(Almost) Ina Garten's Roasted Eggplant Spread

I don't like eggplant at all....I would never order it in a restaurant.  Somehow, though, I love this dip.  And it is essentially made of vegetables (with very little added oil and no cheese or other added fats) so it's a pretty healthy appetizer.  I have adapted this recipe slightly from Ina Garten's original recipe (found here) that was included in her original Barefoot Contessa cookbook.

Recipe Notes

This recipe takes some time because of the prep time and roasting time, but once the vegetables are out of the oven, the only work is done in your food processor and it is quick!  Serve with Wheat Thins or vegetables.

Ingredients

• 1 medium eggplant (peeled and cut into one-inch cubes)
• 2 red bell peppers (seeded and cut into one-inch cubes)
• 1 red onion (peeled and cut into one-inch cubes)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 tbsp. tomato paste
• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

2.  Toss eggplant, bell peppers, and red onion in a large bowl with the garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Spread the vegetables on a baking sheet.

3.  Roast for 45 minutes or until the vegetables are slightly charred and soft.  Toss once during cooking.

4.  Cool vegetable mixture slightly and place in a food processor.

5.  Add tomato paste and pulse until blended and chunky.

6.  Taste for seasonings and add salt and pepper as needed.



Spinach & Vidalia Onion Dip

This recent Southern Living recipe is a different spin on a traditional spinach dip.  The caramelized onions make it sweeter.  Serve with blue corn tortilla chips or other chips and vegetables of choice.

SPINACH & VIDALIA ONION DIP

Recipe Notes

I decreased the butter from the original recipe.  You can also use any sweet onion (such as 1015's) if Vidalias are not available.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. butter
• 4 c. chopped Vidalia onions (about 2 large)
• 5 oz. package fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped
• 1 tsp. kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper, divided
• 16 oz. container sour cream
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh chives

Instructions

1.  Melt butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.

2.  Add onions and cook, stirring often, until golden and very tender (20-30 minutes).

3.  Add chopped spinach, stirring until wilted.

4.  Sprinkle with half of salt and pepper.  Remove from heat and let stand for 30 minutes.

5.  Stir together onion/spinach mixture, sour cream, and chives.  Add remaining salt and pepper.

6.  Cover and chill for 30 minutes or up to 2 days.

7.  Serve with chips and vegetables.

Mexican Street Corn Dip

Really excellent dip that I slightly adapted from the blog cookingandbeer.com.  Serve with blue corn tortilla chips.  They add both good flavor and good crunch to the recipe.

MEXICAN STREET CORN DIP

Recipe Notes

The original recipe calls for either fresh corn or thawed frozen corn.  I made it with fresh and I think that is likely best.  If you buy the cotija cheese in a block use a microplane grater to grate it into the recipe and then also over the top of the finished dish.

Ingredients

• 8 oz. less-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 c. sour cream
• 3 tbsp. mayonnaise
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• Salt & freshly-ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 3 c. corn kernels (approximately 4 ears) cut from the cob or thawed from frozen
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. sliced green onions
• 1/4 c. cotija cheese
• Blue corn tortilla chips, for serving

Instructions

1.  Add softened cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper.

2.  Beat on low speed until very well-combined and set aside.

3.  Add butter to a large skillet and melt over medium heat.  

4.  Add corn and jalapeno.  Cook until softened (approx. 10 minutes).  

5.  Add cilantro and green onions, cook 1 minute.  

6.  Remove vegetables from heat and add to cream cheese mixture.  Grate cotija cheese into the mixture and stir well.

7.  Pour dip into a serving bowl.  Garnish with additional chili powder, cilantro, green onions, and/or cotija cheese if preferred.  Serve immediately and enjoy!

Sweet & Spicy Bacon Chicken Wraps

This little gem is courtesy of a nice little blog called The Little Kitchen That Could.  These are a great appetizer for both a fancy dinner party and a casual get-together.  Easy to put together (just allow some time for assembly because the cutting and wrapping can take awhile).

SWEET & SPICY BACON CHICKEN WRAPS

Recipe Notes

The original recipe calls for bacon slices to be divided into thirds.  I have found that this preparation makes the bacon slices too tall for the chicken pieces.  I have halved the bacon slices lengthwise first, then slice vertically into thirds, and I find that this works better.

