Greek Salad Bites

If you couldn't already tell, I'm a huge fan of "bites". It has a lot to do with the boating lifestyle. Not every boat has a stove or a fridge, so I like to show up to a boat party with something that is ready-to-eat. Caprese Bites were my appetizer of choice for 2010, but I've been searching for something new. So this year, we have Greek Salad Bites.

Ingredients:

1 English Cucumber
1 block of feta cheese
Cherry Tomatoes
Kalamata Olives, pitted
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Greek Cucumber Dill Yogurt Dip (optional, for dipping)

*You'll also need toothpicks

Preparation:

Cut the cucumber into 1/2-inch slices and then quarter each slice. Cut the block of feta cheese into tiny cubes, about 1/4-inch squares. Cut the olives in half lengthwise. Cut the tomatoes into halves. Place one cube of cheese on top of each cucumber piece, then top with a piece of olive and a piece of tomato. Skewer down the center of the stack with a toothpick. Repeat until you have your desired number of "bites". Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and Enjoy!

Tuna Stuffed Jalapeño Peppers

Ingredients:

Tuna
Mayo
Salt & Pepper
Jalapeños Peppers (canned or jarred)

Directions:

Mix tuna and mayo as you would for a sandwich.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  (I like to add capers to mine, too). 

Cut ends off jalapeños and cut each pepper in half, lengthwise.  Stuff with tuna mixture.  Serve cold.

Mini Baked Potato Bites

I heard about this recipe from Dawn who found it on the Noble Pig website.  (My picture doesn't do it justice, but this is a cooking blog and not a photography blog!  If you want to see a good picture (that actually looks as good as it tastes!), click the link for the Noble Pig website.)  I just happened to have some tiny red potatoes, bacon and sour cream on hand, so I decided to try it out.  Very simple and very filling.  Here's how you make them:

Ingredients:

Red potatoes, small
Butter
Sour Cream
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Bacon, crumbled
Chives
(or whatever toppings you prefer or have on hand)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Scrub potato skins and pierce each potato with a fork several times. Place potatoes on a baking tray 1/2" apart. Bake until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes.

While still hot, make an opening with a knife and place a slab of butter on the potato followed by a dollop of sour cream. Top with cheese, bacon, chives or whatever toppings you have on hand!

Scallop Caprese Crostini

Ingredients:

6 scallops
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
6 (1/4 inch thick) baguette slices
6 thin slices of Roma tomato
6 thin slices of mozzarella
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
Balsamic vinegar (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

2. Place bread slices on pan. Top each slice with mozzarella, tomato and sprinkle with basil.  If desired, drizzle with vinegar.  Bake until cheese begins to melt, around 5 minutes.

3.  Meanwhile, sprinkle scallops with salt and pepper and sear in nonstick skillet coated with oil for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until just opaque in the center.

4.  Remove pan from oven and top each crostini with a scallop.  Serve immediately. 

Serves 6

Sun-Dried Tomato & Goat Cheese Skewers

The other day I stumbled across this variation of my favored Caprese Bites and decided to make "Tomatoes and Cheese, Two Ways" for a boat party we were attending.  I was a little skeptical because goat cheese is not my favorite, but the crowd really seemed to enjoy them.  And so did I!

The recipe came from the Food Network website, courtesy of Brian Boitano (I can't say that name without singing "What would Brian Boitano do?" ;) 

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz.) log fresh goat cheese, chilled
1 cup pistachio nuts, finely chopped
20 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
1/2 bunch fresh basil leaves

Directions:

Special equipment: 20 small skewers or cocktail toothpicks

Fill a pitcher with hot water. Dip a knife into the hot water and slice the goat cheese log in half lengthwise. Slice each half into 10 pieces making sure to dip the knife into the hot water in between slicing to ensure a nice clean cut. Roll each piece of goat cheese into balls approximately 1/2-inch in diameter and put onto a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper.

Add the chopped pistachio nuts to a shallow bowl. Roll a goat cheese ball into the pistachio nuts and coat 1/2 of the ball. [Whoops. I coated the whole ball!] Return to the sheet pan and repeat with the remaining goat cheese balls.

Drain the oil from the tomatoes and put onto a plate lined with a paper towel.

Skewer a goat cheese ball onto the skewer. Lay a basil leaf on top a sun-dried tomato. Fold the tomato in half around the basil leaf and add to the skewer with the goat cheese. Repeat with remaining skewers. Arrange on a serving platter, cover and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

[Note: Refrigeration and wax paper, optional!]

Caprese Bites

Ingredients:

• 10 oz. cherry or grape tomatoes
• Small bunch of basil leaves, stems removed
• 8 oz. size container ciliegine (cherry size) mozzarella balls
• Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
• Balsamic vinegar for drizzling, optional
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Skewer tomato, folded basil leaf (half of a large leaf or one whole small leaf), and mozarella ball with a toothpick or wooden skewer.

Drizzle moderately with olive oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper right before serving.