Appetizer | I Can Cook That

White Bean Hummus

Have you ever had a craving for something that you just can’t shake? Even after eating? I desperately wanted hummus. And even after filling up on delicious pizza I still wanted that hummus. But I don’t have any chickpeas in my place right now. (Note to self: stock up on cans of chickpeas so that I am never in this terrible situation again) So I went in search of a recipe for hummus that I could use something, anything else I happened to have on hand. White bean hummus to the rescue! (I found this recipe in Southern Living)

Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
the juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons tahini
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoonpaprika, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup olive oil

Rinse and drain your cannellini beans.

Add all the ingredients except for the olive oil to a food processor and blend. You may need to stop the food processor one or two times to scrape the sides to make sure everything is evenly blended.

While the food processor is running, add an even stream of the olive oil until well blended. Add to a bowl and sprinkle with some paprika. Serve with pita chips, cucumber, or green peppers.

Due to my craving, I had none of these on hand. Junk. But I did have some of the Kitchen Table Bakers Rosemary Parmesan Crisps that went perfectly with the hummus!

Oh so satisfying.

Cannellini beans make one fantastic hummus, who knew?

The hummus was nice and creamy. And I loved the fresh rosemary!

I’d suggest adding some extra fresh chopped rosemary on top for added flavor. You can store this overnight or for a few days beforehand. I like to bring it with me as a snack at work.

Shrimp Ceviche on Jalapeno Parmesan Crisps

I’m really on a canape/appetizer kick. I used these Jalapeno Parmesan crisps to make canapes with Black Bean Mango Salsa on top, but really wanted to make something with shrimp incorporated in it. I found this Cooking Light recipe for Ceviche de Camaron and used it as a base for this recipe for Shrimp Ceviche on Jalapeno Parmesan Crisps. Traditional ceviche is usually fresh raw fish marinated in lemon or lime juice. I actually steamed the shrimp before marinating them in the lime, so it is not an actual ceviche, but the general idea of it is still present.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped red onion
6 cups water
3/4 cup fresh lime juice, divided
1 pound medium shrimp
1 cup chopped peeled cucumber
1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup mild taco sauce
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon sriracha or other hot sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt

Jalapeno Parmesan Crisps (Kitchen Table Bakers)

I didn’t read the recipe correctly before buying my ingredients, so I actually asked the seafood place to peel and devein the shrimp. Well, the original recipe required boiling the shrimp and then peeling them, so I had to change it up a bit. Click the link above for the original recipe if you’d like.

Bring 6 cups of water with 1/4 cup fresh lime juice to a boil in a large pot. When boiling, add the shrimp to a steam basket and place on top. Cover and cook for 3 minutes.

Remove the shrimp and combine with 1/2 cup juice, plus the zest from the limes, in a large bowl.

Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

While waiting for the hour to pass, chop your onion, cucumber, and cilantro. Take the chopped onion and rinse with cold water in a colander.

Add the onion to a medium bowl. Stir in the cucumber, ketchup, taco sauce, cilantro, hot sauce, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce and salt.

Refrigerate until the hour has passed for the shrimp. When the hour is finished, stir in the shrimp and lime juice.

Top each Parmesan crisp with one shrimp and a teaspoon of the onion cucumber mixture.

Aren’t these fun?

So I realized after taking these photos that the shrimp still had their tails. I wouldn’t suggest serving the shrimp on the crisps with the tails on.

However, if you serve the ceviche in a bowl or wine glass with the crisps on the side, keep the tails on for presentation.

The shrimp managed to maintain a really nice citrus flavor despite being pre-cooked.

The cocktail sauce on the shrimp had a nice spice but didn’t deliver much heat (the Parmesan crisps were spicy enough for me) so if you like it really spicy, add a bit more hot sauce.

I did think corn kernels would go great with this as well. Next time I make it, I think I’d throw in some frozen thawed corn kernels for extra texture.

Black Bean Mango Salsa on Jalapeno Parmesan Crisps

You can never have too many quick appetizers on hand. I am loving the Kitchen Table Makers Crisps. I already did one post on the Rosemary Parmesan Crisps, so it was time to get a little spicy. I used Kitchen Table Makers Jalapeno Parmesan Crisps and topped it with a yummy Black Bean Mango Salsa. The original recipe had jalapenos within the salsa, but after tasting the Crisps, I decided they had enough heat that the additional jalapeno might be too much. If you’re a huge spice fan, feel free to add a bit of chopped jalapeno to the salsa.

