sweet, savory, crunchy and salty, this yummy little appetizer has it all!
fig crostini w/ crispy pork belly
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Category Archives: Appetizer
chicken and apple quesadillas
Cherry Salsa
For me, cherries are an integral part of the warmer months and no summer would be complete without them. So I’m always looking for ways to incorporate these ruby-esque little gems into new dishes.
beef crostini
- 1 sirloin steak about 1″ thick
- 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper
- 1 small loaf of crusty bread
- 1 clove of garlic, halved
- 1/4 cup pecorino romano cheese, shredded
- 1 tbs fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper steak generously and place under broiler. broil about 5 minutes each side for medium rare. let steak rest for a few minutes to allow juices to redistribute. chop into bite size pieces, drizzle balsamic vinegar over beef and toss to coat.
while your steak is resting, toast your bread. halve your bread lengthwise and spread a little bit of brummel and brown on your bread (you can use butter if you want) and toast bread until golden brown. immediately rub bread all over with your garlic. the heat bread will allow the garlic flavor to seep into the bread.
next, top your bread with steak and cheese and place under your broiler for about 30 seconds just until the cheese melts. to finish, top with fresh chopped basil and devour!
special treats!
steamed clams and raw oysters might be two of my favorite things in the entire world! last night i got treated to both, thanks to jb.
caviar and sweet potato bites
- small jar of caviar
- 2 sweet potatoes, sliced 1/8″ thick
- 1 cup fat free sour cream
- 1/8 tsp dill
- 2 tbs fresh chives, finely chopped
Preheat oven to 425.
Place sweet potato slices on a cookie sheet lined with foil and coated with non stick spray. Bake sweet potatoes for 35 – 40 minutes or until they start to crisp up a bit. Once they are done, season them to taste with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine sour cream, chives, dill, salt and pepper.
To assemble, place a spoonful of your sour cream mixture on top of sweet potato slices and finish with a dollop of caviar.
shrimp ceviche
traditionally, ceviche is “cooked” in an acid such as lime juice. this method is a lot quicker though and just as yummy!
- 1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
- cilantro
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 small jalapeno, minced (seeded if you don’t like too much heat)
- 2 tbs red onion, minced
- juice of 1/2 orange
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- salt and pepper
put a pot of salted water on to boil and toss in your shrimp, allow them to boil for about 2 -3 minutes or just until pink being careful not to over cook. no one likes rubbery shrimp! transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
chop em up, add to a bowl with the rest of your ingredients and toss to combine. simple as that!
beef negimaki
this is a tasty dish that you’ll often see on menus at japanese restaurants but it’s really easy to make at home.
- 1 pound flat iron, flank or top round steak
- 1 bunch of scallions
- 1 bunch of asparagus, cut into 2″ pieces
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- salt and pepper
first, get a pot of salted water boiling and add your asparagus pieces. boil for a few minutes, and transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. drain and set aside.
place steak between two sheets of wax paper and gently pound until about 1⁄8″ thick. cut steak into about 2″ wide strips.
wrap scallions in a damp paper towel and microwave about 30 seconds just to soften them a bit. cut into 2″ pieces and set aside.
add the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder to a large bowl and mix to combine.
lay a piece of asparagus, and a few scallions on one of your steak slices, roll up tightly and secure with a toothpick. repeat with remaining slices.
dredge each piece of steak in your flour mixture.
heat outdoor grill or stove-top grill pan on medium-high, coat generously with non-stick cooking spray and grill beef about 8 – 10 minutes total, turning to brown on all sides.
traditionally, it’s served with a teriyaki sauce but we didn’t have any so i used this really yummy sauce by tabasco. it’s sweet, spicy and has a nice tang to it that pairs really well with the meat.
you know how i (summer) roll
i’ve said this a million times but i could eat summer rolls every. single. day.
sometimes take out is more trouble than it’s worth though so last night i decided to make my own! it’s really quite simple actually. there’s just some prep involved but don’t let that deter you. it’s totally worth it in the end!
Lazy Empanadas
- one package of reduced fat crescent dough
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 1 package of sliced baby bellas
- 4 tbs sliced green olives with pimento
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup golden raisins
- 2 tbs Au Jus Sauce (or your liquid of choice – see below)
- reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese
- salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400.
