Tag Archives: appetizer

Smoked Salmon Dip

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This is a classic Smoked Salmon Dip with a hint of lemon juice and chopped dill – delicious as an appetizer, great dish to bring to a party, and it can be dressed up or down. Serve with cut vegetables, crackers, or toasted baguette!

Blog smoked salmon dill dip-3 Blog smoked salmon dill dip-2 Blog smoked salmon dill dip-1

Ingredients

  • 8oz cream cheese
  • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 4 oz smoked salmon, chopped and divided
  • Dill springs (for garnish)
  • Serve with fresh cut vegetables, crackers or toasted bread

Directions

  • Combine first three ingredients in a food processor
  • Add half of the salmon and process until smooth
  • Fold in remaining half of salmon
  • Garnish with dill sprigs
  • Yields 12 servings

Super mom tip: This dip makes very well ahead of time. Simply cover and refrigerate a day in advance.

dit-elle-Esther

 

Apples & Toffee Caramel Dip

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Go Seahawks!!!!!!!!!! I’m reposting this as an awesome super bowl game day snack. Totally unhealthy, totally delicious. Super easy to make. Enjoy!

This dip pairs especially well with Honeycrisp (or a tarter) apple!

Blog apples caramel dip

Ingredients

  • 1 brick cream cheese
  • 1/4 c. brown sugar
  • 1/4 c. white sugar
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 bag toffee chips (like Heath toffee bits)

Mix first four ingredients well and fold in chips. Let chill for at least an hour. This makes very well a day in advance.

Honeycrisp apples are amazing with this dip!

dit-elle-Esther

Hot Artichoke and Crab Dip

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We just had our annual Iron Chef party – the challenge was to use ONE of the following ingredients in a dish: crab, chocolate or cranberries. I picked crab and made this dip. Guess who won the iron chef challenge!? Yep, that’s right – Hot Artichoke & Crab Dip! 🙂

This dip is everything you would expect from a hot creamy artichoke and crab dip – plus more! The 1/2 tsp cayenne adds a fabulous kick. Spicy but not too spicy. If you’re not into spice and heat – omit! Definitely not recommended for kids, but a wonderful “grown up” dish. I served this with cucumber and red bell pepper slices, but toasted baguette or pita would be great if you prefer!

blog crab artichoke dip

Ingredients

  • 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed
  • 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked crabmeat
  • 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese + 1/4 cup for topping
  • 1/3 cup chopped green onion + 2 tsps for garnish
  • 1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper + 2 tsps for garnish
  • 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

Serve with

  • 1 hot house cucumber, sliced (for dipping)
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced (for dipping)

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
  • Combine cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth; stir in garlic and cayenne. Gently stir artichoke hearts, crab, Parmesan cheese, 1/3 cup green onion, 1/3 cup red bell pepper. Transfer the dip to a 9-inch pie dish and sprinkle top with rest of cheese.
  • Bake in the preheated oven until topping is golden brown and dip is hot, ~30 minutes. Garnish with 2 teaspoons green onion and 2 teaspoons chopped red bell pepper.

dit-elle-Esther

Yellow Squash Guacamole // Paleo // Whole30

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My father in law has a big garden.  I loooove that we get to go over for a visit, and then he sends us home with a bag fool of yummy home grown veggies!!  I’ll be honest.  I made this and took these pictures a month ago, and am just getting around to blogging the recipe-whoops!  Hopefully, you can still get your hands on some kind of squash that is ok to eat raw, because this was amazing and a great way to sneak in some veggies/aka totally healthy!Blog Paleo Squash Guacomole-1 Blog Paleo Squash Guacomole-2 Ingredients

You can totally play with these measurements of ingredients.  I honestly don’t even remember how much of what I used-sorry!!  I sometimes just throw a bunch of ingredients in the Cuisinart, hope for the best, and then add a little more of this or that as needed.  This time it worked! 🙂

  • One medium to large yellow squash
  • 2 Avocados
  • 10 Cherry tomatoes
  • 2 Baby onions, or about 1/3 cup diced
  • 1/4 Teaspoon crushed garlic
  • 4-5 fresh basil leaves (you could use the typical cilantro as well, but I love my Trader Joe’s $2.99 Basil plant!  Mainly, because it’s still ALIVE! haha :))
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Juice from half of a lime (not necessary, but an added bonus)

Directions

  • Cut off the ends of the yellow squash, cut into 1 inch slices and toss in the Cuisinart.  I keep the skin on…
  • Throw everything else in there and pulse a few times.  The squash is the main thing that needs to be shredded first, everything else pulses up pretty quickly.
  • Serve on top of any kind of grilled fish/meat, with chips, pitas, sweet potato or plantain chips.  Really, you can do whatever you want with this!

Tips

This is best served right away.  The liquid from the squash tends to leak out the longer it sits, which might not be so appealing to some if you make it too much ahead of time 🙂  I still ate leftovers the next day, but I really hate seeing food go to waste, and it still tasted yummy!  You could probably use a lot of different veggies in this.  Carrots, zucchini, eggplant (?? Not a big fan, but to each his own :)).  The main goal is to slip some extra vitamin enriched goodness into something that everyone loves-guacamole!dit-elle-Lauren

Papusas

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My sister was in Peru recently and brought back this fabulous recipe – Salvadoran Papusas. So easy, so fun! Basically mix finely ground corn meal (called masa harina or masa de maiz) with water, add whatever toppings/stuffings you want (like cheese, herbs, cooked meat, veggies) and fry in a dry pan (no oil). I topped with Cilantro Lime Crema and these were delicious!

