Flowfit

Looking for a healthy appetizer to serve at your next party or to take to a BBQ?  Here is a simple and EASY alternative to veggies and dip.  Casual or fancy, these can cover both a BBQ and an elegant dinner party!  Get creative, think colour and texture – have fun and enjoy!

Salad Skewers:

Choose a selection from the following:

• cherry or grape tomatoes
• cucumber (cut into quarters)
• red, yellow, orange or green peppers
• marinated artichokes
• fresh whole herb leaves – basil, dill, cilantro, oregano, parsley
• pitted olives
• organic or vegan cheese cubes
• avocado
• red onion
• radish
• beans

The list goes on and on…. be creative, you really can’t go wrong here.  Choose wooden skewers, the veggies will hold better than on plastic.  Choose ones larger than toothpicks – these don’t leave enough to hold on to.  The super long ones for the grill are fun too as they leave really long handles and look interesting on a buffet.

Keep in mind veggies that hold better should be your anchors.  Use these (peppers, cucumbers, onions) on the top and bottom to stop them from sliding off.

Once you choose your veggies, skewer and arrange on platter of choice – round or rectangle – in a circle or lined up in neat little rows… it’ll look beautiful no matter what you do!  Make a simple dressing like my BEST EVER Lemon Dressing, or use your favorite bottled dressing.  I really like the natural flavours in  ”The Best Dressed Salad Dressings” as they have no MSG, no added preservatives or additives and no eggs.  Drizzle dressing over veggies and sprinkle with fresh herbs of choice and sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper.  Serve to oohs and aahs…

YUM!

Notes – The Best Dressed Salad Dressings are available at Marilou’s in Burlington and various other locations in Oakville and Toronto.  Click here for a list of locations:

http://www.thebestdressed.com/Locations.asp

These are one of our favorite appetizers.  It’s what I call, “interactive food”.  It’s great for making everyone slow down, relax, eat and enjoy each other!  Super easy to prepare but it does take a while to eat.  I promise you though, each teeny bite is totally worth it!

Poached Artichokes

Makes 4 (can easily be doubled)

• 4 whole fresh artichokes, washed
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp earth balance buttery spread
• 1 tsp dried herbs of choice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper

To prepare artichokes:

Artichokes can be prickly… some more than others.  I like to snip the ends off the “petals”, so no one pulls on a spine – ouch!  See picture.  Once tips are cut, rub with lemon juice to prevent browning.

Cut stem from artichokes and sit in bottom of pot.  Pour in wine and lemon juice.  Sprinkle in green onions, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper.  Dollop butter on top and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

Cover and simmer for an hour or until a sharp knife easily goes into top of artichoke.  Check frequently for liquid evaporation.  Add water 1/4 cup at a time if needed.

To Serve:

Place each cooked artichoke in small individual bowl.  Use any left over sauce to drizzle over tops of artichokes.  To eat, simply pull off “petals” and using top teeth, bite off small amount of meat.  It is a slow but loving process eating an artichoke.  Once you get to the center, you will find the “choke”.  You’ll know you’re there because it will appear hairy.  Using a teaspoon, dig into the side and dig out the choke.  Once the choke is removed you can eat the heart….. which is totally worth the wait.

YUM!

mild curry flavour - sweetness shines through

Curried Rice Salad

This salad has been in my family for years. I’ve tweaked it and updated it, but to keep it simple, I’ll give you something close to the original that you can play with yourself. I recently made this at a function I catered, and I added pulled roasted chicken and used Burgol in place of the Rice-a-Roni. It was a hit!

• 1 pkg Rice-a-Roni Chicken and Vermicelli
• 2 jars artichoke hearts (marinated in oil – drain, chop and reserve oil)
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 cup craisins
• 1 can water (sliced) chestnuts, chopped
• 4 chopped green onions
• 1 cup toasted almonds
• 1 can sliced black olives, drained
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp curry powder (more or less to taste)
• salt and pepper to taste

Cook rice according to package directions.

In a large bowl, combine celery, raisins, water chestnuts, onion, parsley and olives.

Mix reserved oil and mayo with curry powder. (I use one of the jars from the artichokes and just shake the dressing)

Once rice is cooked, let cool for about 10 minutes. Mix rice with celery, etc. Pour dressing over top and mix in.

That’s it!!  Easy schmeasy!!  Enjoy!

YUM!

TIPS -
To make with Burgol, replace rice a roni with 2 cups Burgol and 4 cups of chicken stock.