Red Pepper + Lemon Dip

The food processor is my best friend.

As much as I love to be in the kitchen, there is always a point that if I have to chop one more clove of garlic I just might snap. Let's face it, prep is no fun! That’s why all the big name chefs have prep cooks in their restaurants. The prep cooks do all the dirty work and the real chefs get to just throw things in a pan and light them on fire.

So the closest thing to a prep cook that I can manage in my meager kitchen is...THE FOOD PROCESSOR.

I call him Francesco.

There is nothing better than throwing a bunch of ingredients into Francesco’s able hands and suddenly having something, well...quite tasty! So I bring you yet another quick dip featuring my partner in crime, the food processor...

RECIPE:

2 Roasted Red Peppers

1lemon Juice and Zest

2Tbs Olive Oil

1.5tsp salt

1Tbs parsley

1Tbs basil

6oz cream cheese

      Put all ingredients in a food processor and chop until pureed and smooth. Serve on it’s own as a dip or over pasta, shrimp or chicken! ENJOY!

 

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Mango and Honey Crostini

Balance

It’s one of those words that's thrown around a lot when it comes to food...life...relationships...

EVERYTHING!

And as much as I would love to fix all your life's problems, let’s start with the food, this is only a food blog after all! 

Balance in a dish makes you want to keep on going back for that next bite.

You want your food to be sweet but not too sweet, salty but not too salty, creamy but not “food coma, never leaving the house” creamy.  

Well, may I present you BALANCE in the form of a crostini. 

Sticky sweet honey BALANCED by a sprinkle of salt, perfectly ripened mango BALANCED by bright and “wake up your taste buds” mint. And of course a spread of cream cheese which gives me BALANCE in my life just because...well...it is cheese...

(I’m a simple person :)

RECIPE:

1 small baguette, 16 ¼ to ½ inch slices

1 block Cream Cheese 

1 Lemon- Zest

2 Mangos 

 1/3 cup Mint leaves, loosely packed

¼ cup Honey

Salt

Toast bread slices till lightly toasted.  Let bread cool and top with approx 1Tbs of Cream Cheese and a couple grates of lemon zest.  Top that with finely chopped mango and mint.  Finally drizzle 1tsp honey over the mango and mint and finish with a sprinkle of salt.  Enjoy!! 

Notes:

• You could use most spreadable cheeses instead of cream cheese
• You could sub apricot, plum, pineapple, grapes or berries for the mango

 

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Homemade Ricotta

RECIPE:

Makes 2 cups ricotta

4 cups whole milk

2 cups heavy cream

1-1.5 teaspoons kosher salt

4 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Combine milk, cream and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Once boiling shut off heat and add vinegar. Wait 3 minutes and strain in a cheese cloth for 10-20 minutes. Taste and add more salt if necessary.

 

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Chickpea Crunchies

RECIPE:

1 15-19oz can of Garbanzo Beans aka Chick Peas, rinsed, drained + dried

1 + 1/2tsp Paprika

1+1/2tsp Garlic Powder

1/2tsp Dried Thyme

1/2-1tsp Cayenne (depending on how spicy you want)

1/4tsp Cinnamon

1+1/2tsp Onion Powder

1tsp Salt

1Tbs Oil

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and toss till well combined and chickpeas are evenly coated.  Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 400degrees for 35-45 depending on how crisp you want them.  Enjoy!!

 

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Butter Free Garlic Bread

RECIPE:

3Tbs Low-Fat Mayo

1 container Oikos Plain Greek Yogurt

1/4tsp salt

8 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped

1/8-1/4tsp Cayenne Pepper

1tsp Fresh Thyme, finely chopped

¼ cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

1 loaf bread

Combine mayo, greek yogurt, salt, garlic, cayenne pepper and thyme together. Cut loaf of bread in half and spread yogurt mixture over the cut side of the bread. Top with the parmesan cheese and cook under your broiler until top is brown and bread is crisp. Serve warm and ENJOY!

 

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Appetizer Cups

It was a simple idea...make a cup...fill it with stuff... 

But how? 

Well this is how... 

With a little help from the store and a mini muffin tin you can suddenly become an assembly line for one of a kind, irresistibly cute little appetizers.

RECIPE:

1 8oz can Crescent Roll Dough

Rolling Pin

Knife/Pizza Wheel

DIRECTIONS:

 Unroll crecent roll dough onto a lightly floured surface...

Pinch the seams with your fingers in order to create one seamless rectangle of dough.

Dough should be tacky enough to stick together easily.

Roll out dough till it is about 1/3 bigger than the original size.

Cut the rectangle into 24 even squares. Place squares into a greased mini muffin tin and press the dough to the sides of the cup.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until cups are golden brown.

Let cups cool and fill with things like cheese, salads or even mini meatballs. ENJOY!

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Dill Hummus

Poor dill.

I used to say that mint was an underappreciated herb, but dill, he might just take the cake on that one.

What do I really use dill in? There is creamy dill dip! Now that’s delicious. My sister brings one over every Christmas Eve and with some pumpernickel bread it sure does hit that Christmas eve spot in my tummy.

