Healthy Hollywood: Light & Tasty Appetizers For Your Oscar Party

If you’re like Healthy Hollywood, Sunday’s Oscars is must-see TV. I like to invite friends over for drinks and appetizers and breakdown all the red carpet action.

Lisa Lillien, author of the best-selling “Hungry Girl” cookbooks, shared with Healthy Hollywood her favorite go-to apps for an Oscar bash.

These bites are so light they’ll have you feeling like you can defy “Gravity” better than Sandra Bullock!

Tuna Topped Wonton Crisps — “The Dallas TUNA Buyer’s Club”

(makes 4 servings)

• 12 small square wonton wrappers
• 2 pouches (2.6 oz.) StarKist Tuna Creations ® Sweet and Spicy
• 1 cup bagged broccoli cole slaw, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. low-fat sesame ginger dressing
• 2 tbsp. thinly sliced scallions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 2 baking sheets with nonstick spray. Lay wonton wrappers flat on the baking sheets, evenly spaced. Bake until edges have browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from sheet, and let cool completely, about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, flake tuna with a fork in a medium bowl. Add chopped broccoli slaw and dressing, and mix well. Evenly distribute tuna mixture among wontons. Top with scallions, and enjoy!

Mini Deep-Dish Spinach Pizzas — It’d be a crime not to (American) Hustle to make these for your guests!

(makes 12 servings)

• Two 10-oz. packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1 tbsp. chopped garlic
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 1 package Pillsbury Classic Pizza Crust refrigerated dough
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat Parmesan-style grated topping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix spinach, shredded cheese, chopped garlic, and salt. In a medium bowl, mix crushed tomatoes with seasonings.Roll out dough into a large rectangle of even thickness, at least 12” X 9”. Evenly cut dough into 12 squares. Place each square in a muffin cup, and press it into the bottom and up along the sides. Evenly distribute spinach-cheese mixture among the cups, about 3 tbsp. each, and firmly pack it in. Evenly top with seasoned crushed tomatoes, about 1 tbsp. per cup, and sprinkle with Parm-style topping, 1 tsp. per cup. Bake until dough is firm and golden brown and filling is hot, about 15 minutes. Enjoy!

De-Pudged Pigs in a Blanket — Channel your inner Wolf (of Wall Street) by pigging out on this ultimate easy recipe

(makes 8 servings)

• 8 fat-free (or nearly fat-free) franks with 40-45 calories each
• 1 package refrigerated Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescent rolls (unprepared)
• Flour, for dusting
• Optional dip: mustard

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut each hot dog into 4 even pieces. Set aside. Place the eight triangle-shaped portions of dough on a lightly floured work surface. One at a time, stretch or roll each triangle out slightly, making it into a larger triangle. Cut each piece of dough into four long, narrow triangles. Beginning at the base of each of these triangles, roll up one hot dog piece in each until the point of the triangle wraps around the center. Place your blanketed pigs on a large, ungreased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining ingredients, so that you have 32 pigs in a blanket. Be sure to evenly space them, as the dough will expand while baking. Bake until dough appears slightly browned and crispy, about 12 minutes. If you like, serve with mustard for dipping. Enjoy!

Buff Chick Hot Wing Dip — “Nebraska” may be a fan favorite this year, but we’re fans of BUFFALO

(makes 15 servings)

• Two 9.75-oz. (or 10-oz.) cans 98% fat-free chunk white chicken breast in water, drained
• One 8-oz. tub fat-free cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup cayenne pepper sauce
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup fat-free ranch dressing
• 1/4 cup fat-free Greek yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cream cheese in a medium bowl and stir until smooth. Mix in Frank’s RedHot, mozzarella cheese, ranch dressing and yogurt. Stir in chicken until thoroughly combined. Spoon mixture evenly into a deep 8-inch by 8-inch baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes, or until mixture is heated through. Stir well and enjoy!

P.S. We love dipping carrot sticks and red bell pepper chunks into this dip, but we’ve also dunked baked tortilla chips into it and used it as a sandwich spread!

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— Terri MacLeod