Veggie Cups with Ranch Dip
Individual veggie cups make a nice presentation and means you can double dip all you want. Use the short, clear plastic cups found at the supermarket. Present the finished cups on a nice, flat platter.
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Appetizer
Chilled Cucumber Soup with Gazpacho Salsa
A light, and very refreshing cold soup, the base is a creamy combination of cucumber, avocado and yogurt. The topping is a mini gazpacho-like salsa. This soup can be served as a first course at a nice summer meal or as an appetizer in demitasse cups.
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Roxanne’s Mediterranean Feta Spread
This feta spread can be made in minutes before company arrives. It’s great served with crostini, pita or crackers. You can try it with lavendar, if available, or fresh parsley, which is equally delicious.
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Maple Sesame Kale Chips
The news reported that the second most googled subject of this New Year 2016, after the holidays were over, was how to make kale chips. As a kale cookbook author, I cheered hearing this news, ever hopeful for that elusive “bump” in sales. I’d like to pass along one of my favorite kale chip preparations, that adds just a tad of sweetness from maple syrup and crunch from sesame seeds to make this an addictive healthy snack. It might make the transition from the season of excess to the season of health just a bit easier…..
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Goat Cheese Crostini with Caramelized Onions
The sweet-tart red pomegranate seeds and arugula microgreens with goat cheese and caramelized onions give this appetizer a festive, holiday hue. Prep can be done ahead of time.
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Avocado Yogurt Spread
Health-promoting yogurt is in, and offers to turn avocado into a creamy, delicious spread with multiple uses. Use this as a dip, spread on toast, or filling inside a sandwich (BLT!) or veggie wrap.
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Baked Pita Chips
These crispy pita chips are quite simple to make, and you’ll notice they taste much better than anything from a bag. After cutting whole pita into wedges, you brush with olive oil and top with a Middle Eastern spice condiment called za’atar, a combination of toasted sesame seeds and dried herbs like oregano, marjoram, thyme and salt. Some versions include sumac, a lemony flavored spice found in Middle Eastern stores. You will have some za’atar topping leftover for additional batches.
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Honey Dijon Salmon Bites
Cutting the salmon into bite-size squares and baking them in their own soy, honey and lemon sauce cuts the cooking time to just 12 minutes and creates a fun presentation. To make the pieces look as uniform as possible, get a piece of salmon that’s not too thick or thin – aiming for about 1 inch thick. Ask fishmonger to skin the salmon for you.
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