Appetizer Archives - Page 2 of 4

Hot Dog Twists with Beans

April 18, 2016 by Kelly Dedeaux

This post is sponsored by The Women Bloggers, LLC. All opinions are 100% mine alone. #CocinaLatinaBeans

Do you get sick of making a delicious recipe, only to have a member or two in the family refuse to eat it? Drives me nuts! That isn’t a problem with this yummy Hot Dog Twists with Beans – the whole family loves them, especially with Bush’s Cocina Latina Beans. Oh, and we have a special giveaway for you – so read on!

Don’t be fooled – just because this meal is SUPER easy to make, doesn’t mean it isn’t fabulously tasty and filling. Just grab the THREE ingredients during your next trip to Walmart, and you’re good to go! I was thrilled that Bush’s Cocina Latina beans came in so many flavors, with some a bit more spicy than others. And for you bacon-lovers: they have a touch of bacon, adding to the great flavor!

Ingredients

1 Package Hot Dogs
Refrigerated Crescent Rolls (same count as the hot dogs)
Your choice Bush’s Cocina Latina Beans – 7 tasty varieties!

Directions

Preheat oven according to crescent roll package directions. Spray or line a baking sheet, set aside.
Wrap one crescent roll (not cooked, still just dough) around each hot dog, twisting it upwards. Place on the prepared baking sheet, then bake according to the crescent roll package directions.
Meanwhile, heat your choice of Bush’s Cocina Latina Beans as directed on the can. Note: we used the Frijoles a la Mexicana flavor in the photos.
When the hot dog twists are done, dish them onto serving plates and top with a generous scoop of the beans. Enjoy!

Seriously, I LOVE how easy this was to make, and how happy everyone was with it! That’s a big WOOT WOOT for dinner, another mommy win! We can’t wait to try the other Bush’s varieties, too. There’s even some Cocina Latina inspired refried beans options – those will be AMAZING in some upcoming recipes!

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Sugar Free Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips

March 15, 2016 by Chellie Schmitz

Feeling bored with the same old-same old snacks? Try this refreshing sugar free fruit salsa! You won’t be disappointed!

I don’t know about you, but I try to limit my kids sugar in-take. But often times, they want something sweet. Oh, who am I kidding? I do too! The sugar makes the kids a little crazy sometimes, and it makes my pants too tight. So this is a perfect sweet treat with no sugar. Fruit, it’s good for you! The kids won’t even know ya left the sugar out. 🙂 Try this sugar free fruit salsa for your next afternoon or after school snack.

Sugar Free Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips

This comes together in just three easy steps.

1. Bake the cinnamon chips.

Take flour tortillas and brush them with melted butter and sprinkle them with a little cinnamon.

Bake them at 350 for about 12 minutes until they are golden and crisp.

2. Slice & Dice

Next you’ll chop up the fruit, and put some lemon juice on it. I like the brightness the lemon adds. I used strawberries, kiwi, oranges, mango, blackberries and blueberries. Fruit salsa is really versatile, so use whatever fruit you like. Personally, I think this is fantastic combination. The citrus adds a little something extra. Yum!

That fruit looks so juicy and delicious! I just want to lick the screen! Okay, bad idea.

3. Enjoy!

Lastly, just put it all together and serve it up. I like to garnish it with some chopped fresh mint leaves. It’s pretty and it tastes fabulous.

This isn’t going to last long friends.

Most fruit salsas do contain sugar. It definitely sweetens it up a bit, but personally, I think this fruit is sweet enough just how it it. If we put sugar in our fruit all the time, we’ll start to not like it without. So do something good for your body! 🙂

You’ll also notice that there is no sugar in the Cinnamon tortilla chips. Again, you can do a blend of cinnamon and sugar, but that blend is usually made with two parts sugar and one part cinnamon (that’s a lot of sugar!) so again, in efforts to scale back on the sugar, I left it out. I think the butter and cinnamon is delicious, and the naturally sweet fruit blends it all perfectly. Have I convinced you to try this yet?

