Goat Cheese, Fig and Prosciutto Flatbread Salad

My favorite food items I eat daily are goat cheese, prosciutto, gluten free tortillas, red bell peppers, almond butter, red wine and dark chocolate. That is all that EVER sounds good. Weird huh? I mean it not a terrible thing right? Wine and chocolate? Goat cheese and prosciutto?

My favorite brand!

Adds great flavor to everything. That is why I eat it with almost everything. haha

I had a few Facebook recommendations on what I should make this weekend. Appetizers or bacon jam were my choices. Bacon jam is dangerous. Appetizers not so much. I decided to take my favorite food items (well certain ones) and make a delicious flatbread pizza topped with salad. It is delicious and also great with wine ;)

Goat Cheese, Fig and Prosciutto Flatbread Salad
By Fallon

Ingredients
1 brown rice tortilla (these crisp up perfectly!)
2 tablespoon goat cheese, softened
1 tablespoon fig butter or preserves
1/4 cup red bell peppers, diced
1 tablespoon shallot, sliced
Handful baby spinach, chopped
1-2 slices prosciutto
1/2 tablespoon sliced blanched almonds
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Find a small baking sheet that is big enough to fit a large sized brown rice tortilla. Flip it around and use the bottom of the pan. This will create an even layer for a crispy flatbread.

While the oven is preheating, cut the bell peppers and shallots. Chop the baby spinach and set aside. Place the plain tortilla in the oven to warm up for about 5 minutes. Flip around half way through, it should start to bubble/crisp up. Take out and spread goat cheese and fig butter. Top with bell peppers and shallots. Place back into the oven for another 5 minutes or until you can smell the peppers and shallots. Take out and top with spinach, sliced bell peppers, almonds, prosciutto and a drizzle of oil.

My favorite extra virgin olive oil!

Season with salt and pepper. I cut it into 6 pieces. Now if I didn’t have to go into work I would of had a nice glass of red wine to go with it. ;)

       

The plus of this flatbread is that it is gluten free! The crunch from the almonds is a nice surprise and goes well with the prosciutto and fig butter. I love fancy finger foods like this and was so simple to throw together. The only downside is, that it can get messy with the spinach and stuff falling off if you are trying to serve this at a cocktail party!

Fallon

The Secret Recipe Club: Polenta Pizzas

It feels so good to be back and participating in The Secret Recipe Club. I missed a few months and couldn’t wait to start at it again. I can’t believe how many people are part of this club now. It is truly amazing.

For this month I was given the blog Penny Pinching Provisions. Robin has found a way to save money and not depend on using coupons. Thank you! I don’t get how the coupon people can get 5,000 bottles of mustard for free and if that is even necessary. I’m always looking for ways to save money at the grocery store but making sure it is healthy and fits with my dietary guidelines. I’m slowly easing into a gluten free diet and saw these cute polenta pizzas on Robin’s blog. She actually found the recipe through Trader Joe’s (my favorite store!). It is perfect to make after a long day of work. I can make these easily thanks to the premade polenta, that is sliced, top with sauce, cheese and in 20 minutes I have a healthy meal. I pair it with a side salad, glass of red wine and dinner is enjoyed. I added a little goat gouda and mushrooms for a different twist. Very versatile recipe and great to serve as appetizers as well!

Polenta Pizzas
Adapted from Penny Pinching Provisions

Ingredients:
1 package organic polenta
Favorite marinara sauce
Ricotta cheese
Goat gouda
Sliced mushrooms
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a baking sheet with olive oil. Slice polenta into 1/2 inch thick rounds, 12 slices total. Top with a tablespoon of sauce and ricotta cheese. Place 1 sliced mushroom on each pizza and sprinkle goat gouda on top. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes and then turn broiler on for another 3-4 minutes.

The polenta rounds will crisp up and the cheese will be golden brown. Serve with a simple green salad and balsamic dressing.

Always,
Fallon

Martha Stewart Baked Brie with Pecans

Tis the season to eat lots of delicious appetizers. One of my favorite appetizers is the cheese and crackers. I love the fancy cheeses like goat cheese, smoked gouda, raw milk cheeses and such. There are many great cheese varieties and pairing them with certain wines is a great way to bring a crowd of people together.

One of my favorite cheeses is brie. I love when it is baked up and becomes so gooey. Goes perfectly with a fig jam and water crackers. I saw this delicious brie recipe from Martha Stewart, Baked Brie with Pecans. The pecans are toasted and then a brown sugar/maple syrup is poured on top of the whole thing. It is absolutely delicious. My best friend loves brie as well but she didn’t like the added sweetness of the brown sugar/maple syrup topping. If you like brie plain, there is nothing wrong with that but if you are looking for a twist on an old classic, this recipe is a must.

