Appetizers

Broccomole

May 6, 2013 By sharib Leave a Comment

Calling all broccoli lovers:

The other day I had a full head of broccoli that I needed to use before it started to turn. And, with Cinco de Mayo on my brain, I figured I’d try to make a nice dip for some blue corn tortilla chips.

My household is certainly obsessed with anything related to avocados (there’s always at least two ripening in a brown bag behind one of my cabinets) most importantly our famed recipe and video for Guacomole dip and our celebrated recipe for Baked Stuffed Avocados. But, a nice, cool low(er) fat fresh broccoli dip seemed like the perfect alternative.

As luck would have it, Mom had a Broccomole dip in her archives that was (like most) of her recipes, half faded, half complete. Similar to her other dips, this broccoli dip uses light cream cheese and or/sour cream.

If you’re looking for a guilt-free dip recipe requiring no culinary skill and minimal prep time, put this on your list. But remember, even though it looks like guacamole, it tastes all broccoli!

Enjoy!

Broccomole

serves 8

Ingredients:

3 cups broccoli, cooked , chopped and chilled
1 jalapeno, chopped- no seeds
½ small onion, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
2 oz. fat free cream cheese or use 1/4 cup sour cream
3 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cilantro
1 raw garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan, optional

Instructions:

Blend (almost to a puree) all ingredients in a food processor until thoroughly mixed.
Refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving.

Filed Under: Appetizers, Recipes Tagged With: broccoli recipes, broccomole recipe, cool dip recipes, dip Leave a Comment

Spicy Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

February 1, 2013 By sharib 1 Comment

Super Bowl is almost here.

My hometown team, the Baltimore Ravens, are playing!

I haven’t been this excited (or even cared) since 2001, when the Ravens last played in the Super Bowl. Actually, this might even be the first time I’ll focus on the football being played rather than just tasting the assortment of food being served. But, that doesn’t mean I’m not going to offer a bunch of tasty foods to supplement the game. Last week I entered a Super Bowl Snack off challenge and made some Slow Cooked Pulled BBQ Chicken. Yesterday I sampled some Spicy Buffalo Chicken Meatballs.

A successful Super Bowl snack to me should be something that’s easy to eat with your hands, is readily portable, and something that won’t make a mess. I wanted to focus on making a meat-based dish; a dish to add substance to the array of traditional game day appetizers devoid of nutrition (chips and salsa, cheese dips, etc). These Spicy Buffalo Chicken Meatballs are not only easy to make, they’re not greasy and quite tasty too.

If you’ve made turkey burgers or chicken burgers, you’re in luck, you’ve essentially made a version of meatballs. I used ground chicken breast for the base and some generous portions of Panko bread crumbs combined with egg, butter to help bind the meatballs, and lots of hot sauce to help give it that KICK.

Meatballs pre-oven

Meatballs baking in oven

Obviously, the spicier the meatballs, the more hot sauce you’d use. Next time around, I will definitely decrease the amount of hot sauce–within their first bites, my kids complained there was “way too much kick.”

While these meatballs are supposed to be served and then dipped in Blue Cheese dressing, I skipped that step to try to conserve calories for all the other fat-laden appetizers being served. Instead, I served them with a side of ketchup which tasted quite bland in comparison. In hindsight, I’m thinking the sweetness of the Blue Cheese dressing would be a good marriage with the spiciness of the meatballs. People are focusing on the sidelines not their waistlines this game!

With under 10 minutes of prep time and only 20-25 minutes of bake time, this can certainly be labeled hassle-free.

And, whether you go hot or not, you should add this dish to your rotation of appetizers perfect for tv viewing!

Enjoy and GO RAVENS.

Spicy Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup of your favorite hot sauce (for less spicy, reduce to 1/2 cup)
2lbs ground chicken breast
2 large eggs
2 cups bread crumbs
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

Blue Cheese Dressing
Celery Stalks for dipping

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a rimmed baking sheet.
Put stick of butter and hot sauce in saucepan over low heat. Whisk until hot sauce is blended into melted butter.
Remove mixture from stove and let cool to room temperature. Then transfer to big bowl.
Add ground chicken, eggs, breadcrumbs, salt, ketchup and Parmesan to the butter mixture and fold all ingredients with your hands.
When chicken and butter are thoroughly mixed together, form into 1-inch round balls.
Place balls on baking sheet making sure they touch on all sides.
Place sheet in oven and baked until thoroughly cooked- approximately 20 minutes.
Let cool 5 minutes before serving. Douse meatballs with additional hot sauce if desired.
Enjoy!

