Baked Ripe Plantain with Mozzarella Cheese
- 4 ripe plantains, whole
1-2 tbs melted butter or oil, use as little as you want
4 thick slices of mozzarella
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 400 F
Peel the plantains, place them on a baking sheet and rub them with butter or oil.
Bake the plantains for 30 minutes, then turn each one and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until golden on both sides.
Remove the plantains from the oven, made a horizontal slit on the middle of each plantain, and stuff them with the cheese slices.
In a few minutes the cheese will have melted, serve immediately, with or without hot sauce.
Spicy Roasted Chickpeas
1-15.5 ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Heat oven to 450 F and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Drain chickpeas, rinse, and put them in a bowl. Mix oil, salt, and pepper with chickpeas and spread them on baking sheet.
Put them in the oven. After 15 minutes shake the pan to ensure that the chickpeas brown evenly. Roast another 15 minutes until brown and crunchy. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Heat oven to 450 F and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Drain chickpeas, rinse, and put them in a bowl. Mix oil, salt, and pepper with chickpeas and spread them on baking sheet.
Put them in the oven. After 15 minutes shake the pan to ensure that the chickpeas brown evenly. Roast another 15 minutes until brown and crunchy. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Cauliflower-White bean dip
1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
3 tablespoons extra virgin Olive oil, plus more for serving
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 can (15.5 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss cauliflower and garlic with 2 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast until cauliflower is tender and browned, 25 to 30 minutes. When garlic is cool enough to handle, remove peel.
2. In a food processor, combine cauliflower, garlic, beans, 1 tablespoon olive oil, lemon zest and juice, and 1/4 cuphot water. Process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (To store refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days). Serve drizzled with oil.
5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
3 tablespoons extra virgin Olive oil, plus more for serving
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 can (15.5 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss cauliflower and garlic with 2 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast until cauliflower is tender and browned, 25 to 30 minutes. When garlic is cool enough to handle, remove peel.
2. In a food processor, combine cauliflower, garlic, beans, 1 tablespoon olive oil, lemon zest and juice, and 1/4 cuphot water. Process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (To store refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days). Serve drizzled with oil.
Cherry Tomatoes Filled With Creamy Pesto Cheese
- 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoins pine nuts, toasted (see tip below)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), cut into chunks
- 2 pints (4 cups) cherry tomatoes, washed and dried
- Prep time :35 minutes
- 1 Combine the basil, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the pine nuts and add the rest to the basil. Process until the pine nuts are ground. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil. Add the soft cheese and pulse until smooth and creamy.
- 2 Shortly before serving, make an X on the bottom side (opposite the stalk) of each cherry tomato with a serrated or sharp paring knife. Scoop out the seeds with a grapefruit spoon or your fingertips, taking care to keep the tomatoes intact.
- 3 Scrape the pesto cheese filling into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle, or small plastic food bag with a 1cm hole snipped in one corner. Pipe a rosette of filling into each cherry tomato cavity. Garnish the cherry tomatoes with the remaining pine nuts. One serving is about three filled cherry tomatoes. Serves 16.
Cheesy Zuchinni Bites
Ingredients
- 5 medium zucchini (about 6 inches long)
- 4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
- 1 Cut zucchini into 3/4-inch slices. Using a melon baller or small spoon, scoop out the insides and discard, leaving the bottom intact. Place zucchini on an ungreased baking sheet; spoon 1/2teaspoon crumbled blue cheese into each.
- 2 Combine the Parmesan cheese, basil, and pepper; sprinkle half over blue cheese. Top each with a tomato slice; sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan mixture. Bake at 400°F until cheese is melted, 5-7 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 35 appetizers.
