Try These Simple, Healthy Snacks for a Picture-Perfect Oscars Party

Make your Oscars night sparkle with first-class flavors, without snacking on popcorn and candy. And since no one wants to miss all the red carpet excitement, these recipes are easy to whip up and make in advance. Enjoy vegetables, beans, and nuts, which pack a lot of nutrients and are deeply indulgent — a spicy Buffalo-style white bean dip, edamame coated in a flavored salt, shrimp with an almond-roasted red pepper dip, and mushrooms stuffed with cheese.

Blistered Edamame Pods with Lemon-Chili Salt

If your smoke detector is sensitive, take it down or turn it off, just in case. In a small bowl, prepare the salt by mixing together the zest of 1 lemon, ½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt, and ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. Warm 2 tablespoons of canola oil in a large, heavy-duty saucepan over high heat. Add 1 (14-ounce) package of edamame in pods and reduce the heat to medium-high. Stir pretty constantly with a spatula and cook until the edamame are blistered enough for your liking, anywhere from 6 to 10 minutes. Transfer edamame pods into a medium bowl and toss with the lemon-chili salt.

Buffalo White Bean Dip with Veggies

Drain a 15.5-ounce can of cannellini beans, reserving 1 tablespoon of liquid. Add the beans and liquid to the bowl of a food processor, along with ¼ cup Frank’s Red Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce. Purée until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer dip to a bowl and chill if you have time. Serve with a tiny drizzle of olive oil and more hot sauce, if you want it spicier. Serve with a variety of veggies: cucumber slices, broccoli and cauliflower florets, grape tomatoes, baby carrots, jicama sticks, red pepper slices, and sugar snap peas. Or nix the veggies altogether and serve with crisp pita chips.

Goat Cheese-Stuffed Mushrooms

When buying 2 (8-ounce) containers of baby bella (also called cremini) mushrooms, look for small- to medium-size mushrooms for the best cheese filling-to-mushroom ratio. Preheat oven to 425°F. Remove the stems and wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp paper towel. (Toss the mushrooms stems or freeze to chop and mix into your next veggie dish.) In a small bowl, add 1 (4.5-ounce) log of herbed goat cheese and microwave until just softened, about 30 seconds. Stir in 1 tablespoon milk and use a small spoon to distribute the cheese mixture among all the mushrooms, adding into each mushroom cavity. In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs and 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Dip each mushroom top into the breadcrumb mixture to coat and place onto a greased baking sheet. Bake until bread crumbs are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Shrimp With Spanish Dip

Romesco sauce, which always starts with almonds and roasted red peppers puréed together (plus or minus other ingredients), is a classy twist on cocktail sauce for shrimp. Preheat the broiler on high; line a small baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray. Halve and seed 1 medium red bell pepper; halve 1 small Roma tomato. Place both cut side down onto the baking sheet. Throw on 3 unpeeled garlic cloves too. Broil 5 minutes; rotate the pan and broil 5 more minutes, aiming for black and blistery peels. Let cool until you can remove the peels off everything — the bell pepper, the tomato, and the garlic, discarding skins. (Don’t have time for broiling? Substitute with 1 cup canned chopped red bell pepper (drained and rinsed), 2 whole canned tomatoes, and ½ teaspoon garlic powder.) In a food processor, purée ½ cup roasted almonds until finely chopped. Add tomato, bell pepper, and garlic, along with 1/3 cup cubed white bread, 1½ tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and ¼ teaspoon paprika into a food processor. Blend until puréed. Refrigerate and serve on a platter with 1½ to 2 pounds chilled cooked shrimp.

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