The recipe calls for a whole wheel of brie but since it was only a few of us enjoying this dish, I opted to use a quarter of a brie wheel. It was a bit messier, since it didn’t keep its shape at all but it was just the right amount. The recipe below is for using 1/4 wedge of brie. If you are using a full wheel just make sure to triple everything, including the minutes to toast the nuts and the syrup, since you will be using.

Baked Brie with Pecans
Adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:
1/4 wedge of brie (about 3-4 ounces)
2 tablespoons pecan pieces or whole pecans roughly chopped
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Water crackers

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place cheese on a rimmed baking sheet, bake until softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to serving dish and cool.

While the cheese cools, place nuts on a clean baking sheet, bake until toasted and fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle nuts over cheese.

In a small saucepan, combine sugar and syrup. Bring to boil over medium heat, simmer until foamy, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Drizzle warm sauce over slightly cooled cheese and nuts, serve with crackers.

I love how simple and quick this appetizer comes together. It looks really fancy and like you took a while to put it together. I’ll be enjoying lots of brie this season! Bring the wine and I’ll bring the brie.

Enjoy,
Fallon  

  

Roasted Eggplant Hummus

Tara who owns the blog The Foodie and The Family has recently changed her ways of eating by going grain-free and sugar-free AKA a primal diet. I’m really proud of her and her efforts to trying something new. If you check out her blog she has come up with some amazing recipes following her new primal diet. I don’t follow a primal diet but I’m all about changing it up once in a while. I know I need to incorporate more protein into my diet and her recipes have been very helpful.

She calls it eggplant hummus but it could also be called babaganoush. My father makes the best babaganoush (or eggplant salad as we like to call it). It has been a while since I had my father’s delicious eggplant salad and Tara came up with eggplant hummus. My father uses olive oil and real mayonnaise (this is probably the ONLY exception where I have mayo, I can’t stand mayo). A real babaganoush uses tahini which is ground up sesame seeds. Hummus also uses tahini to give it that nutty and creamy texture.

Since I didn’t have turmeric, I opted to use curry powder instead. I also thought 2 teaspoons of garlic wasn’t enough, so I used 2 huge cloves instead and made it extra garlicky. Our digestive system will thank us later. ;)

Roasted Eggplant Hummus
Adapted from The Food and The Family

Ingredients
3 small eggplants or 1 large
1/4 cup tahini
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (coconut oil would be good too)
Optional: whole sesame seeds and smoked paprika for garnish

Direction
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prick the eggplant(s) a few times with a fork and coat them in a bit of olive oil. Every 10 minutes turn the eggplant for 30 minutes and/or until fork tender. Cool in a plastic shopping bag or in a bowl covered in plastic wrap. This will create condensation and will help the skin peel away from the meat of the eggplant.

Peel the eggplant(s) once cooled and remove the stem/seeds. In a food processor, puree the eggplant(s) until smooth. Add in the garlic, tahini, curry powder, salt and pepper. Puree until combined. While the food processor is running, drizzle in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until combined.

We’ve been enjoying this dip on sandwiches as a spread or with fresh vegetables! I love adding it on top of salads and using it as a dressing. I topped it with raw sesame seeds and smoked paprika to bring it up another level! Plus it looks pretty. ;)

Enjoy,

Fallon

 

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Here is a delicious recipe to make for a hungry crowd, Spinach and Artichoke Dip from Serious Eats. With the healthy additions she made like using light cream cheese and sour cream, you’d never guess it was made to be healthy. I’m sure Greek yogurt be a great substitute as well. Huge flavors of garlic, chunky artichokes and nutty parmesan cheese shines in this dip. We used some delicious tortilla chips that were made fresh from a Mexican market in El Paso as chosen dippers. My girlfriend Nidia made this during the superbowl (I realize this was a month ago!) and all I could remember was going back for seconds and thirds! I definitely knew I’d have to share this on the blog as well, so I can look back for the recipe one day.

You’ve got to try out this recipe. I’ll be making it again because my boyfriend really enjoyed this dip. Winner!

  

For the Spinach Artichoke Dip click this link HERE.

Enjoy,

Fallon

Stuffed Dates with Balsamic Reduction

One of my favorite restaurants back home is called Firefly. They serve tapas and delicious sangria! I don’t go very often because I get myself into trouble. I order the sangria, I order their parmesan fries, the manchego mac ‘n’ cheese, the bacon wrapped dates are a must, the gazpacho and I could just go on. I really enjoy everything on their menu, it’s hard to choose a favorite. Well I take that back. Bacon makes EVERYTHING taste better, including dates that have been stuffed with a smoked almond and blue cheese, wrapped in bacon. You can’t  just eat one either, so you must order at least 2 plates. I decided to do my own take on the bacon wrapped dates. After seeing all this bacon lately, I’ve been inspired. I don’t know if I’ll bake with it but cooking more with it I don’t have a problem!

 

Stuffed Dates By Fallon

Makes 18

Ingredients

18 whole pitted medjool dates

18 whole smoked almonds

9 strips of low sodium bacon, cut in half

1/4 cup goat cheese (chevre)

18 toothpicks

2/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet with foil. You can spray with cooking spray to make sure they don’t stick, but I think the bacon will take care of that!

