Last weekend, I found myself craving fast food.  No, not from those golden arches or a freckle-faced purveyor of square meat…  Rather, I opened up several jars and enjoyed a glorious tradition called antipasto.

Antipasto is the signal for the beginning of the meal in many Italian households and restaurants, but I like to enjoy it as a meal unto itself.  It may be a little expensive, compared to my usual meals which my husband and/or I make mostly from scratch, and it may be a little higher in fat, but sometimes that is exactly what I want (dare I say Need? 🙂 ).

And it’s definitely a better choice for me to maybe eat an extra calamata olive or slice of fresh mozzarella than a large order of fries.  I know I always feel good after a meal of quality antipasto…and I certainly can’t say the same about that other form of fast food.

Often when we do antipasto for dinner, we will combine all of the components together on a bed of greens.  It’s important to me to try to use some fresh veggies combined with any marinated ones to keep the fat content in check.

I like to throw some legumes or lean canned fish in to enjoy with some salty meat and full-fat cheese.  Either way, this is a great example of how our women’s non-diet program can include some awesomely decadent choices.  Here are some ideas to build an antipasto salad plate at home (it’s also great for picnics!).

Veggie-palooza:

• Marinated mushrooms, or fresh roasted mushrooms
• Marinated artichokes
• Olives – Kalamata or Greek, or a tapenade
• Eggplant puree (baba ghanoush)
• Stuffed grape leaves
• Roasted red peppers
• Cherry peppers or hot peppers, i.e. pepperoncini
• Beefsteak or grape tomatoes
• Pickled broccoli or green beans
• Cucumbers or pickles
• Muffaletta or Bruschetta
• Pickled beets
• Romaine, Belgian endive, radicchio, and/or baby spinach
• Sauteed escarole, kale, or rapini

Protein options:

• Proscuitto (one of my most favorite things to mindfully eat)
• Salami
• Soppressetta
• Pepperoni
• Proscuitto and cheese-stuffed peppers
• Fresh Mozzarella
• Gorgonzola
• Chevre
• Feta
• Asiago
• Romano
• Parmesan
• Fava beans
• Garbanzo (also known as Ceci) beans
• Hummus
• Garlicky white bean dip (basically hummus made using canellini beans instead of garbanzos and no tahini)
• Kippered herring
• Sardines
• Mackerel
• Smoked Trout

Starch ideas:

• Good crusty bread
• Whole grain crackers
• Pasta (plain, cooked; you can toss it with your meats and/or marinated veggies)

With very little prep beyond putting food on plates, antipasto can be a quick and satisfying meal unto itself, and is perfect for those occasions when all of a sudden, friends are coming over for dinner.  What would you include on your antipast’ plate?