Self Discovery Journey
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Starters &Snacks
Persian Lime Chicken Fajita Nachos
I have been a nacho fanatic for 20+ years. I love ALL nacho variations & I love creating my own versions at home.
Ingredients:
(2) Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into 1" cubes
(2) Peppers, sliced thin
(1) Onions, sliced thin
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Tortilla chips
Greek Yogurt (sour cream substitute)
Cilantro
Sriracha (optional)
Guacamole:
(2) avocado
Cilantro
Making the Nachos:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a skillet, saute chicken pieces almost all the way through, then add peppers & onions. Add more oil as needed and saute until cooked through
3. Place a layer of tortilla chips in a 13×9 glass baking dish, then layer with cheddar cheese, then layer with chicken, peppers & onions. Repeat layers until all the chicken, peppers & onions have been used
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes
5. In the meantime, smash avocados in a small bowl, add Mojo Seasoning & cilantro & mix together well.
6. Once nachos are done, add a scoop of gauc & a scoop of greek yogurt. Top with cilantro & Sriracha & dig in!
Enjoy!
Sun Dried Tomato Hummus
I recently discovered that ground sesame seeds (or tahini) would make my stomach bulge...and unfortunately, store bought hummus is made with tahini. So I got to work finding an alternative & this hummus is fantastic!
Ingredients:
1 can Chickpeas beans, drained (save all liquid)
1/4 cup Pinehurst Olive Oil Milanese Gremolata Olive Oil
1 lemon
Handful sun dried tomatoes
Salt Sisters Mama Mia’s Herb Blend
Making the Hummus:
1. In a food processor, add the drained chickpeas, olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, a handful of sun dried tomatoes & 1/2 of the chickpea liquid.
2. Process until completely blended.
3. Add more chickpea liquid and/or olive oil as needed, until desired textured.
4. Once blended, add hummus to a bowl & top with Mama Mia’s Herb Blend, then add more olive oil.
***You can also make this recipe your very own by swapping out the sun dried tomatoes for kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, minced garlic, jalapenos, pine nuts, red pepper flakes or various herbs.
Another option is to swap the Milanese Gremolata Olive Oil for ANY other flavored oils; ex: Garlic, Persian Lime, Harissa, Baklouti Green Chili, Basil, Lemon, Black Peppercorn, Jalapeno, Truffle…the list is endless!
Enjoy this tahini-free hummus!
Antipasto & Caprese Skewers
Skewers are always a hit at an party & there are SO many options you can do, it's an easy way to feed several people!
Ingredients for Antipasto:
(this made about 50 skewers each)
(1) Family Size pckg Cheese Tortellini
(2) jars Garlic Stuffed Olives
(2) packages provolone cheese
(1) package Italian salami
50 skewers
Ingredients for Caprese:
1 large Costco size pckg Medley tomatoes
(2) containers Mozzarella balls
Fresh basil
Traditional 18 Year Aged Balsamic
50 skewers
Making the Antipasto Skewers
** I find it's easiest to make skewers when ALL of my ingredients are out on a plate and ready to pull from
1. Skewer a cheese tortellini, then a piece of salami folded into fours, then a piece of provolone folded into fours, then an olive. Repeat until skewer is full
2. Once all have been skewered, drizzle with Tuscan Herb Olive Oil
Making the Caprese Skewers
1. Skewer a tomato then wrap a mozzarella ball with a basil leaf and skewer, repeat until skewer is full
2. Once all have been skewered, drizzle with Traditional 18 Year Aged Balsamic
Enjoy!
Edamame Bean Dip
This is a tasy, healthy & colorful dip that's perfect for a picnic, or
pick me up snack in the afternoon!
Ingredients:
(1) package frozen edamame
(1) can corn
(1) can black beans
(1) jar roasted red peppers
Feta cheese
Pinehurst Olive Oil Persian Lime Olive Oil
Cayenne Pepper
Cumin Cilantro
Making the bean dip:
1. Combine all, add oil & spices to taste!
Enjoy!
Kale Chips
One of the easiest & healthiest snacks you can make!