Cut a slit into each date and remove the pit. Set an almond into the dates and stuff with 1/2 teaspoon of goat cheese. Place on a baking sheet. Cut 9 slices of bacon into half. Take a date and wrap the half slice of bacon around it. Take a toothpick and insert to insure the bacon won’t unwrap. Bake for 25 minutes.

On the stove top, in a medium sized pot, heat up the balsamic vinegar till it starts to boil. Stir every so often so it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Once it comes to a boil, reduce to medium-low heat and add in the sugar. Continue to cook and stir gently till it starts to reduce and becomes like a thick syrup. Keep on very low heat till ready to drizzle on top of dates.

After 25 minutes take the dates out of oven and they should already be crisp on the top. Flip them over and bake for 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and rest.

Place on a plate and drizzle balsamic reduction on top. Sprinkle with remaining goat cheese and serve!

                 

While I’m home this week I’ll be enjoying myself at Firefly. Bring on the stuffed dates!! I can’t remember the last time I dined there, so this will be a treat. Can’t wait!

Buon Appetito,

Fallon

Guacamole

Did I mention that my boyfriend’s SIL also makes a killer guacamole? This is by far my favorite guacamole because it is chunky and just the right amount of heat. Usually with the leftovers I’ll use it as a spread in a wrap or on top of a salad for lunch. It also makes a great dipper for jicama and carrots!

    

Guacamole By Nidia

Ingredients

2 large avocados

1 roma tomato, diced

1/2 purple onion, diced

1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced

Handful cilantro, chopped

Salt

Pepper

Directions

Halve the avocados and place into a bowl. Smash slightly with a fork. Save one of the avocado pits for later. Add in the diced tomato, onion and jalapeno. Mix together. Add in the cilantro, salt and pepper. Mix and taste to see if more salt or pepper is needed. Take the saved avocado pit and place it into the middle of the guacamole. This will prevent it from turning brown so quickly. I think this method works better then using citrus. Serve with tortilla chips or whatever your heart desires!

Enjoy,

Fallon

Cinna- Peanut Butter Fondue

I decided to enter in The Great Peanut Butter Exhibition recipe contest. The decision was simple. I love peanut butter and the prize is really nice! Peanut Butter & Co makes some of the best peanut butter I’ve tasted and winning six jars would be amazing! In order to win I had to come  up with a fabulous recipe where peanut butter has been heated through somehow or by adding some extra heated spice! I thought about it, I dreamed about it and I finally came  up with a recipe that was somewhat healthy, exciting and would be delicious. Cinna- Peanut Butter Fondue. The peanut butter is melted in a mixture of coconut milk, maple syrup, brown sugar and peanut butter chips. I spiced it up by adding cinnamon and a little salt to bring out the peanut butter flavor.

The best part was tasting the fondue with all the different dippers like pretzel rods, green apples, bananas, marshmallows and honey graham crackers. I then decided to test it out on top of homemade vanilla ice cream as well and it was over the top delicious! Each dipper brought out the fondue to a whole new level. My favorite was using the pretzel because the crunch and salt went well with the sweet cinnamon and creamy peanut butter. This is a great snack to enjoy with the kids after school or make it into a fondue party!

Cinna- Peanut Butter Fondue By Fallon         Ingredients

1/4 cup coconut milk (any milk of choice)

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup peanut butter chips

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed lightly

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Dash of salt

Dippers: green apples, bananas, marshmallows, pretzel rods, honey graham crackers, dark chocolate squares, brownies, chocolate chip cookies, snickerdoodle cookies, cheese cake bites etc.

Directions                                                                                                                              In a heavy saucepan, cook and stir over a medium-low heat, coconut milk, peanut butter, peanut butter chips, brown sugar, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Stir until everything melts and becomes smooth. Add in salt and cinnamon; continue to stir. After 6-7 minutes and mixture is completely smooth and creamy, transfer to a fondue pot or miniature ramekins.    7-8 servings (2-3 tablespoons each)

                

This is when it got dangerous AKA topping for vanilla ice cream!

     

I can’t wait to see all the other fabulous recipes and what competition I’ll be up against! Wish me luck!!!

Fallon

Cantaloupe Wrapped in Prosciutto

This delicious appetizer must be made as soon as possible. This will only take you several minutes to prepare and serve. All you need is cantaloupe and prosciutto. Yes, just two ingredients! If you like sweet and salty, this will be a great new combination for you to enjoy. Serve up this appetizer with Italian breadsticks and white wine, while waiting for dinner to be complete.

I couldn’t wait to take a bite, as you can see by the photos ;). This is a beautiful dish to serve with our warming weather soon approaching. It is simple, delicious and just the right bite.

                  

Buon Appetito! Have a great weekend, especially those that get Monday off!

Fallon