Start by heating a large skillet over medium – high heat. Once heated, coat it generously with non-stick cooking spray and add your onions. Let them break down a good bit and once they’re beginning to brown, deglaze your pan. We used an au jus sauce by Johnny’s for it’s intense flavor. However, if you prefer to keep the dish vegetarian, just use veggie stock or even leftover wine (red or white would work). Using a wooden spoon, scrape up all the yummy bits off the pan. Then add your garlic and season with salt and pepper. Saute a minute more and transfer mixture to a large bowl.
Coat the same skillet again with non-stick spray and add your mushrooms. Let them go for about 8 -10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once they begin to break down they’re going to release a bit of liquid, at that time, add your raisins and olives. Saute for about 5 minutes more and then transfer the mixture to your bowl to combine with your onions and garlic. Set aside to cool. This will be your filling for your empanadas.
Unroll your crescent dough and using the little perforated triangles, add about a tablespoon of cheese to the center of each, next add about a tablespoon of filling. Be careful not to overfill or they won’t fold well. Then fold the triangle over on itself to form another, smaller triangle. Place on a foil lined cookie sheet. Once you’ve made prepared all of your empanadas, spray the top of each with non-stick cooking spray. This will ensure a nice, brown crust. Bake them for about 20 minutes or until they’re nicely browned and no longer doughy.
We scarfed ours down with a store bought chimichurri dipping sauce but you can eat them plain or with your dipping sauce of choice; sour cream, salsa, etc.
As a side note, I do realize that traditional empanadas are little half moons shapes so if you’re up to it, you could roll your dough out and use a round cookie cutter to create circles and then fold them into little half moons but I wasn’t so this is the lazy empanada version.
Salmon Tartare
- 1/2 lb filet of fresh raw salmon, skin removed
- 1 tbs fresh chives, finely chopped
- 1 tbs fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 small handful of baby arugula
- 1/2 large or 1 small shallot, minced
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs capers
- 1/2 tsp green Tabasco sauce
- 1/4 tsp horseradish
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Start by putting your serving plate in the freezer because you want it to remain cold right up until you serve it.
If your salmon filet has the skin on, remove with a sharp knife and check for any bones. Don’t worry about butchering the fish while removing the skin because you’re going to chop it up anyway.
Roughly chop the fish into quarter inch cubes. While you’re preparing the rest of your ingredients, place salmon in a bowl in the fridge so that it stays cold.
Finely chop your shallot, chives, and parsley and add to your bowl along with salmon, horseradish, Tabasco sauce, capers, arugula, lemon zest, olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
Serve immediately on your chilled plate.
Cherry Toast Bites
- 1/2 bag of frozen, sweet dark cherries
- 3 tbs balsamic
- 1 tbs cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup water
- slivered almonds
- hard salami
- 1 box of Melba toasts, sea salt variety
- a few springs of fresh thyme, leaves removed
Add cherries, balsamic vinegar, cider vinegar, water, salt, pepper and a few sprigs of thyme to a small pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Using an immersion blender, pulse mixture until you reach a smooth consistency. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can transfer the mixture to a blender. Put cherry mixture back on to simmer another 15 – 20 minutes until sauce has thickened and coats the back of a spoon.
To assemble, your cherry bites, top each toast with a slice of salami, a bit of cherry sauce, a few leaves of thyme and some slivered almonds.
Cuban Black Bean Dip
Although the black beans got top billing, the olives are really key here. They add a surprising pop of saltiness that pairs well with the richness of the beans.
Kashi Potato Balls
I bought this Kashi cereal recently and completely fell in love with it! The slightly sweet, nutty flavor adds a whole new dimension to plain old potatoes. Continue reading
Papas Arrugadas
Papas Arrugadas, Canarian wrinkly potatoes.
I think of myself as a foodie most of the time, but I admit that I’ve become quite jaded with the concept of a celebrity chef restaurant. The general public is gladly lapping up the fame food craze,but I find myself wondering how a person who calls themselves a chef can appear in multiple television series, run several different food properties (often in different states) and still find the time to ever get dirty in a kitchen. When you add in the rampant trend jumping of middle-end dining, you can quickly become disappointed with almost any dining experience. When’s the last time you saw a menu without some kind of miso-glazed sea bass or a shaved fennel salad?
That being said, I’ve got to give credit to Jose Andres and his restaurant Jaleo for introducing me to Papas Arrugadas, an unexpectedly unique and simple side dish you should try today.