I’m 22 weeks along and happy to report that now that I’m in the second trimester, I’m finally starting to feel like myself again. My energy has returned, and although I still find myself heading to bed earlier than usual, I’m working out regularly once more and wanting more than just cereal or bagels for dinner. And, my little belly bump is starting to make an appearance as well – it’s taken awhile because I’m so tall, but here I am 5 months along!

As far as cravings go, one night I sent Apolinaras out to get French fries, and another day at work I couldn’t think of anything but an asiago bagel with cream cheese and had to immediately run across the street to Au Bon Pain to pick one up. We’ll see what the remaining months bring!

I already know what my first post-baby meal with be though – sushi! I miss it so much. I’ve had the cooked stuff several times, and while it’s not quite the same, it has been holding me over. And, one of the first meals I whipped up once I finally felt like cooking again were these delicious sushi-inspired spring rolls. I filled the wrappers with shrimp, cucumber, avocado, edamame, and brown rice, and dipped the rolls in soy sauce with wasabi – so good!

Sushi Spring Rolls
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups cooked brown rice (1 cup uncooked)
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1 cup chopped cucumber
1 cup chopped avocado
1 cup cooked shrimp, chopped
1 cup frozen edamame, thawed
12 spring roll wrappers
Soy sauce and wasabi to taste

Directions:
Stir brown rice and rice vinegar in a large bowl until well mixed; stir in cucumber, avocado, shrimp, and edamame. Place one spring roll wrapper in warm water for about 10 seconds and lay on a flat surface one pliable. Place about 1/2 cup filling in each wrapper and roll up according to package directions (for tips on filling and rolling spring roll wrappers click here). Mix desired amount of soy sauce and wasabi and serve alongside the sushi spring rolls. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition: 217 calories, 5.2g fat, 3.5g fiber, 12.6g protein per serving
Cost: $0.98 per serving

Apolinaras headed to the grocery store the other weekend and accidently brought home tortilla chips from Trader Joe’s instead of the tortillas on my list….oops. It was pretty obvious the only solution to this problem was to make chicken fajita nachos instead of chicken fajitas for dinner!

I layered tortilla chips with chicken spiced with cumin, chili powder, and paprika, and a healthy dose of onions, bright orange bell peppers, tomatoes, and sharp cheddar cheese. I broiled the nachos until the cheese melted and then sprinkled some cilantro on top – yum! The amount included in the recipe below is perfect for a party.

Chicken Fajita Nachos
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Chicken:
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small bite sized pieces
1 tablespoon canola oil

Nachos:
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 red or orange bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 12-ounce bag tortilla chips (I used soy flaxseed chips from Trader Joe’s)
1 large beefsteak tomato, finely chopped
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

Directions:
To make the chicken, place cumin, chili powder, paprika, Mexican oregano, and salt in a small dish and mix well. Sprinkle spice rub evenly over chicken pieces and mix until well covered. Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat and sauté chicken for 5 to 7 minutes or until fully cooked and no longer pink in the center.

To make the nachos, heat oven broiler. Heat canola oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet and sauté bell pepper and onions for 7 to 10 minutes or until tender. To assemble the nachos, place half the tortilla chips on a large cookie sheet or oven-safe serving dish. Evenly top with have the onion/bell pepper mixture, tomatoes, and cheddar cheese. Layer the remaining tortilla chips on top, followed by the remaining onion/bell pepper mixture, tomatoes, and cheddar cheese. Broil for 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle evenly with cilantro and serve. Makes 10 servings.

Nutrition: 298 calories, 14.8g fat, 3.0g fiber, 16.7g protein per serving
Cost: $1.23 per serving

Apolinaras and I enjoyed a fun Spanish themed dinner party last week. Elina hosted and made fideos with ham, shrimp, and clams, which was just delicious, and Shannon covered dessert and brought cupcakes filled with dulce de leche and topped with almond cream cheese frosting! I decided to whip up a couple of tapas.

