As promised, here’s the recipe for the almond and red pepper stuffed mushrooms that we served at our URS screening party. I love stuffed mushrooms – they are one of the first apps I reach for at events and I’m always thinking about new ways to enjoy them. This particular flavor combination was inspired by a toasted almond and red pepper pesto pasta that I make at least once a month.

To make the filling, I simply pulsed the toasted almonds, shallots, garlic, roasted red peppers and basil in a food processor and then added in a bit of store bought tomato sauce to sweeten it up and add another layer of flavor. I topped the mushrooms with some shredded mozzarella cheese this time but feta also works beautifully. The best part about this recipe is that you can cook the mushrooms and prepare the filling the day before the party. Then a few hours before serving, you can assemble the stuffed mushrooms on cookie sheets and warm them up as needed for gathering. Recipes that can be prepped the day before a party = a happy host/hostess!

Almond and Red Pepper Stuffed Mushrooms
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole raw almonds
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 24-ounce packages of whole mushrooms, washed with stems removed
3/4 cup chopped shallots
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 24-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained
1/2 cup of your favorite tomato sauce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Heat oven to 350˚F. Place almonds on a cookie sheet and bake at 350˚F for 10 minutes or until toasted.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat and sauté mushrooms for 7 to 10 minutes, or until tender, working in batches. Remove from heat and drain well. Heat remaining tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat in a nonstick pan and sauté shallots for 5 to 7 minutes or until soft; add garlic and sauté 1 additional minute.

Place shallot mixture in a food processor with the toasted almonds, roasted red peppers, tomato sauce, basil, red pepper flakes, and salt; pulse for 20 seconds or until well combined.

Heat broiler. Spoon filling into mushroom cavities and place on a large greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly on top. Broil for 2 to 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Makes about 24 servings of 2 mushrooms each.

Nutrition: 87 calories, 6.6g fat, 1.5g fiber, 3.9g protein per serving
Cost: $0.75 per serving

It’s about time for a recipe post around here, huh?  Don’t worry, I actually spent all last weekend in the kitchen getting ready for our Ultimate Recipe Showdown screening party on Sunday, so I’ve got two appetizer recipes ready to share!  It was the first party we’ve thrown where I tackled making everything myself.  I usually get some items from Costco but was feeling extra ambitious when I was designing the menu.  Plus, my secret motivation was that I figured all the extra time in the kitchen would distract me from getting too nervous about watching the show!

I somehow forgot to take pictures of the spread, but it included both desserts I made on the show, along with spinach puff pastry swirls, caprese skewers, sesame lamb meatballs with cucumber cilantro yogurt, chicken satay with peanut sauce, mini crab cakes with tomato ginger jam, and shrimp wrapped with snow peas.  I also threw in a couple of my own recipes for cucumber hummus appetizers, almond and red pepper stuffed mushrooms (which will be up next!), and these eggplant and goat cheese crostinis.  It probably comes as no surprise that the goat cheese made these my favorite app of the night!

I spread a mixture of goat cheese, milk, and parmesan cheese on crispy toasted baguette slices, and topped the goat cheese with roasted eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes, and pine nuts.  They were pretty tasty and I would definitely make them again.  Big thanks to Shannon, who came over early to help, and everyone who loaned me cookie sheets and serving platters!

p.s.  I’ve finally been convinced to give twitter a try and you can follow me here!   And thanks to everyone who entered my Derry Church Artisan Chocolates giveaway.  The lucky winner on random.org was number 2 – congrats to Sharon!  And if you missed URS, it’s airing again this Saturday at 2pm EST (1pm CST) and Sunday at 6pm EST (5pm CST)!

Eggplant and Goat Cheese Crostinis
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 baguette, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium eggplant, chopped into cubes
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces goat cheese
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Directions:
Heat oven to 375˚F.  Arrange the baguette slices in a single layer on a large greased cookie sheet.  Brush baguette slices with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Bake at 375˚F for 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet and sauté eggplant for 5 minutes. Add red onion and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until veggies are soft, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and sauté one additional minute.  Mix in sun-dried tomatoes and salt.

Mix goat cheese, milk, and parmesan cheese in a small bowl until smooth.  Spread goat cheese on toasted baguette slices and top evenly with eggplant mixture and toasted pine nuts.  Makes 16 servings.

