Recipe for Holiday Biscuits and Ham

I hope you're having a peaceful and pleasant holiday season!  Growing up in the south, biscuits were a table staple.  There were more biscuit recipes than beehive hairdos!  Mayonnaise biscuits, butter biscuits, rolled biscuits, drop biscuits,... and one of my favorites, cream biscuits.

These yummy little cream biscuits, spread with some jalapeno (or raspberry) jam,  nestled around a piece of ham, and sprinkled with some lemon salt are sure to be a favorite.  I served them for both brunch and as an appetizer for a dinner party this holiday.  They can be made ahead of time and served room temperature or warmed briefly in the oven.  Be sure to use the biscuit cutting technique as described so the biscuits can rise properly and pull apart beautifully when you are ready to add the ham slices.

Recipe for Onion and Toasted Pine Nut Olive Oil Tart

This is based on my friend Jeri's Olive Oil Onion Tart which is made with caramelized onions, olives, an amazing olive oil crust, and is delicious.  I was serving a Greek salad so had enough olives going on.  Instead I used Jeri's basic tart recipe, omitting the olives and adding toasted pine nuts instead.  It turned out very nicely. The slowly cooked onions, the great flaky crust, and the earthy tones from the fresh thyme made this a hit.

Recipe for Chicken Cordon Bleu Bites

Now here's a fun little appetizer. While these take a bit of effort to make, they are sure to please.  We ate these (along with lots of other goodies) at a friend's football party.  Unfortunately, the team we were all pulling for lost (San Francisco 49ers) but these are a winner!  


I named these little goodies after a favorite chicken dish-chicken stuffed with ham and Swiss cheese.  These are actually "inside out" in some respects since the bacon is on the outside!

Recipe for Blue Cheese, Apricot, and Pistachio Phyllo Cups

This is the pupu (appetizer) I took to a neighborhood New Year's Eve celebration.  It couldn't be easier and, as long as you like blue cheese, you'll love it.

Recipe for Smoky Fried Chickpeas

Hummus is one of those things you'll always find in our fridge.  But other than that, I'm not a big fan of chickpeas.  I have tried them on salads, in casseroles etc. and I'll eat them but they don't wow me.    These smoky fried chickpeas, however, WOW!

Recipe for Black Eyed Pea Hummus

This recipe was in the group of "top recipes" for 2011 based on page views.  I posted it after New Years but thought I would re-post again this year before the holiday since it was a popular recipe.  


Growing up in the South, black eyed peas, usually with some greens, were a staple on New Years Day, served to bring us all good luck.  They are also recorded as being served on Rosh Hashana, Jewish New Year, also to bring good luck.  Honestly, I was never a big fan of black eyed peas.  But I love hummus and this one is really delicious.  If it brings us good luck, even more reason to try it!

Recipe for Pear and Prosciutto Appetizer

When I move to San Francisco, one of my neighbors ended up being a co-worker and good friend.  She is part Italian and introduced me to prosciutto wrapped melon which we used to lap up as an afternoon snack with a glass of wine on our roof top deck (on those days when you could enjoy the sun outside in San Francisco without a coat on).  The light and salty flavor of the prosciutto complemented the sweetness of the melon perfectly.  Those Italians know how to do food right!


Now in Maui, we can enjoy the outdoors pretty much any day we like (don't hate me!).  I still love prosciutto wrapped melon and thought it would be perfect as a nibble for when our friends were coming over to do some trip planning.  (Oh, and also some wine drinking).  However, I couldn't find a decent melon to save my life, so I improvised with the pears.   Turns out, the Mr. of the couple doesn't like ANY melon...things work out for a reason sometimes-I've learned not to fight it!  And the pears were beautiful with the prosciutto!

Recipe for Figs with Spiced Mascarpone Cheese

It's a rare thing, in my experience, to see figs on Maui so when I saw some recently I grabbed a basket.  Now what to do with them?  I wanted something simple and something that would complement the not-too-sweet taste of the figs.  I also wanted a little bit of decadence.  I thought about something with goat cheese and figs, which I've had in restaurants and know is a good combination.  Not really what I was aiming for, though.  I thought of Chef Dennis's mascarpone cheesecake recipe and thought "Brilliant!"

