Category: Appetizers

Appetizers, Recipes

Fresh Tomato and Mozzarella Crostini

Sarah

We spent last weekend with my family. Not only did we have a great time, but we also [as usual] had some pretty amazing food. My mom and sister love cooking just as much as I do… so it’s only natural. 🙂 One of the best things we enjoyed was possibly the simplest–but simple doesn’t have to mean boring. Often, simple means fresh, light flavors that are perfectly pared… and are complex in their own way. Well, at least that’s the case with this quick crostini.

This crostini starts with toasted multigrain bread coated with tangy garlic, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Then, the bread is topped with sweet basil, creamy mozzarella, and right on top…a juicy, ripe tomato. But the tomato is not just an afterthought–it’s the highlight, its bright sweetness accentuated by the cool cheese and crusty bread.

Can anything really be better in the summertime?  I’m not really sure what… and even though these are definitely an elegant appetizer, perfect for a cocktail party or bridal shower… I have a sneaky suspicion that even kids would love them, since they look a bit like a fried egg on toast. Do they not? Who says tomatoes need to be red? 🙂 Whoever you make these for is sure to enjoy them. Tis the season! Tomato season, that is!

Come share in the tomato love at the Tomato Love Recipe Exchange, hosted by Gimme Some Oven & Bake Your Day, sponsored this week by KitchenAid.  Also visit Recipe for Change to learn more about how to support tomato farmers.

Fresh Tomato and Mozzarella Crostini [from Mom]
click to print

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 of a French baguette, cut into 1/2 inch slices [approximately 16 slices]
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 large clove garlic, smashed
  • 16 small/medium basil leaves
  • 2 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced into 16 pieces
  • 8 small, bite-sized tomatoes, cut in half [I used sweet golden tomatoes but any cherry-type tomato will do]

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place bread on a cookie sheet then bake for 6-8 minutes until toasted. Remove from oven and cool briefly, about 2 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine olive oil and vinegar.

Then, rub garlic on each slice of bread. Brush on oil and vinegar mixture, then top with a basil leaf, a slice of mozzarella, and a tomato half.

Serve immediately.

Time: 15 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings.

Notes: Recipe can easily be increased as needed.

Appetizers, Recipes

Mediterranean Feta Dip

Sarah

Update: recipe is now my blog. Check it out here! 🙂
Today I’m sharing this awesome no-cook summer dip over at Today’s Housewife. Sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, feta cheese… what’s not to love? Happy Thursday!

Appetizers, Recipes

Cilantro Lime Hummus

Sarah

So, over the weekend, I hosted a baby shower for my friend Susan. Susan and I actually met through blogging–last summer, she saw a post I wrote on Today’s Housewife and emailed me to say that she was moving to Bloomington for her husband to attend graduate school. We emailed back and forth a bit, until finally Susan moved to town and we met for the first time. Ben and I had Susan, her husband Mike, and their baby boy, Jacob over for dinner and as we were getting everything ready, we started to worry…

Why did we invite strangers that we met on the internet over to our house?

What were we thinking?

Let’s hope this isn’t the most awkward evening ever.

Turns out it wasn’t, and we all enjoy hanging out together… So when a mutual friend suggested we cook up a baby shower for Susan [she’s expecting a baby girl in August!], I was super excited. The shower was on Saturday, and sadly, pretty much the only pictures I took were of these  gorgeous flowers from the local Famer’s Market.

I’m not sure what I was thinking, not taking pictures… but thankfully there were some food pictures I took before the party got started so I can share some of the awesome things we had to eat! My favorite new recipe of the night had to be this Cilantro Lime Hummus. It was absolutely perfect, so I couldn’t wait to blog about it. And I promised the recipe to the soon-to-be-mom-of-two so I had to follow through, huh? This hummus is a creamy, dreamy spicy, fresh dip that was perfect with salty blue corn chips, crackers, or fresh veggies.

I’ll admit, putting a green dip in a yellow bowl does not make for a super amazing photograph, but I hope you’ll look past looks and concentrate on the most important thing… how this dip tastes! If I do say so myself, it’s pretty incredible. Cilantro-lime is a pretty classic flavor combo, popularized by a certain Mexican burrito joint, and though it may sound a little strange in hummus…. it works. Just like peanut butter and chocolate work in Cookie Dough Dip… except this is savory. Do you follow? Umm, alright, well maybe they aren’t really the same at all, except for that common ingredient, chickpeas. I’ll admit that I’m usually a storebought hummus girl, but these unique flavors may have converted me! In fact, I think I’m going to go enjoy some leftovers right… about… now! Enjoy!

What’s your favorite flavor of hummus?

Cilantro Lime Hummus [adapted from How Sweet Eats]
click to print

Ingredients:

  • 1 large bunch cilantro, rinsed and roughly chopped [remove most of the stems but don’t worry about perfection]
  • 3 15-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 3 tablespoons tahini
  • 6 cloves garlic, crushed
  • zest and juice of 3 limes
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Combine cilantro and chickpeas in a food processor, then add tahini, garlic, lime juice, and zest. Process until well combined, then stream in oil and pulse until mixed. Add red pepper and salt, then adjust seasonings if needed. Serve with blue corn chips, pita chips, or veggies.

