Skew-symmetric Deliciousness

... a little engineering humor for ya! I made these on a whim for a friends BBQ last week and wow. Let me just say, there were a huge hit and were gone in like 5 minutes!! They are SUPER easy to make and are bursting with summer flavor. Perfect warm weather appie!

Caprese Skewers with Balsamic Reduction

Ingredients

• 1 pint red grape tomatoes
• 1 pint yellow grape tomatoes
• ~4oz fresh basil leaves, chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 8 oz ciliegine (small mozzarella balls)
• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• olive oil
• sea salt/ ground black pepper
• crushed red pepper flakes
• skewers (I found that bamboo cocktail picks worked well, or you could cut down some wood BBQ skewers to ~4" long)

Directions

1. Heat balsamic vinegar in a medium sized pan on med-high heat til *just* boiling, then reduce heat to a low simmer. Continue stirring until reduced by about half. Take it off heat and pour into a heat proof bowl when it is a tad runnier than you would want it for a drizzle... because by the time it cools down it will become more viscous and be just the right consistency. Yes, more engineering terms!

2. While the reduction is cooling, construct the skewers. I used the following order:
                     - red tomato
                     - piece of basil, folded if needed
                     - mozzarella
                     - piece of basil
                     - yellow tomato

2. Garnish to your hearts desire! Drizzle olive oil, season with salt/ pepper/ red pepper and then finish off with a drizzle of reduction. YUM!

Blackened Salmon Tostadas

Another wedding recipe... this was the recipe I asked the lodge to make as a passed appetizer. This is one of our household favs -- inspired by the great Ivar's Salmonhouse here in Seattle. You can get the larger sized tostada shells and make them more meal-sized. Sometimes I top them with a spicy cilantro aioli that I will add to the blog whenever I make it next. Something about the spice of the blackened seasoning combined with the cooling creamy cilantro flavors... so delicious. Pic coming soon!

Mini Blackened Salmon Tostadas

Ingredients

12 oz wild salmon fillet
1 15oz can refried black beans
1 medium sized avocado, cubed & divided
1 cup pico de gallo salsa (or any red salsa)
Handful of chopped fresh cilantro
12 3-inch mini tostada shells
12 lime wedges, for serving
Cajun blackening seasoning

Directions

• Heat beans over med-low heat until creamy.
• Coat flesh side of salmon fillet with blackening seasoning.
• On either a hot grill or a heated cast iron skillet with 3-4 tbsps canola oil (medium heat)
• Flash cook salmon, flesh side down for 2-3 minutes. Turn salmon over and grill/cook until skin gets crispy, about 5-6 minutes.
• To assemble tostadas, spread black beans over each tostada. Top with 1 oz salmon, avocado chunks and about a tablespoon of salsa. Garnish with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

Makes 12 tostadas.

Stuffed Dates

This has been a recent discovery of mine in several restaurants, so I had to try it at home!  I plan on trying several variations (regarding cheese types and possibly the bacon types), but it is a very fast, easy snack, and I really like it!

Ingredients:
--10 dates (I like the fresh, non-pitted ones, and get as many as you can eat!)
--Goat cheese (again, can use any type of goat cheese you want, or other types of cheese!)
--Prosciutto or regular peppered bacon
--1 tbsp coconut oil
--1 tbsp seasoned pepper

1.  Slice the dates along one side, lengthwise, and remove pit.  Stuff with sliver of goat cheese.
2.  Wrap the date in a slice of prosciutto.
3.  Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat.
4.  Add dates, sprinkle with pepper, and cook until prosciutto is crisp and cheese is gooey (approx 5 min).
5.  Drain on paper towels and serve!

Fried Hominy

I made this today as a little football game snack before the burgers were done.  So, I just have to say, "Beat the hell outta Arkansas!!!"  WHOOP! 

Anyway, this snack reminds me of CornNuts; you know, that crunchy corn-like gas station snack food.  :)  The flavor I made is sort of a Mexican variety, but you could definitely adjust the seasoning.  Another idea I want to try: add a packet of ranch dip mix after cooking and toss.  (My husband loves ranch!)  Another note:  I use the canned hominy to save time, but you can also start from scratch and soak the dried hominy (like you would with beans).

Ingredients:
--2 cans of golden hominy
--Some oil for frying (I prefer peanut oil for larger batches, coconut for small ones)
--1 tsp garlic salt
--1 tsp ground pepper
--1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
--1 tsp dried oregano
--1 tsp cumin
--1/2 tsp chili powder

1.  Mix last 6 ingredients in a condiment bowl.
2.  Heat oil in a deep pan or deep fryer; add enough to cover the hominy.
3.  Deep-fry the hominy for 5 minutes, or until it is a crispy golden brown.
4.  Transfer to a dish with paper towels, and drain the oil off.
5.  Toss while still hot in a bowl with the seasoning mixture and enjoy!

Sushi

An easy appetizer to make at home; the hardest part is finding somewhere that sells sashimi-grade seafood! This is based on a dish from my favorite sushi place here in Denver. I could eat a ton of this!

Ingredients:
Sashimi-grade tuna
Fresh, thinly-sliced jalapenos
Coarsely-chopped cilantro
Bottle of ponzu sauce

Slice the tuna into thin strips and arrange on a plate or tray. Pour the ponzu sauce over the tuna; garnish with jalapeno and cilantro. Serve!

