I'm on the South Beach Low Carb "diet", so my choices may not be what you're looking for. But here goes:
deli sliced chicken breast
salad shrimp
black olives
low fat mozz sticks
FF/SF puddings
flavored sparkling waters
lots of veggies
salad fixins
Turkey bacon
carb friendly yogurt
ocassionally sweet potato
nuts (I make a "trail mix" with mixed nuts, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds)
wraps (always looking to find lowest carb, highest fiber -meaning whole wheat)
whole wheat pasta
pita pockets
hummus (yummy mixed with chopped olives)
FF/SF fudgescicles
ocassionally fruit
seafood
chicken stock (to make our version of chicken w/ rice soup)
brown rice
lean meats
low fat cheeses
That's probablt it for my staples. I'm pretty gung-ho on the "diet" now so I might start incorporating more in later. I don't want to fix what isn't broke.
As for an appetizer for parties what about veggies, fruit, turkey meatballs, pickles, olive tray, low fat cheese w/ whole wheat crackersand my favorite pita chips (made by splitting pita in 2 rounds, toasting, then breaking into chip sizes and serving w/ hummus) This is my treat once or twice a week!!!
Good luck hunting for "new" treasures in the grocery.