Blog papusas (2) Blog papusas (1)

Ingredients

  • Finely ground corn meal
  • Water
  • Toppings/stuffings: cheese, spices, veggies, cooked meat. I did these simply with some cheddar jalapeno cheese.

Directions

  • Put corn meal in a bowl and add water stirring until a soft dough forms
  • Shape and stuff with toppings
  • Fry 1-2 minutes per side or until golden

More info on these delightful papusas or ‘stuffed pockets’ http://www.whats4eats.com/breads/pupusas-recipe or on Wikipedia.

Super Mom Tip: fun recipe for kids to help make. Have them do the stirring and shaping and you do the cooking! 🙂

dit-elle-Esther

Zucchini Crust Pizza

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There are many excellent gluten free pizza doughs out there, but what if you want to go grain-free and/or paleo? Veggie pizzas are a great alternative. Think zucchini, eggplant or cauliflower for your crust. Top with sauce, meats and veggies, and cheese (optional) of course! I made this one with zucchini and topped it with tomato sauce, cheese and fresh pesto! Yum! Blog zucchini paleo pizza-2 Blog zucchini paleo pizza-1 Ingredients

  • 2 c. zucchini, finely grated, lightly packed (use grater blade on your food processor for easy prep)
  • ½-3/4 c. almond meal
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 T. coconut oil
  • ½ t. oregano
  • ¼ t. garlic powder
  • ⅛ t. salt (you don’t need much because the zucchini will retain some)
  • Toppings: fresh herbs, vegetables, meats, cheese, pesto
Instructions
  1. Place the grated zucchini in a strainer and sprinkle with a little salt, tossing to mix it in a bit
  2. Place the strainer over a large bowl, and let the zucchini drain for about 30 minutes.
  3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  4. Place the grated zucchini into a dry dish towel and squeeze, or press out as much as you can in the strainer
  5. Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl.
  6. Add almond meal as needed to make a dough (not too wet, not too dry).
  7. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, spread the zucchini mix out into an oval shape. I use a fork to do this, and I press it down to compact it as well.
  8. Place the pan on the bottom rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
  9. Then place the pan on the top rack of the oven for ~8 minutes, until browned.
  10. Remove the pan and flip the crust, bake for another ~5 minutes. Then remove and turn oven up to 500.
  11. Top the pizza with sauce, pesto, and whatever your favorite toppings are
  12. Place the pizza back into the oven and bake for ~5 minutes more

Thanks Oatmeal with a Fork blogger for this tasty recipe!

dit-elle-Esther

Tunisian Pesto

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A delicious pesto made with cilantro, parsley, almonds and olive oil. Excellent with tortilla chips, vegetable sticks or grilled shrimp.

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups packed fresh cilantro
  • 1 cup packed fresh parsley
  • 1/4  c almonds
  • 1 or 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

  • Combine cilantro, parsley, almonds, garlic and salt in food processor and blend
  • Add oil in a stream while the above is blending until smooth

Note: This freezes very well if you have leftovers – fill airtight container and add some more olive oil on top

dit-elle-Esther

Buffalo Chicken Dip

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This is an old standby for football Sundays, game night and parties, but with baseball Opening Night in Seattle this evening, figured it would be in order to blog about! Thanks Rj for this recipe! 🙂

Blog buffalochixdip

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of cooked shredded chicken
  • 1 pkg cream cheese (8oz)
  • 1/4-1/2 cup hot sauce (e.g. Frank’s hot sauce)
  • 1/2c blue cheese dressing (ranch dressing if you don’t like blue cheese)
  • 1/2 c blue cheese crumbles (optional)

Directions
Mix everything together and bake for 25 mins @350. Stir once done, serve hot with tortilla chips.

dit-elle-Esther

Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus

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Bacon & Asparagus Spears! This is a wonderful paleo appetizer/snack! 🙂

Blog baconasparagus

Ingredients

  • 1 lb fresh asparagus (16-20 spears)
  • 8-10 strips bacon

Directions

  • Wash & trim asparagus spears
  • Cut bacon strips in half crosswise
  • Wrap one half strip bacon around 1 or 2 asparagus spears (depending on how fat/skinny they are), leaving tip and end exposed
  • Lay on cookie sheet or large baking dish and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until bacon is cooked
  • Serve warm or at room temperature

dit-elle-Esther

Beet & Walnut Salad

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This combination of beets, oil & vinegarette and toasted walnuts is delicious! Great as an appetizer, side or salad. 🙂

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Ingredients

  • 3 pounds beets
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • dash of salt and pepper
  • 1/4 cup olive or walnut oil
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 3/4 bunch green onions, sliced
  • 1/4 red onion, sliced into thin half-moons (optional)

Directions

  • Steam or boil beets until fork tender, it will really depend on their size, but about 20-40 minutes. Cut off root and stem ends and slip off skins under cool, running water while beets are still warm (easiest way to do this is to sort of ‘massage’ the beets and the skin will come right off). Cool beets.
  • Whisk together vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper and oil until dressing is blended.
  • Cut cooled, peeled beets into 1-inch wedges and toss with dressing.
  • To toast walnuts, preheat oven to 350° F. Spread nuts on a cookie sheet and toast for about 4 to 5 minutes. Let cool. Roughly chop toasted walnuts.
  • Add walnuts, green onions and red onions to dressed beats; toss to combine.

Super mom tip: Beets can be cooked days in advance and stored in the fridge. Just keep them unpeeled until you are ready to use.

Thanks PCC deli and recipes! :)

dit-elle-Esther