My Blini with Fat Free Greek Yogurt, Salmon Roe and Chives are such elegant little bites of heaven and can really be lightened up by the use of alternative ingredients. If I have a health conscious group at my home, I substitute lakanto monk fruit for the sugar, use fat free Fage Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, skim milk instead of whole and I also use a light butter. The taste is the same and your guests will get the same fabulous experience. I have learned to do a lot of substitutions when I cook and when I find great ingredients and good substitutions; I will share them with you here. You can really cut back on saturated fats and sugar when preparing food with a couple of good subs.
You can make these blinis in advance and keep in a warm oven until ready to serve or you can make these up to a day ahead and refrigerate them. Just reheat in a 350-degree oven for about 5 minutes and you are ready to go. Then, you are ready to top them with yogurt or sour cream, salmon roe or caviar and a couple of chives.
Caviar is the traditional topping on blini but it is definitely not in everyone’s budget. A really good substitute is a reasonably priced salmon roe. I have an abundance of great supermarkets in my area and I can easily source a good one but if you can’t, you’ll find all kinds of options online. You can pick up a small jar for $12 – $15.
Another tip: if you are rushed and want to pull this together really fast, some supermarkets sell pre-made Blinis in their cheese department and they are really good. I’ve also seen them online at Amazon. Talk about an easy way to prepare an elegant appetizer! Keep a box in the refrigerator, heat them up when you are ready to assemble your starter and you are set for a gourmet appetizer or a great nibble with a cocktail. I always have them on hand. Easy, fast and delicious. Serve the blinis on a large platter. They are great warm or at room temperature so they are perfect on a buffet.
If you are looking for other healthier, appetizer options, check out some of these recipes. All are delicious and easy to make.
Blini with Fat Free Greek Yogurt, Salmon Roe & Chives
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp. All-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp. Buckwheat flour
- 1 Tsp. Sugar (or Lakanto sweetener)
- 1/8 Tsp. Baking soda
- Kosher salt
- 1/4 Cup Whole milk (or skim milk)
- 1 Large egg, separated
- 2 Tbsp. Unsalted butter, melted plus more for cooking (or Land O’Lakes Lite Butter)
- Fat-Free Fage Greek Yogurt (or Sour Cream)
- Fresh Chives
- Salmon Roe (or Caviar)
Instructions
- In a large non-stick skillet, heat about 1/2 tablespoon of butter over medium heat until hot. Working in batches, spoon one tablespoon of the batter into the skillet and cook until bubbly and dry on top, about 1 minute. Flip the blini over and cook until golden on the bottom, about 45 seconds more. Transfer the blini to a serving platter and repeat with the remaining batter. These are supposed to be small, appetizer size pancakes, so don’t use more than about a tablespoon of batter.
- Serve the blini topped with the Greek yogurt or sour cream and top that with a little salmon roe and two small pieces of cut chives.
