Guacamole

I know everyone has their own guacamole recipe, but I still need to post this one.  I've made a lot of different guacamoles over time, but this one beats them all... hands down.  I got this recipe from my friend, Melissa, over at The Franson Kitchen.  She made it with her amazing cafe rio when she invited our family over for dinner last winter.  It was delicious then and it was delicious when I made it again last weekend for my son's birthday party.  Guacamole has been one thing I've been craving during this pregnancy.  I think I could eat it every day... especially if I made this recipe every day!  And I did actually make this recipe (in smaller proportion) three different times in the last week.  :)  It is just that good.  I basically make it just as Melissa has it posted on her blog, with the exception of the jalapeno.  You need some for flavor, but I don't add a whole one... just enough to add the flavor without the spice.  I'll post it below the way I make it. 

The Best Guacamole Ever

4-5 ripe avocados (if they are large ones, only 4)

3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 to 1/2 of a small jalapeno, minced

1/2 cup minced red onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

Cut avocados in half length-wise and remove pits.  Scoop the avocado flesh from the shells.  In a medium bowl, mash with a potato masher or large fork.  You don't want to completely turn it to mush, leave a few small chunks for texture.  Add the remaining ingredients.  

Serve with tortilla chips as an appetizer or as a topping for tacos or other mexican dishes. 

You can make this a couple of hours in advance, but you will want to be sure to seal it well so that no air gets to the surface and turns it brown.  I take plastic wrap and press it down on top of the guacamole in the bowl, removing all the air and making sure the edges are sealed well.  Then just remove the plastic wrap when you're ready to serve.

Easy Cheesy Queso Dip

Ok, so this recipe is not paleo-friendly at all.  But this is a super easy appetizer to throw together if some friends show up at your door to hang out for a bit unexpectedly, or you decide to head over to a get together last-minute and have nothing planned or prepped to contribute.  Bottom line, it's super fast to throw together and is always a hit.  I've been making this dip for many years, I think since high school, or shortly thereafter.  My friend Destiny made it many, many years ago for a get together at her house and I've loved it ever since. 

Easy Cheesy Queso Dip

8 oz organic cream cheese, or homemade soft cheese
1/2 - 3/4 cup homemade salsa
1 cup shredded cheddar or co-jack cheese

Leave cream cheese out of refrigerator to soften a little.  Once it has softened, mix all ingredients together.  Serve immediately, or place back in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve.  This is great with tortilla chips and fresh veggies! 

Bacon Wrapped Salmon Cakes

This was another idea that I got from Life as a Plate.  AndreAnna made these amazing looking and sounding appetizers by wrapping salmon cakes and asparagus spears in bacon.  I'd like to make the appetizers the same way she made them for a party one of these days.  But I decided to just make the salmon cakes and wrap them in bacon as a main course for one of our dinners this week.  I used canned salmon instead of the salmon fillet that AndreAnna used, too.  Just because I have some in my pantry to useup.  I also changed up some of the ingredients for what I had on hand.  Use the link at the beginning of this post to see the original recipe.  I've written it below as I made them. 

Wow, these were delicious!  We all enjoyed them a lot.  I prepped the salmon cakes and wrapped them in bacon, then put them in a glass Pyrex storage dish on Sunday afternoon.  Then I just had to remove the lid from the container and pop them in the oven to bake for dinner on Monday night.  This made making dinner a cinch on Monday! 

Bacon Wrapped Salmon Cakes

1 can salmon
pat of butter
1-2 Tablespoons finely diced onion
1 garlic clove, finely diced
2/3 cup pine nuts
1 Tablespoon mayo
1 teaspoon Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon old bay seasoning
1 egg
bacon

In a saute pan, melt the butter and saute the garlic and onions until translucent.  Set aside to cool.

In a food processor, blend the pine nuts for a few minutes.  You want to take them past the chopped, crumbly stage, but not quite all the way to a butter stage.  These will help bind the salmon cakes together while giving them a nutty taste. 

Put the drained salmon into a medium mixing bowl.  Add the blended pine nuts, garlic and onions, mayo, dijon, cheese, seasoning, and egg.  Mix well.  You can put this mixture into the fridge for a half hour or so to firm it up, or you can just assemble the salmon cakes now.  Chilling the mixture makes it easier to work with, but I just kept going. 

Form salmon cakes with your hands.  Wrap bacon around the cakes and place the ends of the bacon underneath the bottom of the cake.  I used two pieces of bacon.  Place in a glass baking dish. 

You can either refrigerate the assembled cakes until you are ready to cook them, or bake them immediately. 
Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes, checking often. The length of time you need to cook them will depend on how thick your cakes are, as well as the thickness of the bacon.


This post is linked to:
Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop
Simple Lives Thursday at GNOWFGLINS
Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade
Gluten Free Recipe Parade at Heavenly Homemakers
Fresh Bites Friday at Real Food Whole Health

Cheese Crisps (Grain-Free Cheese Crackers)

I've actually had these several times in the past, but I've just never made them myself.  My aunt made them for a few different family parties during her different low-carb diet phases.  They were always very tasty!  I always thought that I should make some of my own at some point, but just never have gotten around to it.  Then I saw the recipe posted on Joyful Abode and figured I'd make some this afternoon.  I used some local, organic co-jack cheese for these.  I want to make some with parmesan soon (which my aunt has made and they are sooo good!), but figured I'd just make one kind today.  I made some plain, some I sprinkled with garlic powder, some I sprinkled with a tomato-basil spice mix, and some I sprinkled with my homemade ranch dressing mix.  All of them are great! 

These will be nice to have on hand for snacks and lunches.  All three of us really like these a lot, too.  And they're a great way to cut some grains out of your diet. 

Cheese Crisps

your favorite block of cheese OR your favorite shredded cheese
seasonings of your choice (optional)
parchment paper

Preheat your oven to 350.  Put some parchment paper on a cookie sheet.

I used a block of cheese, but you can use shredded cheese if that's what you have, or what you prefer.  If you’re using shredded cheese, toss it together in a bowl with any seasonings you feel like using.  You can try lots of different seasoning options.  Just don't use salt... cheese is already salty enough on its own. Once you have the shredded cheese and seasoings mixed, place about a teaspoonful of cheese in little mounds all over the parchment-lined cookie sheet, spaced out because they will spread.

If you’re using a block of cheese, slice it thinly and cut it into little squares. About an inch square is good. Again, they will spread out, so place these on the parchment-lined cookie sheet with some space between them.

Bake for 5-7 minutes. Then take a peek. The cheese will be all bubbly. 

If the edges are starting to crisp up or brown a little, take them out.  If you’re not sure, leave it in for another minute or two.  I had to leave mine in for about 10 minutes.  If you take them out too soon, you won't get crisps... you'll just have rubbery melted cheese. 

When you remove them from the oven, you’ll need to let them cool. I just pulled the parchment off the cookie sheet and placed it on my cool, granite counters.  If you don't have cool to the touch counters, then place the crisps on a cool plate.  After a few minutes, they’ll be crisp.

This post is linked to Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist, Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop, and Simple Lives Thursday at GNOWFGLINS. 

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Here is yet another recipe that I made for Christmas this year. I first had this when a colleague of mine brought it into work. It was soooo good! She just uses a recipe found on AllRecipes. I wanted to try making it with my own healthier ingredients... and I wanted to do it all in the crockpot. So I made some modifications and voila! Buffalo chicken dip... and I have to say I think it tastes even better than my colleague's! :) It was a hit at both Christmas parties that I took it to. It doesn't look too appealing, but once you taste it (and if you like buffalo wings), you'll be hooked!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 cups shredded chicken (I used some that I had shredded and frozen... and I just dumped it in still frozen)

2 cups soft cheese (or you could use organic cream cheese)

1 cup Ranch dressing

3/4 cup hot sauce (like Frank's Red Hot, Tabasco, etc.)