Buon Appetito from Eat Little, Eat Big, Foodbuzz, and Barilla Tortellini



Clockwise from top left:  Prosciutto Wrapped Pesto Tortellini with
Asparagus; Shaved Asparagus with Tangy Vinaigrette, Parmesan and Pine Nuts; 
Tortelloni Frittata; Crema Moka with Crispy Tortellini.

La Specialita' della Casa:

• Prosciutto wrapped pesto tortellini with asparagus
• Shaved asparagus dressed with a tangy vinaigrette, Parmesan cheese, and pine nuts
• Tortelloni frittata with sausage and spinach, topped with marinara sauce and basil
• Crema moka-layers of chocolate and coffee flavors with a crunchy tortellini surprise

Recipe for Baked Goat's Cheese

I had baked goat’s cheese years ago in a tapas restaurant, probably in San Francisco, and have loved it ever since.  It’s easy to prepare and is delicious spread on crusty bread.  It is best bubbly hot out of the oven (be careful!) but is also good room temp.  The better quality of cheese you buy, the better the experience.

Ingredients:
4 oz. good quality goat's cheese
1/4 cup homemade or store bought pesto


Method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.


Place goat's cheese on oven proof dish and pour pesto over cheese. 

Bake for 25 minutes or until browning and bubbly. 

Depending on the pesto you use, you may have to carefully pour off some of the excess olive oil that bakes out during cooking.  Before serving, stir any remaining oil back in to the pesto sauce.

Serve with crusty whole grain bread or crackers.

Printable Recipe

Recipe for Nutty Cheese Ball



If you need to put a quick snack or appetizer together and you want it to be on the healthy side of things, look no further.  Adapted from Mark Bittman’s Cheese-Nut Balls (Mark Bittman, The Food Matters Cookbook, Simon and Schuster, 2010, p 57.), this is more nut than cheese, but has enough cheese to keep things interesting. (On line recipe here if you don't own the cookbook)

Makes 32 TBSP, each approximately 62 calories, 5 grams fat, 2 grams carbs, 1 gram fiber and 2.5 grams protein; 2 WW Points+

 Ingredients:

2 cups roasted, salted almonds

Juice of ½ a lemon

1 tsp paprika

Pinch each of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 ounces crumbled extra sharp cheddar cheese

2 thin slices of prosciutto, chopped and pan fried until crispy

Chopped fresh basil

½ cup water

Slivered almonds for decoration (optional)

Method:

Pulse the nuts in a food processor until finely chopped. 

Add lemon juice, paprika, cheeses, prosciutto, salt and pepper and water. 

Process until well blended and creamy.

Shape into a flat disk and sprinkle the chopped basil all over, pressing in lightly.  Top with a few slivered almonds.

Wrap up in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.  Serve with cucumber rounds, whole grain baguette, or crackers.

A nice switch up from a "normal" cheese ball with lots of cheese and a bit of nuts, to a nice mouthful of cheesy flavored nut spread!  Mark Bittman made his with blue cheese instead of the cheddar.  I think you could use any cheese with a high flavor value.  Other additions instead of the prosciutto or in addition to would be dried cranberries, chopped roasted red peppers or pimientos, or olives…anything your heart desires!

Printable Recipe

Recipe for Prosciutto Wrapped Pesto Tortellini with Asparagus

Ah, Italy.  The wine, the beautiful people, the amazing scenery and of course, the food.   This little appetizer was inspired by thoughts of Italy and of spring.  The fresh, local asparagus is heavenly tucked inside prosciutto with a nice surprise of soft pillows of cheese tortellini bathed in pesto…am I making you hungry?

Homemade Wheat Bread Crostinis



I’ve admitted before that I could exist on appetizers.  I just love bites of “this and that” much more than a big serving of just “this”.   Here’s an example.  I could have happily just eaten the homemade wheat crostinis, cheese, and grapes and skipped the meal (which was pretty good: my “not just for special occasion roasted chicken”, a huge crunchy green salad and fresh broccoli).  I managed to resist and share the appetizers with our guests!

