Cheesy Tomato and Basil Dip with Crostini is a warm and gooey appetizer. I love this dip for several reasons. First of all, it only takes minutes to prepare. Secondly, it reheats very well. Thirdly, it uses ingredients I always have in the house. And, …
Mexican Street Corn Dip with Chips is one of our favorite summer appetizers. I love this appetizer for several reasons. First of all, it has all of the great flavor of Mexican Street Corn, with none of the mess and fuss. Secondly, this dip is …
Red Beet and Tahini Hummus Dip is one of our favorite summer appetizers. I love this dip for several reasons. First of all, I adore the pretty pink color of this hummus. Secondly, I really like the flavor the beets impart to the hummus. The beets add a slightly sweet, and almost fruity flavor to the hummus. Thirdly, I love that this appetizer can be made ahead of time. And, lastly, I always feel good about serving this nutritious dish to my family.
The Equipment I Used
A Blender- Usually, I make my hummus in a food processor. But, I recently made this in a vacation home, that didn’t have a food processor. So, I made this hummus in a blender and it came out great. Just be sure to put the liquid in first.
The Ingredients Needed for Red Beet and Tahini Hummus Dip
Chickpeas- I really like the Eden Organic dry chickpeas. I bought them at Whole Foods. Instead of boiling and then soaking the chickpeas, in step one, I soaked them overnight. To do this, simply place the chickpeas in a bowl and cover them with cold water. Place them in the refrigerator overnight. Before you cook them just drain and rinse them. You may then only need to cook them for sixty minutes.
Tahini- This time I used the Whole Foods 365 brand tahini.
Lemon Juice- Be sure and use freshly squeezed juice.
Garlic- One of my kids hates garlic, so I just used a half teaspoon of garlic powder.
How I Made my Hummus
First, I soaked my chickpeas the night before.
Next, while the chickpeas simmered, I cooked my beet. I actually cooked the whole bunch of beets. I’ll use the extra in salads.
Then, I added all the ingredients to my blender and processed it on the blend cycle.
Finally, I chilled it until dinner time.
If you like hummus, you need to try this beautiful and delicious Red Beet and Tahini Hummus Dip.
Begin by preparing the chickpeas: Rinse the chickpeas and then place them in a three quart saucepan. Fill the pot with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Boil for three minutes, and then take it off the flame and let it sit for one hour. Drain and rinse the beans.
Put the beans back in the pot and cover with water. Simmer the beans until they're tender, for about 90 minutes. You may need to add additional water as the beans cook.
While the beans are cooking, make the beet. Place the beet in a three-quart saucepan. Fill the pot with water, until the beet is completely submerged. Cover the pot and simmer for thirty minutes, or until the beet is tender. Rub the beet under running water to remove the skin. Chop the beet into small pieces.
Drain the beans and put them in the food processor or blender. Add all the other ingredients and process until the hummus is smooth and creamy. Chill until serving.
Pepper Quesadillas with Peach and Tomato Salsa are a terrific meatless appetizer or main course. Filled with sweet peppers and onions, these quesadillas are topped with a fruity salsa. I love these cheese quesadillas for several reasons. First of all, I love that these are …
Spinach and Feta Phyllo Triangles are a terrific make ahead appetizer. Today, I made a big batch, and I plan on reheating them for a dinner party this weekend. And, it feels really good to have part of that big dinner already made. In general, I like to make everything fresh, rather than ahead of time. But, when it comes to entertaining, I really like to make as much as possible ahead of time. So, it was really nice to take my time and make these appetizers today. Then, on Saturday, I’ll just need to reheat the triangles for ten minutes. Another thing I love about this recipe is, that it’s completely meatless. And, this is important because one of my guests doesn’t eat meat.
The Equipment Needed
A Large Skillet- You’ll need this to cook the veggies and melt the butter.
A Dish Towel- Use a thin dish towel to wring all the water out of the spinach.
A Baking Sheet- Bake the triangles on a large baking sheet.
Parchment Paper- Line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
Plastic Wrap- Cover your phyllo with this to keep it moist.
The Ingredients Needed for Spinach and Feta Phyllo Triangles
Frozen Spinach- Be sure and use frozen spinach. I find fresh spinach way too moist for this recipe.
Phyllo Dough- Leave your dough on the counter for three hours before you use it.
Feta Cheese- French feta in brine is my favorite feta, but any good quality block of feta is fine.
Fresh Herbs- Parsley and Dill add so much fresh flavor to this dish.
How I Made my Triangles
First, I made the filling. It’s very important to wring all the moisture out of the spinach.
Next, I rolled up the triangles. It’s really a good idea to cover the phyllo that you’re not working with, with the plastic. Otherwise it tends to rip and tear.
Finally, I baked the triangles in the oven.
If you’re a spinach lover, you need to try these buttery Spinach and Feta Phyllo Triangles.
Spinach and Feta Phyllo Triangles
Spinach and Feta Phyllo Triangles
Phyllo dough triangles stuffed with spinach, feta, and peppers.
