per serving

Ingredients

– 1 piece sliced Rustic Bread
– 3-4 Tbsp Ricotta Cheese (if you’re feeling adventurous, make your own!)
– 4-5 pieces Sliced Pineapple
– 1/2 Red Pepper, seeds removed, chopped small
– 2 Tbsp Green Onion, chopped
– 1-2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
– Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to broil. Cut bread in half on a diagonal and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle bread with olive oil on both sides, sprinkle with salt. Broil in the oven until bread becomes crispy, a few minutes (flip on either side). Remove from oven. On a stovetop grill, grill the pineapple on each flat side until there are grill marks. Remove from heat and allow to cool until they’re cool enough to handle. Chop into small pieces. In a bowl, combine pineapple, red pepper and green onion. Sprinkle with salt and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Spread ricotta on each slice of bread. Spoon the desired amount of salsa on each piece and salt & pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Tomorrow I’ll be participating in the hummus cook-off at the 6th Annual Craig Murphey Fellowship Fundraiser. Proceeds benefit the New York City Coalition Against Hunger and help fund the Craig Murphey Fellowship program. Learn more about the event, and Craig Murphey here.

Ingredients

– 1 can Garbanzo Beans, drained
– 1 Tbsp Tahini Sauce
– 1 clove Garlic
– 1/2 tsp Fresh Ginger
– Juice from 1 1/2 Lemons
– 1/2 Tbsp Tumeric
– 1/2 Tbsp Mustard Seeds
– 2 tsp Anise Seeds
– 1/2 Tbsp Cumin
– 2 tsp Cinnamon
– 1 tsp Coriander
– 1/2 tsp Cardamom Salt to taste
– 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
– Naan Bread for dipping

Directions

In a food processor, blend together garbanzo beans, lemon juice, tahini and olive oil until very smooth. Using a microplane, grate ginger and garlic into the hummus and continue to blend. In a small saute pan, toast anise and mustard seeds. Mix all spices in a small bowl. Add to hummus and continue to blend. Salt to taste. Add more spices, lemon juice etc. if needed.Warm naan in the oven and cut into wedges. Serve hummus in a bowl, garnished with toasted anise seeds.

Last weekend’s Gala Gala, Hey! went amazing. We had a great turn out (both new and familiar faces) and sold completely out of pie AND cider. We drank, we ate, we played Corn Hole, we bobbed for apples and we square-danced. Thanks to everyone who came out, and to Kate Lebo who made every single one of those delicious pies! I think we’re going to have to do it all again next year…

And of course, the apple costume

 

Kale, Walnut & Parmesan Stuffed Baby Portobellos
10 Baby Portobello Mushrooms, washed1 1/2 cups Kale, washed and chopped1 clove Garlic, minced3 Tbsp Chopped Walnuts1 1/2 cups Milk3/4 cup shredded Parmesan Salt & pepper to taste1 Tbsp butter1 Tbsp flour 
 Preheat oven to 325. Remove stems from mushrooms and chop into small pieces. In a saute pan, melt butter and whisk with flour to form a rue. Pour in milk and whisk on medium heat. Add chopped garlic and kale and continue to cook. Toast chopped walnuts in a 325 degree oven until brown. Add to saute pan and stir. As mixture begins to thicken, add most of the shredded cheese and stir. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat. Spoon kale mixture into the caps of the mushrooms and place on baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes, increase heat to 400 for an additional 3 minutes, or until parmesan browns. Remove from oven and allow to cool for several minutes before serving.

Cucumber & Fresh Mint Greek Yogurt on Toasted Pumpernickel
Cucumber Greek YogurtFresh Mint Pumpernickel (cocktail squares) SaltToast pumpernickel squares. Chop handful of mint and mix with greek yogurt in a bowl. Add salt to taste. Thinly slice cucumber. Spread mint greek yogurt on toasted pumpernickel and layer with cucumber slices.

I write “hors d’oeuvres” about 800 times a day at work and I still can’t spell it properly the first try.


Feta, Cranberry & Caramelized Onion Tarts
1/2 pound feta6 oz dried cranberries2 large red onions2-3 Tbsp olive oilsalt30 mini filo shells (find in the dessert section in the frozen food aisle) 
Thinly slice red onion. In a saute pan, toss onion, olive oil and salt and cook covered over low/medium heat until caramelized (about 30 minutes), stirring regularly. Bake filo cups according to directions on box (3-5 mins at 375 oven). In a food processor, combine feta and cranberries until well smooth. Spoon feta-cranberry mixture into crisp filo cups and top with caramelized onion.
These little tarts are a perfect bite, but be careful – they are very rich! 
Last summer I had the idea to throw a “food you can eat with your hands party, which never came together. I re-planned it for tonight and I’m looking forward to catching up with friends after a crazy past two weeks (more on that later). I feel like I haven’t been spending quality time with my kitchen lately, so I’ve been in here all day, creating things as I go.