Category Archives: snacks

May 24 2013

Creamy Chicken, Bacon & Green Onion Taquitos with Avocado Dipping Sauce

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The hardest things about Blogger’s Choice swaps for me is chosing a recipe to make! Usually, I can find a few dozen I’d be happy to try out. How do I decide? I recruit my husband.

I handed him a list of potential dishes off of Jaida’s blog and he looked at it for about two seconds before declaring, taquitos! So, taquitos it was. I had pre-cooked the chicken and bacon, which made these a super easy weeknight meal. And, the leftovers packed great for lunch the next day.

They were a big hit and I’m sure we’ll be making them again! Thanks, Sarah, for hosting!

Creamy Chicken, Bacon & Green Onion Taquitos
(very slightly adapted from Sweet Beginnings)
Makes about 10 taquitos

For the taquitos:
6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 lb. chicken breast, cooked and shredded
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 green onions, chopped
10 small flour tortillas

For the dipping sauce:
1 large avocado, peeled and pitted
1/2 c. sour cream
1 T. lemon juice
1 1/2 t. rice vinegar
1/8 t. salt
1/8 t. dill weed
1/8 t. pepper
1/4 t. parsley
1/4 t. onion powder
1/4 t. garlic powder

Preheat the oven for 350F degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix together the bacon, chicken, cream cheese and green onions until well combined. Divide mixutre between tortillas and roll up.

Place the rolled taquitos seem-side down on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until browned and crispy.

Meanwhile, in another bowl, mash the avocado. Add remaining dip ingredients and stir until smooth. Serve dip with warm taquitos.

Check out what the rest of the swap participants made below! Thanks, Sarah, for hosting!

 


May 22 2013

What’s Baking: Spicy Black Bean Empanadas

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This month’s What’s Baking theme is puff pastry. I think most people think of dessert when they think of puff pastry – I know I do – but for some reason, I always end up making savory dishes when I buy a box. This go around was no exception. After browsing a lot of sweet recipes, I ran across this one and immediately started drooling.

I love street food in general. Anything you can eat on the go, I’m a big fan of. Empanadas are something I’ve enjoyed many times while we’re out but I never tried making them before. These were perfect.

I sized the recipe down so I was only using one box of puff pastry – this recipe made more than enough for the two of us for dinner plus leftovers – but if you’re making these for a crowd you may want to double this recipe.

Check out The Boys Made Me Do It later this month for a recap of the puff pastry dishes other bloggers made!

Spicy Black Bean Empanadas
(adapted from All Recipes)
Makes about 16 empanadas

1/4 lb. ground pork
1/2 red pepper, diced
2 green onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c. tomato sauce
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. chili powder
1/8 t. crushed red pepper
3/4 c. shredded cheddar
1/2 c. black beans
2 T. fresh cilantro, chopped
1 package puff pastry, thawed
1 egg
1 T. water

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, cook the pork until well browned. Add in the red pepper, green onions and garlic. Cook until tender. Add in the tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and crushed red pepper. Stir to combine and reduce heat to low. Cook for 8 minutes and then stir in the cheese, black beans and cilantro. Set aside to cool slightly.

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees.

Unroll the puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface and roll out into a 16×12″ rectangle. Cut out rounds using a 2 1/2″ biscuit cutter. Top half of each circle with 2 heaping teaspoons of black bean mixture. Brush the edges of the pastry with water and fold over. Seal with a fork.

Place the empanadas on a lined baking sheet and back for 18 minutes or until golden.

Apr 15 2013

BBQ Chicken in Mini Cornbread Cups

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This month’s What’s Baking? theme is Mini/Bite Sized Treats hosted by Amanda at Our Italian Kitchen. I thought about making something sweet – because that’s what I think of first when I think “treats” – but since we were wrapped up with March Madness and a game snack seemed more appropriate.

These snacks are a bite-sized version of some of my favorite foods: bbq chicken, cornbread and pickles. They would be great as a party appetizer or a game-day munchie.

BBQ Chicken in Mini Cornbread Cups
(adapted from Paula Dean)
Makes 24

2 (7 oz.) packages sweet yellow cornbread mix
1 c. whole milk
2 large eggs
1 1/2 c. chopped cooked chicken
1/3 c. barbeque sauce
Chopped sweet pickles, for garnish, optional

Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Spray a 24-cup mini-muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, mix together the cornbread mix, milk and eggs until smooth. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups.

In a small bowl, combine the chicken and barbecue sauce. Spoon the mixture evenly into the center of the cornbread. Push the chicken down so it’s even with the top of the cornbread.

Bake until lightly browned, 12-15 minutes. Garnish with chopped sweet pickles, if desired.

Apr 5 2013

No-Bake Peanut Butter and Chocolate Granola Bars

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This week has felt kind of crazy.

I’m used to working from home three days a week. This week, I was in the office every day to help with some training. When you add up the one hour commute each way and the lunch hour I usually use to do housework, nine of my usual “doing stuff” hours have been chewed up. That’s like an extra day! Quite obviously, quick and easy has been the go-to for food this week.

I mixed these bars up over the weekend and they’ve been a great go-to for breakfast or a post-gym snack. Loaded with nuts and seeds, they’re quite filling – and since they’re no-bake, they only take about five minutes to prepare.

These can easily be made vegan – just use vegan chocolate chips – and gluten-free - just make sure you’re using gluten-free oats.

No-Bake Peanut Butter and Chocolate Granola Bars
(slightly adapted from 86 Lemons)
Makes an 8×8 pan worth

1 1/2 c. rolled oats
1/4 c. flax seed meal
1/8 c. chia seeds
1/4 c. sunflower seeds
1/3 c. pumpkin seeds
1/2 c. cashews
1/2 c. almonds
1/2 c. mini chocolate chips
1/2 c. agave nectar
3/4 c. natural peanut butter

Line an 8×8 pan with parchment.

In a large bowl, stir together the oats, flax meal, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, cashews, almonds and chocolate chips. Stir agave nectar in until evenly distributed. Stir in peanut butter until well combined throughout.

Press mixture into prepared pan. Freeze for 1 hour, then remove from pan and cut into bars. Store in freezer until ready to eat.

Apr 1 2013

Ham and Cheese Sliders

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We always end up with leftover ham after Easter. I think it’s mostly because my Mom, my Grandma and I always end up qualifying for the free holiday ham at the grocery store – and then make it a challenge to see who can get the biggest one for free. Of course, the hams are always bigger than we need – and we’ll only make one of the three for Easter.

So, there will be a lot of ham in this family in the next few weeks. This is a great way to use some of it up.

These are generally through of as more of an appetizer or party food, but paired with a salad they’re a quick, easy dinner.

Ham and Cheese Sliders
(from Annie’s Eats)
Makes 24

24 slider rolls
24 slices deli ham or leftover ham
24 small slices Swiss cheese
Mayonnaise
1 1/2 T. yellow mustard
1 stick of butter, melted
2 t. dried minced onion
1/2 t. Worcestershire sauce
Poppy seeds, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Split slider rolls and spread them with mayonnaise. Top with ham and cheese and cover. Place them on a baking sheet.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, melted butter, onion and Worcestershire sauce. Pour sauce evenly over the tops of the sliders. Sprinkle sliders with poppy seeds.

Cover the sandwiches with foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake 2 minutes longer. Serve warm.

Mar 15 2013

Layered Vegetarian Tostadas

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At the beginning of Lent, I had a really ambitious list of vegetarian dinners for Fridays. And while most of the dishes still look appealing, a lot of them just seem too ambitious by the time I’m ready to cook.

Fast and easy? That’s a lot more appealing at 6 o’clock on a Friday night.

These tostadas fall into the fast and easy category. They were so good! I only toasted up half of the tortillas for dinner and then toasted the rest for lunch over the weekend.

Layered Vegetarian Tostadas
(from Kalyn’s Kitchen)
Approx. 8 tostadas

1 recipe refried beans
1 1/2 c. guacamole
1 c. light sour cream
1/2 t. taco seasoning
1 c. grated Mexican cheese
1 c. pico de gallo
1/2 cup sliced black olives
8 whole wheat flour tortillas, 6 or 8 inch inch size
Olive oil for greasing baking sheet, about 1 t.

Place a baking sheet inside the oven and let it get hot while you preheat oven to 450F degrees. Remove the baking sheet and drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil on it, spreading it around with a paper towel. Place the flour tortillas in a single layer on the baking sheet.  Toast the tortillas in the oven until they’re crisp and barely starting to brown, turning several times.
While tortillas are crisping, microwave the refried beans in a bowl until they’re hot.  Stir the taco seasoning into the sour cream.

Put crisped tortilla shell on a plate and top with a thin layer of refried beans, a thin layer of guacamole, a thin layer of seasoned sour cream, pico de gallo, cheese and sliced olives

Serve immediately.
Feb 22 2013

Roasted Vegetable and Hummus Tart

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I can’t believe there was a point in my life when I thought hummus was gross. It’s only within the last year I’ve started eating and it’s since become a staple in our house. I’m especially fond of using it in meatless meals.

This simple tart was a great, filling dinner but it would also be a great appetizer.

Roasted Vegetable and Hummus Tart
(adapted from eCurry)
Serves 2 as a main dish

1 zucchini, coin sliced
1/2 medium red onion, thickly sliced
1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
Olive oil
1 sheet of puff pastry
1/2 c. roasted garlic hummus
2 T. feta cheese

Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Toss zucchini, onion and cherry tomatoes with a drizzle of olive oil and spread out on a baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes, tossing halfway through. Set aside in a covered bowl to keep warm.

On a lined baking sheet, bake the puff pastry for 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from oven and spread with hummus. Top with vegetables and sprinkle feta over the top. Return to oven for 2-3 minutes.

Let stand for 2 minutes before slicing.

Feb 20 2013

Cheesy Chili Dip

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You know you’re a jaded Northeastern when: instead of buying bread and milk for the impending blizzard you pick up ingredients for chili dip.

We knew that when we headed up to Connecticut, we’d get a bit snowed in from Nemo. We also knew that it wouldn’t be long before the plows got things clear. Since our hotel room had a microwave and refrigerator, I added the ingredients for this to our supply kit.

We ended up not making it during our time snowed in – there was a 24-hour diner attached to the hotel that stayed open – but it never hurts to be prepared!

Cheesy Chili Dip

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 can (14.5 oz.) chili with beans
1 c. shredded Mexican cheese

Spread the cream in a pie plate. Top with chili and cheese.

Microwave on high for 5 minutes, until Mexican cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Feb 18 2013

Ranch Pretzels

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These are a quick tweak of our favorite spicy pretzels – just drop out the spicy stuff and you have these great ranch flavored pretzels. These are a big hit with those that aren’t a fan of spice.

I make these a lot – they’re great as game-watching munchies, lunchbox snacks and party food.

Ranch Pretzels
(adapted from The Rookie Chef)

1 bags of pretzels (roughly 15 oz.)
5 oz. of butter flavor popcorn oil
1 packet of dry ranch dressing
1/2 t. garlic powder

Preheat oven to 200F degrees.

Put pretzels in a large roasting pan.

Mix all dry ingredients into oil, stir well.

Pour the buttery oil mixture over the pretzels and toss to coat. Bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, stir and return to oven. Keep repeating until there is no oil mixture at the bottom of your roasting pan.

Cool and transfer to an air-tight container until ready to serve.

 

Dec 10 2012

Baked Garlic and Cheese Dip

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It’s nice to spend time laying in front of the TV on Sundays watching football. It’s a lot better when your team wins. The Giants have been a bit hit and miss this year, but we’re hoping for a good December run (again).

I made this up for Sunday football munching. It was gone in a flash – we totally spoiled our dinner. This is a fantastic dip for garlic lovers – but if you’re not a garlic fan, this will probably be too much for you.

I toasted up some baguette slices for dipping – pita chips would also work well.

Baked Garlic and Cheese Dip
(from Tasty Kitchen)
Makes about 4 cups

8 cloves of garlic, minced
2 c. shredded Romano cheese
8 oz. cream cheese
4 oz. mayonnaise
1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed and chopped
1 pinch salt
1 t. ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

In a large bowl, combine minced garlic and salt and mash to form a paste. Add in the Romano, cream cheese, mayonnaise, artichokes and pepper. Mix until well combined.

Spread into a greased baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until lightly browned and bubbly.

Let cool slightly before serving.