Category Archives: Appetizers

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail — SO DELICIOUS

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Why do I call this Mexican Shrimp Cocktail? Because it’s based on a dish I love at a local Mexican restaurant and that is exactly what they call it.

In flavor, it’s really a cross between a ceviche, salsa and shrimp cocktail. I love Ecuadorian style ceviche, which has tomato and lot of citrus. It’s served with popcorn on top, which sounds weird but is amazing. However, it’s huge pain to make. So I simplified the concept by using Zing Zang, which is one of my favorite Bloody Mary Mixes.

The I add fresh lime juice, cilantro, shrimp (cooked because I live in the Midwest and would not trust raw shrimp here), tomatoes, cucumbers and chunked avocado. This is divine. It’s excellent for a summer party because it’s light and people can serve themselves. It’s fun served in martini or margarita glasses.

Plus, if you have a garden, you can use the cucumbers and tomatoes out of it in this dish.

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Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

2 ½ cups Zing Zang Bloody Mary mix, chilled

2/3 cup chopped and peeled cucumber

1 cup chopped tomatoes

½ cup minced red onion

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Half a red bell pepper, chopped

12 ounces cooked small shrimp (I bought frozen precooked shrimp in a bag and defrosted it)

¼ cup lime juice, minus 1 teaspoon

2 avocadoes, chopped

Note: If you are not serving this right away, then don’t add the avocadoes until you serve it.

If shrimp is frozen, follow the instructions on the package to defrost it. I defrosted mine in the refrigerator overnight.

The Bloody Mary mix should be chilled in advance especially if you plan to serve this immediately.

Because of the lime juice in this recipe, you want to use glass or another nonreactive bowl.

Place Bloody Mary mix in the bowl and set aside.

Peel and chop the cucumber; chop the tomato, onion, cilantro and red bell pepper and add to the bowl.  Drain the water off your shrimp and add to the mix. Stir in lime juice and mix thoroughly.

Gently fold in chopped avocado. Serve. You can serve this plain or with tortilla chips on the side.

Chicken Enchilada Flatbread

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This flatbread is so easy to make and makes a quick dinner or appetizer. It takes 20 minutes from start to finish.

You can top it with cilantro, sour cream, tomatoes, black olives — anything you’d like.

I use red enchilada sauce, but it’s delicious with green, too.

Chicken Enchilada Flatbread

Makes 2 (serves 3-4)

1 (8.8 ounce) package of Stonefire Tandoori Baked Original Naan

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons taco seasoning

1/2 cup refried beans

1/4 cup salsa

Garlic salt to taste

2 rotisserie chicken breasts

1 cup red enchilada sauce

1 ½ cups shredded Mexican-style mixed cheese

1 green onion

Sour cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 400.

In a medium bowl, stir together cream cheese and taco seasoning, divide it in half and spread half on each Naan crust. Then, in the same bowl, mix refried beans, salsa and garlic salt to taste. Spread that over the cream cheese mixture.

Pull the chicken breasts off the rotisserie chicken and shred it with your hands. I put the chicken in the same bowl I’ve been using so I don’t’ dirty any more dishes. Stir together the chicken and enchilada sauce and then spread the mixture on each piece of Naan.

Top with cheese. Bake 9 minutes.

Chop green onion and use it to garnish the flatbread. If desired, garnish with sour cream, too.

Slice and serve.

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Try this Fabulous Chicken, Bacon, Gorgonzola Flatbread

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Divine. Heavenly. That’s how I’d describe my Chicken, Bacon, Gorgonzola Flatbread, which is bubbly, creamy, bacon goodness.

Every day this week, I am showcasing a new flatbread creation and this is my favorite so far. Now, I am not done creating yet, but I’m in the home stretch.

This wonderful flatbread is topped with bits of tart apple that provide a nice contrast in terms of texture and flavor.

This pairs beautifully with red wine. The funny thing is I don’t usually like blue cheese, but Gorgonzola is much lighter than many other varieties and this doesn’t even taste like blue cheese. So if you think you don’t like blue cheese, it’s still worth trying this.