Nutrition:  190 calories, 9.6g fat, 1.7g fat, 7.6g protein per serving
Cost:  $0.53 per serving

The Super Bowl is almost here! I love having the excuse to whip up a bunch of fun appetizers and if you’re not in the mood for football chicken cakes, I have the most mouth watering snack for you – plantain nachos! These are my absolute favorite nachos of all time and I’ve been waiting for the Super Bowl to share the recipe with you – I just LOVE them! I first had plantain nachos at the Calypso Café in Chicago and was inspired to come up with my own recipe after we moved to Boston when I found myself craving them regularly. You seriously need to make these if you like plantains – just looking at the pictures makes me drool because they are that good!

I don’t get my fryer out often, but it’s completely worth doing so to make homemade plantain chips. They are 100 times better than the ones you can buy at the store and really take these nachos over the top. The fresh plantain chips are topped with a heavenly black bean sauce, cheddar cheese, and pico de gallo. Apolinaras and I usually devour half a batch by ourselves for lunch one day (don’t judge!), and then warm the leftovers up the next day in the oven, but they are best fresh. Oh, and I wrote out the recipe for how much black bean sauce you’ll need for the nachos, but I always actually double it and use the extra sauce to spice up chicken breasts. Enjoy!

Plantain Nachos
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Pico de Gallo:
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt

Black Bean Sauce:
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 15.5-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed (about 3/4 cup)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
Juice of half a lime

Plantain Chips:
Vegetable oil for frying
3 green plantains, peeled
1 teaspoon sea salt

Remaining Ingredients for Nacho Assembly:
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

To prepare the pico de gallo, mix the tomatoes, red onion, lime juice, cilantro and salt together in a small bowl. Allow to rest for an hour at room temperature to let the flavors blend.

Prepare the black bean sauce by heating olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapeno and sauté for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add garlic and sauté an additional minute. Place black beans, vegetable mix, cumin, salt, and lime juice in a food processor; pulse until well blended.

To prepare the plantain chips, heat vegetable oil in a deep-fryer to 375˚F. Cut the plantains in half and slice them lengthwise into long thin strips (no more than 1/8-inch thick). Deep fry the plantain strips, in small batches, until golden brown on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chips to a paper towel-lined pan to drain. Cool and season with salt.

To assemble the nachos, preheat the oven to 350˚F. Lay 1/2 of the chips on a large baking sheet covered with foil. Top the chips with half the bean sauce, in small spoonfuls, making sure to evenly cover each chip. Sprinkle the bean-covered chips evenly with half the shredded cheeses. Spread the remaining chips on top of the first layer and repeat the process of covering them with the remaining black bean sauce and cheeses. Bake at 350˚F until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to sprinkle the pico de gallo evenly over the nachos, making sure to drain out any extra liquid. Serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 416 calories, 24.9g fat, 7.0g fiber, 7.9g protein per serving
Cost: $0.83 per serving

An additional foodie goal of mine this year is to enter more contests. I really enjoy the whole recipe development process and there are some incredible prizes! The Tyson Fantasy League Party Master Contest recently caught my eye on Contest Cook.  I’m an aspiring party master! For my Super Bowl party I would want to serve cute football themed appetizers. Yes, my inner Martha is coming out to play again! I decided my entry would revolve around a twist on my avocado chicken cake recipe, but this time I would shape the cakes to resemble footballs and use a sauce to decorate them!

These football cakes are delicious, come together quickly, and are a great way to use up your leftover rotisserie chicken. I just mixed shredded chicken with roasted red peppers, red onion, garlic, and panko, and used a bit of mayo and an egg to hold everything together. Then I shaped the mixture into footballs and coated them with more panko. I crisped them up in a bit of olive oil and then squeezed some ranch dressing on top to mimic the football details. So cute! I’m biased of course, but I think the recipe is a winner and I entered it in the contest. But, now I need your help!

Only the 10 top recipes with the highest number of votes on February 1 will be considered by the judges for the grand prize, so I would extremely grateful if you could go here and vote for my Football Chicken Cakes! You do have to register, which I know is annoying, but the promotion is also an instant win game, so every time you log in to vote you could win a prize like a grill/cooler combo, MP3 player, football video game, etc. When you register, be sure to follow the requested format for your phone number and birth date, otherwise the page won’t load. You can vote every day until February 1 and I would truly appreciate each and every vote! Thanks everyone!

