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:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Toss potatoes in olive oil, salt + pepper. Roast for 25 minutes or until tender.
  3. Using a food processor, mince onion, garlic, ginger and half of scallions.
  4. Heat oil in skillet and add onion mixture, and lightly brown.
  5. Add half of lemon juice and vinegar to deglaze pan; add arame.
  6. While arame cooks, whisk together remaining lemon juice, 1 teaspoon scallions, coconut aminos, cod liver oil, ginger juice and salt.
  7. Remove arame from heat and toss with dressing.
  8. Slice off tops and bottoms of potatoes.
  9. 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:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Roast bones for 15 minutes.
  3. Heat olive oil and sweat red onion.
  4. Add pork bones and vinegar and cover with cold water.
  5. Cook broth at low simmer 4-8 hours. The longer the more flavorful. Be careful to ensure liquid remains, adding more if necessary.
  6. Meanwhile, begin filling by heating olive oil and adding fennel seed.
  7. Toast seeds until fragrant.
  8. Add cabbage, apple, yellow onion, fennel and sage to the pan and begin to sweat.
  9. Let the veggies cook until starting to brown.
  10. Deglaze the pan with vinegar.
  11. Add sugar and water, cover and bring to simmer.
  12. Cook until tender. Set aside.
  13. Toss completed broth in roasting pan with carrots, maple syrup and mustard.
  14. Roast for an additional 30-45 minutes until carrots are tender and liquid has been reduced to a syrup.
  15. Toss carrots to coat in their cooking liquid.
  16. Cut crescent rolls into three strips each and wrap carrots, adding a teaspoon of cabbage filling before rolling.
  17. Reduce oven to 350 degrees and bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
  18. 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:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Wrap beets in aluminum foil and roast until tender, about 60-90 minutes.
  3. Using a food processor, combine sardine, oil, capers, mustard, onion, parsley, tamari, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper to form emulsified dressing.
  4. Once beets are cool, dice into small cubes.
  5. Toss beets with dressing and serve with root vegetable chips.

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