Kalamata Aioli

I use to make this a lot and then forgot about it until recently when the Bake had it with a side of hot french fries. Wow, this is great as a dip or a spread for sandwiches.

2 1/2 cups Best Food mayo
1/2 cup roasted garlic puree, mashed
1 fresh clove garlic
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup pitted Kalamata Olives
salt and fresh pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350F.
Cut the top off a whole head of garlic, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in foil and roast for about an hour.
Puree olives and the fresh garlic clove in the food processor. Place in bowl and add garlic puree, lemon juice, and mayo, mixing well with a whisk. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Portobello Mushroom Pizza

3-4 portobello mushrooms, wiped and gills removed
1 pound ground Italian sausage
favorite Marinara sauce
sliced red or yellow peppers
Mozzarella cheese, grated
sliced fresh tomato

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a saute pan, lightly grill mushroom in garlic flavored olive oil and place on foil lined baking sheet.
In another pan, cook sausage until done. Using a slotted spoon, spread sausage onto mushrooms. Top with Marinara sauce, sliced peppers and cheese. Bake in oven about 15 minutes until cheese is melted and heated throughout. Take out of oven and top with fresh tomato and fresh basil if desired.
Can be used with your own favorite pizza topping, add a salad and use for lunch or dinner.

Stuffed Jalapenos

Football games and tailgating got me to thinking of cheese, bacon and jalapenos.
1 dozen jalapenos, cut in half, seeds removed
1- 8ounce package cream cheese
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 slices applewood bacon, cooked and chopped
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
Preheat oven to 350F.
Mix cheeses, garlic, bacon and worcestershire sauce together well. Stuff into jalapenos.
Bake for 20 minutes.

Roasted Garbanzo Beans

1- 15ounce can Organic Garbanzo Beans, rinsed and drained
1 Tablespoon olive oil
sprinkle of Alfie's seasoning
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400F.
Rinse and drain beans, dry with paper towels and take off skins.
Put on baking sheet and mix with olive oil. Sprinkle with seasonings. Bake for about 40 minutes until beans are crunchy and golden.
Remove from oven and toss with grated Parmesan.

These are a crunchy high protein snack, could be used in place of croutons for gluten-free diet.
The seasonings can be changed up to anything, with your favorite potato chips in mind!

Gyoza with Orange Sauce

This was quick to make as I used Trader Joe's Thai Shrimp Gyoza, right out of the freezer.
Orange sauce:
1/2 cup chicken stock
4 Tablespoons fresh orange juice, or white wine
1 Tablespoon oyster sauce or soy sauce
1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
1/2 teaspoon Chinese chili sauce or 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons orange peel, grated

Pan fry gyoza in 1 Tablespoon peanut oil, until bottoms are browned and crispy (about 2 minutes). Whisk all sauce ingredients together and pour over gyoza and cover. Let steam about 4 minutes until gyoza is soft and sauce is reduced.
Put on serving dish, spoon with sauce and serve.
Quick and easy! This is would also work with other types of gyoza.

Corn Guacamole

1 whole avocado, diced
1/2 cup sweet corn, shuck and roasted
1/4 of a red pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup black beans, rinsed
1/4 cup white sweet onion, finely diced
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, finely diced
1/4 cup cilantro , chopped
1/2 whole lime, juiced

Roast corn in pan for a couple minutes with a little Alfie's seasoning and set aside.
In a bowl toss avocado, corn, red pepper, beans, onions, salt, jalapeno and cilantro with lime juice. Put into a lightly greased ramekin and turn out on platter, serve with chips.

Caramel Apples

The weather turned cool today and we picked some apples off the tree. Along with fresh apple juice, apple crumble, thought we would try caramel apples for a treat.
4-6 apples, washed and dried well
16 ounces caramels, unwrapped
1 Tablespoon water
chopped nuts (I used toasted pecans) or chocolate (white or semi-sweet chocolate) melted
wooden skewers

In a double-boiler over medium heat melt the caramels with water. Put skewer through core of apple and dip into caramel mixture and cut off excess with a knife. Dip into nuts and put on greased wax paper. Drizzle with melted chocolate and put in refrigerator to cool.