Feta Dill Dip

FETA DILL DIP- shared by Lara

Ingredients:
1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley
2 tsp white-wine vinegar
4 oz. crumbled feta, divided
1 cup fresh dill
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Directions:
In a food processor, place yogurt, parsley, vinegar and all but 1 tsp feta and 1 tsp dill.  Blend until smooth.  Transfer to a bowl; top with remaining feta and dill and, if desired, pepper.  Serve with whole grain pita chips.

ENJOY!

Lettuce Wraps

Lettuce Wraps- shared by Susan 

Ingredients:Ground turkey or chicken
Water chestnuts, drained and chopped
Green onions, chopped
Roasted peanuts, chopped
Carrots, diced (I buy the bag of slivered carrots from Trader Joe's, then dice those)

Iceberg lettuce or romaine lettuce leaves

2 Tbsp cooking oil
1 pkg Lee Kum Kee (Panda Brand) Sauce for Lettuce Wraps (in the asian food aisle at the grocery store)

Directions:
Heat oil over high heat in large frying pan or wok.
Add chicken or turkey and stir fry until browned. 
Add all vegetables, stir fry another 2 minutes
Add 3/4 pouch sauce. Bring to a simmer. Add peanuts. 

Save some sauce for drizzling into lettuce cups.

ENJOY!

Pizza Dip

PIZZA DIP- Another great appetizer/dip shared by Courtney!

All ingredients from Trader Joes.

1 tub ricotta cheese
Fresh basal
Quattro Farmaggio shredded cheese blend
Pizza sauce
Pepperoni
5-6 cloves Garlic
Garlic salt and garlic pepper to taster. I like a lot of garlic :)
Boboli pizza crust cut to bite size pieces or what ever you like for dipping.

In a blender, food processor, or Vitamix finely chop garlic and basal and pepperoni. I used a one or two handfuls of basal. Then do the same with the pepperoni. I used several slices.
Mix basal, garlic and pepperoni with ricotta and spread over the bottom of a square dish.
Add the garlic salt and garlic pepper if needed.
Pour a layer of tomato sauce over top of the ricotta mixture.
Top sauce with Quattro Farmaggio cheese, as much as you like.
Top the cheese with whole slices of pepperoni
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes and serve with toasted boboli pizza bites.
Enjoy!

Pear and Cheese Baguette Appetizer

Courtney was at it again bring new and delicious appetizer to bookclub!

PEAR AND CHEESE BAGUETTE APPETIZER

Ingredients:
1 baguette - cut into 1/4 inch thick slices (recipe says it makes 40. I used one baguette and had a lot of the mixture left over, only made half that)
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 - 8 oz package cream cheese
6 to 8 oz crumbled gorgonzola cheese
2 - 15oz cans sliced pears in juice, drained (I used 1 can)
1/2 cup candied pecans, chopped
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Directions:1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Lightly brush baguette slice with olive oil.  Place the slices on a baking sheet and toast 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Let cool.
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the cream cheese and gorgonzola, stirring well until well mixed.
5. Spread the each toast with the cheese mixture.
6. Top with the pear slices and chopped candied pecans.
7. Sprinkle with the parsley.

ENJOY!!

Brie en Croute

Brie en Croute 

(Shared by:  Courtney)

Ingredients:

1 Brie Wheel - I used President 

1 sheet of frozen puff pastry defrosted 

1/4 strawberry jam - I used Fig butter from Trader Joes

1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tsp water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Spread jam or butter over pastry sheet.

Fold the pastry over Brie and press to seal.

Flip the cheese over and place on greased pastry. 

Excess dough may be used to decorate the top.

Brush the entire pastry with egg wash.

Bake 20 minutes or until golden. 

Allow the pastry to cool for 30 minutes until serving. 

Serve with crackers.

Enjoy! 

Cottage Cheese, Avocado, and Black Bean Salsa

Lauren hosted a great bookclub and provided some delicious dishes.  Below is the Cottage Cheese, Avocado, and Black Bean Salsa Dip that you can find on allrecipes.com:  http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cottage-cheese-avocado-and-black-bean-salsa/   

Bleu Cheese Appetizer

Bleu Cheese Appetizer (shared by Courtney)

**And the "Dip Queen" does it again!  Another delicious appetizer dip made by Courtney.

Ingredients
12 oz good bleu cheese
4 cloves of garlic - I used 5
1/2 cup olive oil
4 T red wine vinegar - ok to substitute balsamic vinegar if your red wine vinegar has gone bad and you don't want to run to the store to get more. Just beware that it doesn't look so pretty.
4 T lemon juice
1 cup chopped red onion
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
Crumble bleu cheese evenly over bottom of a tart dish.
Mince or finely chop garlic and whisk in bowl with olive oil. Pour over cheese.
Combine remaining ingredients and spread over cheese mixture.
Chill in fridge covered for 2 hours.
Serve with apples or crackers of choice.
Whatever's left when the party's over you can save and use as a salad dressing.
Enjoy!

Baked Spinach & Artichoke Dip

Baked  Spinach & Artichoke Dip (shared by Zoe)

Makes about 2 ½ cups.  I usually double the recipe for parties or groups.

Preheat the over to 400 degrees F. Combine in a large bowl:

1 cup Mayo (I use light or low fat)

1 cup grated Parmesan (4 oz)

½ cup finely chopped onions

Pulse in a food processor until finely chopped:

One 13 ¾ oz can artichoke hearts, drained

Stir the artichokes into the mayo-cheese mixture, along with:

1 tablespoon lemon juice or dry white wine

½ teaspoon black pepper

Fresh spinach (as much or as little as you want! I usually put about ¾ of a spinach salad bag)

Scrape everything into a baking dish and sprinkle over the top:

3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs

1 - 2 teaspoons olive oil

Bake until browned, about 20 min.  Serve with crackers or pita chips. 

Herb Goat Cheese Log

Herb Goat Cheese Log - Trader Joe's recipe (shared by Courtney)

1 - 8 oz. plain chèvre goat cheese log (I used the larger size)
1/2 cup chopped and crushed candied pecans
1/2 cup chopped basil
1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
1/4 tsp black pepper

Combine pecans, basil, cranberries, and pepper on a flat surface
Unwrap goat cheese and roll firmly in mixture, coating all surfaces.
Enjoy!


This recipe can also be found in "Cooking with All Things Trader Joe's" www.cookingwithtraderjoes.com.