Ingredients:

1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 firm, ripe mango, diced
1 tomato cored and chopped
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1/4 of an onion, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
the juice of 2 limes plus zest
Salt, to taste
Jalapeno Crisps

Continue reading Black Bean Mango Salsa on Jalapeno Parmesan Crisps

Honey-Rosemary Blue Cheese Canapes

I received two packages of Kitchen Table Bakers‘ Parmesan Crisps in the mail recently, and my mind immediately went to making fun little hors d’oeuvres with them. The crisps, made entirely from Parmesan cheese, are like a thin chip packed with a bunch of delicious cheesy flavor. So why not add a little more cheese on top?

Ingredients:

Kitchen Table Bakers Rosemary Parmesan Crisps

Blue Cheese

Honey

Fresh Rosemary

Super Bowl Snack Roundup

Need some super bowl appetizer inspiration? I have a bunch of recipes that would be perfect for the game! I thought I’d make it a bit easier to find them.

Dips:
Roasted Eggplant & Feta Dip
Baked Brie
Roasted Beets with Tahini
Cilantro-Lime Hummus
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Fresh Salsa
Parsley Hummus with Pine Nuts
Baba Ghannouj

Bites:
Pancetta Crisps with Goat Cheese & Pear
Caprese Tomato Bites
Sriracha Deviled Eggs
Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
Kara-Age Popcorn Shrimp
Fried Okra
Fontina Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates
Curly Endive Prosciutto Mozzarella

Bigger Meals:
Sausage, Pepper, and Onion Sandwiches
Venison Chili with Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Muffins

Enjoy!

Mussels in White Wine Garlic Sauce

It’s very rare that I make a meal without some kind of goal in mind. I’m not terribly creative, so I usually do at least some research before making a meal: read a magazine, google a recipe, ask a family member, or have a craving from a restaurant I want to try to make at home.

I guess my subconscious was channeling a craving for Bona Cucina‘s mussels in white wine because I kind of sort of ended up with that at the end of my cooking, so here’s my version of their Mussels in White Wine Garlic Sauce. I was just trying to whip up a quick meal, so I actually didn’t take any photos until the finished product (whoops) but I thought I’d share it anyways. I still had some mussels left over from when I made Angel Hair Pasta with Mussels in a Red Pepper Sauce so I figured I should use them.

Ingredients – serve 2 as an appetizer, multiply as needed (get all ingredients here):

1 dozen mussels, scrubbed and debearded
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
2-4 garlic cloves, minced (depending on how much you want to offend those around you)
1 shallot, minced
Chopped parsley
2 tablespoons butter

Continue reading Mussels in White Wine Garlic Sauce

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Who honestly doesn’t love crab stuffed mushrooms? Little bite sized bits of happiness: mushroom, crab meat, cheese, and crunchy bread crumbs. I always have my fingers crossed that these party staples show up as an appetizer at any and all social events. So I thought it was about time that I attempted to make them myself. I finally whipped up a batch of theses crab stuffed mushrooms to eat while watching the games on Sunday. They are actually quite easy to make and are awesome right out of the oven or cooled to room temperature. Taste of Home had a great recipe I decided to try. My only “big” change was that I substituted Old Bay in for the cayenne. I’ve spent many a summer on the Chesapeake and now can’t eat crab without at least a little bit of this seasoning!

Ingredients:

1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon Old Bay
1 can (8 ounces) crabmeat, drained, flaked and cartilage removed
2 containers of fresh baby bella mushrooms
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Cooking spray

Continue reading Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Caprese Tomato Bites

I know, I know. It’s January. What the heck am I doing posting a Caprese recipe? I had a craving for a Caprese salad and I can’t bring myself to buy large tomatoes so out of season. Cherry tomatoes always seem to be around the same level of taste all year long, so I thought this might hold me over until the spring. The recipe incorporates all ingredients found in a traditional Caprese salad, while making it into a cute appetizer bite. I found this recipe on Taste of Home and mainly stuck to the recipe, with a few changes based on what I could find.