Ingredients

• 1 to 1-1/4 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into one-inch cubes
• 1 package sliced bacon (I use center cut)
• 2/3 c. firmly-packed brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. chili powder
• Toothpicks (for assembly/serving)

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Cut each bacon slice lengthwise and then into thirds vertically (you will have six total pieces of bacon from each original slice off the slab).

3.  Wrap bacon pieces around chicken pieces and secure with a toothpick.

4.  Mix brown sugar and chili powder.

5.  Toss chicken/bacon wraps in brown sugar/chili powder mixture.

6.  Arrange wraps on a broiler pan lined with foil and coated with Pam.

7.  Bake 35-40 minutes or until bacon is crisp.

(Almost) Houston's Spinach & Artichoke Dip

This recipe ran in the Houston Chronicle once upon a time.  It is very much like the famous spinach dip that was served at Houston's (part of the Hillstone family of restaurants) back in the day when they still put artichokes in the dip.  This is a great (and easy) party dip.

(ALMOST) HOUSTON'S SPINACH & ARTICHOKE DIP

Recipe Notes

Shredded Parmesan is an easy substitution for grated Romano if it is hard to find, and regular (or low fat) cream cheese is fine if garlic-chive cream cheese is not available.  I was not able to find garlic-chive cream cheese at my local Kroger.

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. grated Romano cheese
• 1 large garlic clove
• 10 oz. package chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess moisture
• 6 oz. jar of artichoke hearts, drained
• 8 oz. container garlic-chive cream cheese
• 2 large eggs
• 1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1.  In a food processor, pulse Romano cheese, artichoke hearts, spinach, garlic, cream cheese, and eggs until well-combined.

2.  Transfer to an oven-safe bowl and fold in mozzarella.

3.  Bake at 375 degrees until heated through (20 or 25 minutes).

4.  Serve with tortilla chips, salsa, and sour cream, if desired.  You can also serve this with crackers such as wheat thins.

Vegetable-Stuffed Rice Paper Rolls with Curry Peanut Sauce

This is from a VERY old copy of Fitness Magazine.  I had always meant to make this recipe but never found time for all of the chopping (and there is a LOT of chopping involved!).  Corey loved these, and I thought they were good as well.  They are chock-full of vegetables and are easy to assemble after extensive prep work.  

PLEASE NOTE: these are tagged as vegetarian, which is true assuming that you do not pair them with the peanut sauce.  The peanut sauce below is made with chicken broth.

VEGETABLE-STUFFED RICE PAPER ROLLS WITH CURRY PEANUT SAUCE

Recipe Notes

I skipped the small amount of cilantro in the peanut sauce and instead added a little extra cilantro to the rolls themselves.  There were bean sprouts in the original recipe that I omitted, as I really don't like bean sprouts.  You can add 1/2 c. bean sprouts to the vegetable filling if you prefer.

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. crunchy or smooth peanut butter
• 1/4 c. chicken broth
• 1 tbsp. freshly-squeezed lime juice
• 1 tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 tsp. red curry paste
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger root
• 1/4 c. + 1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro, divided
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 2 c. thinly-sliced romaine lettuce
• 2 large carrots, peeled and julienned
• 1/4 c. chopped basil leaves
• 1/4 c. chopped mint leaves
• Rice paper sheets
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and julienned
• 1 red bell pepper, julienned
• 2 green onions, julienned (both white and green parts)

Instructions

1.  In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine peanut butter, chicken stock, lime juice, fish sauce, curry paste, sugar, ginger root, garlic, and 1 tbsp. cilantro.  Stir to combine, remove from heat, and set aside.

2.  Mix lettuce, chopped basil, and chopped mint in a small bowl.

3.  Fill a wide, flat-bottomed bowl with warm water and soak one sheet of rice paper for 30 seconds until pliable.  I used a 9-inch glass pie plate, which was just the right size.

4.  Lay 1/3 c. lettuce mixture in the middle.  Top with a small amount of each of the remaining ingredients (julienned carrots, cucumbers, red bell peppers, and green onions).

5.  Fold front third over the mound and pull filling toward you to compact it into a tight roll.  Roll over once, then fold sides over the middle and continue rolling away from you until secure.