¼tsp. eachkosher salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes
129×14 sheets of phyllo dough
1tbsp.sesame seeds
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the spinach in a dish cloth and squeeze out all the water.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, with the oil. Add the spinach and cook for two minutes. Place it in a mixing bowl.
Wipe out the skillet, and melt a tablespoon of butter and cook the onions and peppers for about five minutes, until the vegetables are softened. Add them to the mixing bowl, along with the feta cheese, egg, salt, peppers, dill, parsley, and scallions.
Melt the rest of the butter. Take the phyllo out of the box. Lay it out and cover it with plastic wrap and then put a damp paper towel on top of the plastic.
On a cutting board, lay out one sheet of the phyllo. Brush it with butter, and then top it with another piece of phyllo. Slice the phyllo into three equal vertical strips. Place one tablespoon of the spinach mixture on a bottom corner of each strip. Then, fold the empty bottom corner of each strip on top of the filling, forming a triangle. Next, fold the rest of the strip up, like you're folding a flag. Brush each triangle on both sides with butter. Place it on a parchment lined baking sheet, repeating this until you have 18 triangles, and all the filling is used. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on and then bake them for 15 minutes.
Serve them right away. Or, store them in the refrigerator, and then reheat them in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
Caprese Pizza Dough Bruschetta is one of our favorite Italian appetizers. Typically, the base for bruschetta is toasted bread. Here, though, I use homemade pizza dough for the base of my bruschetta. I start this recipe by making the pizza dough in my bread machine. …
Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas are a terrific appetizer or main dish. I love these quesadillas for several reasons. First of all, they are full of great flavor. Secondly, the whole dish can be made ahead, and reheats really easily. And, lastly, this is an excellent …
Bite-Size Pizzette Topped with Manchego and Chorizo are tiny appetizer pizzas. This recipe is easy, but there are several steps. First, I use my bread machine to make the pizza dough. Next, while the dough rises, I make a simple pizza sauce. Then, I form the dough into the tiny little pizzas. Finally, I bake the pizzette, add the toppings, and bake them some more. Now, you can add any toppings that you like. But, I had some Manchego cheese to use up so I decided to use Spanish toppings. So, I added some Spanish chorizo, too.
The Equipment I Used for my Mini Pizzas
A Bread Machine- This recipe uses a bread machine to make the dough.
A Pizza Stone- I bake these pizzette on a pizza stone.
A Pizza Peel- Use a pizza peel to easily get your pizzette into the oven.
The Ingredients I Used for Bite-Size Pizzette Topped with Manchego and Chorizo
Extra Virgin Olive Oil- I like the California Olive Ranch olive oil.
Flour- Use all purpose flour.
Yeast- Make sure you use active dry yeast.
Pomi Puree- I always use the Pomi brand of tomato puree that comes in a box. But, you can also use canned plum tomatoes.
Manchego Cheese- This is a Spanish hard cheese. If you can’t find it, you can use Parmesan.
Mozzarella Cheese- I like the Polly-o brand.
Cherry Tomatoes- Since these pizzas are so little, use cherry tomato slices.
Chorizo- Use Spanish chorizo, that’s precooked.
How I Made my Pizzas
First, I put my dough ingredients in the bread machine and let it do all the work.
Next, I made the tomato sauce.
Then, I formed the dough into the pizzette. Brushing them with the olive oil gives the finished project a great texture.
Finally, I baked the pizzette, added the toppings, and baked them some more.
These Bite-Size Pizzette Topped with Manchego and Chorizo are a great party appetizer. I hope you’ll try them soon.
Bite-Size Pizzette Topped with Manchego and Chorizo
Bite-Size Pizzette Topped with Manchego and Chorizo
Tiny appetizer pizzas topped with homemade pizza, mozzarella and Manchego cheese, and chorizo.
1boxPomi strained tomatoes or 28 oz. canned plum tomatoes, pureed
¼tsp. each kosher salt and red pepper flakes
1tsp.sugar
Instructions
Begin by making the pizza dough: Put the water, oil, flour, honey, salt, and yeast in your bread machine, in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Select the dough cycle.
While the dough is in the bread machine, make the pizza sauce. Mix all the ingredients on low heat in a Dutch oven, and simmer for twenty minutes.
When the dough cycle ends, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. If you're using a pizza stone put that in to heat up.
Next, form the pizzette: pull off about two tablespoons of dough and stretch it into a four inch circle. Brush it with extra virgin olive oil. Cut the circle in half and then pull the ends together to form a circle. Brush with more olive oil. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Cover the pizzette with plastic wrap and let rise thirty minutes.
Arrange half of the pizzette on a parchment lined pizza peel. Slide the parchment and pizzette on to the pizza stone. Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove the pizzette from the oven (using the pizza peel) and top each one with a teaspoon of sauce, and some of the cheese, chorizo, and cherry tomatoes.
Bake for five more minutes. Sprinkle with thyme and red pepper flakes.
Kale and Chorizo Phyllo Triangles are a versatile and delicious appetizer. They’re versatile because you can customize them any way you like. For instance, if you want them to be meatless, just omit the chorizo. Or, if you want them to be dairy free, just …