Print Recipe

Sugar Free Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips

Ingredients

4 flour tortillas
2 Tbs butter melted
ground cinnamon
1 pint strawberries hulled and diced
1 orange peeled and diced
1 mango peeled and diced
2 kiwis peeled and diced
1 6 oz container black berries quartered
1 6 oz container blueberries
Juice of 1/2 lemon
fresh mint leaves for garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350.
Brush both sides of the tortillas with the melted butter.
Sprinkle both sides of the tortillas with ground cinnamon.
Using a pizza cutter, slice the tortillas into eighths.
Place the 'chips' on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes, or until golden and crisp.
Peel, slice and dice all of the fruit and place in a bowl.
Add the juice of half of a lemon and stir to combine.
Garnish with torn fresh mint leaves (optional)

Looking for more fun low-sugar snacks?

Breakfast banana split

Mango Parfait

Breakfast Cookies

Holiday Spice Fruit Salad

December 28, 2015 by Kelly Dedeaux

I love adding an extra dose of ‘spice’ during the holidays! No, not the HOT kind of spice, the cinnamony type that you can’t help but think of Thanksgiving, Christmas or any of those special times of year. This delish Holiday Spice Fruit Salad is just that, and makes the perfect side to any holiday meal!

I not only love the mix of flavors in this dish, such as the tangy apples and sweet grapes mixed with a creamy drizzle of sauce, but also that it’s SUPER simple to make, especially if you incorporate your family to help chop the fruits and mix the dressing!

Ingredients

1 medium Pear, diced
1 cup Red Grapes, cut in half
2 medium Apples, diced
4 tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice
1/3 cup Yogurt (vanilla is great, but feel free to switch it up)
2 tbsp. Honey
1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
1/3 cup Pecans or Walnuts, chopped

Directions

Toss the fruit and nuts in a large bowl gently. Set aside.
In another bowl, mix the remaining ingredients until smooth. Pour over the fruit and again toss gently to coat evenly. Best if served immediately!

We had this back at Thanksgiving, and it was a hit – especially for the kids who LOVE fruit! They even said ‘can I have that one fruit dessert’? Haha – if I can convince them it’s a dessert, then that’s a win to me!

What’s YOUR favorite fruit side dish for a holiday meal?

The Best Shepherds Pie & Cheese Bombs

December 12, 2015 by Kelly Dedeaux

I’ve partnered with Price*s® to bring you this delicious snack idea, but all opinions are my own! #PricesSouthernStyle @Walmart

You know those recipes that you grew up with, and now serve often to your own family? Shepherds Pie is one of those for us, but we wanted a way to really kick up the flavor more – make it unique, delicious and still be simple to make. We were thrilled with the result of The Best Shepherds Pie & Cheese Bombs to go right along with it! Using Price*s Southern Style pimiento cheese really gave it a nice kick, and added the perfect flavoring!

For ours, we stuck with the Price*s Southern Style Original, but if you’re more of a spicy-lover (like my hubby and our Iron Man) you’d probably love it with Price*s Spicy Jalapeño pimiento cheese! You can grab both at Walmart next time you’re there – in the refrigerated section near the cream cheese.

You can CHECK HERE for a store location near you! This Shepherds Pie goes so perfectly with the Cheese Bombs, so you get a complete meal in very little time on your part!

Ingredients – Shepherds Pie

1 1/4 lb Potato chunks
3 tbsp. Garlic, minced
1 lb. Ground Beef
2 tbsp. Flour
1 bag (about 4 cups) Great Value Frozen Mixed Veggies
3/4 cup Beef Broth
2 tbsp. Ketchup
1 tub Price*s Southern Style pimiento cheese
3 tbsp. Milk

Directions – Shepherds Pie

Boil the potatoes and garlic about 20 minutes, or until tender.
Meanwhile, cook the ground beef in a skillet until done. Add the flour, stir. Add the veggies, broth and ketchup and cook about 5 minutes, stirring often. When done, spread into a sprayed 8×8 baking dish.
Preheat oven to 375 Degrees F. When potatoes are done, drain then return to pot or another mixing bowl. Mash with the Price*s pimiento cheese and milk until smooth. Spoon over the veggie/beef mixture in the baking dish.
Bake about 20 minutes, or until lightly bubbly. Enjoy!