Making the kale chips:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Rinse kale, remove the 'stalks' & tear into pieces
2. Crinkle a piece of parchment paper & spread out on a cookie sheet
3. Add kale pieces on the parchment paper & drizzle with any flavor olive oil (I wanted lemon flavor this time), add a dash of sea salt & pop in the oven for 10 minutes
4. Using tongs, move kale around on the cookie sheet then back for 5-8 more minutes, depending on how crunchy you want them. That's IT!
Enjoy!
Charcuterie Boards
Charcuterie boards have become my go-to appetizer because I always have enough 'stuff' on hand to create one and aesthetically, they can't be beat!
Ingredients:
(literally limitless!!)
Variety of cheeses
Variety of meats
Veggies
Fresh fruits
Dried fruits
Olives
Pickles
Peppadews
Nuts
Crackers
Spreads
Hummus
Making a charcuterie board:
1. Choose your theme (if you have one)
2. Choose a platter or board that will suit the number of people you're serving
3. Search your pantry & frig for any and all ingredients
4. Cut up your cheeses in various shapes (ideally, you'd have a variety of cheeses of various colors)
5. Cup up any veggies or fruits you're including (again think colorful)
6. I like to work from the outside in (determine if/what containers you'll be using to hold messier things like hummus, spreads or olives)
7. Build around your containers or a large bunch of grapes and continue building out
8. Place meats throughout the board & lay flat, fold, bunch up, etc.
9. Fill in any empty spaces with smaller items like dried fruits & nuts
There's no right or wrong to a charcuterie board, just have fun with it & trust me, no one will be disappointed!
Enjoy!
Grilled Octopus, Shrimp & Tilapia
I was always intimidated to try preparing octopus at home but I found frozen octopus rings at the grocery store that turned out to be FANTASTIC. Throw in some shrimp & white fish & you've got yourself a fancy hors d'oeuvres that's quite simple to make! (Of course you can always make this with fresh seafood, we just happened to have it all in the freezer.)
Blackened Seasoning Ingredients:
(makes about a cup, store remainder in air tight container)
3 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
Ingredients:
1 package frozen octopus rings
1 lb frozen shrimp
2 frozen tilapia filets
Making the seafood:
1. Thaw all seafood
2. Soak wooden skewers for 20 minutes
3. Make the blackened seasoning (or prep any other seasoning if you're wanting different flavors for each type of seafood)
4. Peel & rinse shrimp, rinse octopus & tilapia
5. Skewer octopus & shrimp (I put all octopus on 1 & all shrimp on another in case they grill differently)
6. Sprinkle seasoning over all seafood & throw on the grill for 8-10 minutes!
Enjoy!
Jalapeno Popper Pinwheels
Pinwheels are one of my favorite appetizers to make because not only are there SO many options to make, but I can prep them the day before entertaining. They're a delicious, filling & attractive food option perfect for any type of gathering!
Ingredients:
1 package gluten free tortilla wraps
About 4-5 slices of cooked, crispy bacon
1 tsp garlic powder
2-3 fresh diced jalapeños
1/3 cup mayo
1 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese
1 block cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese
1/3 cup plan greek yogurt
Salt & pepper to taste
Making the Pinwheels:
1. Soften the cream cheese & preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook bacon in air fryer (on 350 for 15 minutes) or in the oven (on 375 for 20-25 minutes)
3. Once cream cheese is softened and bacon has been cooked, combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese has melted.
5. In the meantime, layout 4-5 of the tortilla wraps on the counter (you may end up using all of them, just depends on how thick you want the filling).
6. Once the dip has come out of the oven, using a spoon or spreader, evenly spread the dip on the wraps going almost to the edge of the wraps. Do this for all the wraps.
7. Once the dip has been spread on the wraps, tightly roll the wraps from one end to the other forming a pinwheel. Do this for all the wraps (you may need to add more wraps if 4-5 didn't use up all the dip).
8. Once all the pinwheels have been wrapped, take the saran wrap and tightly wrap the pinwheels. Place the wraps in the refrigerator for at least 5-6 hours or overnight. When you're ready to serve them, remove the saran wrap & slice the pinwheels as thick or thin as you want & serve on a platter.
Enjoy!
"A recipe has no soul. You, as the cook, must bring soul to the recipe."