Saturday, November 30, 2013

BBQ Pheasnt Pizza: A twist on BBQ Chicken Pizza

These pheasant recipes was easy to make and it tasted pretty good. Pheasant pizza is baked with lots of gooey fresh mozzarella cheese, sauteed red onion, smoky bbq sauce, scallion for a touch of color and fragrant cilantro. We hope you will like these appetizer recipes as much as we did. It was delightful healthy recipes


Servings: 4
Prep Time: 1-2 hours
Cooking Time: 12-15 minutes

Ingredients:
Pizza Dough
- 1 scant tsp. active dry yeast
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 3 tbs. olive oil

Toppings
- breasts of 1 pheasant
- quarter of a red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup bbq sauce, divided
- 10 ounces of fresh mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup pasta/pizza sauce
- 4-5 green onions, white and light green parts chopped
- 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped


I. Pizza Dough
1. In a small bowl, combine 1 tsp. of yeast and 3/4 cup of warm water. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, 3/4 tsp. of kosher salt and the yeast/water mixture.

3. Mix the dough while slowly pouring in 3 tablespoons of olive oil. If doing by hand, it helps to have an extra set to help.

4. Stop mixing when everything comes together. Lightly grease the same bowl with olive oil, replace the dough, cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for at least 1 hour. You can do this several days in advance.


II. Toppings
1. While dough rests, prepare the toppings. 2 main breasts and 2 tenders

2. Place pheasant breasts into a small container. Lightly sprinkle salt on all sides. Then squirt some bbq sauce to coat all over. Prepare the grill.

3. To make the pizza sauce, combine 1/4 cup of bbq sauce and 1/4 cup of pizza/pasta sauce.

4. Slice fresh mozzarella thinly. Set aside.

5. Chop white and light green parts of green onion.

6. Heat 1 tbs. of olive oil in a pan. Saute sliced red onion for about 5-7 minutes, or until soft and translucent.
Stir often. Or if you're a pro like my brother, you can flip it. But remember, what you lose you must clean.

7. Once grill is ready, cook pheasant breasts for about 5 minutes on each side, or until just cooked through. DO NOT OVERCOOK! Baste with the rest of the bbq sauce. Slice/chop breasts into small pieces.

8. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.After an hour or two, the dough would've doubled in size.

9. Flatten dough out on a cookie sheet. I found it easiest to use my hands.
Lightly sprinkle some salt over flattened dough. Then spread bbq/pizza sauce mixture over it. We didn't use all of it, but it's up to you. Then top pizza with sliced mozzarella cheese. You can add as much cheese as you want. We went back in afterwards to fill in the spaces. The pheasant comes next. And also the sauteed red onion and chopped green onion. Drizzle leftover bbq/pizza sauce mixture over the top of pizza.

10. Then bake in a 500 degree F oven on the lowest rack for about 12-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust turns golden brown. .

11. Garnish with chopped cilantro and red pepper flakes.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Making Homemade Vegetable Soup

A homemade vegetable soup recipe is a wonderful thing. It's just so much better than anything you'd get in a can. For one thing, only ingredients that you like end up in the appetizer recipes. Plus, you have the opportunity to make it much healthier. And, well, making something yourself is just more satisfying healthy recipes.

Making your own homemade vegetable soup is one of the easiest things in the world. And it's just so versatile. There are a ton of different kinds of vegetable soups — like minestrone, cabbage soup, chicken noodle,beef barley... and so many more.


Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped or minced
32 oz. low sodium tomato-vegetable juice (such as V8)
16 oz. frozen mixed vegetables
¼ cup orzo pasta
½ teaspoon dried basil
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preparation Instructions
1. Fill a medium saucepan with water and place over medium high heat. Bring to a boil.

2. In the meantime, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once warmed, add the onion and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the tomato-vegetable juice. Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

3. Add the frozen mixed vegetables. Stir. Simmer until heated through.

4. Once the water in the medium saucepan boils, add the pasta. Cook until pasta is almost done; drain.

5. Add the pasta and the basil to the soup. Cook until pasta reaches desired doneness. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the soup in bowls and sprinkle each with Parmesan cheese.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Salad:Healthier Than You Thought

Eating just one salad a day provides even greater health benefits than previously thought, according to a study that examined salad consumption by more than 17,000 adults.


