Tag: appetizer

Barbecue Rosemary Arayes

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Ingredients:
Pita (I used 6 medium and 20 mini ones)
2.5 kg minced meat and minced chicken, preferably not lean (I did half and half)
4 garlic cloves, pressed through garlic press
1/4 c barbecue sauce
1 tbsp Montreal steak spice
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary .

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F
Mix together all ingredients, except pita. 
Slice pita partially open and stuff each pita with meat mixture and flatten to ensure even cooking. 
Spray baking sheet liberally with non stick cooking spray and place stuffed pitas on pan. Spray again with non stick cooking spray. 
Bake for 20-25 minutes (small for 20, large for 25)

Fake Bacon Eggplant

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1/2 large or 1 small eggplant
1 tbsp smoky paprika
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 package @jacksgourmet fake bacon .
Slice eggplant and salt (I skipped this step but I think it would be even better like this). Let sit for 10 minutes and wipe down eggplant. Cube eggplant into small pieces. .
Mix together smoky paprika, oil, garlic and maple syrup. Coat eggplant.
Sauté eggplant and fake bacon together on medium/high heat until eggplant is nicely browned on all sides. .
Serve as is or with humus or over salad with dressing below. .
Dressing
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp Dijon
Salt and pepper

Shakshuka Nachos

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I don’t have exact measurements but I think you can wing it
.
1 tbsp butter
Kale (I used about 1/2 head, basically enough to fill the pan), torn into small pieces 
4 eggs 
1/2 can black beans, drained, rinsed and dried 
Corn kernels 
Chili lime seasoning
Grated mozzarella cheddar blend 
Salsa
.
Melt butter over medium-high heat. 
Throw kale into the pan, make 4 wells and place an egg into each well. Sprinkle generously with chili lime seasoning. 
Spread on cheese, beans, corn and a few spoonfuls of salsa. 
Cover pan until cheese melts. 
Serve with tortilla chips and guacamole.

White Bean Soup with Sausages and Kale Chips

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I don’t know the source of this recipe but it is so delicious I wanted to share with you. Please let me know if you know the source so I can give proper credit. (I’ve might very minor changes)

Ingredients:
3 tbsp avocado oil 
1 onion, chopped 
1/3 cup each, diced carrots and celery 
2 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
1/2 tsp sea salt (use a bit more if you’re using beans with no salt added)
Freshly ground pepper
2 bay leaves 
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary 
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (I used water mixed with @traderjoesumami seasoning)
1/2 tsp liquid smoke 
3 cans white kidney beans, drained and rinsed 
2 sausages (I used @jacksgourmet )
1 tsp oil
Garnish with kale chips (see below for recipe)

Directions:
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook onion, carrots, celery and garlic with salt and pepper, until tender. Add in rosemary and bay leaves and cook for another minute. Add stock and liquid smoke and simmer for 5 minutes. Add in beans and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove bay leaves. 
Use an immersion blender to partially blend, but leave some chunks for a nice hearty texture. .
In the meantime, slice hot dogs and fry in a bit of oil to cook. .
Serve soup topped with hot dogs and kale chips if desired. .
Kale chips ⬇️
Preheat oven to 400°F 
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Spread kale (washed and thoroughly dried) over baking sheet in single layer. Spray generously with additional cooking spray. Sprinkle generously with everything but the bagel seasoning. 
Bake for 10-15 minutes, until crisp

Beef Arayes

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I kept seeing recipes for arayes and had to try them. This is my spin on this new fad – I hope to make variations of these arayes again because they were so easy and a huge hit! .
1 lb minced meat (not lean)
1.5 tbsp shawarma seasoning
1 tbsp zaatar 
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of 1/2 a lemon 
12-15 mini pitas
.
Preheat oven to 400°F. 
Mix together all ingredients except pita. Cut openings in the pitas and stuff with meat mixture. Try to flatten each pita, to spread meat mixture out evenly. 
Place on greased baking sheet. Spray cooking spray generously on top as well. 
Bake for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. .
FYI – these were too flavorful for 2 of my kids so you can reduce the seasoning a bit for children. 

Mushroom Goat Cheese Spanakopita

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1 stick plus 2 tbsp butter, divided 
1 onion, peeled, cut in half and thinly sliced
1 box cremini mushrooms, gills removed and sliced 
2 cups spinach 
3 sundried tomatoes 
Splash of balsamic
1/2 cup goat cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
12 Phyllo sheets – I prefer using fresh but you can also used frozen, just let it thaw
.
Melt 1 tbsp butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for a long time until lightly caramelized. Add in mushrooms and continue to sauté. Push aside and add spinach until it’s wilted. Mix in tomatoes, balsamic, basil and goat cheese, until blended well and remove from heat. .
Melt remaining butter. 
Place 1 piece of phyllo on a piece of parchment paper and brush with butter. Repeat with 2 move phyllo sheets. Keep remaining phyllo covered in the meantime. 
Orient phyllo sheets horizontally. 
Cut into 4 even strips. 
Place 1 tbsp of mushroom spinach mixture in the corner of each strip. Fold over into a triangle and keep folding over until the end of the strip. 
Repeat with remaining strips of phyllo. 
Repeat this process with 9 remaining phyllo sheets. 
Brush triangles with remaining butter. .
Bake at 375°F for 15-20 minutes, until nicely browned. 
You can freeze prior to baking and bake fresh. 
The steps are saved in my highlights in case my explanation of the folding technique isn’t clear.