I can’t wait to eat it again.

Chicken, Bacon, Gorgonzola Flatbread

Makes 2 flatbreads

1 (8.8 ounce) package (which contains 2 flatbreads) of Stonefire Tandoori Baked Original Naan

5 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup real bacon pieces or chopped bacon, plus 1 teaspoon (do not use bacon bits)

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

½ cup Gorgonzola crumbles

1 ¼ cups chopped rotisserie chicken

2/3 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

1 Granny Smith apple

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Stir together cream cheese, bacon, heavy whipping cream, garlic powder and Gorgonzola. Set aside.

Remove the breasts from the rotisserie chicken and chop those. Finely mince the Granny Smith apple and set aside.

When oven is preheated, spread half the cream cheese mixture on each flatbread. Sprinkle half the chicken on each flatbread and top with Mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 9 minutes. Then sprinkle with the apple and serve.

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Garden Vegetable, Dill, Chicken Flatbread

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Flatbread week continues with another cool flatbread. Flatbreads are usually served warm, but it’s so hot. I am in the mood for something refreshing. This is REFRESHING! I don’t know how hot it is where you are, but we have a heat index of 108 today! So, cool is key. This flatbread was inspired by Greek salad and dill dip. You could add feta to this if you wanted, but I love it as is.

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Garden Vegetable, Dill, Chicken Flatbread

Makes 2 flatbreads

1 ¼ cups sour cream

1 teaspoon dried dill weed

1 garlic clove, finely minced

1 green onion, chopped

1 (8.8 ounce) package of Stonefire Tandoori Baked Original Naan (or use my recipe for flatbread dough and precook it)

½ cup chopped rotisserie chicken breasts

2/3 cup chopped cucumber

2/3 cup sliced grape or cherry tomatoes

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

4 large fresh Basil leaves to garnish

Mix sour cream, dill, chopped garlic and sliced green onion. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

When time to assemble, toss together chicken, cucumber, tomatoes, lemon juice and olive oil. Add salt to vegetables and toss.

Then spread half the sour cream mixture on a cooked flatbread crust. Top it with half the vegetable and chicken mixture. Finely slice the basil and sprinkle it on top. Repeat the process for the second flatbread, then slice and serve.

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Hot Wing Flatbread

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I declare this flatbread week! Every day this week I am posting a delicious flatbread, most of them will use rotisserie chicken and be incredibly easy recipes.

This is my Hot Wing Flatbread, which was inspired by hot wings. I loved wings in college, but I can’t touch them now. If I did, I’d be up all night with heartburn. So I decided to take the flavors behind the wing and transform it into a flatbread and the results were FABULOUS.

I spread Ranch dressing on a prebaked crust, topped it with rotisserie chicken that was tossed in hot wing sauce, added celery and blue cheese crumbles. It’s delightful and didn’t give me any heartburn.

This is actually served cool, so it’s excellent on a hot summer day.

I made my own crust. My recipe is simple- it contains flour, salt, yeast and water—but it needs six hours to rise so it’s not something that can be prepared at the last minute.

If you want to simplify this recipe, just use Stonefire Tandoori Baked Original Naan which makes the perfect crust. When you bake it, it’s crisp on the outside but still slightly chewy on the inside.

I started crafting flatbreads this weekend and my inspiration was endless, so I decided to post one recipe a day here.

I hope you enjoy flatbread week.

Hot Wing Flatbread

Makes 1 flatbread

1 precooked flatbread

1/3 cup Ranch dressing

2/3 cup chopped rotisserie chicken

2 -3 tablespoons Ott’s Wing Sauce or your favorite hot wing sauce

2 small stalks of celery, minced

3 tablespoons crumbled Gorgonzola

I recommend using the breast meat for this recipe. Pull off the chicken breast and finely chop it. Then toss it in the wing sauce and stir to coat the chicken.

Mince two small celery stalks.

Next, spread Ranch dressing on a precooked flatbread. Top with the chicken. Sprinkle with celery and Gorgonzola and serve.

