This is the “pot luck event” time of year so let’s talk appetizers. Below you’ll find a recipe for a super easy and insanely popular “Pesto Cream Cheese Bake” as well as some general appetizer ideas that would be the perfect real food addition to any party (holiday or not!). If you have any suggestions that I left off the list please share them in the comments at the bottom.
“Real Food” Appetizer Ideas:
- Sliced fruit like figs, apples, pears, grapes, melon, berries, small orange segments, or place a few together on fruit kabobs with a yogurt/honey dip
- Olives
- Cheese cubes
- A spread for crackers like hummus, plain or flavored goat cheese, or pesto
- Whole grain crackers like Ak-Mak, Multiseed Original, or Triscuits
- Miniature caprese salad on long toothpicks (cherry tomato, small piece of mozzarella, and basil leaf
- Homemade whole-grain “easy cheesy crackers“
- Vegetable crudite (cut veggies with ranch dip or tzatziki sauce)
- Lightly salted nuts (cashews, almonds, pistachios, pecans, walnuts, peanuts, etc.)
- Glazed nuts
- Proscuitto wrapped mozzarella dipped in balsamic vinegar
- Proscuitto wrapped cantaloupe balls
- Mini “tea sandwiches” with cucumber/dill/cream cheese or pimento cheese in the middle
- Small slices of homemade whole-grain pumpkin, banana nut, zucchini or cornbread
- Whole-wheat popovers
Pesto Cream Cheese Bake – Holiday Style
Pesto Cream Cheese Bake
Serves: 8
Ingredients
- 1 loosely packed cup of fresh basil leaves removed from stem
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 whole clove of fresh garlic
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 rectangular shaped block of cream cheese (the low fat version is not recommended)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Combine the first 5 ingredients down to the olive oil in a food processor or mini chopper and blend together to make the pesto.
- Put the cream cheese block on a baking tray. You can put parchment paper under the cream cheese to make the transition to the serving tray later a little easier.
- Spread a thick layer of the pesto on top of the cream cheese block.
- Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until it is a little brown and bubbly on top.
Serve with whole grain crackers or toast points.
I can’t wait to try these homemade Margherita Pizza Rolls.
http://cookingmisadventures.com/2011/08/30/margherita-pizza-rolls/
Lisa that pesto cream cheese bake sounds AMAZING!! Thanks for all the great ideas. They seem to slip right away from me when it comes time to bring something to a party.
What brand of cream cheese do you know of that follows the rules?
Any organic, plain, full-fat cream cheese will do!
Sounds delish! Quick question, could non-dairy cream cheese be used?
To be honest I’ve never tried non-dairy cream cheese so I am not sure how that would work as a substitution.
The pesto cream cheese sounds wonderful! I will have to try that out soon! I have a wonderful cheeeseball recipe that’s always a hit. Cream cheese and green onions. Mix together and roll in chopped pecans or walnuts. (The original recipe calls for hard salami or dried beef but I don’t think those are in the real food rules so I will be ommitting it next time I make it. It’s just as good without it!
What is the name of the crackers that you show in the picture next to the cream cheese bake, and where can you buy them? I’ve tried the Ak-Mak crackers (they are good!) and of course, Triscuits. But I’ve been looking for other crackers that follow your rules and haven’t had much success. Thanks!
The brand of those crackers is “Multi-Seed” and they have more than 5 ingredients, but they are whole-grain. They are tasty, too!
what is in the appetizer photo, – something cut in half with some kind of cream cheese spread on it?? middle right item?
Figs with goat cheese…yum!
OMG fabulous- thank you for the quick response.
Beautiful spread and I love the tray! I’m hoping to pick one up; do you mind sharing where you found it?
That looks amazing. I am so hungry right now, I should never read these while I’m hungery
What brand are the multigrain crackers you approve of? Always looking for a quick fix for the kids.
We look for “whole grain” crackers as opposed to “multi grain” and our favorites are Ak-Mak, Multi-seed, and Triscuits.
Mary’s Gone Crackers are great and healthy! Whole grain and made from brown rice, quinoa, flax seeds, and sesame seeds.
You know the famous line from Jerry McGuire, “You had me at hello”? You had me at “the low fat version is not recommended.” I’ve recently found your website and so much is what I do (no lowfat dairy!) that we’re ready to do more eliminating and tweaking of our diets. Thanks for giving out so many great ideas to make our goals seem attainable.
I’m confused about cream cheese being “real” isn’t is really processed? Your site says 0 processed foods… and yet cream cheese is a manufactured food.
We technically avoid all “highly processed foods” because even cooking is a form of “processing” or changing your food. If we didn’t eat anything that had been processed at all it would essentially be a “raw diet,” which is not how we eat. Per the list on our rules page we define “processed” as anything over 5 ingredients (just to draw the line somewhere)…and organic cream cheese fits the bill! http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/real-food-defined-a-k-a-the-rules/
Any idea if Brie would work in place of cream cheese?
Hmm…maybe if you took the peel off the top of it first, but I have not tried it myself.
Have u ever tried making your own cream cheese? If so can you share recipe.
I have not…sorry!
Hi Lisa,
Just wondering if you’ve ever tried Wasa brand crackers/flatbreads. I’m not sure if maybe they’re a Canadian product, but I eat them a lot when I don’t have time to make bread for sandwiches, for example. They’re pretty basic and come in a wide variety of types (e.g. rye, multigrain, sesame…). From what I can tell, all of the types contain solely whole grains, which I was thrilled to find.
Hi Vanessa. I’m not sure about the Canadian product, it may be different than ours here in the US, but, I know our version contains sugar and palm oil, both of which we would not recommend. Jill
I made this last night for a group and it got RAVE reviews … everyone loved it! I’ve also used the pesto on pasta and chicken which my kiddos just love. This is going to be a staple for us from now on!
Hi I plan on making the cream cheese pestle bake on Friday in 4days for a 31party I’m having but I couldn’t find fresh basil at my grocery store…I’m too far from any health food stores to go before Friday…so I tot a 4oz tube of organic prepared Basil spread stuff…it has Basil and oil and a few other things that dont need to be there but its the beat I can do right this minute…my question is how much do I use? It says one the tube its equal to 3bunches…but how many cups is that? Please help ASAP
Hi Jaci. I would probably vary the amount based on how strong tasting the spread is. I would just start with a thin layer and then adjust it to your preference. Jill
Ive never made or had Pesto before ….so how do I make it “to taste” when I don’t know what it takes like?
Hi Jaci…I’m sorry, I meant to your taste (or preference). Hope you were able to make it and enjoy it. Jill
Do you just shape the cream cheese into the Christmas tree shape yourself?
Hi Christina. You should cut the rectangle diagonally, making two triangles. Then rotate the one triangle and place the two side by side to make a tree. Jill
Looks great!! One question: if you put a rectangle block of cream cheese, how do you get a triangle tree??
Cut the rectangle diagonally, making two triangles. Flip and rotate one triangle and push them side by side.
I love this one too. I’m going to try it for a family xmas party in lieu of the reuben dip I usually make. I’ll make a homemade veggie dip to go with it.
http://www.squidoo.com/veggie-christmas-tree
i love appetizers because they are one of the tastiest part of a meal aside from the dessert.:
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