
• 1 container light whipped topping, such as Skinny TruWhip
• 1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp almond or vanilla extract
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup baking stevia (or 1/2 cup sweetener), or sweetener of choice to taste

Place all of the ingredients in a medium bowl, and whisk until smooth and creamy with a hand held beater or stand mixer, scraping down the sides while mixing. Serve cold, or chill in fridge until ready to serve. Serve with fruit kabobs or a platter of red and blue fruit. 

Caprese Salad with a Twist

• 12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered if large
• 6 ounces (1 cup) fresh blueberries
• 8 ounces mozzarella balls (ciliegine or bocconcini), halved or cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn if large
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine tomatoes, blueberries, and mozzarella balls in a bowl. Toss with basil leaves, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made a few hours ahead of time, just cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.)

Fruit Sparklers

• 1 whole watermelon
• 16 ounces fresh blueberries
• Bamboo skewers

Cut watermelon vertically into 1 inch thick slices.  Use a small star cookie cutter to cut out star shapes from the flesh of each watermelon round.

Thread 7-10 blueberries into the center of each bamboo skewer, leaving enough space at the end for someone to be able to comfortably hold it, and a space at the top for the watermelon star. Place the watermelon star on top and set the fruit sparklers on a serving tray. Cover and refrigerate until ready to enjoy.

Patriotic Popcorn

• 1 bag air popped popcorn
• 1 bag chocolate coated candies, red blue and blue colored

Pour the popcorn into a large serving bowl. Sprinkle colored candies over the popcorn and enjoy a salty, sweet treat!