The study, conducted by the UCLA School of Public Health and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, supported by The Association for Dressings & Sauces, revealed that those who eat the best recipes for salads and raw vegetables with salad dressing have considerably higher levels of vitamins C, E, B6, and folic acid -- key nutrients in promoting a healthy immune system and reducing the risk of obesity, heart disease and other chronic illnesses.

"Eating an easy appetizers salad a day is a convenient way to easily improve your nutritional status," said Dr. Lenore Arab, professor of epidemiology at UCLA School of Public Health and lead researcher of the study, titled "Salad and Raw Vegetable Consumption and Nutritional Status in the Adult U.S. Population". "Just one salad daily helps to satisfy the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommends eating two and a half cups of vegetables each day for a 2000-calorie diet."

According to the study, less than 50% of the U.S. population meets the daily recommendation for vegetables necessary for healthy living. Americans do not get enough of the water-soluble vitamins of which salads are a rich source. The raw vegetable appetizer recipes in salads also offer the added benefits of fiber for better digestion and antioxidants for boosting immunity.

Interestingly, clinical trials have shown that adding salad dressing to a salad not only adds a delicious flavor, but also increases the absorption of certain nutrients being consumed. "It's not just the leafy greens and vegetables that are doing a body good," said Arab. "Some fat can also enhance the absorption of nutrients such as lycopene and alpha- and beta-carotene."

The findings of this study are consistent with the government's new push for more fruit and vegetable consumption. Though it's already known that salad was a healthy meal option, the bottom line, according to the UCLA study: eating one salad a day is a simple way to live a healthier lifestyle.

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Salmon Express:Modest but Elegant Dish

A light and chic main course that only takes fifteen minutes to prepare, Salmon express is a modest but elegant dish you can serve for dinner when you’ve run out of time and ideas but still wish to enjoy a gourmet healthy meals.


Ideally, use Norwegian salmon to make sure you get a good quality salmon, which is essential for this healthy easy appetizers recipe. For an uplifting gustatory experience, serve this with a glass of Cahors, Cotes du Rhone Rose or Chassagne Montrachet Blanc. This can also be served as first course or as Hors d'oeuvres in cocktail parties.

In this appetizer recipes, the salmon are cut into very thin slices and grilled for only two minutes on a salamander stove. Tapenade, which is a thick olive paste made with capers and olive oil, is used to give additional flavor to the salmon. It is spread on the center of the plate as a base or bed for the main ingredient. Tapenade is a very popular condiment in Provence and is usually sold in bottles in most specialty stores. You can also make your own tapenade by chopping black olives without their seeds together with capers and pureeing them in a food processor, adding olive oil little by little until you get a thick paste and even consistency.

The salmon on a bed of olive paste is covered in a special mayonnaise mixed with a medley of Provencal herbs. The dish is then cooked on a salamander oven. This kind of oven allows you to cook the salmon in the plate where it is going to be served. Be careful when handling the plate after cooking as it can be quite hot. If you do not have this special kind of cooker, you can also use the grill in your oven. Use a Teflon pan to make it easy to lift the whole dish onto a clean plate without messing it up.

Ingredients
3 1/2 oz. fresh salmon per person
1 teaspoon black olive tapenade (ground olive puree)mayonnaise with olive oil
basil
thyme
lemon
savory
chervil
chives
salt
pepper
mesclun (chervil, arugula, leafy lettuces and endive in equal proportions)
garlic
olive oil


Method:

1.For this recipe, you need tapenade, which is spread on the middle of the dish. You can buy tapenade in a jar or make your own and store in the fridge for later use. Finely chop black olives and capers, then pound or puree them in a food processor, adding olive oil little by little until you get a thick paste.

2.Cut the Norwegian Salmon into very thin slices and place them nicely on top of the tapenade, which is spread on the center of the plate. Prepare a mayonnaise sauce using fresh herbs of basil, thyme, lemon and chervil. Whip up the mayonnaise with olive oil and the fresh herbs.

3.Season the top of the salmon with salt and a pinch of pepper to make it nice and spicy. Brush the salmon with the mayonnaise sauce. Cook the dish on the salamander stove or the grill in your oven. Two minutes is enough under the salamander as the salmon is very finely cut. It should turn into a white yellowish color.

4.Place a flourish of lettuce, lemons, and chives on the center of the dish to set it off. Add basil and flat parsley. Sprinkle with chopped chives which will heighten the flavor.

