St. Valentines Series Appetizer Option #2: Nothing beats the flavor of my homemade Humus.2/10/2016 Here is my recipe from a post that I shared last year.
Total Prep Time: 15 Minutes Approximate Cost: $5.19 Serve: 10 plus Angie’s Hummus Ingredients 3 med. size garlic cloves ($.50) 1 tsp. sea or kosher salt (whichever one you have in your pantry at the time) 1/4 tsp. of freshly ground black pepper 1 15.5 oz. chickpeas can drained (keep 1/4 cup of the chickpeas water. I use Goya brand) ($1.20) 1/4 tsp. of Ground Turmeric (Optional but extremely healthy, see My Tips) 1/4 cup of lemon juice (I only use fresh) ($.50) 1/4 cup of Tahini Paste (I use Trader Joe’s Tahini Paste but this product is available in many grocery stores) ($2.99) 1/4 cup of olive oil (I only use Goya EVOO brand) Directions 1. In a food processor process the garlic, salt and pepper. 2. Add the chickpeas, turmeric, lemon juice, chickpeas water, tahini paste, olive oil and process. 3. Want a creamier Hummus consistency? Add more chickpeas water and/or lemon juice until desire consistency is obtained. 4. Do not forget to taste in case you need to adjust for salt. If you are serving it with salted crackers, reduce the salt a bit when preparing. 5. Refrigerate. HACK: I make this recipe weekly; therefore, for a variety of flavors I add one of the following ingredients to the above recipe to give it a twist. 1/4 cup of roasted red peppers or 1/4 c of chopped cilantro, flat leave parsley or 1/2 chopped Jalapeño. Also, you can use HUMUS in bread instead of butter: Serve it in a martini glass, garnish with a drip of extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle sweet Paprika and chopped scallions. Turmeric: Is an “anti-inflammatory” spice that can work in a wide variety of conditions such as toothache, bruises, chest pain, and cancer prevention and it taste great. Google it for further details.
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This week I will be posting menu ideas to help you plan for the most romantic day of the year; February 14th 2016, St. Valentine’s Day. I will share some of my intimate recipes for two; yes, no children allowed. If you have children, find yourself a baby sitter or call 1-800-Grandma to take care of your most precious creation. You owe it to both of you. Just one day-a-year out of your crazy daily routine that leaves you with no time to celebrate how much you love each other. Do it! Total Prep Tim: 15 minutes Approximate Cost: $7.93 Type: Appetizer Serve 2: This recipe will yield 12 stuffed mushrooms, I recommend 3/person. Ingredients 8 oz. container of baby Bella Mushrooms ($2.49) 1 can of Crab Meat drained and shredded ($2.89) ½ sweet onion, finely chopped (.30) 1 stalk of finely chopped celery, washed and dry (.25) ¼ cup of Tzatziki (or purchased ranch dressing) ($.50) ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese ($1.00) 1 lemon (Use 1 tsp. of minced lemon zest, then squeeze the fresh lemon juice) (.50) Directions In a bowl mix the canned crab, chopped onion, celery, Tzatziki, parmesan and lemon. Clean the mushrooms and remove the stems. Fill them with the crab mix and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Bake at 350 until the cheese melts, about 10 minutes. Arrange in your serving plate and sprinkle with chopped scallions. HACK: Serve it with a nice glass of Prosecco. Ok, so your Super Bowl Party is going to be a hit, think about it… your guests are awesome, their kids are running all over your home out of control, the game is going your way, or perhaps not. However, the best part is that you are going to have such a great time, it is all good! But wait, are your guests only getting appetizers? NOOO! You still have to celebrate who won or lose. Therefore, before they are ready to go bye, bye, serve them a complete meal that will take you no time to prepare, and then send them home. This recipe is a complete meal in one casserole. You will only need to serve it with a salad and Bam; Complete Success! Total Prep and Cook Time: Prep 15 minutes, cooking time 1 hr. Approximate Cost: $15.21 (or $1.90/serving) Serve: 8 Ingredients 1 ½ cup or UNCOOKED large grain rice (.75) 1 lb. ground pork and chicken (any combination you prefer.) ($4.50) 3 tbsp. dry rub seasonings for the meat (whatever you have in your pantry) 1 can of French string beans (drained) 1 cup of frozen corn (.98) 1 cup of frozen sweet peas (.98) 1 can of onion soup (Campbell’s Soups regular price: 3 cans for $5.00) 1 can of consommé 1 can of cheddar cheese soup 1/2 pack of bacon ($3.00) Directions Preheat your oven at 375 degree. Season the ground meats and sauté until almost cooked. In a rectangular Pyrex or aluminum tray begin to build your casserole in layers starting with the rice at the bottom, add the cooked meats on top, followed by 1 can of French string beans drained, 1 cup of frozen corn, 1 cup of frozen sweet peas, 1 can of onion soup, 1 can of consommé, 1 can of cheddar cheese soup. Cover the top layer with bacon. (I did not use 1/2 pack but you can add more to overlap. Finally, bake the casserole for 1 hour until the bacon is golden and crispy. Note: You do not need to grease the baking dish. All ingredients are added in layers on the order they are listed. The soups cook the rice in the bottom and the bacon season it well. To serve it, scoop it out of the mold with a large spoon into the plate. Garnish with a piece of crispy bacon and serve with a salad or avocado. (This past holiday season, I made 2 aluminum trays and fed 17 people plus.) Amazing! This is the 5th and last post of my Super Bowl Prep Series and I hope you enjoyed it. Now, let’s get ready for St. Valentines. Total Prep and Cooking time: 30 minutes Approximate cost: $4.00 Serve: 8 people at 2 pork meatballs/serving (or .50/serving) Ingredients ½ lb. lean ground pork ($1.25) 3 tbsp. bread crumbs (.20) 1 beaten egg white (.25) 2 tbsp. granulated garlic (.25) 1 ½ tbsp. Smoked Paprika (.15) ¼ chopped onion (.20) 1 handful chopped Cilantro (.15) 6 bacon strips cut 3 portions (1.25) Salt and pepper to taste Directions In a medium size bowl add the pork, bread crumbs, egg, garlic, onion, paprika, cilantro, salt, pepper. Mix well but do not over work the pork mix. Shape into 1” balls. It is easier to scoop them out with a spoon. In a skillet, cook the bacon briefly just until partially cooked. Remove to a paper towel to drain the fat. Wrap a small strip of bacon around each ball and secure it with a wooden toothpick. In a baking pan sprayed lightly with oil, place meatballs and bake at 375 for about 10-15 minutes, making sure that the bacon is crispy and the meatballs are 100% cooked. Serve with sour cream. HACK: You can use ground chicken or ground beef instead of pork. You can serve them as a BLT slider, adding a slice of Roma tomato and lettuce. You can also dip them in marinara, cheese sauce or sour cream. The sky is the limit. Gazpacho Soup is a typical cold red tomato-based and veggies soup from Spain. This is not that dish. This is; however, my twist on a Gazpacho inspired appetizer, and you know that I want you to make it for your 2016 Super Bowl Parties, right? Smile! You can make my appetizer ahead of time and leave it in the fridge until ready to serve. Yes, I know, it looks “Fancy Dandy” for a Super Bowl Party; however, it is budget friendly and also a conversation piece. The portions are small, since there will be other appetizers to serve during the game. So, stop complaining and Enjoy! Total Cooking Time: 25 minutes Approximate cost: Under $7.00 (A bag of 25 large shrimp cost $14. You are only using 8) Serve: 8 Ingredients 8 raw tail-on large shrimp (.57ea. x 8 =$4.48) 2 Roma Tomatoes ($1.25) 2 Cloves of garlic 1/3 cup olive oil 2 tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar 2 tsps. of capers 1 chopped Scallion Salt and pepper to taste Directions In a medium size bowl add the vinegar, olive oil, chopped garlic, salt and pepper, capers, chopped tomatoes and ½ chopped scallions. Mix. Let it rest in the fridge for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the 8 shrimp and sauté briefly until pink. When ready to serve, divide the mixture among the 8 votive glasses, about 1 ½ tbsp. Top with one large shrimp. Garnish with chopped scallions. Yes it is and the nice thing about this dish is that you can serve it in individual portions. While watching the game, guests can also have a healthy nutritious appetizer in hand without having to scoop over into a large bowl of salsa. This dish is simple and budget friendly so let’s do this! Black Bean Salsa Approximate Total cost: $4.19 (or .52 cents /person) Prep and Cooking Time: 20 minutes. Serve: 8 plus Ingredients 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed in cold water (.99) ½ chopped red onion (.60) 2 stalks of chopped celery (.25) 1 large tomato or 10 cherry tomatoes cut in small pieces (.85) 2 tbsps. of marinated banana peppers (.50) ¼ cup of olive oil (Use less if you want) (You have this ingredient at home) 2 tbsp. of Red Wine Vinegar (You have this ingredient at home) ¼ cup dry cranberries (1.00) Salt and pepper to taste (You have this ingredient at home) Directions Prepare and chop all the ingredients as stated in the ingredients list. Mix them all in a medium size bowl and refrigerate for about 10 minutes. Serve with crackers. In spite of the fact that my team; The Washington Redskins did not make it to the SB, this will be an important event to watch this Sunday. If you are hosting a party you want to prepare as much as you can before Sunday. That day all you want is to enjoy friends, watch the game and have a great time. Therefore, to help a bit, I will be posting simple Super Bowl Party ideas that can be prepared ahead of time. If you are not hosting a party at home and instead got a friend invitation, just select one of the dishes that I will be posting this week and bring it to their party. Chicken Stuffed Sweet Baby Peppers Total Prep Tim: 20 minutes Approximate Cost: $7.90 (Or 99 cents/serving) Type: Budget Friendly Finger Food. Serve cold or bake them briefly. Serve: 8 Ingredients 1 small bag of sweet baby peppers ($2.50) 1 can of chicken drained and shredded ($2.60) ½ sweet onion, chopped (.30) 2 stalk of chopped celery, washed and dry (.25) ¼ cup of Tzatziki (or purchased ranch dressing) ($.50) ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese ($1.00) 1 lemon (Use 1 tsp. of minced lemon zest, then squeeze the fresh lemon juice) (.50) 1 Tbsp. hot sauce (.10) 1 handful of chopped cilantro (.15) Directions In a bowl mix the canned chicken, chopped onion, celery, Tzatziki, parmesan, lemon and hot sauce. Rinse the sweet peppers and dry, cut and fill them with the chicken mix. Arrange in your serving plate and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. |
ABOUT THE AuthorI am a blogger, a photographer, a jewelry designer, a gourmet cook, and a recipe book writer. I am also a flea market flipper, an avid gardener, an interior/ outdoors designer, an avid golfer and traveler. Categories |