Ingredients – Cheese Bombs

1 can Refrigerated Biscuits
Price*s Southern Style pimiento cheese
4 tbsp. Butter, melted
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1 tbsp. Parmesan Cheese (the green can or shredded)

Directions – Cheese Bombs

Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F. Spray or line a muffin tin, set aside.
Take each biscuit and stretch it larger, then scoop about 1 tbsp. Price*s pimiento cheese inside. Close it up and pinch the ends to secure closed. Put each into a muffin cup.
Bake about 10 minutes, or until beginning to brown.
Stir the garlic powder, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese into the melted butter, then brush over each biscuit. Serve warm for the nice, melted cheese!

Spicy Bacon Breadsticks

December 1, 2015 by Kelly Dedeaux

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BaconDoneWright #CollectiveBias

What are your feelings on bacon? Us, we’re among the many, many people who love it! My kids, especially. We like adding it to our favorite foods, and now have a new twist on a great meal – literally! You’ll love these twisted, Spicy Bacon Breadsticks not only because of the fabulous flavor, but also how simple they are to make!

We had a lot of fun during our holiday break last week trying new dinners as a family, and this one was a big hit! We made sure to swing my Kroger before the rush, so we could grab all of our ingredients needed, like Wright® Brand Bacon in the refrigerated meats area. They have a few varieties, but for this I chose the Applewood flavor – it was perfect!

The reason I liked using Wright® Brand Bacon for this recipe is the thick, meaty slices that pack a great flavor with the best cuts of meat that they hand-select and trim. Keep an eye out, as Kroger will often have coupons around to save you some money on your ingredients!

Note: This makes roughly 16 regular breadsticks.

Ingredients

2 tbsp. Rapid Rise Yeast
2 tbsp. Sugar
3/4 tbsp. Salt
2 cups Hot Water
2 tbsp. Olive Oil
1-2 tbsp. Red Pepper Flakes
2 tbsp. Italian Seasoning
1 tbsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
4-5 Cups Flour
1 24-oz. package Wright® Brand Bacon

Directions

Spray or line two baking sheets. Set aside.
In a mixer, combine all of the ingredients except flour and bacon together for about 8 minutes. Slowly add in the flour until a nice dough forms.
Lay the dough out on a lightly floured surface (that’s safe to cut on) and roll out your dough until it’s about 1/2″ thick. Cut strips about 1″ wide.
Place a strip of bacon on each bread dough strip, then twist into a spiral and pinch the ends to secure. Use a kabob stick to secure the breadstick, then place on the prepared baking sheets. Cover with a moist towel and allow to rise about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Bake the breadsticks for 7-10 minutes, or until bacon is cooked and breadstick is browned. Enjoy with a nice Alfredo sauce!

This was a great dinner for us, but it’d be perfect for any time of day! Next time I want to try it with a BBQ sauce marinade and see how that turns out 🙂

I used whole wheat flour for mine, but it works with both wheat and white. Adjust the amount of Red Pepper Flakes to make it more or less spicy to best suite your family.

What’s your favorite yummy bacon recipe at WrightBrand.com? Leave a comment letting me know!

Make Your Own Cookbook with Blurb

November 29, 2015 by Kelly Dedeaux

I received a voucher to create my own cookbook with Blurb to facilitate this post. All opinions are mine alone.

Do you know how many recipes I’ve published on this site? Neither do I, but I know it’s a LOT!!! Dozens and dozens of yummy recipes that I worked hard for – and have always wanted to put into a cookbook. Well, guess what? I finally did it – at least a first draft version. And if I’d known how easy it was to Make Your Own Cookbook with Blurb, I would’ve done it ages ago!