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Juliana’s Simple Flatbread Crust

1 1/2 cups bread flour, more for dusting

1 1/2 teaspoons active yeast

1 teaspoon salt

¾ to 1 cup lukewarm water

Cornmeal

Olive oil

Stir together flour, yeast and salt. Then add warm water, stir, and then use your hand to gather dough into a ball. Drizzle olive oil over the dough, cover the bowl with a clean towel and place on the oven to rise for 6 hours. Turn the oven on to 200 degrees to help it rise.

When it’s time to cook, preheat oven to 450 and place a baking sheet in the oven to heat.

Split the dough in half. Coat your hands with flour and work the dough into a ball (you may need more flour). Start working the dough in your hands, pinching it to spread it out in your hands. Sprinkle corn meal and flour on a flat surface. Then put the dough down and continue to stretch it until you have a piece of flatbread.

When oven is preheated, remove the baking sheet, sprinkle it with cornmeal to keep the dough from sticking, and bake the flatbread for 10-13 minutes.

Two EASY Quesadillas: Goat cheese and grilled peppers; Chicken and Bacon. The choice is yours

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I get on kicks. My latest is quesadillas.

A month ago, I made a wonderful black bean, Ranch, rotisserie chicken quesadilla, then a Mediterranean inspired quesadilla and I have several more in the works.

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The charm of the quesadilla is it’s quick, easy, versatile and delicious.

It’s portable so you can eat it on the go as a snack, but also filling enough to enjoy it for dinner.

If you’re watching your carb intake, you can substitute a high protein, low carb wrap for the tortilla shell.

A classic quesadilla is common street fare all over in Mexico. You can fill it with any variety of cheeses, meats, vegetables and use corn, black corn, white or wheat flour tortillas.  There are tremendous possibilities.

It’s a great way to use leftover barbecue meats, too. I nestle shredded barbecue pork in a tortilla, top it with cheese, cilantro, chopped red onion, and grill it. Then I serve it with barbecue sauce and sour cream. It’s delightful.

And you don’t have to know much about cooking to create a delicious quesadilla.

My biggest tip is when making a quesadilla that is stuffed with other ingredients, cook it cheese side down first so it has a chance to melt and the cheese doesn’t fall out when you flip it.

Use a nonstick pan or a skillet to make quesadillas. If you’re feeding a crowd, a pancake griddle works beautifully to cook several at the same time (if you have a family, a griddle is a great choice).

Here are two AMAZING and easy recipes:

The goat cheese quesadilla is tossed with green salsa and cuddles up to bell peppers and chicken. It’s L1070005 (2) one of my favorites as the creamy, tangy goat cheese contrast beautifully with a trio of bell peppers. Goat cheese is also less fattening and I like the fact that my recipe includes veggies. This is a single serving recipe, so perfect for a snack or someone who lives solo.

My bacon and chicken is about as easy as it gets and takes less than 10 minutes from start to finish. This is basic qubaconqesadilla with rotisserie chicken, bacon pieces, cheese and a dash of cumin. I grill it and serve it with salsa and guacamole.

I hope you enjoy these.

Goat Cheese, Chicken and Tri-Pepper Quesadilla

Serves 1

1 medium size tortilla

Cooking spray

1/3 cup of assorted sliced bell peppers, red, green and yellow or orange

¼ cup of soft goat cheese

1 1/2 tablespoons green salsa

Dash of ground cumin

1/3 cup sliced or chopped rotisserie chicken breast

Guacamole or green salsa for serving

First, slice assorted bell peppers and heat a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. When hot, add the bell peppers and cook 3-5 minutes until they reach desired tenderness. Salt the peppers and remove from heat.

In a bowl, stir together the goat cheese and green salsa until combined. Then spread the mixture over half of a tortilla. Top with chicken and bell peppers. Then sprinkle a dash of ground cumin on the other side of the tortilla and fold over to make a half moon.

Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat it over medium heat. Add the folded tortilla and cook about 2-3 minutes per side, until slightly crisp. Slice and serve with green salsa or guacamole.