Filed Under: Appetizers, Recipes Tagged With: Spicy Buffalo Chicken Meatballs, super bowl, Super Bowl appetizers 1 Comment

Guest Post: Grandma’s Chicken Soup

January 30, 2013 By sharib 1 Comment

Today’s guest post is from Erika Katz. Erika is the celebrated author of Bonding Over Beauty, a comprehensive guide to get you through the tween and early teen years. You can also enjoy her website geared for mothers tackling the drama of the ‘tween years at Bonding Over Beauty.

For generations, Chicken Soup has been used for its curative powers and has always been celebrated as a warm, soothing comfort food. How many times have you taken a Chicken Soup short cut by grabbing for that can of soup and adding water? Think making soup is hard? Erika shares with us her grandmother’s celebrated Chicken Soup recipe that requires such minimal effort for a taste that’s unparalleled. After making this recipe you’ll never reach for a can of soup again. Instead, you’ll reach for your homemade leftovers you’ve frozen in your freezer…

Here’s what Erika has to say:

There is nothing more inviting on a cold winter’s day than a bowl of piping hot homemade chicken soup. My earliest childhood memory is of my grandmother coming to my house with frozen containers of soup packaged in Tupperware. She would put them in our freezer to make sure we always had soup in case any of us got sick. Before her passing, she gave me her recipe and now it is a favorite for my children. Whether used as a base for other soups, in a sauce, or filled with noodles and chicken, it surely the best food you could store in your freezer.

This recipe should make about 6 quarts of soup. You can keep one container in the fridge and then freeze the rest. The key ingredient in my grandmother’s soup is the bones because that is what gives the soup its rich color and, most importantly, its nutrition.

I use a 12-quart stockpot but if you want to make a smaller batch, you can reduce the recipe by using fewer chicken bones and smaller pieces of vegetables.

I know you’ll enjoy this recipe as much as my family does.

Grandma’s Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

7 pounds of chicken bones and chicken pieces on the bones like breasts or thighs
½ celery root peeled
½ white onion
6 cloves of garlic peeled
1 large parsnip peeled with the ends removed
1 handful of dill
Salt to taste (If you use kosher chicken, you will not need to salt the soup)

Instructions:

Put all the ingredients into a 12-quart stockpot.
Add water to cover. Water should be about 3 inches beneath the top rim of the pot so the soup does not boil over.
Bring to a boil on high heat. Then reduce heat to simmer.
Let the soup cook for a minimum of three hours uncovered. For a deeper, richer flavor, let the soup cook longer.
When your soup is done, turn off your flame and let your soup sit for about an hour to cool off.
Pour the soup into containers, straining out all the meat and vegetables. The chicken and parsnips will be good to add to the soup later. You can throw out the other vegetables and bones.*

*If you do not mind fat in your soup, you can eat it right away. However, I like to refrigerate the soup in the containers until the next day. Then I skim the fat that has risen to the top. I store all my soup in the refrigerator and reheat when I am ready to use it. I like to add pasta, matzo balls, and chicken to make it a great meal.

Enjoy!

Author of the book Bonding Over Beauty, A Mother-Daughter Guide to Self-Esteem, Confidence and Trust (Greenleaf Press, March 2011), Erika Katz uses her beauty expertise to help moms bond with their ‘tween daughters. Erika has been featured on The Today Show, The Doctors, The Better Show, Good Day Street Talk, Fox News, NBC’s Today in New York, PIX11, and Telemundo. She contributes beauty and parenting tips to Seventeen, Parents, Good Housekeeping, Girl’s Life, Shape, Prevention, Parenting, and many online blogs and websites. A former child model and actress, Erika appeared in over 100 commercials, print ads, and films. As the mother of a ‘tween girl, she now writes a popular beauty blog for mothers tackling the drama of the ‘tween years.

You can follow Erika on twitter @bondoverbeauty

And, due out next month, Erika’s second book: Bonding Over Beauty: The Beauty Recipes!