Ingredients:

1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into smaller pieces
6 fresh basil leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Continue reading Caprese Tomato Bites

Pancetta Crisps with Goat Cheese and Pear

With the holidays fast approaching, we all need more quick appetizer recipes for when friends and family come to visit. This one for Pancetta Crisps with Goat Cheese and Pear from Southern Living intrigued me: pear, pancetta, honey, and goat cheese. I was interested to see how these flavors would all play out together. Because this can be served cold, you can do most of it ahead of time, pop it into the fridge, and bring it out right before you need it. Note: I only made 6 servings but naturally this can be expanded to fit any number of people.

Ingredients:

6 thin slices pancetta (I just asked the butcher to slice it thin, but not as thin as proscuitto)
1 anjou pear
1/4 (2-oz.) package goat cheese, crumbled
Cracked pepper
Honey
Thyme leaves and sprigs

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Arrange the pancetta slices on a cookie sheet lined with tin foil.

Cook the pancetta in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until crisp.

Transfer the pancetta to a paper towel and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Use an apple corer to core your pear. This was surprisingly easy (I have no clue why I thought this would be a battle).

Slice the pear into equal sized slices. I got 6 slices, plus the top and bottom of the pear.

Add the pancetta on top of the pear. Top with crumbled goat cheese. Sprinkle with pepper and some chopped thyme. This is where you can stop and pop these in the fridge if you are making them ahead. Right before serving, drizzle with a bit of honey.

It’s quite pretty, isn’t it?

But… how does it taste? I actually really liked this! It’s flavorful, different, and easy to eat with one hand (crucial for a get together where most are walking and mingling).

The pancetta was a wonderfully salty contrast to the sweetness of the pear and honey, the goat cheese added a nice creaminess and the thyme added little pops of flavor that brought the whole appetizer together.

There were some awesome textures in this as well. Overall, a definite keeper!

Sriracha Deviled Eggs

My little sister loves deviled eggs. She loves them to such an extreme, that we chose a restaurant (Supper in Philadelphia) during Restaurant Week solely because they were known for their amazing deviled eggs of the day. (The rest of their food is awesome too, definitely worth checking out). During Restaurant Week, they were offering their Sriracha Deviled Eggs, which my sister devoured. So when I was offered to try Land O’Lakes eggs through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I knew I wanted to make them for her. Luckily, Supper took the guesswork out for me and shared their recipe with Meal Ticket a few years back.

Land O’Lakes eggs come from hens that are fed an all-vegetable, whole-grain diet with no animal by-products.

Courtesy of Land O’Lakes

Although I primarily use eggs for baking or as an ingredient in a larger dish, I wanted to highlight the eggs for this recipe.

Ingredients:

6 Land O’Lakes eggs, hard boiled and halved
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon
2 teaspoons Sriracha

The juice from 1/2 a lime

The zest from 1/2 a lime
1 teaspoon chopped cilantro

Fill a large bowl with ice water. To hard-boil the eggs, add 6 eggs to a large pasta pot. Cover with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Boil for 8 minutes uncovered. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the iced water for 30 seconds and remove. To crack the eggs, roll back and forth on the counter and peel the shell off of the egg.

Halve the eggs.

Scoop out the yolks and transfer them to a bowl. I used a half teaspoon so that the spoon was smaller than the yolks. They are pretty easy to kind of pop out.

Use a fork to mash the yolks. Add the mayo, Dijon, Sriracha, lime juice, zest, and cilantro to the yolks.

Mix to combine, try to work out any chunks that may remain, you want it as smooth as possible. Add the mixture to a ziplock bag. If you have a pastry tip, feel free to use it. If not, just cut off one of the corners and squeeze the mixture into each egg white.

Garnish with chopped cilantro and a sprinkle of paprika.

I’m not a huge fan of hard-boiled eggs, so I let my sister and friends be the judge of these eggs. When I asked my sister what needed to be changed, she told me nothing, she loved them just the way they were.

My friends managed to eat a dozen deviled eggs within minutes! Some even said they were some of the best deviled eggs they’ve had –they clearly haven’t been to Supper yet. 🙂

The Sriracha adds some heat to the eggs but is not too spicy. The lime flavor does shine through, so if you are not a fan of lime, cut out the zest (the original recipe did not have zest in it).

