Category: Appetizers

Categories
Appetizers Main Dish Seafood

Crab Cakes


1lb Jumbo Lump Crab Meat
1 egg
1 tsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp Hellman’s Mayo
1 tsp Mustard
1 tsp or to taste Old Bay Seasoning
Cracker Meal
Mix the egg, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mayo,& mustard together in a bowl. Pick thru the crab meat and remove any cartilage or shells (shouldn’t have any using jumbo lump) Add the egg mixture to the crab meat and gently mix, try not to break up the lump crab. Sprinkle the old bay and gently mix into the mixture. Add the cracker meal…a little at a time…until the crab mixture holds together. The amount of cracker meal you use depends on the way you going to prepare the crab cakes. If you’re going to broil the crab cakes, you don’t need as much cracker meal.
Categories
Appetizers Main Dish Seafood

Coconut Shrimp 2

Pina Colada Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup sour cream 
1/4 cup pina colada nonalcoholic drink mix
1/4 cup crushed pineapple (canned)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar 
Shrimp:
6-8 cups canola oil (as required by fryer)
12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 1/2 pound)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons coconut rum
1 cup panko Japanese-style bread crumbs
1/2 cup flaked coconut 
On the side:
salsa
Prepare pina colada dipping sauce first by combining all the ingredients.  Cover this and let it chill out in the fridge while you make the shrimp.  
Heat oil to 350 degrees.   
Measure 3/4 cup of flour into a medium bowl.  In another medium bowl mix together the remaining  3/4 cup flour, sugar, and salt.  Stir milk and rum into flour mixture.  Let this batter stand for five minutes.  While the batter rests, combine panko bread crumbs and shredded coconut into a third medium bowl.   
Butterfly cut each shrimp before you start the battering:  Use a sharp knife to slice through the top of the shrimp (where the vein was) so that you can spread the shrimp open.   Leave the tail intact.   
To batter the shrimp, dip each one in the flour, then the wet batter, then coat each shrimp with the panko/coconut mixture.   .Arrange the shrimp on a plate until all of them are battered.   Fry the shrimp by dropping six at a time into the hot oil for 2 to 3 minutes or until the shrimp are golden brown.   Remove shrimp to a rack or paper towels to drain.    
Serve shrimp with pina colada dipping sauce on the side, along with a small dish or your favorite salsa.
Categories
Appetizers Main Dish Seafood

Coconut Shrimp

coconut_shrimp

Coconut Shrimp

1 cup beer , flat
1 cup self-rising flour
2 cups coconut flakes, (1 – 7oz. package)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 jumbo shrimp
dash paprika
MARMALADE DIPPING SAUCE
For the batter, use an electric mixer to combine the beer, flour, 1/2 cup coconut flakes, sugar and salt in medium sized bowl.  Mix well and refrigerate, covered for at least one hour.
Prepare marmalade sauce, refrigerate.
Prepare the shrimp by de-veining and peeling off the shell back to the tail.  Leave the last segment of the shell plus the tail fins as a handle. When batter is ready, preheat oil in a deep pot or deep fryer to about 350 degrees.  Use enough oil to completely cover the shrimp.  Pour the remainder of the coconut into a shallow bowl. Be sure the shrimp are dry before battering.  Sprinkle each shrimp lightly with paprika before the next step.  Dip one shrimp at a time into the batter, coating generously.  Drop battered shrimp into the coconut and roll around so it is well coated. Fry four shrimp at a time for 2-3 minutes or until the shrimp become golden brown.  You may have to flip the shrimp over halfway through cooking time.  Drain on paper towels briefly before serving.

Serve with marmalade sauce.

coconut_shrimp[amd-yrecipe-recipe:12]

 

Categories
Appetizers Chicken

Chili’s Southwest “Eggrolls”

3 flour tortillas, not large (LaTortilla Factory Brand Originals LowFat LowCarb)
1 ounce chicken, cooked and shredded
2 tablespoons black beans, canned
2 tablespoons corn, canned
1 ounce fat free cheese, shredded (your choice of kind)
1 tablespoon red chili pepper, diced
3/4 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained Dip
2 tablespoons avocados
2 tablespoons nonfat sour cream 
1/2 teaspoon Hidden Valley Ranch dip, dry
1 tablespoon tomato, diced
 pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine chicken, corn, cheese, chili pepper, and spinach in a microwaveable bowl.  Heat for 30 seconds in micro.   Warm tortillas in micro for 15 seconds.   On a clean, flat surface, lay out tortillas side-by-side.   Put 1/3 of chicken mix in the center of each tortilla.   To assemble each roll, fold the left and right sides in so no filling escapes during cooking, and roll up.   Place all 3 rolls seam side down on a baking pan that has been sprayed.    Bake 12 minutes, flipping 1/2 way through cooking.
While eggrolls are in the oven prepare dip.   
Sauce:.   
Combine sour cream, avocado, and dry dip mix in a small bowl until smooth.  Season to taste with pepper.   Top dip sauce with tomatoes before serving.   When eggrolls are done, allow to cool for a few minutes, then cup diagonally.
 2  Servings
Categories
Appetizers Asian Chicken

