All three dishes can be baked in the oven together, staggering the cooking time needed by each dish.
Stuffed Sole Fillets
Stuffing Ingredients
4 large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 scallion, minced
1 medium garlic clove, minced
½ celery stalk, finely chopped
1 mini bell pepper, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
1 tablespoon chopped chives
Salt and pepper
½ oz oyster crackers crushed
Fish
12 oz sole fillets
Lemon juice
Butter
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a baking dish just large enough to hold the fish with olive oil cooking spray.
Combine the filling ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Spread the filling evenly over each fillet and add a few drops of lemon juice over the stuffing.
Roll each fillet, jelly-roll fashion, and skewer it with toothpicks and place in the prepared baking dish.
Dot each roll-up with butter and cover the baking pan loosely with foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for another 10-15 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily when touched with a fork.
Easy Mac & Cheese
No need to make a white sauce to get creamy mac & cheese.
Ingredients
12 oz whole wheat elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 cup sour cream
Kosher salt and pepper
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup Velveeta cheese cut into small cubes
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Directions
Heat the oven to 400°F. Cook the pasta for half the time recommended on package directions; drain.
In a large bowl, whisk together the mustard, sour cream, and 1⁄2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Fold in the onion and the Velveeta.
Add the cooked pasta to the bowl and toss to coat.
Transfer the pasta mixture to a greased 12×8-inch baking dish and bake until beginning to brown, 20 minutes.
Remove the baking dish from the oven and sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese over the top of the casserole. Return the baking dish to the oven and bake until golden brown, 10 minutes more or until the cheese is melted. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Nut-Crusted Zucchini Sticks
Ingredients
1 medium-large zucchini, trimmed and cut into thin wedges
2 tablespoon olive oil
Pinch each of salt and pepper
1/2 cup finely ground nuts (any kind)
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray.
Place the zucchini wedges in a ziplock bag with the oil, salt, and pepper. Shake. Add the Italian seasoning and nuts. Shake until well coated. Place the zucchini on the prepared baking sheet and place in the oven. Roast the zucchini for 25-30 minutes until crispy and tender.
It just doesn’t feel like football season without chicken wings, nachos, burgers and high-calorie favorites. Sure, these fatty foods might taste good at the time, but they put you at risk for high cholesterol, high blood pressure and weight gain. Plus, greasy, fatty foods mindlessly munched (with beer) while you watch the game, can leave you bloated.
The best seat in the house is not in front of a table filled with food. Stake out a seat near the game but away from the food. When you want something to eat, get up and put a portion on your plate.
Watch the game. Talk to your friends. Cheer for your team. The more involved you are in the real action, the less likely you’ll be to absentmindedly eat too much.
Beer will be flowing. Slow it down and ward off a hangover by drinking a tall glass of water between each beer.
Enjoy watching the games with healthier finger foods and savory snacks and they will be just as tasty and enjoyable as the not-so-healthy versions.
Blue Cheese Walnut Balls
This easy-to-make appetizer will be a big hit at your next get-together. Use a cookie scoop to shape the cheese balls.
Makes: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 6 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel)
- 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (1 ounce)
- 12 dried apricots, finely chopped
- 5 tablespoons finely chopped toasted walnuts
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon finely snipped fresh rosemary
- Triscuit crackers (whole wheat crackers)
Directions
In a small bowl combine cream cheese and blue cheese. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Stir in apricots, 3 tablespoons of the walnuts and salt.
Shape mixture into 16 balls. In a small bowl mix 2 tablespoons of the walnuts and the rosemary. Roll balls to lightly cover with nut mixture. Serve with crackers.
Pizza Lettuce Wraps
8 servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, quartered
- 2 cups canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 ½ cups shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese (6 ounces)
- 2 ounces thinly sliced, cooked turkey pepperoni, cut into thin strips (1/2 cup)
- 1/2 cup snipped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons snipped fresh oregano
- 16 large Bibb lettuce leaves
Directions
In a medium bowl combine tomatoes, beans, cheese, pepperoni, basil and oregano.