6.  Place seam-side down on a plate or cookie sheet lined with wax paper sprayed with cooking spray.

7.  Repeat with remaining rolls.

8.  Slice each roll in half on the bias and serve with peanut sauce.

Fall Snack Mix

I made this for a playdate and I thought it was a great combination of sweet, salty, and crunchy.  My kids basically enjoyed picking the marshmallows and M&M's out of it!

FALL SNACK MIX

Recipe Notes

The original recipe doesn't specify which type of Chex cereal.  I used corn Chex here and it worked out well.

Ingredients

• 6 c. Chex cereal
• 1 c. pretzel rods
• 6 tbsp. butter, melted
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 1 c. marshmallows
• 1 c. M&M's
• 1 c. candy corn

Instructions

1.  Stir butter and brown sugar until well-combined.

2.  Place Chex cereal and pretzels in a large bowl.  Pour butter and brown sugar mixture over cereal and pretzels.  Toss gently until cereal and pretzels are coated.

3.  Bake on a foil-lined jelly roll pan for 20 minutes at 275 degrees.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

4.  Combine cereal, pretzels, marshmallows, M&M's, and candy corn in a large bowl.  Serve and enjoy!  Stores well in a glass jar with a tight seal.

Fig & Goat Cheese Bruschetta

This Cooking Light appetizer has been in my recipe folder for years, so I finally decided to try it this weekend.  The fig compote can be made ahead and refrigerated for several days in advance to make day-of prep easier.

FIG & GOAT CHEESE BRUSCHETTA

Recipe Notes

The original recipe calls for chopped walnuts on top.  I am not a huge nut fan, so I left them off.  If you want to include them, sprinkle 5 tsp. finely-chopped walnuts on top of your bruschetta before roasting.

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 c. chopped dried Mission figs
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1/3 c. coarsely chopped orange sections
• 1 tsp. grated orange rind
• 1/3 c. fresh orange juice (about 1 orange)
• 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/4 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
• 40 half-inch-thick slices of French baguette
• 5 oz. crumbled goat cheese

Instructions

1.  Combine figs, sugar, orange sections, orange rind, orange juice, rosemary, and pepper in a small saucepan.

2.  Bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until figs are tender.  Uncover and cook 5 additional minutes or until mixture thickens.

3.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

4.  Preheat broiler.

5.  Top each baguette slice with 1-1/2 tsp. fig mixture and 1 tsp. goat cheese.  Arrange on a baking sheet covered in foil.  Broil for 3-5 minutes (depending on broiler) until toast and goat cheese begin to brown.

Bruschetta

I have tweaked and tweaked this recipe from one that I found in a magazine years ago.  I have now gotten to the point that I just wing it, so feel free to add more or less based on your own personal taste.  This would be a very virtuous Valentine's Day appetizer, and the colors are right.  This accompanies an Italian dinner, steak dinner, chicken dinner, etc. very nicely.

BRUSCHETTA

Recipe Notes

Be sure that you buy a baguette no more than a day before you plan to make this appetizer.  It will get too hard, crunchy, and stale to work with otherwise.

Ingredients

• One large beefsteak or heirloom tomato, small dice
• One medium cucumber, small dice
• Healthy handful of basil, chiffonade-cut
• 1/4-1/2 small red onion, minced
• Red wine vinegar
• Olive oil
• French baguette, sliced thin
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Shredded parmesan cheese

Instructions

1.  Combine tomato, cucumber, basil, red onion, red wine vinegar (to taste), and olive oil (to taste - this should be a very small amount).  Season with salt and pepper.

2.  Turn on broiler in the oven (low broil).  Arrange baguette slices on a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet. 

3.  Using juices from the bottom of the bruschetta topping bowl, paint juices over the top of the baguette slices.

4.  Broil baguette slices until just browning.  Remove from oven, top with vegetable mixture, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, and possibly add more salt and pepper if desired.

5.  Serve immediately.

Roasted Eggplant Spread

I love the Barefoot Contessa. Ina Garten's recipes are simple and generally healthy and just remind me of summer. I broke out her original cookbook, The Barefoot Contessa, which is still my favorite of her cookbooks. I made this VERY healthy dip/spread to take to a dinner last weekend that I thought I would share.

ROASTED EGGPLANT SPREAD

Recipe Notes

Serve with toasted pita wedges or as part of a Mediterranean platter with hummus, Greek olives, feta cheese, pitas, etc. I like this a bit more tomato-ey, so I double the tomato paste.

Ingredients

• 1 medium eggplant, peeled
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded
• 1 red onion, peeled
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tbsp. good-quality olive oil
• 1-1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Cut eggplant, bell pepper, and onion into 1-inch cubes. Toss them in a large bowl with garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

3. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes, until the vegetables are lightly browned and soft. Toss once during cooking and cool slightly.

4. Place vegetables in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add tomato paste and pulse 3-4 times to blend. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

Goat Cheese & Sun Dried Tomato Bread Bites

I found these on the Pillsbury website (a GREAT resource for appetizers and pick-up party foods that start with yummy Pillsbury breadsticks, pizza crusts, and crescent rolls) to take to a dinner party last night. I thought they were tasty with a good tang to them from the goat cheese. And only 60 calories per appetizer!

GOAT CHEESE & SUN DRIED TOMATO BREAD BITES

Recipe Notes

I would recommend planning on the shorter cooking time if you have a hot oven like mine. These only took about 13-14 minutes.

Nutritional Information (per appetizer - makes 24)

60 calories - 2 g. fat - 2 g. protein - 0 g. fiber

Ingredients

• 11 oz. can Pillsbury refrigerated breadsticks
• 4 oz. goat cheese (plain or with basil and garlic), softened
• 1/2 c. oil-packed sun dried tomatoes, drained and minced (I used bottled minced tomatoes)
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp. water
• Coarse salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Spray cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray or cover with foil. Unroll dough and separate into breadsticks, then divide each breadstick in half. Press each breadstick until 1-1/2 inches wide.

3. Place 1 rounded tsp. goat cheese in the center of a breadstick. Top with 1 tsp. tomatoes. Roll up jelly-roll fashion and place seam-side down on the cookie sheet. Repeat for each breadstick.

4. In a small bowl, combine egg and water well to make an egg wash.

5. Lightly brush egg wash over the top of each appetizer. Sprinkle each with salt.

6. Bake at 375 for 12-17 minutes or until tops are light golden brown. Best served warm.

Goat Cheese, Sun-Dried Tomato, & Pesto Torte

I am not able to make this appetizer nearly as pretty as the cookbook photo, but this is a delicious appetizer for any size gathering. This recipe is from the Bride and Groom First & Forever Cookbook, which is one of my favorites. The cookbook is great because many of the recipes are designed to serve two (instead of four or six or even eight, like most recipes). Serve this with toasted baguette or crackers of just about any variety.

GOAT CHEESE, SUN-DRIED TOMATO, & PESTO TORTE

Recipe Notes

This appetizer may be made up to two days ahead and refrigerated. If you have any left over, toss with pasta for a light dinner, top on a baked potato, or spread onto focaccia bread and top with grilled vegetables for a second appetizer. I've tried this the day after with pasta and some shrimp, and it was delicious.

Ingredients

• 4 oz. goat cheese (one small log) at room temperature
• 8 oz. package cream cheese (I use light) at room temperature
• Coarse salt & black pepper
• 3/4 c. oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2/3 c. homemade or bottled pesto
  

Instructions

1. Stir together goat cheese and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Combine 1/4 c. cheese mixture with the sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, and vinegar in a separate bowl. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

3. Line a two-cup ramekin or small bowl with plastic wrap. Extend plastic over the sides of the container. Spray plastic wrap with cooking spray.

4. Layer 1/2 goat cheese mixture in the bottom of the container, followed by pesto, then tomato-cheese mixture. Top with the remaining goat cheese mixture.

5. Fold plastic wrap over the final cheese layer and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1.5 hours.

6. Invert onto a platter and peel off plastic wrap. Garnish with basil leaves if desired. Serve with crackers and/or toasted baguette.

Spiced Pecans

These are a great bar snack or accompanyment to an appetizer buffet. I made a big tray for a party Corey and I are having this weekend. These are sure to go fast and watch out! They are spicy.

SPICED PECANS

Ingredients

• 4 c. pecan halves
• 2 tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. chili paste (check the imported section of your grocery store)
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 4 tsp. salt, divided

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients except for salt in a large mixing bowl. Add 3 tsp. salt.