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Dump all ingredients into a 2 or 3 quart crockpot. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 2-4 hours. Stir before serving. Serve with celery sticks, crackers, or tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Sausage Cheese Balls

We had to travel two hours west for one of our Christmas parties.  I wanted to find something to take that was portable, tasty, and fairly good for you.  I couldn't decide what to bring, so I scoured the Whole Foods for the Holidays posts.  I came across these Sausage Cheese Balls on Titus2Homemaker.  They sounded very easy and portable.  So I tried them out.  I used our pastured, naturally-seasoned sausage, a mixture of whole wheat and spelt flours, my homemade cultured butter, and raw cheddar cheese.  They are more dough-y than I guess I expected and they didn't blow me away, but they were okay.  They taste like a biscuit with a slight cheese and sausage flavoring.  The naturally flavored sausage doesn't have as much spice as conventional sausage does, so maybe they'd have more flavor with conventional sausage... I didn't think about it in advance, or I'd have probably added a few spices. 

Sausage Cheese Balls

3 cups whole wheat flour (I used 2 cups whole wheat and 1 cup spelt)
1-1/2 Tablespoons aluminum-free baking powder
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 lb. butter (I used homemade cultured butter)
1 lb. breakfast sausage, raw (I used pastured pork sausage with natural seasonings)
8 oz. grated cheddar (I used raw cheddar, a mixture of mild and sharp)

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter. With your hands, mix in sausage and cheddar, adding a tad bit of water to make a dough. Form into 1″ balls (I used my 1-inch cookie scoop) and bake on a baking sheet at 375 for 20 minutes.

Smoked Salmon Spread

I had decided I wanted to make a salmon dip or spread for one of our Christmas parties this year.  So I went searching for a good recipe.  I settled on a Smoked Salmon Spread with Pecans on Heartland Renaissance.  I pretty much followed the recipe as written.  I did use my homemade soft cheese in place of the cream cheese and I used crispy (soaked and dried) pecans.  This was very simple to make.  I served it with some organic whole wheat crackers.  I thought it was very tasty!  I'll make it again sometime, for sure.  Kevin liked it, too.  People who like salmon would like this, too.  Its really not too fishy tasting, nor too smoky, but it has a really good flavor.   

Smoked Salmon Spread

One 1-lb. can of wild, Alaskan salmon
One 8-oz. package of cream cheese, softened (I used soft cheese)
2 teaspoons grated white or yellow onion
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans (I used crispy pecans)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon horseradish
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
3 Tablespoons fresh parsley, snipped (or 1 Tablespoon dried parsley)
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Drain salmon, removing bones and skin. Flake salmon into a bowl. Combine cream cheese, lemon juice, onion, horseradish, salt and liquid smoke with salmon, mixing well. Chill several hours or overnight.

About an hour before serving, combine pecans, parsley and paprika. Shape salmon mixture into a log or ball and roll in pecan mixture. Chill. Serve with crackers, sliced baguette and sliced fresh vegetables.

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

We all love pizza at our house, but we're trying to cut back on ordering it. For two main reasons - to cut out some junk since we don't know what the stuff from our local pizza joint really contains... and to save money. I saw this in one of my Rachael Ray magazines and thought it might be something we'd like and would satisfy the cravings that Kevin and Carson have for pizza. Don't get me wrong, I love pizza, too, but I don't get hungry for it like the boys in my house do. So anyway, these were very quick and simple to make and they taste pretty good, too. And they're better for you than the local pizza joint, though still not the best for you.

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup whole milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
4 ounces pepperoni, cut into small cubes (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup pizza sauce
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
1 red bell pepper, sliced

Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease a 24-cup mini-muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder; whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.

Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through, then stir in 1 tablespoon basil. Sprinkle the puffs with the remaining 1 tablespoon basil. Serve the puffs and red pepper slices with the pizza sauce for dipping.

You can also freeze the baked puffs (I did) in a single layer on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag. To reheat, bake the frozen puffs on a baking sheet in a 350° oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

Zucchini "Crab" Cakes

Tonight I tried a recipe that I've had saved for at least a year and a half from RecipeZaar for zucchini "crab" cakes. These don't have any crab in them, they're meatless, actually. They get their crab cake taste from the Old Bay seasoning, which is typical of crab cakes and other seafood dishes. These were very good, no complaints from anyone. It was a nice change from the zucchini cakes I've made in the past - just the typical zuke pancakes that lots of people make. This is definitely something we'd eat again. I might actually mix up a batch and freeze them on wax paper so I can just bake them during the off-season.

Zucchini "Crab" Cakes

2 1/2 cups grated zucchini (I used yellow and green zukes from my garden)
1 egg, beaten (local, free-range, hormone/antibiotic-free)
2 tablespoons butter, melted (organic)
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup minced onion (didn't use it b/c I used seasoned breadcrumbs)
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (didn't use it)
1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying (didn't use it)

(I started by putting my grated zucchini in a colander over a bowl sprinkled with a little salt to bring out the moisture... I let them sit for about 30 minutes.) In a large bowl, combine zucchini, egg, and butter or margarine. Stir in seasoned crumbs, minced onion, and seasoning. Mix well. Shape mixture into patties. Dredge in flour. In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium high heat until hot. Fry patties in oil until golden brown on both sides.

(Instead of frying mine, I put them on a sheet pan and sprayed them with a little EVOO spray, and baked in a 400 degree oven. I baked for about 12 minutes, then flipped them over to bake another 15 minutes.)

Pizza on the Grill

I used the ABin5 dough (the master Boule recipe) to do grilled pizzas on the grill for dinner tonight. YUM! They were so good! (Note: I also used this dough to make calzones on Tuesday and they were very good, too!) I love grilled pizzas at restaurants, but I'd never tried them at home. I was a little uncertain as to how they'd turn out, but they turned out great! I made a few different kinds (small pizzas), a chicken pesto pizza (pesto, chicken, feta, mozzarella, parmesan), a margherita (olive oil, marinated tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, plus a little feta sprinkled over top) pizza, and a more traditional one with pepperoni, mozzarella, and parmesan. They were all very yummy! Kevin liked the traditional one best, but I loved the margherita and pesto pizzas (margherita pizza being my favorite). Carson loved them all - he just loves any kind of pizza. :) But I think the margherita pizza was probably his favorite, too. We had these for our main course, but these would be great appetizers for a party, too. Very quick and very easy to make!

I didn't follow recipes, just made my own combos, but I did read up on the technique to use when grilling with this very wet ABin5 dough. If you're interested in making these at home, be sure to read this Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day Discussion Board.

Italian Cheese Spread

Yesterday, we had our good friends, Ben and Kati, over for a cookout. I had seen a recipe in one of those Kraft Food & Family magazines that they mail out all the time that I wanted to try as an appetizer. I believe it was called Italian Cheese Spread (I'm going off of memory here since the magazine is at home). I didn't think to take a picture, either. Which is a bummer because it was a pretty dip with all the colors. And boy, was it yummy!! And super easy!!

Italian Cheese Spread

1 brick cream cheese
1/4 cup pesto
1/4-1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/4 cup shredded cheese

Start with a piece of aluminum foil, like 8x8 or so. Place the cream cheese brick in the center. Top with pesto, then tomatoes, then cheese. Make a packet with the foil and place on the grill for 8-10 minutes. (I used spinach pesto and it was awesome, but basil would be just as yummy. And I just put it on a sheet pan and put it in the oven on 350 for 10 minutes.) Serve on a plate with the foil folded back and crackers.

Spinach-Artichoke Dip

I tried out a new recipe from AllRecipes for Florentine Artichoke Dip for Carson's party. I normally use the recipe posted on Olive Garden's website, but figured I'd try a new one this time. I'm glad I did, because I like this one way better! Yum! It was good! Very simple, too.

Florentine Artichoke Dip

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach - thawed, drained and squeezed dry
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used Miracle Whip Light)
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened (I used 1/3 less fat neuchatel)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used 1/3 less fat)
(I also added about 1/4 cup shredded 2% mozzarella to the top)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 7x11 inch baking dish. (I just used a pie plate)

In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Mix in the artichoke hearts, spinach and Parmesan cheese. Season with garlic and lemon juice. Spread evenly into the prepared baking dish.

Bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove the cover, and let the dish bake uncovered for 5 more minutes, or until the surface is lightly browned. (Mine took longer to brown, probably like 10 minutes)