Divide tomato mixture among lettuce leaves. Roll up or leave open as cups.
Spiced Nuts
6-8 servings
Ingredients
- 3 cups peanuts
- 3 cups almonds
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl, combine nuts and oil; stir to coat nuts evenly.
In a small bowl, stir together chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, celery salt and cinnamon. Sprinkle over nut mixture; toss to coat nuts evenly.
Spread nuts in a single layer in a 15 x 10 inch baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring twice; cool.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Spinach-Parmesan Dip
8 servings
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray
- Two 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- One 14 ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
- 1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Toasted Pita Chips
- Sliced red bell peppers
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Coat a an 8 inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
Squeeze spinach dry and mix with the artichokes, onion, mustard, garlic, oregano and pepper in a bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Pour into the prepared baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.
Serve warm with pita chips and sliced red bell peppers.
Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard Sauce
8 servings
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 4 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
Chicken Fingers
Olive oil cooking spray
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 lbs. chicken breast tenders, skinless
- 2 cups Panko bread crumbs (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
- 1 cup finely chopped sliced almonds
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
Combine honey, mustard and vinegar in a serving bowl; mix well. Chill.
Preheat oven to 425° F.
Line several baking sheets with foil; lightly coat with spray.
Combine eggs and water in a large bowl; whisk to blend.
Soak chicken in the egg mixture for 30 minutes, turning once; set aside.
Combine bread crumbs, almonds, salt and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag; shake to combine.
Working with a few pieces at a time, lift chicken from the egg mixture, letting excess drip back into bowl, and drop into bag containing the bread crumb mixture. Seal bag and shake to coat; repeat with remaining chicken.
Place chicken on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 20 minutes, turning after 10 minutes, until no longer pink in the middle and golden brown.
Serve with the honey mustard sauce.
Oatmeal-Toffee Cookies
Makes 4 dozen
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked regular oats
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1 (10-ounce) package toffee bits
Directions
Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 to 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add sugar, beating well. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until blended.
Combine oats and next 3 ingredients; add to butter mixture, beating just until blended. Stir in chopped pecans and toffee bits.
Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto lightly greased baking sheets.
Bake at 375° for 10 minutes. Cool on wire racks.
Sponsored Post: THE ART OF CHEESE WITH CASTELLO AGED HAVARTI
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We are in the midst of the holiday season and I love this time of year with all the fun things there are to do. You only need a few really good ingredients to create festive and delicious holiday food. Go for a mix of shapes and colors and your guests will love how beautiful everything looks.
While overindulgence is often the hallmark of holiday celebrations, your guests will appreciate party food that is nourishing and healthful as well as appealing. I like to arrange an appetizer tray with a mix of foods that can meet different dietary choices: vegetarian, gluten-free, low-calorie, etc.
Whether you want to host a few friends or have a big, open-to-all affair, the best way to make sure your guests enjoy themselves is to enjoy the party yourself—a relaxed, unruffled host makes guests feel welcome and at ease. With this in mind, do a little preparation ahead of time.
At a recent get-together at my home, I arranged appetizer trays filled with Castello Aged Havarti Cheese cubes at room temperature, homemade crackers, Prosciutto di Parma wrapped pears, mixed green olives, Mission figs/roasted red peppers/Castello cheese kabobs and homemade cranberry sauce for topping Castello cheese squares. What remained after the party were just a few crackers – everything else – gone. I had many compliments on the food and my friends loved the Castello cheese and asked where they could buy it.
Here are my recipes for you to recreate for your next party. I guarantee they will be a big hit.
Sweet Potato Crackers
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
- 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 1 cup of sweet potato puree (from 1 cooked sweet potato)
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
Directions
Roast the sweet potato in a 400 degree F oven for about 45-50 minutes; then let it cool, remove the skin and purée using a hand blender until smooth. You will need 1 cup of sweet potato purée for this recipe; use any leftover potato for another use. Set the purée aside.