Football Chicken Cakes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups shredded leftover Tyson Rotisserie Chicken
1 cup panko
1/3 cup chopped roasted red peppers
3 tablespoon chopped red onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbsp light mayonnaise
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup ranch dressing

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix together chicken, 1/3 cup panko, roasted red peppers, red onion, garlic, mayo, egg, and salt. Form 8 cakes shaped like footballs; coat cakes in remaining 2/3 cup panko.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet; add 4 cakes and cook until light brown, about 3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and 4 cakes. Place ranch dressing in a squeeze bottle and decorate football cakes. Makes 8 appetizer sized servings.

Nutrition: 193 calories, 9.9g fat, 1.3g fiber, 15.6g protein per serving
Cost: $0.78 per serving

Party season is finally here! I’ve been getting into the holiday spirit by having hot chocolate after dinner every night and singing along to Christmas carols in the car (I was in chorus in high school and know all the words!). But tomorrow things will get into full force with our first work holiday party! I’m a huge fan of appetizer-only spreads because you get to try so many yummy treats and these little cranberry pecan brie bites are one of my favorites.

These little guys are very tasty and super fast to throw together.  I just lined mini muffin cups with pie crusts (I usually use the refrigerated Pillsbury ones), stuffed them with chunks of brie, and then topped them off with a cranberry pear spread and chopped pecans.  So easy and they are always a hit!

Cranberry Pecan Brie Bites
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 box (15 oz) refrigerated pie crusts, softened according to package directions
1 large Bartlett pear, peeled, cored, and chopped (8 ounces)
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 ounces brie, cut into 24 3/4×3/4-inch chunks
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
Heat oven to 375˚F. Unroll pie crusts and place on a flat work surface. Use a 2 1/2-inch round cutter to cut 12 rounds from each crust. Press each round in the bottom of 24 cups of an ungreased mini-muffin cup pan and press dough up the sides to form cups.

Meanwhile, place chopped pear, cranberries, and salt in a food processor, and process for 1 to 2 minutes or until well mixed.

Place one chunk of brie into each mini-muffin cup and top evenly cranberry mixture. Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly on top. Bake at 375˚F for 15 to 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes and remove from mini-muffin cups. Makes 12 servings.

Nutrition: 231 calories, 14.6g fat, 1.7g fiber, 4.4g protein per serving
Cost: $0.63 per serving

I love stuffed mushrooms and serve them almost every time we have friends over, but I’ve been wanting to lighten them up for awhile now since the usual cream cheese-filled versions are very heavy. When I was making my Truly Outrageous Baked Sweet Potatoes, I was thinking about what else I could stuff with sweet potatoes and mushrooms immediately came to mind. So, this week I stuffed mushrooms with mashed sweet potatoes, turkey bacon, and caramelized shallots, and then topped them with chopped hazelnuts. I thought the flavors really complimented each other well and these little apps are light enough that you can eat as many as you want without spoiling your dinner! This is also a great way to use up any leftover sweet potatoes you may have from Thanksgiving!

I also have to share pictures of the cake I made for my lab mate’s baby shower today! Raffaella is having a little girl, so I made a Sky High pink strawberry cake with chocolate frosting and tackled making marshmallow fondant for the first time. I followed Annie’s awesome instructions for making decorations and was super proud of how well everything turned out, especially the very cute fondant baby sneakers (made with this template) that topped the cake. I think one of the best things about having a blog is that I’m constantly inspired to challenge myself and try new techniques and recipes that are outside of my comfort zone. The cake was a huge hit and several strangers even complimented it on the subway on my way to work! I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

Sweet Potato and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms Topped with Hazelnuts
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
24 mushrooms, stems removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 slices turkey bacon, chopped
1 cup chopped shallots
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 sweet potato, scrubbed
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375˚F. Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray and place mushrooms on it, cap side down.

Heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat in a medium nonstick skillet. Sauté chopped turkey bacon for 5 to 7 minutes or until crispy. Remove and drain.

Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to the same skillet; add shallots, reduce heat to medium low, and sauté shallots 15 to 17 minutes, stirring frequently, or until caramelized. Add garlic and sauté one additional minute.

Meanwhile, prick sweet potato several times with a fork and microwave on high for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender. Remove cooked flesh and place in a medium bowl (my yield was 1 cup).