I always think of this dill dip fondly as it starts off the festivities. And of course it makes sure there is a little cushion in my stomach for my second favorite thing on that day...Christmas Eve wine ;) 

What else has dill??

Cucumbers and Dill! It's delightfully refreshing thats true, but  where do we go from there??

Well, why not hummus...yes, a dill flavored hummus with accents of coriander and cumin to round out the dills bright notes. Hmmmm, a new dill dish staple perhaps??? You tell me…

RECIPE:

1 15oz can Garbanzo beans (aka Chickpeas)

¼ cup Tahini

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp Salt

¼ cup dill

3 garlic cloves

1 lemon (juice)

1/8-1/4 cup olive oil

Combine all ingredients except oil in a food processor.  Drizzle in olive oil until it’s the consistency that you want. Serve and ENJOY!

Notes:

• If you want to use less oil and have a thinner hummus just add a little water
• The longer the hummus sits the more the flavors come out, especially the dill
• The Tahini can be optional but you will find it in most big grocery stores in the international isle.

 

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Pomegranate Goat Cheese Spread

RECIPE:

8oz Goat Cheese - softened

4oz Cream Cheese – softened

½ tsp Salt

1 Tbs + 1tsp Fresh Thyme (Finely Chopped)

1 Tbs + 1tsp Lemon Zest

1/2 cup Pomegranate Seeds

1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries

Mix Cheeses, Salt, Thyme and the lemon zest together until well combined. Add the Pomegranate Seeds and Cranberries and stir gently until well incorporated.  Top with extra cranberries, seeds and zest. Enjoy!!

 

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Roasted Garlic + Basil Hummus

I have a tendency to overdo things.

Bigger. Bolder. Spicier...These are words I like!

When I first started cooking, my spice cabinet became my favorite new toy and anything I made included at least ten of my little friends. Any given day, you could especially find me hanging out with my best buddies, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, and Red Pepper Flakes.

We were having a great time. But...the romance couldn’t last.

As much as I loved the kick of flavor my friends added to my new creations, sometimes it was just too much. It took me a long time to accept that more isn’t always better.

Eventually the romance did fade and my favorite buddies and I saw each other less and less...

But the happy part is that every romance that ends--or every door that closes--allows for something new to be born...

Like this simple and perfect hummus: the new love of my life. 

Roasted Garlic + Basil Hummus

Ingredients:

• One 15-to-19-ounce can garbanzo beans (a.k.a. chick peas)
• 2 bulbs Roasted Garlic
• 10 large fresh basil leaves
• Kosher salt, to taste
• ¼ - ½ cup olive oil

Directions:

1. Combine the garbanzo beans, Roasted Garlic, basil leaves, and salt in a food processor and pulse.
2. Stream in the olive oil while your food processor is on until you get a smooth consistency.

Notes:

• As with many dips, the longer this hummus sits in the fridge, the better it tastes.
• Don’t be afraid of salt! This needs quite a bit!
• Find more info on roasted garlic at CookNovel.com.

: @NikkiDinki

: @NikkiDinkiCooking

 

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Brie + Jam Crostini

I’m obsessed with appetizers.

I’m the kind of person who would rather pick at a million different things all night than sit down to a full meal (and of course, then I convince myself I didn’t eat nearly as much).

And when I host a party, I like to have as many things as possible in mini-size, like a fun size candy bar, the perfect amount for one person...

Or at least the perfect amount for one person per one minute!!

And though a baked brie can be heaven, it’s big, messy, and once all the good toppings are gone you are just left with melted cheese. 

NOT that melted cheese isn’t arguably my favorite food. Oh! And un-melted cheese my second favorite. Yes, that seems fair.

But back to the point...

So like everything else in my life that I like to make mini-size, I took a classic baked brie and made it mini! These minis have all the flavors of a baked brie in a two bites (or one bite for my husband). Perfection!

Brie + Jam Crostini

servings: 16 crostinis

Ingredients:

• 1 small baguette
• 1 to 1 ½ cups raspberry jam
• 1 wedge brie cheese (about 6 ounces), cut into ¼- ½-inch slices
• 8 sprigs of fresh thyme

Directions:

1. Slice the baguette into sixteen ½-inch thick slices, cutting on an angle. Then toast the baguette until it is just lightly toasted.
2. Top each toasted baguette slice with a heaping tablespoon of jam, then a piece of brie, and finally the leaves from about half a sprig of thyme.
3. Put the slices in a toaster oven or regular oven until cheese is mostly melted. Serve warm and enjoy!

Notes:

• Lots of jams work with this recipe--besides raspberry, my favorites are apricot, strawberry and blackberry.
• Be sure to spread on a nice, thick layer of jam; there should be an equal amount of jam to cheese.
• To get the thyme leaves off the stem easily, simply run your fingers against the grain along the stem.
• These are still good even when they become room temperature--the cheese will still be a little melty!

: @NikkiDinki

: @NikkiDinkiCooking

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