Zaatar Parmesan Tahini Eggplant Boats

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This is a beautiful and elegant meal, which did not take long to prepare. It’s also can double as an appetizer if you use baby eggplants (cooking time would change). .
1 large eggplant, sliced in half 
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp zaatar 
2 tbsp Parmesan (plus some more later)
1 zucchini .
1/2 cup each ricotta and goat cheese 
1 cup canned chickpeas 
2 sundried tomatoes, chopped 
Handful marinated olives, sliced 
A few fresh basil leaves 
Freshly grated Parmesan .
Tahini, silan and sesame seeds to garnish
.
Preheat oven to 425°F. 
On each eggplant half, score almost all the way through and them scoop out insides (leaving about 1/4 inch of insides). Chop eggplant into small cubes. 
Slice zucchini into 1/4 inch coins. 
Mix together oil, zaatar and parmesan. Brush some mixture onto eggplant boats, and coat eggplant cubes and zucchini rounds. 
Place eggplant skin side down on 1 baking sheet, with cubed eggplant next to it, spread out in a single layer. 
Spread zucchini on a separate sheet in a single layer (unless you have space for a single layer on the first sheet). Bake for about 10 minutes. Then broil each sheet separately for 3-5 minutes. Watch carefully because each oven is different – they should easily pierce with a fork and maybe get a bit crispy but don’t let them burn! .
Mix together eggplant cubes, zucchini, cheeses, sundried tomatoes, olives, chickpeas and basil. I think roasted cauliflower would have also been delicious in here. .
Drizzle on tahini, silan and sprinkle on some sesame seeds

Quinoa Lentil & Corn Burgers

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1 cup cooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups lentils, mashed (I used canned but you can cook them yourself)
1/2 cup corn kernels
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 egg
1/2 cup @pereggourmet sweet chili breadcrumbs (alternatively use GF seasoned breadcrumbs)
3-4 tbsp grapeseed oil for frying .
Mix together all ingredients except breadcrumbs and oil.
Form into patties and coat each with breadcrumbs on both sides.
Fry in oil on both sides until nicely browned. (I haven’t tried baking them but I would try on a parchment lined baking sheet and spray with cooking oil.) .
Serve topped with cheese in a bun or dip in spicy mayo or pesto or green goddess sauce or anything else you’d like!

Eggplant Roll Ups with Sweet Tahini Sauce

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1 large eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch lengthwise
Olive oil to brush on 
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup goat cheese
1/4 cup chopped, fresh basil 
1-2 tbsp chopped, fresh mint 
1/4-1/2 cup chopped, marinated olives .
Sauce:
1 tbsp silan
1 tbsp tahini 
1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped 
Any leftover cheese mixture 
Water to thin .
Garnish 
Sesame seeds 
Mint .
Preheat oven to 400°F. 
Coat eggplant slices with salt and let sit for 15 minutes. Brush off salt. 
Place eggplant slices on parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with olive oil. 
Bake for about 7 minutes per side, until a fork goes in very easily. .
In the meantime, mix together ricotta cheese, goat cheese, basil, mint, olives and freshly ground pepper. .
Spread a heaping spoon of mixture into each eggplant slice and roll up gently. Place in a greased baking pan. 
Bake covered for 5-10 minutes. .
Prepare sauce: mix together silan, tahini, mint, any leftover cheese mixture. Slowly mix in water to thin. For Passover, you can just drizzle silan over the eggplant instead.
Serve eggplant topped with tahini sauce and garnish with sesame seeds and fresh mint.

Cheesy Zucchini Quinoa Fritters

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This recipe was incredibly fast to make and all 3 kids loved it! .
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup cooked quinoa
1 large zucchini, grated (about 2 cups)
1 cup grated cheese
1 cup pancake mix (I used kodiak cakes, you can use a Passover pancake mic)
3 eggs
Salt and pepper
Grapeseed oil for frying .
Directions:
Squeeze liquid out of zucchini.
Mix all ingredients together.
Heat grapeseed oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat.
Use a large spoon to form patties and fry on each side until nicely browned. .
Yield – 12-15 fritters .
Optional add ins: garlic, green onions, finely chopped spinach, Parmesan, grated carrots .