Time: 10 minutes.

Yield: about 4 cups.

Appetizers, Recipes

Cookie Dough Dip

Sarah

Umm, so you know how I like to engage in a bit of tomfoolery, or trickery, if you will with Ben in regards to food? Like the “meat” balls incident? Well, I’ve done it again. This time with cookie dough dip. Whaaaaat?

About a year ago when I first spotted this recipe for healthy cookie dough dip, made with chickpeas in a pseudo-sweet-hummus fashion. I giggled to myself in the kitchen one Saturday afternoon while making it, triumphing in my kitchen successes. Ben was in the living room, playing video games and I asked him to take a snack break.

“What have you made, my dear?” he asked.

“Cookie dough dip.”

“Mmmm, I’ll take some!”

No one I know can resist cookie dough. Especially chocolate chip cookie dough. It’s like, a law of being American or something like that. Ben certainly can’t. And I knew that. And played it to my advantages. I mean, wouldn’t you?

Wouldn’t you like to see your loved ones chowing down on a [semi] healthy bowl of cookie dough without a care in the world? I mean, fielding complements of “this dip is just like a bowl of cookie dough… velvety, vanillay, caramely…” is no hardship, now is it? Especially not when those compliments are laced with praise like “you’re the best wife in the world” and “this is the most amazing dip I’ve ever had the pleasure to taste and enjoy and savor and delight in!” Okay, so maybe I exaggerated a wee little bit. But you get the essence of it.

Slowly, surely, steadily guilt [and a little curiosity] got the better of me. I couldn’t let him go on eating this delicious treat thinking it’s full of fatty ingredients while it’s really full of chickpeas and natural peanut butter. So I dropped the bomb. The chickpea bomb, if you will. And his experience went from this to this in two seconds flat:

I am happy to report that he fully recovered and was chowing down on this healthy cookie dough dip a few minutes later, without any ill effects. In fact, he loved the dip so much that he recently suggested I make it for our small group party, which I did. It was devoured, and no one seemed all that concerned about the weird ingredient. So maybe it sounds weirder than it is, or my husband is a drama king. [Just kidding! Love you, JT]. Or maybe a little of both. Whatever it is doesn’t really matter. What really matters is that you try this cookie dough dip because it’s pretty much the best stuff around!

What secret ingredients do you like to surprise people with in your favorite recipes?

Cookie Dough Dip [from Chocolate-Covered Katie]
click to print

Ingredients:

  • 1 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • generous 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • generous 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 tablespoons oats
  • 1/4 cup peanut butter [or other nut butter]
  • 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
  • 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Add chickpeas, milk, and vanilla to a good food processor and blend until very smooth. Then add salt, baking soda, oats, and peanut butter and pulse until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Serve with animal crackers, graham crackers, apple slices, etc.

Time: 10 minutes.

Yield: 2 1/2-3 cups.

Appetizers, Recipes

SRC: Smoky Fried Chickpeas

Sarah

It’s Secret Recipe Club time! If you’ve missed my other SRC posts, the premise is this: you’re assigned a different member’s blog every month. You visit their blog, choose any recipe you want, then make it and share it on your blog. Then, everyone posts about their assigned blog on the same day. It’s so fun to try out new blogs. If you have a blog, definitely check it out and consider joining! I highly recommend it.

This month I was assigned Susie’s blog, Eat Little, Eat Big. Susie lives in Maui [jealous!! Can you even imagine?] and has tons of fresh, tasty, and creative recipes on her blog. I have several new things on my to-make list including Three Cheese Mini Macs, Avocado Dressing, and Pear & Prosciutto Appetizers. As tasty and intriguing as those treats sound, I decided to try out her Smoky Fried Chickpeas. Guess I was in a savory mood when recipe selecting, huh?

I had previously made roasted chickpeas, but never fried… and boy were they tasty! [edited to add: I must have had “roasted chickpeas” on my mind as I worked on the photos… see above! Whoops!] These chickpeas just required five simple ingredients: chickpeas [duh], olive oil, smoked paprika, chipotle chile powder, and lime zest. Oh, and salt. Six. I lied. Nevertheless, not a whole lot of ingredients, but a whole lot of flavor!

This simple appetizer is such a treat, with the smoky/spicy contrasts drawn from smoked paprika and spicy chipotle chile powder that is livened up with a hint of lime-salt goodness. Since we almost always have some chickpeas in the pantry, this may just be my new go-to snack. Sweet! Or, should I say… savory? 🙂

Smoky Roasted Chickpeas [from Eat Little, Eat Big]
click to print

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 can [15 ounce] chickpeas [garbanzo beans]
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons lime zest [about 1 lime]
  • salt

Directions:

In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Meanwhile, rinse, drain, and pat dry chickpeas. Add to skillet and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until brown, stirring occasionally.

In a small bowl, combine paprika, chipotle chile powder, and lime zest.

Remove chickpeas from pan and drain on paper towels. Then place in a bowl and toss with spice mixture. Salt to taste. Serving with paper napkins for greasy fingers suggested. 🙂

Time: 15 minutes.

Yield: 3 servings.

Note: I halved the original recipe, so you can easily multiply this but just check out the original for adjustments to cooking time/method.

Check out other great Secret Recipe Club posts here: