Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Smoked Gorgonzola Rosemary Cheese Balls.

by Filed Under: Appetizers, No bake/cooking required!, Vegetarian 11 Comments

The holidays will be here before we know it & I always need a few good staple appetizer recipes that I can prepare easily and ahead of time.  I had leftover smoked gorgonzola from yesterday’s dinner and I thought I would use it.  You can use regular gorgonzola if you couldn’t find smoked.  Blue cheese would also work perfectly.


Ingredients:

4 ounces of smoked or regular gorgonzola (room temperature)
4 ounces of light or low fat cream cheese (room temperature)
1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of white wine
Salt and Pepper
1 cup of slivered and toasted almonds, ground into smaller pieces (walnut pieces would also work well)
20 rosemary sprigs (about 2 inches)

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients into your food processor (except the almonds) and blend until creamy.  Place the mixture on a piece of plastic wrap and cover.  Refrigerate for at least an hour.  Then remove and using a mini scooper, scoop out and roll into bite-sized balls.  Refrigerate for another 30 minutes.

Place your almonds into a bowl.  Roll the cheese balls into the almond or nut mixture and coat to cover.   Place the rosemary sprig into each ball to garnish and refrigerate until needed.

— Knead to Cook

Manchego & tomato crostini.

by Filed Under: Appetizers, Vegetarian Leave a Comment

Oh Manchego cheese is one of my very favorites!!  I picked up a large slice of it today and just knew I had some fresh tomatoes at home… viola!

This recipe is super easy.  Broil up some sliced baguette pieces (drizzled with a bit of olive oil) until nicely toasted and golden brown on both sides.  Then top with thinly sliced tomatoes (sprinkled with a tiny bit of salt) and top with a thin slice of Manchego cheese.  Crack some fresh pepper over top, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and serve.  Great appetizer!

— Knead to Cook

Mixed olive tapenade.

by Filed Under: Appetizers, Dips, Gluten Free, Party Foods, Vegetarian 2 Comments

I love olives!  This is one of my favorite go-to appetizers and I’ve been craving this for about two weeks.  I finally purchased some of my favorite olives and just got done making this… I had to share!  Easily prepared ahead of time.  All you need are some toasted baguette slices or even Melba toast.  A great basic that is always well-recieved.  Remember, serve with a great glass of wine 🙂

Ingredients:

1/2 pound of mixed olives, pitted ( I used garlic stuffed, feta stuffed, green and Kalamata olives)
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of capers
5 fresh basil leaves
1/2 of a lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Zest from one lemon

Directions:

This is super easy!  Toss it all in your food processor and blend until it resembles a chunky paste.  Remove and store in a tupperware container.

— Knead to Cook

Vegetarian Rolls.

by Filed Under: Appetizers, Vegetarian 4 Comments

Perfectly vegetarian. This recipe is totally customizable.  I’m still perfecting my “wrapping” skills but this is one of our favorite lunches ever!  Totally filling without any of the guilt from a heavy lunch or light dinner.  These would also be super fun to make at a dinner party – think of Vietnamese “tacos”.

Rice paper can be purchased at any Asian market or at some specialty sections of your grocery store.  You want to look for rice/tapioca blend.  Avoid wheat.

The ingredients that you fill these with are totally up to you.  I used sliced avocado, red peppers, brown rice, sprouts, peanuts and slivered carrots.  You can add meat or fish if you prefer.

My tips on working with the rice paper… get a bowl of warm water next to you prep area and soak one sheet at a time for about 30 seconds.  It will become pliable, yet fragile.  Lay it out on a flat, clean surface and fill in your ingredients.  I start with rice and add from there.  Avoid over-filling.  Then for an open top, fold the bottom of the rice paper up and then take one side and fold it over the filling and then repeat with the other side.  Place on a platter.  Repeat until you make as many as you wish to have.  Top with sesame seeds and pickled ginger.

Dipping sauce:

You can use Teriyaki  sauce from the store or I blend 1/4 cup of low sodium Soy Sauce with wasabi paste.  Mix up and dip.

The more you make, the better you get.  I promise, these are super fun and so delicious!

 

— Knead to Cook

Gorgonzola Rosemary Cheese Dip.

by Filed Under: Appetizers, Dips, Vegetarian 4 Comments

Craving gorgonzola cheese tonight with my Skinny girl margarita.  Whipped this up in a snap and it’s perfect with some crackers or crudités. I have a huge Rosemary bush in my garden and this was a lovely way to use it.

