Tag: Appetizer

Seven-Layer Bean Dip

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Remember the ’90s? “Ethnic” food meant Chinese chicken salad, fajitas, and various ~pizza creations~. Everyone’s so creative!

That being said, I’m nostalgic for some of the finer culinary delights the 1990s offered us. Pasta salad, imitation crab in everything, and seven-layer bean dip should have come with us to the new millennium. Even though bean dips are not as ubiquitous as they once were, there’s no reason why you can’t easily recreate it at home. Serve this with chips and you’ll wonder why we still don’t wear hypercolor and fanny packs with everything.

Ingredients:
  • 1 15-ounce can refried beans
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
  • 1 cup chunky salsa
  • 1 cup guacamole
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 3-ounce can sliced black olives, drained
  • 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 4 green onions, sliced
  • Tortilla chips, to serve
  1. Combine beans and jalapeno and spread onto a 12-inch casserole dish. Layer the salsa, guacamole and sour cream over beans. Sprinkle with olives, cheese, tomato and green onions.
  2. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with tortilla chips.

Sweet and Sticky Chicken Wings

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This is one of my most-requested recipes, and it couldn’t possibly be any easier to make. They make the perfect appetizer, and they even travel well for potlucks. Best of all, these chicken wings crisp up in the oven. Once they’re done cooking, toss them in a three-ingredient sauce, and you’re all set.

Ingredients:
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried granulated garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 2 pounds chicken wings
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons Franks Red Hot Sauce
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons melted hot pepper jelly
  1. Preheat the oven to 500F degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with vegetable oil. In a bowl, mix the flour, salt, dried garlic, onion powder, and smoked paprika. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Spread the chicken on the baking sheet in a single layer and roast the chicken for 45 minutes, turning once (at around the 25 minute mark), until browned and crispy.
  2. In a large bowl, mix the hot sauce, butter, and hot pepper jelly. Toss the chicken with the hot sauce mixture and serve.

Loaded Steak Nachos

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Behold, the ultimate appetizer for a crowd. These nachos are one of my favorite appetizers to serve — think a giant platter of crunchy chips loaded with juicy seared steak, shredded cheese, avocado, beans, and a trifecta of salsa, lime, and sour cream to top it all off. Let’s bfr; who doesn’t love nachos?

Ingredients:
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 pound steak (I use sirloin, ribeye, or flank)
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 16-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
  • 4 cups tortilla chips
  • 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
  • 1 16-ounce tub pico de gallo salsa
  • 1 avocado, peeled and diced
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  1. Preheat oven to 450F degrees and prep baking sheet with aluminum foil. Combine chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, and salt in a small bowl, then rub mixture into steak. Heat a cast iron skillet with oil until hot, then sear steak on both sides until done, flipping once. Remove from heat and top with lime juice, then leave to rest, about 10 minutes. Dice or shred steak into bite-size pieces.
  2. Spread tortilla chips in a layer on the baking sheet, then top with beans, steak, and cheese. Bake until cheese is bubbling and beans and steak are heated through, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to serving platter. Top with pico de gallo, sour cream, and salsa. Serve immediately.

Herbed Shrimp Skewers

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These lightly breaded herby shrimp are so versatile. Want an easy appetizer? Check. A main dish for a vaguely Mediterranean dinner? You got it. These broil fast, so pay attention.

Herbed shrimp skewers
Ingredients:
  • 2 pounds shrimp, peeled
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 1 cup fine dry bread crumbs
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  1. Put the olive and avocado oils in a large bowl and add the shrimp, mixing them to coat. Add the bread crumbs, garlic, and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Toss the shrimp to give them an even coating of bread crumbs. Cover and let marinate for at least one hour.
  2. Thread the shrimp onto skewers, curling them as you do so that the tail is skewered in the middle. Arrange the skewered shrimp on a baking sheet fitted with a grill.
  3. Preheat the broiler. Place the baking sheet with the shrimp about six inches from the broiler and cook for about 2 minutes on each side, until shrimp are cooked through.

Red Pepper and Gouda Deviled Eggs

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Who doesn’t love deviled eggs? Not I. Here’s a super easy appetizer that’s perfect for the holiday season (or anytime, really). Roasted red peppers and smoky gouda give these a unique and savory twist.

Ingredients:

1 dozen eggs
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons jarred roasted red peppers, drained
1 tablespoon sun-dried tomatoes preserved in oil, drained
1 tablespoon aged gouda, plus 1 teaspoon, for garnish
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon good-quality olive oil
1/2 teaspoon chopped anchovies
1/2 teaspoon paprika, plus more for garnish
Salt
24 capers, for garnish

1. Boil eggs, cool in an ice bath, and peel.

2. Neatly slice cooked eggs in half. Remove yolks and place in a food processor. Add mayonnaise, red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, 1 tablespoon gouda, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, anchovies, paprika, and salt to the food processor. Pulse yolk mix until creamy.

3. Fill a clean ziploc bag with the yolk mix and snip a tiny hole in the corner of the bag for piping. Pipe filling into plated and reserved egg whites. Garnish with capers, remaining 1 teaspoon gouda, and a dusting of paprika.