There’s several options you can choose from – what size of cookbook, the quality of pages and color options, layouts and fonts. Blurb even offers plenty of downloadable templates making is SUPER easy to just pull up in your favorite program (like Adobe Indesign) and add all your images and texts!

I had so much fun playing with the layouts, picking which recipes I wanted to include in the book, then setting up my purchasing/ordering options simply on the Blurb website. You can even check it out and order one for yourself here! Like I said, this was just a quick version for me to test it out – and I loved how easy it was to do!

I can’t wait to sit down and really put together a fabulous, amazing cookbook again with Blurb featuring the best of the best from Busy Mom’s Helper.

Which recipes would YOU like to see in our cookbook?

The Best Breadsticks & Alfredo Sauce for Your Holiday

November 19, 2015 by Kelly Dedeaux

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #NestleHoliday #CollectiveBias

As if life couldn’t get any busier, it’s now the holiday season! Anyone else in a bit of a panic to get an extremely long To-Do list done, yet still manage the daily stuff – you know, like eating? Plus planning a big Thanksgiving feast is a whole list of tasks in and of itself! Phew! Luckily we can make our lives a little bit less stressful with delish, easy recipes like The Best Breadsticks & Alfredo Sauce for Your Holiday!

You know how my family loves pizza? I guess most probably do! For those days, or seasons, as the current case would be, that we don’t have much time to spend cooking we LOVE the variety offered by CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN® Crispy Thin Crust Oven Ready Pizza – especially their Sicilian! I like to stock up on several varieties when I’m at Walmart and keep them readily available in my freezer.

Seriously, NESTLÉ® products like this are what save my sanity this time of year! Then I just whip up amazing and SIMPLE recipes that go great with them – like this creamy alfredo sauce and soft, flavorful breadsticks!

The Best Breadsticks

Ingredients

1 tbsp. Instant Yeast
1 1/2 cups Warm Water
3 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
2 tbsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 cup Butter
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
Topping: Italian Seasoning, Garlic Salt (both to taste)

Directions

Mix the yeast and warm water in a small bowl, set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Add the yeast mixture until it forms a nice dough. Knead for about 2 minutes, then cover with a moist towel and let rest for 10 minutes.
Melt the 1/2 cup Butter and pour it on a rimmed baking sheet. Lightly flour a work surface and roll out your dough into a rectangle the same size as your baking sheet. Cut 1″ wide strips. Take each strip, bring the two ends together and twist, pinching the ends together to stay. Roll the stick in the butter you spread over your pan and then place on the pan.
Top your breadsticks with the 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, then garlic salt and Italian seasoning to taste.
Let your breadsticks rise for 10-15 minutes; meanwhile preheat the oven to 375 Degrees F.
Bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until lightly brown on the edges.

The Best Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients

1/2 cup Butter
2 tbsp. Minced Garlic
2 cups Heavy Cream
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 cups Parmesan Cheese, grated or shredded

Directions

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, heavy cream, pepper and salt and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 7 minutes.
Turn the heat to low and slowly add the Parmesan cheese. Cook another 1-2 minutes or until creamy – stirring constantly. Serve it hot so it’s creamy!

See, totally simple – and it goes perfectly with the CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN® Crispy Thin Crust Oven Ready Pizza, Sicilian, as well as their other varieties!

Check out more delicious recipes on the Flavorful Moments Pinterest board. Let me know what your favorites are!

Braided Bread

November 10, 2015 by Nikki Cole

I was about 10 years old when I first made homemade bread and I absolutely loved it. Did it take forever? Yes and still kind of does but well worth the wait. This Braided Bread recipe is simple and the hardest part is waiting for it to rise, the bread looks amazing, smells incredible, and will having people always asking for more.

With the holidays and cold weather (at least where I’m at) bread is a great snack to have or serve at any get together with friends and family. This recipe is great for a variety of bread recipes like soup bowls, scones, rolls, bread sticks, sweet rolls, cinnamon rolls, and pizza crust.