2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

3. Line a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan (preferred) with parchment paper. Spread nuts in a single layer on parchment paper.

4. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool and store in a cool, dry environment (such as a metal tin or glass jar). Plastic containers are not recommended for storage - they may soften your pecans.

Pork and Chive Potstickers

I hosted Girls' Game Night last week, and I needed some good appetizers to put out. I tried my hand at making this Martha Stewart Everyday Food recipe, and it turned out quite well! All of the girls seemed to enjoy it, and the Soy Ginger Dipping Sauce had really good flavor.

PORK & CHIVE POTSTICKERS

Recipe Notes
I had never worked with wonton wrappers before, so I wasn't aware that they were kept in the freezer case at the grocery store. Luckily, I had enough time to let them thaw before my party. However, you might want to allow yourself ample time for them to defrost before you try working with them.

I didn't have any sherry, so I left it out. I don't think that anyone was the wiser for it, either. Recipe makes four servings (5 potstickers per serving).

Nutritional Information (per serving - serves 4)
200 calories - 8.3 g. fat - 9.1 g. protein - 1.3 g. fiber

Ingredients

• 1/4 lb. fresh ground pork
• 1 tbsp minced chives
• 1-1/2 tsp. soy sauce
• 1-1/2 tsp. dry sherry
• 1 tsp. bottled minced ginger
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
• 20 wonton wrappers
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine pork, chives, soy sauce, sherry, ginger, sesame oil, cornstarch, and 1 tbsp. water.

2. Place a heaping tsp. of pork mixture in the center of each wonton wrapper.

3. Lightly wet edges of wrapper, fold over, and press to seal. Repeat to form 20 total dumplings.

4. In two batches, cook dumplings in a large pot of boiling water until cooked through (approximately 4 minutes). Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon.

5. In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat. In two batches, cook until browned, approximately 1-1/2 minutes per side. Serve with Soy Ginger Dipping Sauce (see recipe below).

For Soy-Ginger Dipping Sauce:

Combine 1/4 c. soy sauce , 3 tbsp. rice wine vinegar, 1 tbsp. bottled minced ginger, 2 tsp. sugar, and 1/4 tsp. sesame oil. Serve immediately.

Everything's Better with Bacon

At least according to my husband Corey, that is. I thought with football season in full swing that a couple of game-watching appetizers might be in order. Both of these involve bacon and BOTH are delicious! The first recipe comes from The Little Kitchen That Could....Ashlea posted some Sweet and Spicy Bacon Chicken Wraps a few weeks ago that I served at a dinner party and they were yummy! Click (here) for the recipe....they are a crowd-pleaser! Here's a picture of Ashlea's finished product:

The second recipe comes from my friend Sidney's kitchen. Sidney happens to be my friend Shelley's twin, so they are now both contributors to my blog! Sidney is a terrific cook and fabulous hostess who is often throwing parties and showers, so she has a recipe file full of wonderful appetizers. This recipe might sound like a strange combination, but the result is actually quite delicious. She made this recipe for Bacon-Wrapped Chorizo-Stuffed Dates back when she was testing recipes for a new Junior League Cookbook. I was skeptical myself, but I am so glad that a tried them because they are terrific and very different!

BACON-WRAPPED CHORIZO STUFFED DATES

Recipe Notes

Great party appetizer! In case you are not familiar with chorizo, it is a spicy Mexican sausage that works well with many breakfast dishes and Hispanic dishes. Chorizo can be found in your butcher's case very easily.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. chorizo sausage
• 20 pitted, dried dates
• 10 slices bacon (I recommend center cut)
• 5 oz. apricot jam

Instructions

1. Remove casings from chorizo. Cook in a large skillet over medium-high heat until browned, stirring until crumbly. Drain well.

2. Cut a slit in the side of each date. Stuff with the cooked chorizo.

3. Cut bacon slices in half and wrap around each stuffed date. Secure with a wooden toothpick.

4. Arrange stuffed dates on rack in a broiler pan and back for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

5. Melt apricot jam either over low heat on the stove or in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave. Brush each date with jam and bake an additional 5 minutes.

6. Brush additional jam over the dates prior to serving.

Thank you, Sidney, for your contribution! And thank you, Ashlea, for so many great recipes!