It’s always a conundrum – what do I take to a potluck that is easy, portable, suitable for my diet AND other people will eat it as well? If you’re not going straight to the function, you need to consider whether it will need to be kept cold (or warm) along the way.
Here are some of our ideas to choose from, and remember, there is no shame is buying something ready made, so we’ve included those options too. Feel free to add some suggestions in the comments section.
A throwback to the past
This option is a bit retro and cheesy (sorry, bad pun), but there is something comforting about revisiting our childhood favourites. Cheese and pineapple on toothpicks is an old Kiwi classic that has been popular with my extended family recently. It’s not at all sophisticated, but we can put a bit of a twist on it.
Choose a variety of small snackables that work for the group you’re feeding:
- Proteins – eg. cheese (feta or mini mozzarella balls, being white, are nice for a Xmas platter), ham or salami chunks, pieces of smoked chicken. There are plenty of vegan options available now, but if you want to try something different, a marinated or simple baked tempeh might be nice.
- Veges – eg. cherry tomatoes, chunks of lebanese cucumber, cocktail onions or pickles, cooked or raw mushroom, chucks of capsicum
- Fruit – eg. drained, tinned pineapple chunks (or fresh if you have plenty of time on your hands), grapes, berries
Put 2 or 3 on each toothpick, in a selection of different combinations:
- Keep it simple & retro – cheese & pineapple or grape, ham & pineapple or grape, ham or cheese & cocktail onion, ham & cheese only (if you have carnivores)
- Festive – red, white and green – cherry tomatoes or a chunk of red capsicum + feta or mozzarella balls + a chunk of cucumber or green capsicum
- Other combos, limited only by your imagination – marinated tempeh & a cherry tomato / smoked chicken, brie and a grape / baked tempeh & a juicy pickle / salami, cheese & cocktail onion / smoked chicken & a couple of blueberries
More throwbacks
A friend reminded me of these:
- Devils on Horseback (prunes in bacon) – if you’re hosting and can keep them warm, they’ll be nicer than cold. Or some people like to use dates instead – try Mommypotamus’s Bacon Wrapped Dates with goat cheese or salted almonds
- Pigs in a blanket – Bacon wrapped around chipolatas, cheerios (for any US readers, these are Kiwi mini sausages, not breakfast cereal, that would be weird) or pieces of bigger sausages. Some recipes have them wrapped in pastry, but surely that’s just a sausage roll?
- And of course sausage rolls are another throwback that have never lost favour. Make your own – recipes from the Edmonds cookbook or NZ Womans Weekly – or buy frozen ones that you can chop up and just bang in the oven, we won’t tell on you.
- While we’re talking throwbacks, has anyone still got their fondue set from the 70s? Or has indulged themselves and bought a modern one? For a smaller gathering, either a classic cheese fondue, a NZ cheese one, or a chocolate one are fun. If you’re dairy free, you can still enjoy the dessert version by replacing the cream with coconut cream.
Higher protein options
- Baked chicken nibbles or wings – a lemon honey version, a satay version, another citrus version I tried a few years back, or my current rough and ready version that works for most diets – mix together a large spoonful of ground almonds with a sprinkling of salt and some moroccan spice, dry the nibbles and dip in the mix, bake 20-25 mins each side at 200C.
- Meatballs & dipping sauce – Nadia Lim’s Basic Meatballs or Low Carb Meatballs suitable for keto, starch free or gluten free diets
- Cheese ball & a range of crackers – this walnut cranberry cheese ball looks amazing for Christmas
- Deviled eggs – traditional, or try this recipe with avocado for a festive feel
- A cheese board – or for Xmas, this Xmas tree cheese platter
- Any kind of antipasto / grazing platter – consider cold meats, cheeses, hot or cold smoked salmon, nuts, dried fruits, olives, cherry tomatoes, pickles
Lighter or Vegetarian options
- Broccoli & haloumi fritters – these are very popular with one member’s family, and are even requested cold for lunch boxes. They would also make a nice Xmas breakfast. If you’re following a traditional diet, use lard, tallow, butter or ghee to cook them.
- Kebabs made with cold roast veges (or warm ones if it’s at your house) or raw salad veges. (To be honest, these are not that different from the toothpick idea above, except you’d use skewers and have more like 5 or 6 items on each.) Some recipes here and here.
- Mushroom Nut Roast – made in muffin or mini muffin molds
- Hummus and crackers – buy some ready made, or if you prefer homemade here’s a classic recipe or for low carb, keto, grain free try this Cauliflower Hummus
Something sweet
- Fruit platter – or if it’s Xmas, you have plenty of time and can safely transport it – try a fruit Xmas tree. Here are a couple of approaches for you to check out, and base your own masterpiece on. One is from NZ’s Dom’s Kitchen, and the other from Recipes From A Pantry
- If it’s a Xmas party – our Easy Xmas cake recipe can be made into mini muffins. Also on that page are links to three different versions (to cater for gluten or grain free) of Orange Cranberry Christmas muffins, which could be made normal sized or mini.
- Gingerbread men or stars: This is Deb’s grain free version, suitable for just about all diets except nut free. If you want to reduce the sugar but don’t have other dietary needs, this recipe uses brown sugar and less of it , and this recipe is sweetened with apple juice only.
- White Christmas Slice or Chocolate Xmas Bark. See our Bliss balls and bites page for a variety of options, including medjool date “boats” and chocolate fudge. Or just go and buy a container of Tom & Luke’s snackaballs if you’re pushed for time.
- Mini pavs. This version is by Nigella. I’d be inclined to top it with sliced strawberry or kiwi for a NZ twist. Also on her site, I found this recipe for Forgotten pudding – like a flat marshmallowy pavlova made in a swiss roll tin, so much easier and quicker. If you want to reduce your sugar: I’ve never managed to make a successful low sugar pav, but these two keto bloggers have – here and here.
Recipe posts compiled by Deb.
For more recipes, go to the Recipe Index page
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