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Chicken and Bacon Quesadilla

Makes 2 snacks or 1 meal size

2 medium size flour tortillas

1 chicken breast

½ cup shredded Mexican style cheese

2 heaping teaspoons real bacon pieces

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin or cumin seed

Cooking spray

Guacamole for serving

Salsa for serving

Cilantro to garnish

Cut the chicken breast off the rotisserie chicken, discard and skin and slice the breast. Then divide those pieces in half.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat.

Place half the cheese on half of each tortilla. Top with chicken, bacon and cumin. Fold the other half of the tortilla over to make a half moon. Then place in skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes per side.

Serve with salsa and guacamole.

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Mediterranean Chicken Salad Sliders

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This is one of those recipes that you wish would photograph better. I don’t know why, but I had a dickens of a time trying to make this look good.

Which is crazy because this is delicious! I love chicken salad and am constantly creating different versions. My niece says this is her favorite one.

My Mediterranean Chicken Salad is perfect for anyone who grows fresh herbs because the recipe calls for basil, parsley and fresh basil.

This salad is great on focaccia, on mini buns to make sliders, on a bed of lettuce, or with tortilla chips as an appetizer. I enjoy it on toasted bread, too. My favorite way to eat this is with tortilla chips.

Mediterranean Chicken Salad

1 lemon pepper rotisserie chicken

12 basil leaves

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill

2/3 cup artichoke hearts in oil

2 tablespoons chopped sundried tomatoes

½ cup chopped celery

1/3 cup chopped red onion

1/3 cup finely chopped green Spanish olives

¾ cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

½ teaspoon sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

*¼ cup toasted pine nuts (optional)

Pine nuts add a beautiful crunch to this salad, but are very pricey so their use is optional. It’s a great salad with or without pine nuts.

Remove skin from the rotisserie chicken and pull the meat off the bones. Chop chicken and add to a large bowl.

Thinly slices basil leaves and add to chicken. Then chop parsley, fresh dill, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, celery, onion and Spanish olives and add to the bowl. You can use a food processor, but I would chop the celery and olives by hand to keep them large enough to give the salad a little crunch. If those two items are too finely minced, they won’t add the crunch you need.

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar and sugar. Then add it to the chicken and toss to coat the salad.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving.

Note: If you plan to add pine nuts, do not add them until you are about to serve the salad because those nuts will lose their crunch. So after you refrigerate the chicken salad, toss in pine nuts and serve.

EASY Mediterranean Quesadillas with Feta, Red Pepper Sauce

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I LOVE this recipe. It comes together in about 10 minutes so it’s perfect for lunch, a snack, light dinner (serve it with a salad) or a quick appetizer.  If you want to cut  calories and fat, you can omit the cheese inside the quesadilla and only use the feta in the red pepper sauce. I have done that and it was still popular.

You have to try these!

EASY Mediterranean Quesadillas with Feta, Red Pepper Sauce

1 cup chopped, skinless rotisserie chicken

1/3 cup hummus

1 tablespoon chopped red onion

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon chopped black olives

1 tablespoon chopped green olives

3 (8-inch) flour tortillas

3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Parsley or cilantro to garnish (optional)

Sauce:

1/3 cup feta cheese

¾ cup roasted red pepper slices

These quesadillas are so, so, so easy and delicious!

Make the sauce first. Place feta and roasted red pepper slices in a food processor and process for 30 seconds. Set aside.

Next, mix chicken, hummus, onion, cumin, and olives together and set aside.

Place mixture in half a flour tortilla shell (so when you fold it over it looks like a half moon). Top the mixture with cheese.

Preheat a nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray over medium heat. When hot, place the folded quesadilla down and cook about 3-4 minutes per side.

If desired, garnish with parsley or cilantro (I did this more for the photo than the taste).

Remove and top with red pepper sauce and serve immediately.

Chicken, Ranch, Black Bean Quesadilla

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I made this recipe a few weeks ago when my sister was visiting from California and it was a big hit. It’s kid friendly and incredibly easy!

From start to finish, these take 15-20 minutes, so they are perfect for a busy weeknight. They make a good snack or appetizer for a party.

