If there is one warm moment, it is the aperitif. Of course, it has become virtual on Zoom or Skype during the lockdown, but its main purpose is sharing, relaxation and conviviality. And if it is healthy, it is all good.

Forget about sandwich bread , it contains almost nothing but white flour, water, oil and sugar. Swap it for smart breads or even other more unexpected spreads.Clean aperitifs are possible and it's even easier to adopt than you might think.

Bread fan? Say yes to buckwheat!

This cereal is light and digestible because it is gluten-free . Toast the slices of buckwheat bread and spread them with different homemade recipes such as guacamole. Provided that the avocados do not come from the other side of the world and this guacamole is spiced with quality spices such as turmeric, berries, pepper, a touch of chili rather than seasoned with ready-made mixes often enriched with additives (not recommended) and colorings. Also dip into hummus, tuna and potato rillettes, cauliflower creams, eggplant or tomato caviars and the whole family of fresh goat cheeses.

Fall for the shuttles…

Endive or iceberg, salads that offer firm leaves. They have the merit of serving as a vegetable "support", zero calories , gluten free. They lend themselves perfectly to associations with smoked salmon (organic), salmon or sea bream tartare, garnished with lime, small cubes of mango, Roquefort or blue cheese, cucumber strips, marinated zucchini or avocado, cod liver. These navettes are ideal for placing salmon or trout eggs (superfood full of omega 3), provided that they have previously been spread with hummus or a thin layer of vegetable cream, silken tofu, quality crème fraîche or raw butter.

Homemade toast?

Make your own dough with seeds, almond flour, flax and water. Mix everything together and stretch this dough on the baking sheet to make a kind of big baked cracker. Once cooked, break them up to make individual portions for future spreads.

Verrines and other treats!

The verrines, or large individual spoons, highlight the colors of your mixtures such as: shrimp + pineapple, langoustines + clementine supremes, shrimp + avocado, salmon + cucumber curry, scallop tartare + mango, it's a cocktail of proteins and trace elements from the seafood side. Other favorite verrines: cucumber + goat cheese + candied tomatoes (or fresh depending on the season), but also the pumpkin or coral lentil velouté "upgraded" by the addition of foie gras... if you like!

Essential and full of vitamins: vegetables, seasonal only , such as radishes, black radish, cauliflower heads with lemon, salt, pepper and turmeric or to dip in a cream cheese sauce, salt, pepper and fresh herbs. But also large mushrooms stuffed with cream cheese, garlic and homemade herbs (or not, but choose the least fat possible). Also think about homemade puff pastries (brick sheets and spinach + feta, minced chicken breast with curry).

It's a piece of cake...

For savory tarts, think outside the box by opting for different bases: old-fashioned mustard or tapenade on the bottom of the puff pastry, on which you add quick-cooking vegetables such as tomatoes (homemade crushed and preserved in the freezer or in jars), zucchini, spinach. In classic quiches, replace the crème fraîche with goat's cheese, Gruyère with mozzarella or ricotta, the egg, crème fraîche and milk base with silken tofu mixed with cooked spinach and a hint of vegetable cream. In short, swing your quiches and other tarts.

Chips then!

Multi-colored vegetable chips are pretty and very easy to make in the oven with ribbons or slices of carrots, beetroot or in a pan with kale.

Nice crumbles

More original than gratins, vegetable crumbles are prepared with potatoes (and a drizzle of truffle oil!), the pumpkin and chestnut duo, but also broccoli, cauliflower, mashed potatoes and celery, pan-fried mushrooms and onion compote. To twist this puree into a crumble, simply add a crumble base, the variation of which can be made with crushed seeds or rice flakes, parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil. Sprinkle this preparation on the vegetable casseroles and bake for about ten minutes.

All with a glass of…

Good red wine, organic or natural, rich in polyphenols, it is almost the ideal aperitif. We can be satisfied with a glass of very good wine, which we taste in full awareness, a bit like during a wine-tasting course or a tasting session. It will serve as a setting for all the spreads, cheeses, small savory tarts. For the festive side, treat yourself to a glass of good champagne or sparkling organic wine. Accompanied by cooked or raw vegetables, they see their acidifying character diminish.

Always place beautiful carafes of water on the coffee table or buffet, pure or flavored with star anise, fresh herbs or slices or rounds of seasonal fruit. If you have not yet managed to give up plastic with mineral water bottles, now is the time to choose to offer "grands crus" such as Rosée de la Reine, (in organic and health food stores) or the more accessible Mont Roucous, ideal because they are very weakly mineralized, they have the advantage of not tiring the kidneys.

And now it's time to toast... to your health!