Recipe for Ahi Edamame Nachos

One of our go to snacks is chips (usually a “healthy” variety-whole grain, multi-grain, baked, lower fat etc) and a dip of some sort.  Maybe hummus, maybe edamame purée, or perhaps a wickedly rich jalapeno and artichoke spread when we’re feeling like a treat.  So I was pleased when the folks at Tostitos asked me to try their new Artisan Recipes Flavored Tortilla Chips.  I haven’t seen them yet on Maui.  We always get new stuff later than you do on the mainland :-{

The two flavors I received from Tostitos were Fire-Roasted Chipotle and Roasted Garlic and Black Bean.  Today, I’m trying out the Chipotle flavor.

Recipe for Turkey and Bean Nacho Casserole

Recipes from Cooking Light rarely disappoint me.  This one, meh.   I adapted it by using ground turkey breast rather than vegetarian crumbles as in the original recipe and made a few other minor tweaks.   It was tasty enough but I would just make it like traditional nachos if I make it again.  All the building of the casserole wasn’t worth it and it didn’t keep well for leftovers (soggy chips).  If I had just made it like nachos, I could have saved the leftover meat mixture and served it on fresh chips the next day.  Lesson learned!

Recipe for Fish Cakes



As I promised yesterday, here is another fish recipe.  When I bought the fish for yesterday’s dinner, as sometimes happens, the piece of fish that was cut by the fishmonger ended up being a bit more than I wanted.  I just decided to take it all instead of making him cut another piece as I figured I could use the extra for lunch.  Now I don’t know about you, but for me there aren’t many leftover fish dishes that I’ve enjoyed eating.  So rather than poaching all the fish yesterday and having the extra today, I cut about 4 ounces off and stuck it back in the coldest part of the fridge and saved it for today’s lunch.

When I pulled it out, I was thinking along the lines of a fish salad (like tuna fish, chicken salad etc) but I felt a little creative (not one of my strong suits for sure) and decided to try to pull off a fish cake.  I wanted it flavorful, light, and interesting.  That’s pretty much what I got.  I’m very happy with this recipe and will make it again.  It could be a dinner entrée as well as made in small sizes for appetizers.    I ate them for lunch along with a green salad and was quite happy and full until dinner.

Recipe for Rosemary White Bean Crostini



Here’s a healthy and quick appetizer or snack that is sure to please.  The rosemary, wine and shallots play very nicely together.  I used my new favorite healthy baguette recipe for the bread.

Makes about 2 cups of dip, approximately 83 calories, 0.8 grams fat, 13 grams carbs, 3 grams fiber, 4.3 grams protein, 2 WW Points+, per ¼ cup

Bread: approximately 21 calories, 0.1 grams fat, 4.25 grams carbs, 0.5 grams fiber, 1 grams protein, 1 WW Points+ per ½ of thin slice

Recipe for Black Eyed Pea Hummus

There’s the old superstition about eating black eyed peas on New Year’s Day to bring you good luck.  I don’t really buy into it but was intrigued by this recipe on Kalyn’s Kitchen for a hummus (which I love) made with black eyed peas so I thought I’d give it a try.  It was AMAZING!  Don’t wait for New Year’s to give this tasty and healthy recipe a try.

Recipe for Sardine Salad Appetizer

OK, this will either be something you love or not.  I’d never eaten sardines before.  They just freak me out-little fishy things with teeny bones. Eww.

But, I keep reading how good they are for you, packed with all those omega-3s and tons of B12.  Plus they are a good source of lean protein.

So I bit the bullet and bought some when I came across cans of sardines packed in water, no bones, no skin.  So great, now what do I do with them?  Well, I needed an appetizer for Thanksgiving and I wanted something light and healthy so I figured I could make up a light fish salad kind of thing and spread it on some slices of cucumber.  Here’s how it turned out.  I liked it a lot.  Others did too, but not everyone!

Recipe for Quick and Easy Puff Pastry Tarts

Veggie Tart



Pepperoni Tart

 

Here’s a simple recipe that adapts to what you have on hand (veggies, cheeses) and what type of meal (appetizer, main meal) you are preparing.  Serve right away, they keep ok if reheated the next day but are much better within an hour or so of cooking.

For 16 pieces per tart, each approximately 111 calories, 7.6 grams fat, 7.9 grams carbs, 3.4 grams protein (pepperoni) and 116 calories, 7.9 grams fat, 8.9 grams carbs, 3 grams protein (veggie)

BTW  Check out the new tab at the top of the home page: a listing of my phase 1 South Beach friendly recipes.