Chicken Satay

3 limes
2/3 cup bottled Thai peanut sauce
12 chicken tenders (about 1 lb 4 oz)

Heat outdoor grill or ridged grill pan over medium-high heat. Squeeze 1 to 2 limes to get 2 Tbsp juice. Mix with peanut sauce. Pour all but 1/4 cup into a small bowl. Thread 1 chicken tender on each of twelve 10- to 12-in. wooden skewers. Brush both sides of chicken with the 1/4 cup sauce, then lightly coat with nonstick spray. Grill 2 to 3 minutes per side until chicken is cooked through. Serve with lime wedges and remaining sauce for dipping. Garnish with sliced scallions, if desired.

Categories
Appetizers Chicken Main Dish Wraps

Chicken Quesadillas

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 cup cheddar cheese, Mexican blend, shredded
2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup salsa
4 flour tortillas
Mix chicken with seasoning mix.  Melt 1 tsp. butter in skillet.  Place tortilla in preheated skillet, top with chicken and cheese, fold in half.  Grill on both sides until lightly toasted and warmed through.  Remove from pan, cut into triangles.  Serve with sour cream and salsa.
4  Servings
Categories
Appetizers Beef Slow Cooker

Hawaiian Meatballs

2 lb. bag frozen meatballs
1 bottle BBQ sauce
1 jar pineapple preserves
Spray crock pot with non-stick spray. Place meatballs in crock pot. Mix together BBQ sauce and pineapple preserves, and pour over meatballs. Stir gently to coat.
Cover and cook on Low for 3 hours, or until hot.
Categories
Appetizers Homemade Mixes Snacks

Homemade Saltine Crackers

Here’s a quick and easy homemade cracker recipe that tastes just like saltines. Often it ends up being cheaper to buy them at the store, but it’s fun to make them every once in a while. The taste is great and you can control the amount of salt (if any) you put on them.

Basic Saltines:

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
¼ cup butter
½ cup milk
1 large egg

You will also need a large mixing bowl and and a fine sieve to make your crackers.

Sift flour, salt and baking powder and place into a large mixing bowl.
Cut cold butter into small chunks and “cut” into the flour until it reaches a grainy consistency.
Add milk and egg and knead until it becomes a stiff dough. Roll the dough out really thin. You can cut the dough into squares or you can also cut circles.
Prick little holes in the crackers with a fork and bake them in a 400 degree preheated oven for about 10 minutes.

*Tip: If you would like to make round crackers and don’t have any cookie cutters, just use the rim of a small glass or cup. Dip the rim into a little flour first and then you can cut your crackers.

If you like salted crackers, sprinkle the uncooked crackers with a little bit of coarse salt.

Parmesan Herb Crackers:

1 stick unsalted butter
3 ozs grated Parmesan cheese
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

Place butter into the bowl of your electric mixer and mix it until it becomes creamy.

Grate fresh Parmesan cheese (it’s okay if you need to buy already grated Parmesan from the market). Add cheese, flour, salt and thyme to the butter and mix until it form a ball of dough.

Place a long piece of plastic wrap on your work surface and place the dough ball in the center of one end. Form the dough into a log and roll it up in the plastic.Place the log into the freezer for 30 min.(this makes it easier to slice.)

Remove from the freezer after thirty minutes and cut the log into ¼ inch thick slices. Place the slices on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for about 20 minutes.

Categories
Appetizers Vegetarian

Spinach Souffle Stuffed Mushrooms

1 -10 oz. package cottage cheese, small curd
3 eggs
1 cup cheese, shredded
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed well
1 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon dried onion flakes
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
24 mushroom caps

Mix cottage cheese, eggs and cheese in food processor until smooth.  Mix in spinach.  Place in baking dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Mix baked souffle with next 4 ingredients.  Fill each mushroom cap with spinach mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

12  Servings

Categories
Appetizers Dips Vegetarian

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 -10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach
1 -8 oz. package cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 -12 oz. jar marinated artichoke bottoms or hearts
1 -7 oz. jar roasted red peppers, drained
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Thaw spinach as package directs, squeeze out any excess liquid.  Set aside.

In a food processor, combine cream cheese, sour cream and undrained artichoke hearts.  Pulse until blended.  Add drained peppers and Parmesan cheese; pulse until fairly smooth.
Transfer mixture to a 1 1/2 quart baking dish.  Stir in drained thawed spinach.

Microwave at high power for 7 minutes, until heated through and bubbly around edges.  Stir and serve with crackers.

14  Servings

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