Place the flour, baking powder, rosemary, paprika and salt in the bowl of a processor. Pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and pulse until is the size of small peas. Add the sweet potato puree and honey. Pulse until a dough forms.
Roll the dough into a ball and divide it into 4 pieces. For easier rolling, wrap each in plastic wrap and chill for a 1/2 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut parchment paper to fit two jelly roll pans or cookie sheets. Use the paper to roll out the dough.
Roll the dough 1/4″ thick and cut into 2″ squares, using a pizza, pastry wheel, a bench knife or a plain knife. Prick each cracker with a fork.
Lift the parchment onto the baking sheet. Separate the crackers a bit, leaving about 1/4″ between them, so they crisp evenly. If you’re not using parchment, transfer the crackers to the baking sheet, leaving about 1/4″ between them.
Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. You will need to bake a second batch after the first finishes baking.
Bake the crackers for 12 to 16 minutes, until their edges are starting to brown. Switch pans after 10 minutes.
Remove the pans from the oven and slide the parchment onto the kitchen counter. Repeat baking with the second batch of crackers.
Store cooled crackers in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in plastic.
Castello Aged Havarti Cheese/Mission Figs/Roasted Red Pepper Kabobs
Ingredients
- 7 oz block of Castello Aged Havarti Cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- Mission figs, cut in half
- Roasted Red Peppers, jarred, drained and cut into one inch cubes
- Toothpicks
Directions
Drain the peppers on paper towels. On each toothpick skewer one piece of cheese, one fig half and one piece of red pepper. Repeat until all the cheese cubes are used.
Arrange the kabobs on an attractive serving platter.
Prosciutto di Parma Wrapped Pears
Ingredients
- 2 pears, each cut into 8 wedges and cored
- 8 thin slices (4 oz.) prosciutto di parma, cut in half lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
- Pinch of kosher salt
Directions
Wrap each pear wedge with a half slice of prosciutto and set on a serving plate. Combine the oil, vinegar and salt. Drizzle over the pears.
Gluten-Free Almond Poppy Seed Crackers
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups Almond Meal Flour (Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur are brands I use)
- 2 egg whites
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Sea Salt
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- Cracked pepper
- Dried Italian seasoning
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Cut parchment paper to fit two jelly roll pans or cookie sheets. Use the paper to roll out the dough.
Mix together the almond meal flour, olive oil and beaten egg whites. This will make a crumbly mix that shapes quickly into a ball.
Divide the dough into two pieces and shape each into a rough square.
Roll out one piece of dough at a time, keeping the piece you’re not working with covered to prevent drying.
Roll out on the parchment cut for the pan.
Roll the dough 1/4″ thick and cut into 2″ squares with a pizza, pastry wheel, a bench knife or a plain knife. Prick each cracker with a fork.
If you’ve rolled out the dough on parchment, simply lift the parchment onto the baking sheet. Separate the crackers a bit, leaving about 1/4″ between them, so they crisp evenly.
If you’re not using parchment, transfer the crackers to a baking sheet, leaving about 1/4″ between them.
Repeat with the remaining piece of dough.
Bake the crackers for 12 to 16 minutes, until their edges begin to brown. Switch pans after 10 minutes.
Remove them from the oven, cool right on the pan and then move to an airtight container to keep crisp and fresh.
Port Wine Cranberry Sauced Havarti
This appetizer is great with the Almond Crackers.
Makes about 1 3/4 cups
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cups port wine
- 2 packages fresh cranberries
- 4 long strips orange zest
- 7 oz block of Castello Aged Havarti Cheese, room temperature
Directions
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar and port wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the wine has reduced slightly, about 4 minutes.
Add the cranberries and the orange zest. Simmer until the cranberries soften and the sauce thickens, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; remove and discard the zest.
Set aside to cool for a few several minutes. Place the cheese in an attractive serving dish and spoon the warm sauce over the cheese.
Find more pairing ideas and uses for Castello Aged Havarti by following the #CastelloArt hashtag and @CastelloUSA on twitter!