Yum

Sriracha Deviled Eggs

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

6 Land O’Lakes eggs, hard boiled and halved
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon
2 teaspoons Sriracha
The juice from 1/2 a lime
The zest from 1/2 a lime
1 teaspoon chopped cilantro

Instructions

Fill a large bowl with ice water. To hard-boil the eggs, add 6 eggs to a large pasta pot. Cover with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Boil for 8 minutes uncovered. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the iced water for 30 seconds and remove. To crack the eggs, roll back and forth on the counter and peel the shell off of the egg.
Halve the eggs.
Scoop out the yolks and transfer them to a bowl. I used a half teaspoon so that the spoon was smaller than the yolks. They are pretty easy to kind of pop out.
Use a fork to mash the yolks. Add the mayo, Dijon, Sriracha, lime juice, zest, and cilantro to the yolks.
Mix to combine, try to work out any chunks that may remain, you want it as smooth as possible. Add the mixture to a ziplock bag. If you have a pastry tip, feel free to use it. If not, just cut off one of the corners and squeeze the mixture into each egg white.
Garnish with chopped cilantro and a sprinkle of paprika.

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Roasted Eggplant & Feta Dip

I am at a bit of a loss for what to do with eggplant. Eggplant Parmesan and Baba Ghannouj are the only two recipes I really know that use eggplant. However, I found a tasty sounding recipe from Eating Well that includes a bunch of other ingredients from this week’s CSA.

Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant

The juice and zest of 1 lemon

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

1 small green bell pepper, finely chopped

1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and mince

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat your broiler. Line a pan with foil and place the eggplant on it. Poke a few holes within the eggplant so that it can let out steam while broiling. Broil for 14 to 18 minutes, turning the eggplant every 5 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the skin is charred a little and a knife goes easily into the part right near the stem. Transfer to a cutting board until it’s cool enough to handle.

Prepare your onion, pepper, jalapeño, basil and parsley.

Add lemon juice to a medium sized bowl. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise.

Scoop out the inside of the eggplant into the bowl and toss with the lemon juice.

Add olive oil and stir with a fork until the oil is absorbed.

Add feta, onion, pepper, jalapeño, basil, parsley, cayenne and salt.

Taste and adjust as needed.

If covered, this recipe can be made up to two days ahead of time. The original recipe included a red bell pepper instead of a green one (I only had a green pepper), and that color would have really popped in this dish.

Serve with toasted pita. This would be a great addition to any mezze platter: tomatoes, hummus, grape leaves, etc.

Kara-Age Popcorn Shrimp

One of the best parts of starting this blog is that I get to make food outside my comfort zone. I try to make new and different recipes to expand cooking repertoire. As a member of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a box of Kikkoman Kara-Age Soy-Ginger Seasoned Coating Mix. Kara-Age (pronounced KAH-rah AH-geh) is a method used in Japan in which meat is coated in a soy sauce, garlic and ginger, dipped in flour, and fried. Although Kara-Age is typically used for chicken, I decided to try to make a “Kara-Age Popcorn Shrimp”.

Ingredients:
1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp (medium or small)
1 package Kikkoman Kara-Age Mix
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon chopped mint
Juice from 1/2 a lemon

Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Depending on the size of your saute pan, you may need more or less oil- you want about 1/4 inch of vegetable oil in the pan. Heat the oil to 350 degrees.

Pour the package of Kikkoman Kara-Age Mix into a plastic bag. Add the shrimp to the bag, seal the bag, and shake well to coat each piece of shrimp evenly.

Remove shrimp from the bag and discard the remaining mix.

Pan-fry 6-8 shrimp at a time in the hot oil for about 2 minutes per side, or until shrimp is cooked.

Remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel.

Repeat with remaining shrimp. Squeeze lemon juice over the cooked shrimp and sprinkle with chopped cilantro and mint. Serve hot.

I tend to think all fried things taste the same. Well, Kikkoman just proved me wrong. The soy-ginger flavor still shines through the crispy fried coating and delivers awesome flavor. The cilantro-mint-lemon topping adds even more flavor to the dish without competing with the seasoning.

This can be served as an appetizer, or as a meal. I love how quick this was, probably 10 minutes in total to prepare and make. Very little effort for a whole lot of flavor!

To make this recipe healthier, instead of frying the shrimp, broil them on a sheet coated in olive oil. Spray the shrimp with cooking spray before broiling.

Baked Brie

There is a Moroccan restaurant in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia called Figs that has the most fantastic Baked Brie dish. It comes in a clay pot and is topped with honey, lavender and almonds.

