Pregnancy-Friendly Party Snacks
Caviar, tartare and hot dog recipes that are totally safe for pregnancy.

Holiday celebrations can be so very special when pregnant, but they can also be a bummer when you realize you can't enjoy your favorite party snacks. Below we took 3 New Year's Eve Hors D'oeuvres classics on the pregnancy “no-no list" and spun them up into safe, healthy alternatives you can devour.
Sea Vegetable “Caviar" on Red Potatoes
Yield: 24 hors d'oeuvres
Potatoes + Garnish:
24 small red potatoes
1 T olive oil
¼ t. salt
⅛ t. pepper
½ c. creme fraiche
1 sheet nori. torn into rough ½ inch squares for garnish
Sea Vegetable Caviar:
¼ c. yellow onion, medium dice
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 ½ t. ginger, peeled + chopped
2 scallions, chopped
1 T sardine oil or olive oil
1 c. soaked arame (about 1/2 c. dry)
¼ c. lemon (halved and separated)
¼ t. umeboshi plum vinegar
1 T coconut aminos
2 T cod liver oil
1 t. ginger juice
¼ t. salt + more to taste
Procedure:
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Toss potatoes in olive oil, salt + pepper. Roast for 25 minutes or until tender.
- Using a food processor, mince onion, garlic, ginger and half of scallions.
- Heat oil in skillet and add onion mixture, and lightly brown.
- Add half of lemon juice and vinegar to deglaze pan; add arame.
- While arame cooks, whisk together remaining lemon juice, 1 teaspoon scallions, coconut aminos, cod liver oil, ginger juice and salt.
- Remove arame from heat and toss with dressing.
- Slice off tops and bottoms of potatoes.
- Top with creme fraiche, “caviar", nori square and remaining scallion as garnish.
Pork Infused Carrots in a Blanket with Cabbage Apple Kraut Filling
Yield: 24 hors d'oeuvres
Pork Infused Carrots:
1 lb. organic pork bones
1 T olive oil
1 red onion, medium dice
1 T apple cider vinegar
½ t. salt + more to taste
1 quart cold water
24 baby carrots (about 1 cup)
1 t. maple syrup
2 T mustard
1 package crescent dough (I like Immaculate Bakery brand for a healthier version)
Cabbage Apple Kraut Filling:
1 T olive oil
½ t. fennel seed, whole
6 green cabbage leaves, chiffonade
½ green apple, thin sliced
½ yellow onion, thin saute slice
3" piece of fennel stalk, thin slice
1 sage leaf, thin slice
3 T apple cider vinegar
¼ t. maple crystals
½ c. water
Procedure:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Roast bones for 15 minutes.
- Heat olive oil and sweat red onion.
- Add pork bones and vinegar and cover with cold water.
- Cook broth at low simmer 4-8 hours. The longer the more flavorful. Be careful to ensure liquid remains, adding more if necessary.
- Meanwhile, begin filling by heating olive oil and adding fennel seed.
- Toast seeds until fragrant.
- Add cabbage, apple, yellow onion, fennel and sage to the pan and begin to sweat.
- Let the veggies cook until starting to brown.
- Deglaze the pan with vinegar.
- Add sugar and water, cover and bring to simmer.
- Cook until tender. Set aside.
- Toss completed broth in roasting pan with carrots, maple syrup and mustard.
- Roast for an additional 30-45 minutes until carrots are tender and liquid has been reduced to a syrup.
- Toss carrots to coat in their cooking liquid.
- Cut crescent rolls into three strips each and wrap carrots, adding a teaspoon of cabbage filling before rolling.
- Reduce oven to 350 degrees and bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
- Serve over remaining cabbage with mustard for dipping.
Beet Tartare with Root Vegetable Chips
Yield: 2 cups tartare - approximately 32 servings
Ingredients:
2 medium red beets
1 sardine, packed in oil
2 t. capers
2 t. olive oil
1 T dijon mustard
2 t. yellow onion
2 t. parsley
1 t. tamari
1 clove garlic
½ lemon, juiced
⅛ t. salt + more to taste
⅛ t. black pepper
root vegetable chips for serving
Procedure:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Wrap beets in aluminum foil and roast until tender, about 60-90 minutes.
- Using a food processor, combine sardine, oil, capers, mustard, onion, parsley, tamari, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper to form emulsified dressing.
- Once beets are cool, dice into small cubes.
- Toss beets with dressing and serve with root vegetable chips.