During Christmas it’s common to see many types of finger foods, and on Facebook, American Weight Watchers once showed some Christmas trees. They were made with pita bread, a type of flat, round leavened bread traditional in Middle Eastern cuisine. Pita bread is light but also sturdy enough to be used as the base for these trees.
They suggested using guacamole as a spread but I decided to use chickpea hummus that I already had at home. If you make it at home with my Light Hummus recipe, then the trees will be even lighter and more wholesome. Besides these basic ingredients, all you need is some vegetables and lots of creativity.
These Christmas tree appetizers are a great idea to prepare snacks for the holiday table even with children who will have a lot of fun and might be more inclined to eat the veggies they choose to use as decorations. They are really tasty and are vegan. Not only are they cute, but I had to take photos quickly because my family ate them right away and I had to make more…
You can find other recipes for Christmas and New Year here:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 6 Pieces
- Cooking methods: No Cooking
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: Christmas, New Year
Ingredients
These are the ingredients to prepare one round piece of pita bread, making 6 trees. I suggest 3 trees as a serving, but you can adjust according to your needs.
- 2.5 oz pita bread (1 piece of pita bread as per suggested product)
- 1 oz hummus (homemade or ready-to-eat vegan hummus)
- 2 pretzel sticks
- as needed various vegetables (peas, carrots, peppers, corn for decoration)
- a few spinach leaves (optional)
- a few broccoli florets (optional)
- Points for 3 trees with homemade hummus = 3 WW points
- Points for 3 trees with purchased hummus = 4 WW points
Tools
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Chopper
- Toothpick
- Plate
Preparation
I preferred to color the hummus green but it’s not necessary. To color the hummus, simply blend it with a few well-washed spinach leaves.
Cut the pita bread into 6 equal segments with a sharp knife. The pretzel sticks, meant to simulate the tree trunks, are quite fragile, so it’s best to make a small hole at the base of the pita bread segments with a wooden toothpick and then insert a piece of pretzel into the hole: this will be much easier and you won’t break as many pretzels as I did initially.
Prepare the vegetables for decoration. I used well-drained cooked peas, a small piece of red pepper cut into tiny cubes, and for the pine needle effect, I crumbled the top of a raw broccoli floret. Now, you just need to assemble everything: spread the hummus on each piece of pita bread, sprinkle with broccoli florets, and finally arrange the peas and pepper cubes like Christmas ornaments and garlands.
Simply place the Christmas tree pita bread on a nice white plate or cutting board for a delightful finger food for the Christmas table!
Coincidentally, among various knick-knacks I collect for the blog, I found this star-shaped plate perfect for serving these trees! Aren’t they fancy? It takes only 10 minutes to prepare everything, a few more minutes if you prefer to lightly toast the pita bread but it’s not necessary.
Beautiful, delicious, very easy, and light of course! I look forward to seeing photos of your Christmas trees in our lovely Facebook group!
Merry Christmas and enjoy!
by Giovanna Buono
Storage
You can prepare these Christmas trees a few hours ahead but not longer, or the bread becomes too dry. However, the hummus, already blended with spinach, can be prepared a few days in advance and kept in the fridge.
What can I use instead of hummus?
You can use any spreadable cream you like. I have also made them with vegan Philadelphia, and they turn out great!
What can I use instead of pita bread?
You can easily use another type of bread, as long as it’s thick enough to insert the pretzel sticks.