Ingredients:

¼ cup shortening
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt
4 cups milk (warm)
3 tablespoons yeast
9 cups flour

Directions:

Take the first four ingredients and mix them together, make sure your milk is warm and not hot, if it is too hot it will kill the yeast.
Sprinkle yeast on top of mixture and let sit for a minute. Stir.
Add 3 cups flour and stir.
Add 3 cups flour and beat until smooth.
Add remaining 3 cups flour and knead until smooth, not sticky. I usually keep mine in the mixer with the bread attachment for this part then knead a little bit more flour after for a few minutes.
Place in greased bowl and let rise until double in size (about an hour).
Divide into thirds, then divide those thirds into thirds again.
Roll each section into a snake, not too thin and even in length.
Pinch one side of the ends together and start carefully braiding down pinching the ends together at the end.
Place on greased pan and let rise until double in size (about an hour).
Bake 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
This recipe is also great for scones, bread sticks, sweet rolls, bread bowls, and pizza crust.
Makes 3 loaves.

BBQ Chicken Pasta

October 31, 2015 by Kelly Dedeaux

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Calphalon. I received product samples and a promotional item to thank me for my participation. #KnifeSkills

Who has tons of time to make a good lunch or dinner? I’m thinking not many hands were raised – and I’m right there with ya! Life’s too busy to spend forever cooking, but we still want to give our families delicious, healthier options. Luckily, this yummy simple-to-make BBQ Chicken Pasta just became even easier with the Calphalon Self-Sharpening Knife Set!

As far as prep goes, the time that could be cut the most was chopping the produce and meat – and to make that go faster, while still being safe, is with sharpened, quality knives. And when you’re already looking to ‘cut’ down on time, it helps that they’re self-sharpening, with ceramic sharpeners built into the storage block (in the stainless steel spot). Calphalon even shares plenty of Knife Skills on their site – to keep your skills as sharp as their knife set!

Ingredients

1 box Pasta of choice
1-2 Chicken Breasts, boneless and skinless
2-3 cups BBQ Sauce
1 cup Green Onions
Shredded Cheese of choice

Directions

Bake chicken, marinated in half the BBQ sauce, at 375 for about an hour (or until chicken is cooked through). Cook pasta according to package directions.
Dice the green onions and chicken breasts – add to pasta. Include the remaining BBQ sauce and mix it all together. Plate and top with shredded cheese.

See, told you it was super easy! I like to whip up a bunch and freeze the extras, so we can grab a meal when we’re super stressed for time.

I’ve already been through several of these videos and know they’re gonna help me plenty in the kitchen! You can check out the 3 Models they offer on their site. Plus enter below for a chance to WIN YOUR OWN KNIFE SET!!!

Who wants to win a Calphalon Self-Sharpening Knife Set of their own?! Here’s your chance!

Contest entrants are only eligible to win once per sweepstake, per household as part of a campaign sponsored by Influence Central.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blackberry Cream Cheese Spread

October 16, 2015 by Angela Paris

This Blackberry Cream Cheese Spread is the perfect addition to breakfast or brunch. It’s also delicious on crostini or crackers with a glass of red zinfandel.

I love recipes that look fancy but really are simple. This blackberry cream cheese spread is just that – quick and delicious! It makes a great hostess gift whether you’re attending a holiday brunch, or a wine soiree with a few girlfriends. With Thanksgiving and Christmas on the horizon, it’s having ideas like this that I can whip up just before I head out the door to a get together.

This recipe makes enough for two small mason jars, so give one away and keep one for you!

For breakfast or brunch, you can serve the blackberry cream cheese spread alongside bagels. Or, if you’re feeling really inspired, use it to make stuffed french toast!

As an appetizer, this blackberry cream cheese spread equally good. Serve it on crostini or crackers with a glass of red zinfandel. It’s a super fast appetizer! Set some honey nearby and let guests drizzle a little honey on top for some extra sweetness. It looks so elegant, but takes only minutes.

If blackberries aren’t your favorite, substitute raspberries instead and add an extra tablespoon of sugar to offset the tartness of the berries.

