2 cans black beans (no salt added) 1 8oz brick of Neufchâtel cheese 1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream 1/2 cup hot salsa (or as hot as you like) 1 package reduced sodium taco seasoning 2 cups shredded reduced fat 4 cheese Mexican blend 1 bunch diced scallions (divided)
In a food processor fitted with a blade attachment, add everything except 1/2 of the scallions. Process until semi-chunky. Place in baking tin and cover with remaining 1/2 of scallions.
Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Enjoy with tortilla chips, veggies, or crackers.
This dish makes for perfect two-bite hors d’oeuvres. The roasted garlic lends a nutty taste instead of a pungent garlic flavour. These will disappear quickly at your next party!
1 lb 16-20 shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed 2 cloves of garlic, finely diced 1 tbsp olive oil 3 large scallions, cut into matchstick size 1/4 tsp Kosher salt 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper (or more to taste) 16-20 roasted garlic cloves 16-20 toasted French bread rounds, seasoned with butter and Italian seasoning shaved Pecorino Romano cheese
Heat olive oil in wok or large heavy skillet. When the oil begins to wisp smoke, add the garlic and allow it to infuse the oil with flavour, but do not brown. This should take about 60-90 seconds. Garlic will soften slightly. Add scallions and sauté for another 1-2 minutes, until they begin to get wilt. Add shrimp and toss until they are cooked (they will turn pink and curl slightly to let you know they’re done). Remove from heat, sprinkle salt and cracked black pepper over all.
Take each toasted round and place several shavings of Pecorino Romano cheese, then a sautéed shrimp, and in the curl, tuck a clove of roasted garlic.
Makes 16-20 appetizers.
Option 1: Take 1/2 cup fat free mayonnaise and 2 tbsp of prepared horseradish (not horseradish sauce) and combine in a small bowl. Omit Pecorino Romano cheese, and spread a thin layer of spread on the toast round to hold the garlic and shrimp in place.
Option 2: Omit garlic but wrap individual shrimp in thin slices of prosciutto.
Option 3: Cook bacon just until done but not crisp. Wrap each shrimp in a piece of bacon, place on toast round, and grate Pecorino Romano cheese overtop. Place under broiler just until bacon is crisped up (be careful not to burn!)
Option 4: If Bay Scallops (the small scallops) are in season, sauté them in a small amount of dry white vermouth. Tuck one scallop inside a shrimp and serve on toast. Top with shaved Romano cheese.)
Perfect for an appetizer or a side dish, these “Alfredo-esque” Garlic Parmesan Mushrooms are a breeze to make and delightful to eat!
4 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoon olive oil 8 cloves of garlic, minced 1.5 lb whole baby bella mushrooms 1 cup heavy cream 8 oz Neufchâtel cheese, softened ⅓ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese (more or less according to your tastes) ¼ teaspoon onion powder ¾ teaspoon dried oregano salt and pepper, to taste
Rinse and clean the mushrooms and pat dry. Melt butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat then add mushrooms and cook until browned, around 10-12 minutes. Add garlic, cream, Neufchâtel cheese, parmesan, onion powder, and oregano and cook for 5 – 10 minutes, until sauce is thick and creamy. Salt and pepper to taste.
The sauce makes an excellent dipping sauce for spanakopita, or other appetizers.
2 (15 1/2 oz.) cans pink salmon, drained well 16 oz. cream cheese, softened 2 tbsp. lemon juice 4 tbsp. green onion, finely chopped 2 tbsp. horseradish (more or less to taste) 1 tbsp. dried dill weed (additional to dust over top) 2 tsp. liquid smoke
Drain salmon very well. Remove bones and skin. Using a hand mixer on low, combine all ingredients until well blended. Place in serving bowl and dust with additional dill weed. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Remove from refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature about 5 minutes before serving to ease spreading.
This is one of those dip recipes that you wouldn’t believe could taste so very good, yet be so very easy to make. Local restaurant extraordinaire Perfectly Frank’s makes this as “Crack Dip” on sale by the cup with toasted, seasoned pita chips for dipping.
1 lb mild (or hot) ground sausage (depending on your love of heat). 16 oz cream cheese (softened, cut into cubes) 1 cup sour cream 1 10 oz can of diced tomatoes with chiles
Brown sausage in a skillet; drain grease. Add cream cheese and tomato/chiles. Stir until combined. Transfer to a crock pot and stir in sour cream. Warm through and reduce to keep warm. Serve with corn chips, veggies, pita chips, or your favourite crackers.
Not the best photo, but this turns out like the filling of a bean burrito as a dip, and is well worth the time to make!
The final in the trinity of dips that are our freind’s favourites. It’s gluten free, and I’ve never had to put it in a heated chaffing dish because it seems to go so quickly.
1 1/2 cup sour cream 16 oz. can refried beans 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 1 package taco seasoning 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, separated 1/4 cup salsa (mild if you don’t like heat, hot if you do!)
Preheat oven to 400F.
In a large bowl, mix refried beans, sour cream, cream cheese, and 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Add taco seasoning and salsa. Mix again until combined.
Transfer to 8″ x 8″ baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Top with remaining shredded cheese and bake until browned and bubbly (about 25 minutes). You can top with diced scallions if you like (I didn’t because the other two dips I served were topped thusly).
Serve hot with your favourite type of tortilla chips (we enjoy both the Tostitos with a Hint of Jalapeno as well as Tostitos with a Hint of Lime).