The first was spicy Spanish potatoes. Meghan very kindly typed out the recipe for me from one of her cookbooks when I told her they were one of my very favorite tapas, ummm, only about 2 years ago! I tend to collect more recipes than I actually have time to make, but I’m glad I finally found the perfect occasion to make these potatoes because they really hit the spot.

My second contribution was these manchego stuffed Spanish meatballs. I mixed organic ground beef and pork with sweet paprika, panko, egg, and garlic, and stuffed each meatball with a small chunk of Spanich manchego cheese. Then I topped them with a diced tomato sauce that also had roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes, and sherry vinegar in the mix. Yum, what a fun little party appetizer!

Manchego Stuffed Spanish Meatballs
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Sauce:
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Meatballs:
1 pound ground sirloin (93% fat free)
1 pound ground pork
1 large egg
3/4 cup panko
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon salt
6 ounces machengo cheese, cut into 40 small chunks
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:
To make the sauce, place diced tomatoes, chicken broth, roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes, sherry vinegar, and salt in a food processor and pulse for 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth.

To make the meatballs, place ground sirloin, ground pork, egg, panko, garlic, paprika, and salt in a large bowl and knead with your hands until well mixed. Shape into 40 meatballs and put one piece of cheese in the middle of each one, making sure to seal the cheese in well. Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick skillet and cook until browned on all sides, working in batches as needed. Add the pureed sauce mixture to pan, along with all the meatballs, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through. Remove meatballs from the pan and simmer sauce an additional 5 to 10 minutes, to thicken, if needed. To serve, spoon sauce over meatballs. Makes 20 servings of 2 meatballs each.

Nutrition: 152 calories, 10.3g fat, 0.6g fiber, 11.3g protein per serving
Cost: $1.05 per serving

Is it phyllo or fillo dough? Whatever the spelling, I haven’t made anything with these crispy flakey layers of buttery deliciousness in a couple years, which is such a shame. But, last week when I was picking up some frozen puff pastry for an upcoming recipe, I noticed these cute little mini phyllo cups and spontaneously threw a couple packages in my cart. The filling possibilities are endless, and two mini cups only have 25 calories total – not bad!

For this version, the recipe title says it all. I mixed some of favorite ingredients together for the filling Рcaramelized onions, saut̩ed apples, and smoked bacon. Then I topped the bites off with some crumbled gorgonzola. Perfect for a party!

Caramelized Onion, Apple, and Bacon Phyllo Cups with Gorgonzola
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large yellow onions, sliced (4 cups)
1 large tart apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
4 strips hickory smoked bacon, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
26 mini phyllo shells from 2 1.9-ounce packages, prepared according to package directions
1/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese

Directions:
To make the caramelized onions, heat 2 tablespoons butter and olive oil over medium low heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add onions, cover, and cook 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Remove lid and cook an additional 10 minutes, or until caramelized.

To make the apples and bacon, heat chopped apples, remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter, and brown sugar in a small pot over medium heat; sauté for 10 to 12 minutes, or until apples are softened and lightly browned. Wipe pan clean and place bacon in it. Sauté over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes or until crispy, stirring occasionally; drain on paper towels.

To assemble the shells, place caramelized onions, cooked apples and bacon, and salt in a small bowl and mix well. Evenly distribute the mixture among the mini phyllo shells. Top evenly with crumbled gorgonzola. Makes 13 servings of 2 cups each.

Nutrition: 108.6 calories, 7.2g fat, 0.9g fiber, 2.6g protein per serving
Cost: $0.54 per serving

I was craving a nice light summer snack the other night while I was reading and really wanted to munch on some of these cucumber hummus appetizers. Unfortunately, there was no hummus in the fridge or chickpeas in the cupboard and I was about to make some boring old popcorn, but then I spotted a tub of feta and these new Mediterranean inspired cucumber apps were born! I topped the crisp cucumbers with a creamy feta and pecorino romano cheese spread and then sprinkled on a healthy dose of chopped sun dried tomatoes and toasted pine nuts. Yum, these were very tasty and even fairly healthy little bites.