Print Recipe

Blackberry Cream Cheese Spread

Ingredients

2 8 oz blocks of cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
zest of 1 lemon
1 pint fresh blackberries

Instructions

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese until soft and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, sugar and lemon zest.
Remove the bowl and gently fold in the blackberries gently. Store in mason jars for 1-2 weeks.

I love how beautiful this looks, but it does mean you’ll have a less creamy spread. If you’d like a smoother cream cheese, add the berries to the blender and beat until well combined. The mixture will take on the purple color of the berries.

Here are some other fabulous hostess gifts:

Check out my Food Gifts Pinterest Board for more ideas:
Follow Juggling Act Mama – Ang Paris’s board Food Gifts on Pinterest.

4 Amazing Dr Pepper® Recipes for Game Day

October 14, 2015 by Kelly Dedeaux

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Dr Pepper®. Game Day Greats brought to you by Kroger. The opinions and text are all mine.

Raise your hand if you love Dr Pepper® – even though you can’t see me, know that my arms would both be waving madly in the air right then. It’s no secret whatsoever that I have a mad love for this yummy beverage, and any excuse to use it in my celebrations! With college football upon us, I thought it’d be fun to share how you can throw an amazing home-gating party – with plenty of delish foods – with these 4 Amazing Dr Pepper® Recipes for Game Day!

Now, to save us all from a SUPER long post and having anyone get the ingredient lists messed up, here I’m showing you my complete Dr Pepper® themed football spread, along with one of the recipes. I’ll link up the other THREE fabulous recipes so you can hit them all and be the winner of the game – or at least of the game party! Don’t forget to hit up Kroger for all your Game Day Greats items and get plenty of Dr Pepper®!

This Dr Pepper® Hot Dog Sauce is so finger-licking good, and you can find all SORTS of foods to put it on, not just some good ol’ hot dogs! It’s tangy, but not necessarily spicy. Scoop it over your dogs with some of your favorite toppings like pickles, and chow down while rooting for your favorite college team!

Ingredients

1/2 stick Butter
1/4 cup Yellow Onion, chopped
3 tbsp. Garlic, minced
12-ounce can of Dr Pepper®
1 cup Ketchup
1/2 cup Brown Sugar, packed
1/2 cup Vinegar
1/2 cup Worcestershire Sauce
3 tbsp. Tomato Paste

Directions

In a medium saucepan, cook the onion and butter over medium heat until the onions are tender, about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients, stirring well. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 15 minutes. Uncover and continue simmering until the sauce starts to thicken, about 20-30 minutes.
Remove from heat and cool a bit before enjoying over your game day hot dogs!

To go along with your mouth-watering dogs, don’t forget these Spicy Dr Pepper® Chicken Strips (or wings, your choice). The flavor is amazing, and it’s another great lick-your-finger good game food!

I also really enjoy some classic crackers such as Town House® crackers, Club® Crackers, and Cheez-It® crackers to dip in either the hot dog topping sauce (told you it was versatile!) or even in some leftover spicy chicken sauce!

You can’t REALLY have a home-gating party without something sweet to finish things off – so why not these Dr Pepper® Donut Muffins? I don’t know which is better, the muffins themselves or the Dr Pepper® Glaze on top. Together, it’s a winning team! Plus, super easy to make – more time to watch your team!

Finish everything off either with an always-amazing, one of a kind Dr Pepper® drink – or try something NEW like this CREAMY Dr Pepper® Mocktail!

Now you’ve got a WINNING spread of game-worthy foods to turn the biggest football fans, into YOUR biggest fans! Don’t forget to check out your local Kroger for an in-store sweepstakes with Miller Coors®/Kellogg’s®/Dr Pepper® for fly away trips to Rivalry Games. See store for details.

Which Dr Pepper® recipe are YOU most eager to try?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Dr Pepper®. Game Day Greats brought to you by Kroger. The opinions and text are all mine.

