Appetizer Recipes

Kick Off Your Meal With these Great Recipes

Sweet Potato Skins

Ingredients (serves 2-3)

  • 2 medium/large Sweet Potatoes
  • 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
  •  Shallot, minced
  • 2 Green Onions, chopped
  • 4 pieces Turkey Bacon, cooked and crumbled, divided
  • 1/4 cup light Shredded Cheese
  • Red Chili Pepper Flakes (use amount of spice too taste)
  • 2 oz light Herb & Garlic Cream Cheese
  • 1 cup Chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • Olive Oil cooking spray
  • Salt & Pepper (to taste)
  • Salsa

 

Directions:

Bake Sweet potatoes at 375°F for 45-60 minutes, or until they are fork tender. Cut Sweet potatoes in half and let cool for 10 minutes.

Saute shallots in coconut oil until translucent, about 3 – 5 minutes. Scrape the sweet potato out of the skin into a medium sized mixing bowl. Be sure to leave a thin layer of flesh so that the skin can stand up on its own.  Mash the sweet potato with the cream cheese, sauteed onion, red chili pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir in chick peas and 2 slices of crumbled turkey bacon.

Coat potato skins with a spritz of Olive oil and bake for about 5 – 10 minutes to get a crispier outside.

Remove skins from oven and fill each one with the sweet potato mixture. Top with the other 2 slices of crumbled bacon, shredded cheese and chopped green onion. Bake again for 10 – 15 minutes until cheese is melted and filling is heated through.

Serve with salsa as a dip

Gluten Free Quinoa Pizza Bites

Ingredients

  • 1 cup uncooked Quinoa
  • 2 large Eggs
  • 1 cup chopped Onion
  • 1 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese
  • 2 teaspoons minced Garlic
  • 1/2 cup fresh Basil, chopped (or 2 tablespoons dried)
  • 1/2 cup Cherry Tomatoes, diced
  • 2 ½ oz Turkey Pepperoni, sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried Oregano
  • Pizza Sauce for dipping

 

Directions:

Place the quinoa and two cups of water in a covered pot. Bring to boil and then simmer for 20 minutes or until quinoa is tender.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together all ingredients, except pizza sauce, in a medium mixing bowl.

Distribute mixture into a greased mini muffin tin, filling each cup to the top

(one heaping tablespoon each) and press down gently to compact.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

Serve warm with pizza sauce for dipping.

Makes 24 mini muffin bites.

Buffalo Chicken Jalapeno Poppers

Ingredients (serves 2-3)

  • 10-15 Fresh Jalapeno Peppers
  • 1- 8 oz package of Cream Cheese softened
  • ½ cup of Blue Cheese Dressing
  • ¼ cup of Hot Sauce
  • 2 cups shredded Chicken
  • 1 ½ cups shredded Mozzarella Cheese
  • Optional: strips of bacon (one for each popper, can use turkey bacon)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375° F

Prep the Jalapeños. You may want to wear latex gloves during this step.

Wash, remove tops and cut them down the middle so you have 2 halves.

Remove the seeds and membranes. Set aside.

Combine all the rest of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until mixed well.

Stuff the buffalo chicken mixture into the jalapeno halves and put on a baking sheet.

If you want to go the extra mile, wrap each popper with one strip of bacon!

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

If you have any leftover buffalo chicken mixture you can put it into a baking dish for

a wonderful buffalo chicken dip. Serve the dip with Corn Tortilla chips which

are naturally gluten free and celery sticks.

Balsamic Salad Dressing

Fill your salad dressing container with these approximate ratios of liquids:

Ingredients/Directions

  • 1/3 Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1/3 Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Fill the remaining 1/3 of the container with equal parts of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and “Udo’s Choice EFA Oil Blend”
  • Add just a small touch (approx 1 or 2 teaspoons) of real Maple Syrup
  • Add a little bit of Onion Powder, Garlic Powder and Black Pepper, then shake the container to mix all ingredients well.