Mix mashed sweet potatoes with bacon, caramelized shallots, apple cider vinegar, and salt; stuff mushrooms with sweet potato mixture and top evenly with chopped hazelnuts. Bake stuffed mushrooms at 375˚F for 20 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition: 152 calories, 9.2g fat, 2.4g fiber, 7.1g protein per serving
Cost: $0.92 per serving

Football season is finally here! Ok, so I admit I actually only know this because I saw a game on while I was browsing through the tv channels on the elliptical at the gym. I’m not actually a huge football fan, and much to my brother’s horror, I’ve never tailgated at a college football game (I went to a small division three college where we sat on the grass to watch football games), but I can be convinced to watch a bit if it means I have the excuse to whip up some football season munchies!

I decided to make these loaded sweet potato skins last night to enjoy with our gin and tonics. I topped the crispy sweet potato skins with a black bean sauce, cheddar cheese, and turkey bacon. These were really tasty and I used the leftover mashed insides of the sweet potatoes for another treat that will be up in my next post!

Loaded Sweet Potato Skins
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
4 sweet potatoes, scrubbed
6 pieces turkey bacon, sliced into small pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
Juice of half a lime
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400˚F. Poke holes in the sweet potatoes and bake for an hour at 400˚F or until soft. Allow sweet potatoes to cool slightly and then cut them into quarters. Scoop out some of the insides of the sweet potatoes, leaving a 1/2-inch shell.

Meanwhile, place bacon in a medium skillet over medium high heat and cook 7 minutes or until crispy. Drain bacon on paper towels. To make the black bean sauce, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the same skillet over medium heat and sauté onion for 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and sauté an additional minute. Place onion mixture, black beans, lime juice, cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor and pulse until smooth.

Mix remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt in a small bowl and use a pastry brush to coat both sides of each potato skin with olive oil. Bake potato skins on a large greased cookie sheet for 10 minutes at 400˚F. Flip potato skins over and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until skins are crispy. Evenly top crispy potato skins with black bean sauce, shredded cheese, and turkey bacon. Bake 2 to 3 minutes at 400˚F or until cheese is melted. Makes 16 loaded sweet potato skins (8 servings).

Nutrition: 258 calories, 12.2g fat, 6.4g fiber, 10.6g protein per serving
Cost: $0.85 per serving

I have a problem – I can’t stop stuffing things with cheese! I recently saw arancini (Italian rice balls) filled with cheese on Lisa is Cooking and Brown Eyed Baker, and immediately started drooling. Of course, I wanted to add my own little twist, so I drew inspiration from a yummy rice dish I had in New Orleans a few months ago that featured shredded pork and kicked up BBQ sauce.

I mixed brown rice with eggs, BBQ sauce, turkey bacon, and panko, and then used the mixture to encase little chunks of cheddar cheese. Then I carefully coated the rice balls with more panko so they would be crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside after I baked them. We both really enjoyed these little bites, and I managed to convince myself that they were healthy since I used brown rice and turkey bacon and baked them instead of frying them… Thanks to Lisa and Michelle for the inspiration!

BBQ Rice Balls Stuffed with Cheddar Cheese
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked brown rice
4 slices cooked turkey bacon, chopped
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
2 eggs
2 cups panko
3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 20 small cubes

Directions:
Mix rice, turkey bacon, BBQ sauce, eggs, and 1 cup panko in a medium bowl.

Encase each of the cubes of cheese with the rice mixture, shape into balls, and roll in the remaining cup of panko. Place on a greased cookie sheet.  Place sheet in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400˚F. Bake balls at 400˚F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Makes 5 servings (of 4 balls each).

Nutrition: 389 calories, 11.2g fat, 3.2g fiber, 14.8g protein per serving
Cost: $0.75 per serving

I recently splurged on some of those cute little fresh mozzarella balls marinated in olive oil and herbs. They are so addicting! We enjoyed them when our friends visited last weekend, but I bought a huge tub because I wanted to play with them in a new recipe. I noticed Elly had posted a fantastic recipe for chicken parm burgers and was inspired to use ground chicken to make small chicken parm appetizers!

I decided to use a ground chicken mixture to encase the little mozzarella balls and then coated the balls in panko so they would be crispy on the outside like chicken parm! Then I served them with a marinara dipping sauce. This was my first time using ground chicken, and I was surprised that it was so much moister than ground turkey. I didn’t even end up needing an egg to hold the mixture together. My hubby was a big fan of these, and I’m blaming him for the fact that they disappeared within a day!