Game-Day Smoky Eggplant Dip

September 30, 2015 by Stephanie Kirkos

Hello, and Happy Fall! This is Steph from Steph in Thyme, and today I’m sharing a healthy, yet still super delicious, approach to Game-Day snacking. This Smoky Eggplant Dip is hearty and rich in flavor, perfect for the change in seasons and when the munchies strike watching weekend football.

Another name for this dip is Baba Ganoush, a traditional Levantine dish. The base is eggplant baked, boiled, or grilled whole so the inside “meat” is soft with a deep smoky flavor.

I prefer to grill the eggplant, first pricking it all over with a fork. Set both eggplant on the grill, close the lid, and let them cook for about 30-40 minutes, rotating with tongs occasionally. You want the eggplant to blacken and collapse, like it’s about to fall apart. Once completely collapsed, open up the eggplant and scoop out the soft and tender meaty innards.

No grill? No problem. You can cook the eggplant under the broiler instead, rotating occasionally with tongs until they look like this below.

Tahini (aka sesame paste), lots of lemon juice, even more garlic, and salt and pepper finish off the dip. The result is an appetizer with a very hearty texture and rich, deep flavors.

The dip tastes best after it chills for several hours, the flavors melding and opening up to a whole new level.

Garnish the dip with chopped fresh parsley and a drizzle of olive oil and serve with warm pita triangles, fresh veggies, or hearty crackers. It goes quickly, so you may want to make a double batch!

No grill? No problem. You can cook the eggplant under the broiler, rotating with tongs until evenly cooked. The method can be different, but the result the same - eggplant that's blackened and collapsed.

Print Recipe

Game-Day Smoky Eggplant Dip

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Servings: 6 -8 servings

Ingredients

2 medium eggplant 4 lbs total
1/4 cup tahini
Juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic crushed
sea salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp chopped parsley
drizzle olive oil as garnish

Instructions

Rinse both eggplant and pat dry. Prick each eggplant all over with a fork.
Pre-heat grill over medium-high heat. Place the eggplant whole on the grill and close the lid. Cook for 30-40 minutes, rotating occasionally with tongs to eggplant cooks evenly, or until eggplant are blackened and collapsed.
Remove eggplant from grill and let sit for 15-20 minutes until cool enough to handle.
With your fingers, open the eggplant and scoop all the soft insides into a bowl. Mash the cooked eggplant "meat" with a fork until mashed and no large chunks remain.
Add the tahini, crushed garlic, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to the eggplant and stir until well combined. Make sure to season well with salt, adjusting amount to taste.
Cover the dip and chill for several hours to let the flavors come together and open up. Adjust seasoning as needed after it chills, i.e. add more lemon, tahini, salt and pepper. Some like this dip more lemony, some with more tahini (me!) Adjust to your particular taste.
To serve, scoop the dip into a serving dish. Sprinkle topped parsley over top and a drizzle of olive oil.
Serve with warm pita bread, fresh veggies, or hearty crackers.

Ingredients

Directions

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Sugar Free Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips

1. Bake the cinnamon chips.

2. Slice & Dice

3. Enjoy!

Sugar Free Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips

Ingredients

Instructions

Ingredients

Directions

What’s YOUR favorite fruit side dish for a holiday meal?

Ingredients – Shepherds Pie

Directions – Shepherds Pie

Ingredients – Cheese Bombs

Directions – Cheese Bombs

Ingredients

Directions

What’s your favorite yummy bacon recipe at WrightBrand.com? Leave a comment letting me know!

Which recipes would YOU like to see in our cookbook?

The Best Breadsticks

The Best Alfredo Sauce

Check out more delicious recipes on the Flavorful Moments Pinterest board. Let me know what your favorites are!

Ingredients:

Directions:

Ingredients

Directions

Who wants to win a Calphalon Self-Sharpening Knife Set of their own?! Here’s your chance!

Blackberry Cream Cheese Spread

Ingredients

Instructions

Ingredients

Directions

Which Dr Pepper® recipe are YOU most eager to try?

Game-Day Smoky Eggplant Dip

Ingredients

Instructions

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