Appetizers

Barbecue Turkey Meatballs

May 22, 2013
Shannon
2 comments
appetizer, food, smoked paprika, tomatoes, turkey

I’m sickened by the recent tornadoes lately. A tornado hit the town in Texas my sweet sister lives in over the weekend and I don’t think I’ve gripped my phone any tighter than I did in those moments when she was texting me. And now I’m tortured by the coverage of the Moore, Oklahoma tornado. I grew up in Central Illinois where tornado drills in school were as common as fire drills and a tornado warning still instills paralyizing fear within me. I even remember a storm hitting our town when I was around 7 or 8 and the tornado alarm went off, resulting in us lining up in the elementary school hallway, crouching down on the floor with arms wrapped around our heads as the older kids crouched over us. I remember looking down the long hallway out the door and seeing the outside sky such a disturbing color of black that I was certain the school would collapse on top of us. Even now as an adult and no longer living in a tornado zone, I’m still scared to death of tornadoes and my heart breaks for the people of Oklahoma.

On a much, much lighter note, I made these Barbecue Turkey Meatballs this past weekend. Luckily, they made enough that I have been heating them up and eating them for a quick dinner each night while I watch TV. I eat them plain, but obviously they would be perfect with some pasta. Slightly sweet, slightly smoky and totally tasty, these are perfect for when you need a quick bite.

The ingredients:

Place brown sugar, vinegar, spices and tomatoes in a blender; blend until smooth.

Combine turkey, breadcrumbs, and chili powder in a large bowl; using wet hands, shape into 16 meatballs.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly coat pan with cooking spray. Add meatballs; cook 2 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Add tomato mixture to pan; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 6 minutes or until the meatballs are done.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Cooking Light magazine

Lemon-Horseradish Dip

I keep forgetting how much I like horseradish. It’s one of those things that I eat and think Why haven’t I been eating this on my turkey sandwiches my whole life? But then I’ll go and have another turkey sandwich and still forget to pull out the horseradish. So when I had a friend coming over and nothing in the way of appetizers to prepare quickly, I was reminded of this good old standby. And since I usually have Greek yogurt and lemons in my refrigerator, this Lemon-Horseradish Dip pretty much could have made itself.

Plain non-fat Greek yogurt is mixed with horseradish and lemon zest. Can’t get much easier than that. This is a light unassuming dip that will perfect for those moments when you need something really quick. It’s great for dipping whatever you have on hand also – vegetables, crackers, or chips. This recipe was on a page from Real Simple magazine about uses for Greek yogurt and I’ve now made each one. Check out the other recipes for quick and easy dips here:

Sweet Raspberry Dip

Spinach-Pesto Dip

The ingredients:

In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, horseradish, lemon zest, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Serve with chips and vegetables if desired.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Real Simple magazine

Crunchy Chickpeas

February 18, 2013
Shannon
1 comment
appetizer, beans, chickpeas, food, vegetarian

For the second weekend in a row, I’ve gotten completely sucked into the 80’s miniseries North and South staring Patrick Swayze. Last week was North and South Book 1 and yesterday was North and South Book 2 (based off of John Jakes’ book Love and War). I remember watching both of these miniseries when I was a kid and have managed to get sucked right back into it all over again like I’ve never seen it. I’ve always slightly been fascinated by the Civil War but it might be because I grew up in the Land of Lincoln, 30 minutes away from Springfield, Illinois where every field trip I went on in school was somehow related to Abraham Lincoln. As if dedicating two Sundays in a row to the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln wasn’t enough, I proceeded to watch Killing Lincoln on Nat Geo last night before bed which let me tell you – was not a good idea. At some point, I did manage to make myself a snack of Crunchy Chickpeas, to keep me going through hours of, well, death. I guess it’s fitting since today is President’s Day, right?

I’ve seen these chickpea snacks nearly everywhere – in magazines, on Pinterest and in food blogs so I figured, why not give them a try? They aren’t the simplest things to make but now I get the hype. Canned chickpeas are tossed with garlic and seasonings and baked low and slow for a long time until crunchy on the outside but slightly chewy on the inside. Sounds simple enough but the beans first have to be drained and de-skinned. Hah..wahh? I never really paid attention to the fact that chickpeas have skin but they do. Lay them out on a paper towel, top with another paper towel and gently roll. Yes, roll. Those little pesky skins will slide ride off. But take my word for it, do this process in batches. Otherwise, you’ll be rolling and plucking skins all day. My first bite of these chickpeas, I wondered what was so great. But then, there I was, watching 80’s TV and popping these obsessively into my mouth. I can’t explain it what it is about these snacks but they are slightly addictive.