5.To make the basil-based sauce: mix finely chopped basil, olive oil, and a hint of chopped garlic. Drizzle on the salmon dish. Be careful when serving the warm plate. Enjoy!

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Tips for Meat Appetizers

Cocktail receptions or dinner parties are made more stimulating with meat appetizers recipes that tip at the rest of the menu. While it may be reckoned healthy or filling to have meat starters serviced in the opening of a meal, it is up to the invitee to have his or her fill since most often than not, these treats are produced into bite size picks. So whether it’s a chunky slice of meat or merely a smidgin used for flavoring, meat starter healthy recipes are there to be savoured at leisure and in the fellowship of other meat-loving friends.


Meats that you can employ in your meat easy appetizers include duck meat (wrapped in an egg roll with a refreshing piece of cucumber and hoisin sauce is great), little tenderloin cuts of beef and pork, turkey, veal, and chicken. Create variety by offering the array of meats—white to red meats.

To maximize and provide diversity, alternate cold and hot meat appetiser when you serve them. Arrange on the antipasti platter some cold slices like bologna, pepperoni, ham, chorizos, salami and sausages. Serve them on a big platter with cubed or cut cheeses as well as green and black pitted olives. The platter can be prepared the day earlier, sealed firmly and chilled in the refrigerator.

The hot starters may be roasted, baked, grilled or sautéed (but in gentler pieces, of course). Little stuffed fillet mignon and meatballs are already inviting, particularly if you service them with small containers of dips like pickle relish, horseradish, gravy, mustard and catsup. Keep the meatballs and filet mignon hot by having the staff do fast rounds or merely set these meaty appetiser on a chafing dish and let the guests do the taking.

Meat appetiser recipes on skewers are likewise crowd-pleasing and fanciful confections. Alternate them with veggies (like onions, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes) on the skewers and grill them. The vegetables will provide your guests a break from all the meat. Also, you can also make sausage and onions in a skewer by grilling or sizzling them.

Make meat as an element in the appetizer as well, by doing a roast beef dip, shoving veggies with chopped up sausages, or enwrapping food in bacon. Now bacon, that strip of good flavors and crispness, will make everything it’s enveloped in fantastic savor. Enclose it in scallops, potato slices, jalapenos, mushrooms, and even cheese, and you made yourself a winning and meaty appetizer.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Tomato and barley vegetable soup recipe

If you're looking for a nourishing beef-free barley vegetable soup recipe, most recipes use mushrooms to pair with the barley, but this meatless barley soup uses tomatoes and the standard soup ingredients of carrots, celery, onions and garlic to carry the flavor. There's little additional seasoning, so this tomato soup appetizer recipes is simple, easy, and nourishing.
Tomato and barley vegetable soup recipe


Healthy Recipes Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups good quality vegetable broth
1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
1 cup pearl barley
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 cups spinach leaves (optional)
salt and pepper
Preparation:
In a large soup or stock pan, heat onions and garlic for a minute or two, then add carrots and celery. Heat for 4-5 minutes, to start vegetables cooking.

Add tomatoes (do not drain), vegetable broth, barley and Italian seasoning, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil, cover, then reduce to a medium-low simmer.

Cook for 30-40 minutes, or until barley is cooked and carrots are soft. Stir in spinach, heat for one more minute, then turn off heat. Season generously with salt and pepper.




source http://vegetarian.about.com/od/soupsstewsandchili/tp/Vegetable-Soup-Recipes.htm

Monday, November 11, 2013

Bacon and Cheddar Puff Pastry Crisps

Impress your guests with these Bacon and Cheddar Puff Pastry Crisps, one of the best appetizer recipes around! With big-sized flavors including bacon, cheddar cheese and creamy ranch dressing packed into fun bite-sized pieces, you really can't go wrong! After you make these crisps once, they're sure to become one of your go-to easy appetizers party recipes!


Makes: 72 healthy meals
Preparation Time: 20 min
Cooking Time: 8 min


Ingredients
1 package (17.3 ounces) Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets, thawed
1 cup finely shredded Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)
1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup prepared ranch salad dressing
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Unfold 1 pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 12x12-inch square. Cut into 36 (2-inch) squares. Prick the pastry squares with a fork. Repeat with the remaining pastry sheet, making 72 squares in all. Place the squares onto baking sheets.
Bake for 8 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown. Using the back of a spoon, press down the centers of the hot pastries to make an indentation.
Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon each cheese and bacon onto each pastry. Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Remove the pastries from the baking sheets and let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Top with the dressing and chives.