I randomly had a craving for this appetizer this weekend and decided to try to make my own.

Ingredients:

1 wheel of brie
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
Day Old Bread, or Toasted Pita

Continue reading Baked Brie

Baba Ghannouj

My CSA share came with eggplant this week. My mind went immediately to Baba Ghannouj, which is sort of like hummus with eggplant substituted for the chickpeas. The eggplant is grilled or baked before pureeing it to give it a smoky flavor. I have never worked with eggplant before, so I used Eating Well’s recipe as a base for my baba ghannouj.

Ingredients:

1 eggplant
2 cloves of garlic (unpeeled)
2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus zest from the lemon
1 tablespoon tahini
3/4 teaspoons salt
Olive oil, as needed
Pine nuts, optional

Continue reading Baba Ghannouj

Beet and Carrot Chips with Tzatziki

I came across a recipe for beet chips recently and was intrigued. It seemed relatively easy, didn’t involve frying the beets (I don’t have a deep fryer, and the idea of deep frying something kind of makes me sick), and appeared to be a great way for me to use some of the beets I received in my CSA share. I decided to bring it a step further and try to make carrot chips at the same time as well as a dip to go with them. I had both normal beets and white beats so I was really hoping this would turn out colorful!

The tiny ones are carrots, the others are red & white beets

Ingredients for chips:
2 white beets
2 red beets
2 large carrots
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups water
2 cups sugar

Ingredients for tzatziki:
1 container of Greek yogurt (I used 0%)
1/4 cup fresh chopped dill
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 a cucumber, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

To begin, combine the water and sugar in a saute pan and bring to a boil. While the mixture is heating, peel the beets with a vegetable peeler. Chop off most of the leaves on top, but leave a bit to use as a handle when using the mandoline slicer.

When the liquid has boiled, remove from heat and add the beets to the liquid. Let sit for 15 minutes.

I used raw sugar, which is why it’s brown

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. While the beets are soaking, use a mandoline slicer to thinly slice the carrots. After 15 minutes, remove the beets, dry them off with a paper towel, and thinly slice with the mandoline slicer. Arrange on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper.

Cook for 40 minutes or until they begin to crisp slightly. While the chips are baking, prepare the tzatziki. Combine the chopped dill, lemon, zest, garlic, cucumber, salt and pepper in a medium sized bowl.

Mix in the Greek yogurt.

Cover and refrigerate until the chips are done.

Allow the chips to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes after removing them from the oven. Carefully remove from the baking sheet.

The beets and especially the carrots really shrink up, so if you can, use quite large beets and carrots. I think mind turned out too tiny for my liking. I also think I sliced them a bit too thin, they really don’t seem like they’d stand up to the dip too well.

they are fun looking though!

Place the chips in a bowl and serve with the tzatziki. Enjoy!

This recipe makes a whole lot of tzatziki, probably more than you’ll use on the chips. Tzatziki is great with pita chips, as a condiment on grilled meats, stuffed grape leaves, and crudites so you’ll have plenty of options to use the rest of the dip.

Beet and Carrot Chips with Tzatziki

Cuisine: Appetizer, Sides, Vegetarian

Author: I Can Cook That

Ingredients

Ingredients for chips:
2 white beets
2 red beets
2 large carrots
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
Ingredients for tzatziki:
1 container of Greek yogurt (I used 0%)
1/4 cup fresh chopped dill
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 a cucumber, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

To begin, combine the water and sugar in a saute pan and bring to a boil. While the mixture is heating, peel the beets with a vegetable peeler. Chop off most of the leaves on top, but leave a bit to use as a handle when using the mandoline slicer.
When the liquid has boiled, remove from heat and add the beets to the liquid. Let sit for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. While the beets are soaking, use a mandoline slicer to thinly slice the carrots. After 15 minutes, remove the beets, dry them off with a paper towel, and thinly slice with the mandoline slicer. Arrange on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper.
Cook for 40 minutes or until they begin to crisp slightly. While the chips are baking, prepare the tzatziki. Combine the chopped dill, lemon, zest, garlic, cucumber, salt and pepper in a medium sized bowl.
Mix in the Greek yogurt.
Cover and refrigerate until the chips are done.
Allow the chips to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes after removing them from the oven. Carefully remove from the baking sheet.
Place the chips in a bowl and serve with the tzatziki.

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