Chicken Parm Bites Stuffed with Mozzarella
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped shallots
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground chicken
1 1/4 cups panko
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
16 small fresh mozzarella balls
1/2 cup of your favorite marinara sauce

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a small skillet and sauté shallots for 5 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and sauté one additional minute.

Lightly mix together shallots, ground chicken, 1/4 cup panko, oregano, basil, and salt in a large bowl. Carefully encase each mozzarella ball evenly with ground chicken mixture and then roll each ball in remaining 1 cup panko until evenly coated. Place balls on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 350˚F or until chicken is cooked through. Place a toothpick in each ball and serve alongside the marinara sauce. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 279 calories, 16.7g fat, 1.7g fiber, 18.9g protein per serving
Cost: $0.90 per serving

I really enjoy every aspect of having friends over for dinner (except for the cleaning part, of course!) and was especially excited for the meal we had last night with our friends Geeti and Puneet because Geeti is also a huge foodie. We had an absolutely amazing feast of Indian dishes when we went over to their house last time, so I took extra time planning the menu in hopes that our meal would be at least half as good as theirs!

Things didn’t start off too well because I was locked out of our apartment with two huge IKEA bags full of food two hours before they were supposed to arrive! My hubby was at the gym and I had gone running that morning and accidently left my house keys in my ipod case. Luckily, our building manager was home and was nice enough to let me in. The only other mishap was that I over toasted the pine nuts – again. I swear this happens to me half the time because the little guys toast too quickly and I forgot to set a timer for them. But overall, I think all the dishes were successful and I really enjoyed these cute little appetizers.

Most of the appetizers I usually make involve some sort of bread or pasty, but I felt like doing something a bit lighter this time and decided to top cucumber slices with hummus, roasted red peppers, and crumbled feta. That’s it – you don’t really even need a recipe for these tasty little apps! They’re light and flavorful and the best part is that no oven is needed.

Cucumber Hummus Appetizers
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cucumber, sliced
1 cup hummus
1/3 cup chopped roasted red peppers
1/3 cup crumbled feta

Directions:
Top cucumber slices evenly with hummus and evenly sprinkle roasted red peppers and feta over the hummus. Makes about 20 slices or 4 servings.

Nutrition: 150 calories, 3.1g fat, 4.6g fiber, and 7.3g protein per serving
Cost: $0.91 per serving

There’s nothing better than sitting outside drinking margaritas and munching on guacamole and chips in the summer! We always order guac when we see it on a restaurant menu and I love to make it at home too since it comes together so quickly. Avocados are part of my hubby’s weightlifting diet, but he’s not allowed to have chips, so I thought it would be fun to come up with a more nutritious way to enjoy guacamole. I dreamed up these cute little black bean cups that are very healthy and flavorful!

I made the dough with black beans, cumin, whole wheat flour, and olive oil, and then pressed it into mini-muffin cups. Then I filled the little cups with this yummy Roasted Pepper Guacamole I saw on Culinary Wannabe’s lovely blog. I love the color and flavor the red peppers added to the guac! These adorable little appetizers are the perfect healthy treats to bring to a BBQ this summer!

Mini Bean Black Cups Stuffed with Guacamole
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup of your favorite guacamole

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a 24 cup mini-muffin tray with cooking spray. Pulse black beans, flour, cumin, paprika, salt, and olive oil in a food processor until soft dough forms. Place dough evenly into the 24 mini-muffin cups and form mini-cups by spreading dough up the sides of each cup. Bake the cups for 15 to 20 minutes at 350ºF or until set. Cool completely, about 30 minutes, and fill cups evenly with guacamole. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition: 261 calories, 15.0g fat, 8.1g fiber, 7.2g protein per serving
Cost: $0.55 per serving

When I was in New Orleans several months ago, I ordered a Crawfish Roll on a whim from one of the food vendors. I didn’t really know what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be a yummy eggroll filled with a crawfish/seafood stuffing. It was so good and I knew I wanted to come up with a version to serve as an appetizer at home.