Ingredients:

4 ounces of light cream cheese
1 cup of low fat gorgonzola crumbled cheese
3 tablespoons of chopped fresh Rosemary
Salt and Pepper
1 clove of garlic
3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients (up to the lemon juice) into your food processor.  Blend for about 2 minutes.  Through the spout, add the lemon juice (you may need more to make creamier) until if has a creamier texture.  Spoon the cheese mixture out into a bowl and serve with crackers or fresh vegetables.

— Knead to Cook

Marinated fresh mozzarella.

by Filed Under: Appetizers, No bake/cooking required! 1 Comment

I’m a self-proclaimed cheese addict.  I can’t imagine ever giving it up.  It’s beyond versatile and this weekend – it made a wonderful appetizer for a party that we hosted.  Super easy. Prepare ahead of time.  Leftovers?  Use them in salads, to top pasta, for a wonderful panini or just hit it straight up!

Ingredients:

1 lb of fresh mozzarella (I used bocconcini) – perfect size for appetizers
4 tbl of good quality olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced (use more if you like)
2 tsp of oregano
1 tsp of thyme
1 tsp of rosemary (I used fresh)
4 whole basil leaves torn up (garnish)
1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes
1 tsp of salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Combine and let those delicious flavors marinade for at least 24 hours.  Remove about 1 hour prior to serving to let the cheese come down to room temperature.  Garnish with fresh basil.  I used these on mini skewers with cherry tomatoes (both yellow and orange) with a basil leaf.

— Knead to Cook

Marinated aspargus.

by Filed Under: Appetizers, No bake/cooking required! 2 Comments

I rarely take shortcuts but this is one I always do for a party and it is a time saver & a great appetizer.  How can you go wrong, right?

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs of fresh asparagus, washed and trimmed (bottoms)
1 container of a good quality Italian dressing

Directions:

Place the asparagus in a ziploc and pour the entire bottle of dressing over top.  Seal and refrigerate for 4-6 hours.  Remove and plate.  So good, unbelievably easy.  I always plate with other things, olives, tomatoes – I also served my marinated mozzarella skewers with this on the side.

— Knead to Cook

Veggie & black bean salad. Vegetarian.

by Filed Under: Appetizers, Mexican, No bake/cooking required!, Side dish, Vegetarian 27 Comments

 

My vegetarian friend Brooke, made me a salad similar to this years ago and over the years I’ve revamped it and made it my own.  I can honestly down this entire, very large, container in one sitting if I needed to.  I did help myself to 3, yes 3, helpings at dinner.  Consider I only ate watermelon for lunch, that would explain my voracious appetite 🙂

Ingredients:

1 – 15 oz can of organic black or adzuki beans
2 c of fresh corn or frozen
2 c of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 red pepper, chopped
1 orange pepper, chopped (color of the pepper may vary)
1/2 c of a red onion, diced
2 jalapeño, chopped finely
1/3 c of fresh lime juice
1/4 c of olive oil
1/4 c cilantro leaves, chopped
1 tsp of salt
3/4 tsp of ground cumin (if you don’t like cumin as much as I do, use 1/4 or 1/2 tsp)
1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp of ground black pepper

Directions:

Combine in a bowl and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours to let the flavors mingle.  You can serve this as a side dish, with tortilla chips at a party or just with a big spoon!  YUM!

The aftermath.

 

— Knead to Cook

Roasted red pepper hummus.

by Filed Under: Appetizers, No bake/cooking required!, Snacks, Vegetarian 2 Comments

I made this yummy roasted red pepper hummus last Friday night for a friend’s birthday party we were hosting.  It was so good and so much better than store-bought hummus.  I love controlling the ingredients, especially the salt, that goes into my foods.

Ingredients:

1  – 15 oz cans of garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 c of chopped roasted red peppers
3 tbl of olive oil
1/2 of a lemon, juiced
2 tbl tahini
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp of salt
1/8 of tsp of ground pepper
If you like spicier hummus, add 1/2 tsp of Sriracha sauce

Directions:  Add everything to your food processor and blend.  If it’s too dry, add  additional lemon juice.  Refrigerate for at least one hour.  Then serve with your favorite veggies, chips or pita bread.

— Knead to Cook