Showing posts with label appetizer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label appetizer. Show all posts
Monday, April 6, 2015
Slow Cooker Little Smokies Appetizer Recipe s
Its a 2 for 1 day! I made two different types of Little Smokies a little bit ago to see which ones the kids liked better. I made one batch the super easy way that our family has made for parties numerous times, and I made a slightly-more-difficult (and sophisticated? can Little Smokies ever be considered sophisticated?) version to do a blind taste test.
The results? It was a tie. It was me and Adam and the two girls and it was a complete split down the middle. One kid and one adult on each side.
Oh! and since I made them both a few weeks ago and am evidently getting really really old, I have no idea which finish picture goes with which stack of ingredients.
grr.
So! I think we should let the internet decide...
1) which photo do you think goes with which smokies? and 2) if you do make these, which do you and your family prefer?
:-)
Grape Jelly and Chili Sauce Little Smokies
The Ingredients
serves 8
1 pound Little Smokies sausage
1 (12-ounce) bottle chili sauce (housed by the ketchup)
1 (18-ounce) jar grape jelly
The Directions.
Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Put the smokies into the slow cooker, and pour in the sauces. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours, or high for 2 or until the smokies are heated through. Serve out of the crock with toothpicks.
Big Barbecue Little Smokies
The Ingredients
serves 8
1 pound Little Smokies sausage
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon gluten free Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup barbecue sauce (check for gluten!)
The Directions.
Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Dump it all in! Stir well and cook on low for 4 hours, or high for about 2. Make sure the smokies are hot throughout and serve out of the crock with toothpicks.
alrighty then! My verdict is mixed, so let me know yours when you have the opportunity.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Sweet Potato Appetizer Bites with Feta and Green Onion Gluten Free Meatless
These Sweet Potato Appetizer Bites with Feta and Green Onion are a healthier nibble for holiday parties or the Superbowl!
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I've been a little distracted by the new design for Slow Cooker from Scratch, and now it feels like I went to bed in November and when I woke up there were less than two weeks until Christmas! And I do have a few new holiday recipe ideas I want to share before things get too crazy, starting with these Sweet Potato Appetizer Bites with Feta and Green Onions. Yum!
I love this combination of flavors, and if I went to a holiday gathering or Superbowl party and found a table loaded with sweets and chips staring me in the face, I would be so excited to find a deliciously healthy option like this to eat instead. The hardest part of making these might be finding the thin sweet potatoes, but you can make them into two-bite nibbles if needed! (And I do try to focus on meatless main dishes for Meatless Monday, but I could make a meal out of these, so this is my Meatless Monday idea for the week.)
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Thursday, March 5, 2015
Raw Vegan Dolmas Great As An Appetizer Or For Lunch
Select nice, large leaves of organic chard.
Gently clean chard leaves, remove stem, and marinate.
Place mixture on a strip of chard and roll up dolmas.
What Are Dolmas?
Traditionally, dolmas are stuffed grape leaves. Known as a Greek delicacy, they are also made all over the Middle East and other parts of the Mediterranean. Dolmas are typically made by stuffing cooked grape leaves with various combinations of rice, lamb, currants, pine nuts, lemon zest, onions, herbs and spices. The traditional version is very time consuming to make. This "raw vegan" recipe is quite simple to assemble but does require a few days to sprout the garbanzo beans. They make a wonderful appetizer or snack (Ive been snacking on these for the past few days!). Dolmas would also be a good thing to eat for lunch. You can add this to your menus when you do your Raw Food Cleanse.
Nutritional Benefits
I made quite a few changes to the typical ingredients for dolmas. I substituted sprouted garbanzos for the cooked rice and used raw chard instead of the grape leaves.
Garbanzo beans are one of my favorite "long life" foods. They are high in protein and low in saturated fat. Their high fiber content helps lower cholesterol levels and stabilize blood sugar levels. They are a complete protein, containing all essential amino acids, and are an excellent source of molybdenum and manganese. They are also a good source of copper, phosphorus and iron. Try making Raw Hummus with Sprouted Garbanzo Beans or Garbanzo Bean and Raw Kale Salad with Lemon-Turmeric Dressing.
Swiss chard is also an exceptionally healthful food. One cup of raw chard has only 7 calories yet it provides more than 3 times the daily requirement of vitamin K. Its also an excellent source of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, magnesium, manganese, potassium, and iron.
Experiment
Try different ingredients in your dolmas. Add currants or substitute some or all of the parsley with mint. Instead of garlic, try thinly slices green onions. Add some of your favorite spices.
***
Raw Vegan Dolmas
[makes 14 pieces]
For The Marinade
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
For the Dolmas
1/3 cup dried organic garbanzo beans for sprouting (or 1 cup of sprouted garbanzo beans)
4 large chard leaves
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 packed tablespoon fresh lemon zest
1/2 cup raw pine nuts (unsoaked)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
To sprout garbanzo beans, soak 1/3 cup of dried, organic garbanzo beans overnight in a sprouting jar. Rinse gently the next morning, put on the sprouting lid and turn the jar over to drain the water. Let the jar sit upside down and tilted (so oxygen can get to the sprouts) and not in direct sunlight. Rinse them 3 times a day in cool water for 3 days until sprouted.
Once the garbanzo beans are sprouted, you can prepare the dolmas.
Gently wash the chard leaves, being careful not to tear the leaves. Remove the stems and place the leaves in a large bowl with the marinade of lemon juice, olive oil and salt, making sure each leaf is covered in the mixture. Set aside.
Drop the garlic through the shoot of a running food processor with an S blade and process until it is minced. Add the sprouted garbanzo beans, lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt and lemon zest and process until fairly smooth. Add the pine nuts and continue to process until they are well chopped. Add the parsley and pulse a few times until combined.
Cut the marinated chard into 2" by 4" strips. Place a spoonful of the garbanzo mixture onto the inside of the chard strip and roll up. This should make about 14 rolls.
Per dolmas (not counting the marinade): 62 calories, 4.6 g fat, 0.4 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1.8 g protein, 4.4 g carbohydrates and 1.3 g of fiber.
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