By the way, am I the only one who can never spell Mediterranean correctly? I’m always so off that my spell check never even has any recommendations!

Mediterranean Cucumber Appetizers
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup crumbled feta
1/3 cup finely grated pecorino romano cheese
1/4 cup milk
1 large English cucumber, cut into slices (I had 30)
1/2 cup finely chopped sun dried tomatoes
3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

Directions:
Place feta, pecorino romano, and milk in a food processor and pulse until smooth, about 1 minute. Evenly cover cucumber slices with the feta spread. Top evenly with sun dried tomatoes and pine nuts. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition: 138 calories, 10.1g fat, 1.2g fiber, 6.5g protein per serving
Cost: $0.88 per serving

We started our last day of our anniversary trip to Portland by indulging in a few sticky buns and croissants at the Standard Baking Company. Of course, we also filled up a bag with a few loaves of bread to bring home. The sourdough was excellent!

Then we headed off to Allagash Brewery for a tour and tasting, which was one of the highlights of our trip since Apolinaras has become quite the brewer. He’s made seven beers so far, and I’ve requested his next one be like Allagash White, which is a twist on a Belgian wheat beer with notes of coriander and orange peel. It was so refreshing and perfect to enjoy on a hot summer day.

We started with the tasting and enjoyed some generous samples of Allagash White, Black, Tripel, and Curieux. Then we headed in for the tour and got to see the whole facility. Apolinaras even managed to chat with a few of the brewers. Everyone was so friendly and knowledgeable and we left with a huge box filled with delicious brews!

On our way home to Boston, I realized that we hadn’t had any fried seafood, so I suggested we stop at Bob’s Clam Hut in Kittery, for what else, fried clams! We ended up splitting The Lillian platter, which also came with onion rings, fries, and slaw. It definitely hit the spot – the breading on the clams was light and you could really taste the freshness of the seafood. We had such a fabulous time on our anniversary trip and I’m already brainstorming about where we should go next year!

Anyway, I used one of the baguettes we purchased from Standard Baking to make these easy crostinis when we got home. I spread goat and pecorino romano cheese onto the toasted baguette slices and then topped them with leeks, mushrooms, and provolone cheese – so good!

Cheesy Mushroom and Leek Crostinis
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 baguette, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices on a bias (I had 30 slices)
3 tablespoons olive oil
24 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces goat cheese
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup finely grated pecorino romano cheese
8 ounces sliced provolone cheese, cut to fit the size of the baguette slices

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

Meanwhile, heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet and sauté mushrooms for 5 minutes or until tender. Remove from pan and place in a large bowl. Remove any extra liquid from the skillet and add remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Add leeks and sauté for 5 minutes or until tender. Return mushrooms to the pan and add garlic and sauté one additional minute. Stir in salt.

Mix goat cheese, milk, and pecorino romano cheese in a small bowl until smooth. Spread goat cheese on toasted baguette slices and top evenly with mushroom mixture. Top each slice with a piece of provolone cheese and return to the 375ËšF oven for 3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Makes 15 servings.

Nutrition: 263 calories, 11.9g fat, 1.1g fiber, 12.7g fiber per serving
Cost: $0.97 per serving

After submitting all my dessert recipes to the Pillsbury Bake-Off (please cross your fingers for me!), I had a few extra ingredients in the fridge to use – one package of pie crusts and one roll of cookie dough. I had developed so many sweet treats that I stuffed the cookie dough in the back of a drawer and took out the pie crusts instead with an appetizer idea in mind.

I combined caramelized onions, mushrooms, and spinach to make a yummy filling for little mini tarts made with a mini muffin pan. Then I topped the tartlets with blue cheese. These were so cute and perfect for a party, or in our case, dinner!

p.s. Don’t forget to get in your bids for the Bloggers Bake for Hope Bake Sale that benefits Susan G. Komen for the Cure!

Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Tartlets with Blue Cheese
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
8 ounces sliced mushrooms, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 ounces baby spinach
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 box Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts (15 ounces), softened according to package directions

Directions:
Heat butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add onions, cover pan, and cook for 25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, or until onions are caramelized.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add mushrooms and sauté 5 to 7 minutes or until tender; add garlic and sauté 1 additional minute. Place cooked mushrooms in a large bowl. Add baby spinach to the same skillet and stir until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add spinach to the large bowl with the mushrooms. Mix in caramelized onions and salt.

Heat oven to 375ËšF. 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. Fill evenly with caramelized onion mushroom filling and bake at 375ËšF for 15 to 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes and remove from mini-muffin cups. Sprinkle evenly with blue cheese. Makes 12 servings.

Nutrition: 138 calories, 10.1g fat, 0.7g fiber, 2.7g protein per serving
Cost: $0.68 per serving

So, I have to admit that we’re not huge football fans – in fact, I actually always feel a bit lucky that Apolinaras grew up in Europe and doesn’t follow any American sports at all, so I never get stuck watching them. But, I always insist we tune into the Super Bowl because, you guessed it, I like the commercials, the half time show, and of course the excuse to make some fun snacks! And this year I’m already looking forward to the new Glee episode that will be on after the game too. I’ve really enjoyed reading about everyone’s favorite game day dips and apps around the blogosphere this week and wanted to share one of my own too – plantain and black bean quesadillas with plenty of cheese and pico de gallo.

The recipe is a twist on my very favorite game day snack, plantain nachos, but they’re easier to make because no frying is involved and they’re a bit more hearty. I sandwiched the filling, a mixture of red onions, garlic, super ripe plantains, black beans, cumin, and lime juice, between generous handfuls of cheese and whole wheat tortillas. I always broil my quesadillas because I think it’s easier and healthier than toasting each one up individually in oil in a pan, but you can definitely do that too.

Plantain and Black Bean Quesadillas
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Pico de Gallo:
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup chopped red onion
Juice of one lime
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt

Quesadilla Filling:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 medium yellow plantains mostly covered with brown/black spots, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 15.5-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Juice of half a lime
1/2 teaspoon salt

Assembly:
6 8-inch whole wheat tortillas
2 1/2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese

Directions:
Make the pico de gallo by mixing chopped tomatoes, red onion, lime juice, cilantro, and salt in a large bowl.

To make the quesadilla filling, heat canola oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick skillet and sauté onions and plantains for 8-10 minutes or until tender; add garlic and sauté one additional minute. Mix in black beans, cumin, lime juice, and salt.

To assemble the quesadillas, preheat the broiler. Place 3 tortillas on a large greased cookie sheet. Spread half the shredded cheese evenly on the tortillas; top evenly with the filling, the remainder of the cheese, and the remaining 3 tortillas. Place quesadillas in the oven and broil for 2 to 5 minutes on each side, or until cheese is melted and quesadillas are heated through. Cut tortillas into 4 wedges and top with pico de gallo with a slotted spoon. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition: 499 calories, 21.7g fat, 10.8g fiber, 20.8g protein per serving
Cost: $1.49 per serving

The holiday party season is here! I tend to be more of a grazer in general (it’s actually sometimes a little embarrassing how often I reach for the goodies in our snack drawer at work!), so I love it when a plentiful appetizer spread at parties lets me try new bites throughout the evening. I always first pounce on the stuffed mushrooms though. They are one of my very favorite apps and in fact, of the 16 appetizer recipes currently on my blog, 3 are for stuffed mushrooms, which is about 20%!

