Mediterranean Tapas Plate

Ok, so I mainly took the photo to prove to the doctor that I actually am eating.  I'm not sure anyone has ever been so paranoid about losing five pounds.

I love tapas meals, even when it isn't hot.  Yes, they're a bit of work.  Instead of making two or three items for a dinner, you're doing up to six.  In this case, I got a little over-achiever and filled the plate with a few tastes of as much as I could fit.  There was a bit of a meal prepping day.  However, when I got home from work, I could just portion it out onto a plate and put the cold dinner on the table.

• Turkish Meatballs (Which kind of fell apart.  Work in progress)
• Hummus with cucumber and tomato wedges
• Brie and whole wheat pita
• Cooked carrot salad
• Olives and marinated artichokes

You can see that appetizers don't have to be full of saturated fat, carbs, salt, and calories.  I did count this as two servings of carbs because of the barley used in the meatballs (I didn't want to get stuck with a pound of bulgur), even though as a vegetarian meal you get to ignore one if it is high protein, like the lentils and hummus.

Two or three people could share a plate like this before a light dinner of fish or chicken with salad.  Or double it for a lunch or tea spread.  Mediterranean-style foods are great for patio gatherings and wine tasting parties.  Because those are a thing again.