Christmas Appetizer Recipes

This smoked salmon platter requires little effort but the spread makes a big impression. Served with all the fixings--capers, hard-boiled eggs, cucumber and more--a smoked salmon platter is the ultimate make-ahead appetizer. Lay out everything listed in the ingredients below or just a few of the elements along with an assortment of crackers, cocktail bread and/or sliced baguette.

Turn classic chicken parm into meatballs with this easy load-and-go appetizer recipe with a cheesy surprise inside. Making meatballs for a party? Switch your crock pot to "warm" for serving all party long.

Green Goddess dip is perfect for raw veggies like cukes, celery, carrots, and more. This one is packed with fresh herbs like tarragon and parsley.

These bite-size pimiento cheese balls from Jamie and Bobby Deen are a huge hit with kids (of all ages). They're the perfect appetizer to bring to a summer picnic. Jamie and Bobby share a passion for great home-cooked food with a Southern flair with their celebrity-chef mom, Paula Deen. These brothers are following in their mom's footsteps with their own TV shows, books and website. Our favorite part of what they're up to: healthy makeovers of some of Paula's recipes! Recipe adapted from The Deen Bros. Get Fired Up, by Jamie & Bobby Deen and Melissa Clark (Ballantine Books, 2011).

Mix chopped dried cranberries together with your meatball mixture to add a hit of sweetness in every bite. These meatballs start in the skillet but finish in the slow-cooker, making them an easy make-ahead meal.

Make a double or triple batch of these savory nuts to give them as gifts for the holidays.

Crab and chutney on top of the deviled egg mixture make these appetizers doubly delightful.

Spicy seasonings add a bit of zing to roasted nuts for an appetizer that's perfect for any occasion.

This easy-to-make shrimp sauce is the only recipe you need for a shrimp cocktail appetizer that will be devoured every time. Our tried-and-true sauce is the perfect balance of sweet and tangy.

Chile and horseradish add a spicy kick to this mayo- and yogurt-based yum yum shrimp sauce. This recipe comes together in a pinch for an updated shrimp cocktail appetizer--and will be devoured just as fast at any party.

Take your veggies and dip to the next level with this colorful crudité wreath. This vegetable appetizer is a stunner with white cauliflower, red tomatoes and green broccoli, green beans, snap peas, kale and Brussels sprouts. It's also a delicious way to start your celebration with veggies (which there are rarely enough of at parties and holidays). The homemade ranch dip, which uses nonfat Greek yogurt in place of sour cream, takes just a few minutes to make, or you can use a healthy store-bought dip.

Bitter crunch from the Belgian endive is a foil for the creamy, peppery egg salad and briny caviar topping in this healthy appetizer recipe.

Don't let the fancy French name for these cheese puffs mislead you--this is an easy appetizer recipe. They're traditionally made with Gruyère or Comté; we couldn't resist turning to our Vermont roots and using good old Cheddar instead.

For this healthy appetizer, make sure you don't get paper-thin roast beef--it's harder to work with. Instead, ask at the deli counter for medium-thick slices (number 3 on most meat slicers).

The alpine cheeses in this healthy cheese fondue recipe by Laura Werlin are known for melting smoothly, which is key in a fondue. Adding vegetables brings texture and bonus nutrition, while complementing the buttery nuttiness of each cheese. To serve 12, plan to offer 6 cups of cut-up vegetables for dipping, such as steamed broccoli and cauliflower florets or strips of raw fennel and red bell pepper.

Amp up your appetizer game when you make this easy marinated vegetable recipe. Soak asparagus, mushrooms and cauliflower in rosemary- and garlic-flavored marinade and in just a couple hours you'll have tasty vegetables ready to serve.

Trade in plain crudités for something with more panache with this quick marinated vegetable recipe. Soak bell peppers, fennel and frozen artichoke hearts in an orange- and oregano-flavored marinade and in just a couple hours you'll have a tasty antipasto ready to serve with your cheese plate.

Dried herbs and crushed garlic dress up your favorite olives.

A riff on traditional spinach artichoke dip, this creamy, cheesy dip recipe is made healthier by replacing some of the cream cheese with yogurt. Serve as an easy appetizer with tortilla chips and carrot sticks.

Crispy pieces of polenta topped with a tangy sun-dried tomato tapenade makes a pretty and tasty appetizer.

Try this light spinach dip made healthier with reduced-fat cream cheese, nonfat yogurt and low-fat cottage cheese instead of full-fat cheese, mayonnaise and sour cream. It will save you a whopping 84 calories and 10 grams of fat per serving when compared to traditional versions. Serve it with pita chips and crunchy vegetables or spread it on a sandwich.

These shrimp appetizers are simple yet full of flavor. Just top melba toasts with a bit of cream cheese, a cooked shrimp and dollop of pepper jelly. Look for pepper jelly near other jellies and jams--it has a tiny bit of heat that gives these some extra pizzazz!

Spread this creamy ham and roasted red pepper dip on Belgian endive, crackers or toasted baguette or use it as a dip for vegetables.

Marinating olives in aromatic herbs and a touch of lemon zest is an ideal way to enhance their flavor. Throughout the Mediterranean, bowls of them are routinely set out as appetizers or as a simple lunch with bread and perhaps some cheese or fruit. While a selection of olives of varying sizes, colors and cures is the most interesting, you can also simply use the one or two kinds most readily available.