I always sauté my mushrooms on the stove first to get the moisture out and then just warm them through in the oven after filling them up, if needed. For this version I stuffed them with mashed potatoes with feta and topped them with caramelized onions. I stirred in feta because I happened to have it on hand, but I think goat cheese would also be lovely. You can, of course, also use leftover mashed potatoes to make these!

Mashed Potato Stuffed Mushrooms
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 large yellow onion, cut into thin strips
24 ounces baby bella mushrooms, stems removed
2 Yukon gold potatoes (mine were 13 ounces), scrubbed, peeled, and cut into chunks
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup crumbled feta

Directions:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and butter over medium low heat in a large nonstick pan and cook onions for 45 to 55 minutes, or until caramelized, stirring occasionally.

Heat remaining 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.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add potato chunks to the pot and boil for 10 to 15 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and mash in a large bowl (yield should be about 1 1/2 cups). Mix mashed potatoes with buttermilk and salt until smooth; mix in crumbled feta.

Spoon potato mixture into mushroom cavities and top evenly with caramelized onions. Makes 12 servings.

Nutrition: 105 calories, 4.7g fat, 1.9g fiber, 3.2g protein per serving
Cost: $0.73 per serving

I recently had the pleasure of creating a recipe for Natasha’s 5 Star Makeover Summer ’10 Special that she just posted this week. For the challenge we received a package of unique ingredients from Marx Foods and were asked to use one to makeover a dish! I chose to use fennel pollen to convert traditional seared salmon into Fennel Pollen and Ginger Salmon with Coconut Lentils, but of course I couldn’t resist playing with some of the other ingredients too! The box also contained Szechuan peppercorns, Madagascar vanilla beans, pasilla negro chiles, marrow beans, tepin chiles, and dried wild mushrooms (candy cap, black trumpet, and porcini!). Apolinaras actually took the mushrooms out and asked me to make a Lithuanian inspired dish with them for him, which was incredibly cute. There are over 400 species of mushrooms in Lithuania so they’re a staple that he grew up with and he especially loves getting his hands on the wild ones.

When we were in Lithuania, we stumbled upon this incredible bar snack that was just genius and served everywhere – fried strips of bread that you dipped in a creamy garlic cheese sauce – yum! So, I decided to make my own lightened up version with the mushrooms. After toasting some dark rye bread, I whipped up a dip with the rehydrated wild mushrooms, cottage cheese, shallots, garlic, and parmesan cheese. We enjoyed it with some ice cold Lithuanian beers and tried to imagine we were back in Vilnius! Thanks Natasha and Marx Foods for hosting such a fun challenge!

Wild Mushroom Dip with Toasted Bread Strips
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 ounce dried wild mushrooms
1 cup boiling water
16 ounces dark rye bread, cut into strips
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups 2% cottage cheese
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Place dried mushrooms in a small bowl and pour boiling water on top. Let mushrooms soak for 20 minutes or until rehydrated.

Heat oven to 400ËšF. Use a pastry brush to coat bread strips with 3 tablespoons olive oil and place on a large greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400ËšF for 15 minutes or until toasted.

Meanwhile, heat remaining tablespoon olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat and sauté shallots for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender; add garlic and sauté 1 additional minute. Add cooked shallots, cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, half the rehydrated mushrooms, and salt to a food processor and pulse until smooth. Coarsely chop the remaining mushrooms and mix into the dip. Return dip to the skillet and heat until warmed through, about 2 minutes over medium heat. Serve with the toasted bread strips. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 269 calories, 10.6g fat, 3.4g fiber, 12.9g protein per serving
Cost: $1.03 per serving

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 350ËšF. Place almonds on a cookie sheet and bake at 350ËšF 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 375ËšF. 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 350ËšF. 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 350ËšF 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 375ËšF. 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 375ËšF 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 375ËšF. 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 375ËšF 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 400ËšF. Poke holes in the sweet potatoes and bake for an hour at 400ËšF 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 400ËšF. 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 400ËšF 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 400ËšF. Bake balls at 400ËšF 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 350ËšF 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