Chicken, Ranch, Black Bean Quesadilla

8 ounces whipped cream cheese, at room temperature

1 tablespoon dry Ranch salad dressing mix

½ cup corn, drained

2 tablespoons chopped black olives

½ cup black beans, drained

1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon of chopped red onion

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro (optional)

1/3 cup chunky salsa (it must be chunky)

1 cup chopped chicken

2 cups shredded Mexican style cheese

6- 8 flour tortillas

Guacamole or extra salsa to serve (optional)

MIs together cream cheese and Ranch dressing until thoroughly combined. Then stir in corn, black olives, black beans, onion, cilantro, salsa and chicken.

You have two options when cooking. You can bake the tortillas or make them on the stovetop or skillet (my favorite method). Baking is easier but the shell gets crispy and busts up a little when you cut it. If you want to bake them, bake at 400 for 6-8 minutes.

If you have a pancake skillet, it’s perfect for these. If not, you can make them two or three at a time or just bake them all at once.

Directions:

Divide mixture between flour tortillas, only filling halfway so when you fold over the tortilla you will have a half moon. Top the mixture with cheese.

Spray a nonstick pan or skillet with cooking spray. Turn heat on to medium. Cook on each side for about 3 minutes or until light golden brown. Serve immediately. These are great with guacamole or extra salsa.

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Asian Chicken Salad (three ways)

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I love, love, love chicken salad and am constantly creating different versions.

My top three recipes are this one, my rosemary chicken salad and my curried chicken salad.

My Asian version always wows people and I think it’s because it’s so unique. I love it because it’s easy, delicious and I can serve it three ways.

. I have served this on Ritz crackers at parties and it’s a huge hit;

I have piled it in the middle of a salad and devoured it for lunch (pictured here).\;

And I have served it on French bread as a sandwich and that’s pretty fantastic, too. I recommend topping the sandwich with thinly sliced cucumbers.

Every version is fantastic. In my recipe, I recommend using celery OR water chestnuts. I prefer celery but have made it both ways.

They key to this salad is you must have Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki sauce. If you’ve never used that sauce, you should. It’s one of my favorite kitchen condiments.

It’s AMAZING on stir fried vegetables, soba noodles, on chicken. The great thing is, it’s a complete sauce so you don’t need to add other sauces.  I have used it for dipping sauce, as a marinade, etc, etc. It’s so versatile. Once you try it, you will ask that bottle: “Where have you been all my life?”

If you can’t find it on your local store, you can order it online: https://www.soyvay.com

You can search stores in your area on the website to see if they carry it.

This salad is perfect for entertaining or enjoying at home. Take it on a picnic or out on the boat. It’s lovely. Enjoy.

Asian Chicken Salad

3 1/2 cups chopped rotisserie chicken, skin removed

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki

2 stalks of celery OR 5 ounces water chestnuts, minced

3 green onions, sliced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Pepper to taste (you don’t need salt)

2 tablespoons shredded carrot (optional) I add carrots when serving as a salad

Ritz crackers to serve, or bread, or a bed of lettuce

Dark meat is great in this dish, so if you’re not crazy about legs and thighs, try adding the meat to this. It makes a wonderful appetizer. A buttery Ritz is a wonderful complement, or serve it on a slice of cucumber when it’s hot outside for a refreshing appetizer.

While I am not an iceberg lettuce fan, if you are serving this on lettuce, iceberg is the way to go. It’s so crisp and light and is a beautiful compliment to the salad.

Directions:

In a large bow, mix mayonnaise and Soy Vay sauce together. Then add chicken, celery or water chestnuts, onion and cilantro. Stir until thoroughly combined. Add pepper to taste.

If serving as a salad, serve it over lettuce with cucumbers and topped with carrots.

In serving for a party, you an sit it out surrounded by crackers or plate each individual cracker. Cucumber slices are a nice addition if it’s self serve. You an also use cucumber slices to serve the salad if you are avoiding extra carbs. You can garnish with extra cilantro, if desired. I did it more for aesthetics for the photo.

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Or serve on bread.