I’m 99% sure the eggroll was stuffed with grits (although I’d never had them before!), so this is my first attempt making them. I knew I didn’t want too must moisture in the filling, so I kept them on the drier side after cooking them, and then mixed in some Cajun spices, red peppers, green onions, and shrimp. I had a little leftover goat cheese so I mixed it with a bit of lime juice and served it on top!

Cajun Shrimp Rolls
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 green onions, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry yellow grits
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cooked shrimp, chopped
8 spring roll wrappers, thawed
2 ounces goat cheese
Juice of one lime

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium pan and sauté green onions and red peppers for 5 to 7 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and sauté 1 additional minute. Remove from heat.

Combine grits and chicken stock in a small pot and bring mixture to a boil. Simmer for 5-10 minutes or until grits are tender. Stir in paprika, cayenne pepper, oregano, thyme, and salt. Mix in vegetable mixture and shrimp.

Evenly fill spring roll wrappers according to the package directions. Briefly, top each wrapper with an equal amount of shrimp mixture across the center, from point to point. Roll up bottom point, tuck in sides and roll up. Using moistened fingers, wet the last point and roll up to seal. Place rolls, sealed side down, on a large cookie sheet and bake at 350˚F for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile mix goat cheese and lime juice in a small bowl. Serve rolls with goat cheese mixture. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 143 calories, 3.6g fat, 0.8g fiber, 8.0g protein per serving
Cost: $1.07 per serving

This weekend was lovely in Boston and my hubby and I took full advantage of the unusually warm weather by taking a long walk around our neighborhood. We live within a 5 minute stroll of many shops and restaurants and one of our favorites is a small family-owned meat market called McKinnon’s. They have every cut of meat imaginable and a nice selection of fresh seafood. We always end up with some sort of impulse purchase when we visit, and this weekend was no exception – I picked up a package of mussels! I had never prepared mussels before, so I was a little intimidated, but decided to go for it anyway. There’s nothing worse than ruining an expensive ingredient, but luckily everything went smoothly after I did a little research on the internet and found this site explaining how to properly clean and debeard them.

Coming up with an idea for the sauce was much easier because I knew I wanted to use coconut milk and curry paste. One of our favorite restaurants in Chicago, Opera, used to serve mussels in an amazing coconut curry sauce and we’ve missed this tasty appetizer ever since we moved to Boston! It was nice to enjoy one of our favorite dishes for a fraction of what it would have cost in a restaurant.  Mussels will definitely be on our list the next time we go to McKinnon’s!

Coconut Curry Mussels
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 green onions, chopped
1 14-ounce can light coconut milk
Juice of one lime
1 teaspoon red curry paste
1 stalk lemongrass
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 to 1 1/2 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded

Directions:
Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large stockpot and sauté red peppers and greens onions for 5 to 7 minutes or until soft. Add coconut milk, lime juice, red curry paste, lemongrass, ginger, and salt to the pot and bring mixture to a boil. Add mussels and boil until mussels open, about 5 minutes. Discard any mussels that do not open. Place the mussels in two serving bowls and continue to simmer the sauce for 5 to 10 minutes or until it reduces and thickens a bit. Remove lemongrass and pour sauce over mussels. Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition: 287 calories, 21.3g fat, 3.0g fiber, 12.7g protein per serving (assuming you finish all the sauce!)
Cost: $3.00 per serving

We have a serious hummus/pita bread ratio problem at our house. Whenever we get a tub of hummus from Trader Joe’s and a pack of pita, the hummus disappears before we’re done with the pita bread! Most of the time I discover the poor forgotten pita in the back of the fridge weeks later. Well, this time I was determined not to let it go to waste, and whipped up this hummus to enjoy with it.

I recently saw a sweet potato and black bean burrito on a restaurant menu, which sounded like a fabulous flavor combination. We are big fans of sweet potatoes and black beans and always have both ingredients in our pantry. I combined mashed sweet potatoes and black beans with some lime juice and adobo sauce for extra kick. Very simple, but really good – I’m now looking forward to next time we have extra pita bread lying around so I have an excuse to make this again!

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Hummus
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes (from 2 cooked sweet potatoes, skins removed)
1 15.5-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers (or to taste)
Juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Pulse sweet potatoes, black beans, adobo sauce, lime juice, olive oil, and salt in a food processor until well blended. Serve with pita bread! Makes 12 servings.

Nutrition: 89 calories, 2.5g fat, 3.6g fiber, 3.2g protein per serving
Cost: $2.72 total