This and that: appetizer

Showing posts with label appetizer. Show all posts

Monday, February 20, 2017

Banana Onion Beignets {CIC}

Crazy Ingredient Challenge Recipe with banana and onions that gives you a little sweet and savory in each bite.

Beignet don't have to be sweet do they? I used them in my Crazy Ingredient Challenge with ripe Bananas and Onions and they were awesome with a spicy sauce. Sweet and savory in each bite.

Cookbook Club Review ~The Pioneer Woman Cooks- A Year of Holidays

I have joined a group of great bloggers that review cookbooks each month. This month we are reviewing Pioneer Woman Cooks- A Year of Holidays. I am sure I am the only person that has never even looked at one of her recipes. Of course I know who she is but I have never really looked at any of her recipes.

Garlic Cheese Biscuits

One of my favorite places to eat is Red Lobster and their biscuits are to die for. I just go there for them. When I was living in Saskatoon, my great aunt and I would go out for lunch and dinner at least twice a month. On of our favorite restaurants was Red Lobster. Since moving to the States I am not even sure I have been to a Red Lobster but I can still have my biscuits or at least something very similar. I received this recipe years ago from a friend.

Crazy Ingredient Challenge - Cauliflower and Chocolate

I have joined a new group called Crazy Ingredient Challenge. This group was started up by Jutta from Hungry Little Girl. This month's challenge was cauliflower and chocolate. When I first head these two combination I thought.... WHAT??? I am not a big cauliflower fan, I can eat it raw occasionally but not cooked. So, what was I going to do. I had been to a Dove Chocolate Tasting Party and bought some Sweet 'N' Spicy Cocoa Rub and also Roasted Chipotle Chocolate Salsa so thought I could use this as my chocolate part of the recipe.

My first idea was just to use the rub on the cauliflower. I was BBQing and thought this would be perfect. I sprinkled some EEVO and the rub on the cauliflower, placed it on the BBQ. Well, although it wasn't awful, it wasn't so great either... So back to the drawing board I went.

I did some searching for recipes with these two ingredients. I found lots of chocolate cake recipes with cauliflower... but they didn't interest me. I found recipes that you make cooked cauliflower and add cocoa.. tried that and didn't really like it. I am not sure how I even got onto some recipes for Quinoa Bites but I did and I had an Aha moment... I could do quinoa bites with cauliflower and the salsa and the recipe began.

Chocolate Cauliflower Quinoa Bites

Ingredients:

For Bites

1 cup cooked quinoa

1/4 cup cooked wild rice

1 cup cooked mashed cauliflower *(see note)

1/4 cup DCD Roasted Chipotle Chocolate Salsa

1/8 cup diced onions

1 egg

salt and pepper to taste

Parmesan Cheese

For Dip

1/4 cup greek yogurt - I used Chobani yogurt

1 tsp DCD sweet and spicy cocoa rub

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix quinoa, wild rice, cauliflower, salsa, onions, egg, salt and pepper together. Place in mini muffin tins or drop from small cookie scoop. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan cheese. Bake for 12 -15 minutes until golden brown.

For dip: Mix yogurt and cocoa rub.

* Notes: I cooked my cauliflower and then put it through the food processor.

Enjoy.

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Linked to these great parties: Saturday Dishes

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

African Beignets

My husband was just in Louisiana and loved it. When he got home he told me about an appetizer that he had eaten that reminded him of some of the food that he ate in Togo. We made them a few days after he got home and had to go back to the drawing board. We made them again on Sunday and they turned out great. The second batch we add plantains to them and as I love plantains this was just perfect. My next goal is to see how the taste when they are baked instead of fried.

African Beignets

1 cup white corn meal *

1/8 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp oil ( I used olive oil)

3/8 cup water

1 ripe plantain (optional)

oil for frying

Mix all ingredients except plantains together. I mixed them together with my hand but you could use a beater. Let sit for approx 10 minutes. Add plantain and mix thoroughly. Roll into approx 1 inch balls.

Heat oil in pan ( you want enough oil so that at least 3/4 of the balls are covered). Place balls into oil and fry until a golden brown colour. Enjoy.

These will have a crisp outer coating with a soft middle. Try not eat just one. I dare you.

We did notice that they stuck slightly to the bottom but floated after you loosened them.

* these would also work with corn flour.