Horizontal Tastebud Tango

I am already regretting my innuendo stupendo of a post title buuuuut here it is! Another great conquest, so great that it has taken me over a month to post the recipe online!! ;-) Seriously though, these empanadas turned out wonderful -- although I do recognize that it’s not something you would make on a daily basis. Do keep them in mind for those special occasions where you might want a flakey, savory appetizer treat with a South- American flare. :-)  I paired them with an avocado salad for a main meal. My boyfriend Shane happened to be in town when I made these so he did me a solid by snapping some really profesh pics with his SLR camera… my advanced apologies for the gratuitous amount of pictures! Makes me want to make them all over again yummmmmm

Argentinean Pork & Thyme Empanadas with Chimichurri Sauce

Ingredients

Chimichurri Sauce

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley

3 garlic cloves

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Empanada Filling

¾ of a whole Butternut squash, small cubes (~1 inch)

Small yellow onion, diced finely

2 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 lb ground pork (I love Whole Foods’ spicy pork sausage filling behind the meat counter)

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, plus small sprigs for topping

2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour, plus more for working

2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Sea salt and ground pepper

Empanada Dough

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon sea salt

2 tablespoons each minced fresh sage and thyme

¾ cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 ¼  cups ice water

1 large egg (for egg wash)

 Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

Chimichurri Sauce

Place all ingredients in food processor/ Magic Bullet and blend until smooth

Filling

Spread cubes of squash on cookie sheet and lightly brush with a few splashes of olive oil. Roast in the oven for ~25 minutes or until caramelized. Remove and let cool.

While squash is roasting: In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, 5 to 7 minutes. Raise heat to high and add pork, thyme, and sage; cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, until pork is no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Add flour; cook, stirring, until blended, about 30 seconds. Add 2 tablespoons water; cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in squash and pine nuts. Season filling with salt and pepper and let cool.

Dough

In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, and sea salt. Add minced
fresh sage and thyme; mix well until combined. Keep mixing while adding pieces of butter. Add 1 cup ice water; mix until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (add up to 1/4 cup water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed).
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead just until dough comes together, 4 to 5 times.

Empanada Construction

Preheat oven to 400, with racks in upper and lower thirds. On a floured surface, divide dough in half and roll each piece to an 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 6-inch cookie cutter or plate as a guide, cut out 8 circles. Place 1/4 cup filling on half of each circle, leaving a ½-inch border. Brush edge of dough with water; fold top half over filling. Press edges to seal, then crimp firmly with a fork.

Transfer empanadas to two baking sheets lined with parchment. In a bowl, beat egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush empanadas with egg wash and top with thyme sprigs. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.

I'm the Devil, and I'm here to say...

...you have to try my Spicy Eggs!  I like things spicy (and healthy!), so I've added a few things to an old classic; I also made some substitutions to keep it healthy.  If you don't like horseradish, you can omit that and have a classic deviled egg.  These remind me of when I was a kid, helping my mom peel the hard-boiled eggs; they're one of my favorite snacks!



Spicy Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:

--6 eggs

--4 tsp fat-free Greek yogurt

--3 tsp yellow mustard

--1/4 cup minced onion

--1 tsp sweet relish

--1/2 tsp horseradish

--Splash of Tabasco

--Salt/pepper to taste

--Cayenne pepper (to dust the eggs)

1.  Boil enough water in a pot to cover the eggs; hard-boil for 10-12 minutes.

2.  Place eggs in ice water to chill; peel and discard the shells.

3.  Halve the eggs with a sharp knife; remove the yolks with a spoon and place in a small mixing bowl.

4.  Add the remaining ingredients - except the cayenne pepper - to the bowl and mix thoroughly.  Be sure to smash the yolks and blend to a smooth texture.

5.  Sprinkle the tops with cayenne pepper and serve.  (For a milder flavor, use paprika instead of cayenne.)

Makes 12 eggs.

*Note:  I can never get enough of "The Best of Will Ferrell", so please be tolerant of my endless quotes from that movie.  If you haven't seen it...you don't know what you're missing!!!

Now you brie it, now you don't!

Basing the recipe on a few I found online and from when a friend had made it for a party, I made baked brie for a wine and cheese night here at school and it was a HUGE hit -- the entire thing was gone in like 5 minutes, I kid you not! ... ahhh grad students, will never let you down when it comes to making food disappear :-) But ser-brie-ously, its A-mazing and perfect for superbowl parties.

Baked Brie in Puff Pastry

Ingredients

1 large wheel of brie cheese of your choice

Handful of dried cranberries

Handful of sliced almonds

1 puff pastry sheet

Serve with

Fruit preserves

Crackers

Directions

Thaw out puff pastry sheet if frozen. Pre-heat oven to 350. Chill brie in fridge 30 minutes prior to slicing. Slice brie wheel in half horizontally to make two flatter wheels of brie and place on counter rind side down. Sprinkle almonds and cranberries over one half and place the other half back on top. Place wheel in the middle of unwrapped and flattened pastry sheet -- wrap pastry sheet around brie and bundle in the middle. For decoration, make pinpoint holes around the bundle with a fork. Place in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Dollop fruit preserves on top and serve with crackers.

I'm just a Cheese Ball

An easy DenKag family classic - The Cheese Ball

Since I like to watch what I eat, this recipe is a twist on the old classic from my mother.  It's as fat-free as I could make it!

Ingredients:

8 oz fat-free cream cheese

4 oz reduced-fat blue cheese crumbles

1 cup fat-free cheddar, shredded (about 4 oz)

1/4 cup minced onion

1 tbsp worcestershire

1 cup finely chopped pecans

Soften ingredients and beat with a mixer until well-blended and smooth.  Pour onto plastic wrap and form into a ball.  Chill this in the fridge until it firms just a bit. Roll the ball in the chopped pecans until it's fully covered; re-wrap and re-form into ball.  Serve straight from the fridge with crackers.

*Note:  If the entire cheese ball is not eaten at once, re-form in the plastic wrap and cover any bare spots with more pecans.