By:Campbell's Kitchen

Fish Tacos with Coleslaw

Fish tacos are a popular snack in California and Mexico, and can be quite healthy and filling. This classic healthy recipes, adapted from Kitchen Life by Art Smith, uses cod fillets and prepackaged coleslaw mix to save time and make preparation a snap. The easy appetizers dressing is a simple combination of mayonnaise, limejuice and lime zest. The coleslaw is seasoned with green onions and cilantro for an added tanginess and zest. Corn tortillas can be bought in most groceries and you only need to heat them and they are ready for making delectable fish tacos.
Coleslaw Fish Tacos by Georges Blanc
A prepackaged coleslaw mix usually includes a mix of shredded cabbage and carrots. All you need to do is to make the appetizer recipes dressing and you have yourself delicious coleslaw. If you prefer to shred your own cabbage or can’t find a store-bought mix in the grocery, simply wash, dry, and slice cabbage and carrots thinly. You can use a mix of red and green cabbage for a nice color contrast and dramatic presentation. To make it even easier, you can use a mandoline or V-slicer to do the job quickly.

A fresher and less fattening alternative to the usual beef, pork or chicken tacos, fish tacos make a healthy snack. They also make awesome party food and can be prepared in no time at all. This gourmandia recipe uses cod fillets but you can also use other fresh fish like tilapia, swordfish, halibut, mahi mahi, or even salmon to make fish tacos. In this recipe, the fish is covered in a spicy batter of flour and chili powder, and fried until golden and crisp on the outside but tender and moist inside. Olive oil is used to fry the fish for a healthy dish. You can also use other methods to cook the fish such as grilling, sautéing, baking, or broiling.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
Grated peel of 1 lime
Juice from 1 lime
3 cups coleslaw mix
2 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb. cod fillets, cut into 6 portions
1 teaspoon chili powder
¼ cup all purpose flour
12 corn tortillas, heated

Preparation Instructions

1. In a bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, lime zest, and lime juice. Add the coleslaw mix, scallions, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Pour the oil into a large skillet placed over medium heat. Season the cod with chili powder and salt. Dredge the fish in the flour, shaking off any excess flour.
3. Once the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the cod. Cook, turning one time, until golden, about 5 minutes. Remove the cod with tongs.
4. Serve the tortillas, fish, and lime coleslaw separately. Keep the tortillas warm by putting them in a basket or bowl lined with paper napkins, then cover with an additional napkin.
5. To make each taco, place 1 piece of cod on the tortilla and break it up using a fork. Top with a spoon or two of the coleslaw mix.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Finger Buffets Appetizer

Planning a party and looking for some ideas for finger buffets that are practical, tasty, and impressive?

These little appetizer recipes bites are beautiful and very simple to make. They're a play on the classic deviled egg, but these are actually easier! The recipes and ideas for buffet finger foods and easy appetizers are creative, easy to pull off, and a ton of fun to eat.
Ingredients

12 eggs
1/4 cup salmon roe
1/4 cup finely diced red pepper
1/4 cup finely diced chives
1 tbsp freshly cracked pepper
2 tbsp Sea salt
3 tbsp fresh dill leaves

Preparing the healthy recipes

First thing is you need to hard boil the eggs. I use the oven method, which works great for cooking a lot at once. What I do is place my eggs in a muffin tin (12 eggs, 12 muffin spots, makes sense!)

Have the oven preheated to 325 and bake for 30 minutes. Don't use a non-stick pan, or else you'll get yellow eggs. I use a silicon muffin tin, but metal works too!

Dump your cooked eggs in a bowl of cold water to keep them from over cooking.

The other way to make hard boiled eggs is to put the eggs in a pot, top with water, and put it on the stove on high. When the water starts rapidly boiling, cover the eggs and take them off the heat. After 15 minutes, they're hard boiled!

Peel them and store them until you're ready to party!

When you want to pull these out as appetizers, I set it up like a little buffet. Fill small cups (egg cups would be really cute), with various toppings. I included my favorites in the ingredient list. Let your guests put on their choices to make unique eggs.

You can also make these deviled eggs and then top them, but I don't think it's necessary. The key is great quality toppings.

source: halfhourmeals.com

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Apple Cake Tips

Apple cake works out the greatest in apples in cake variety. It works beyond the traditional apple pie and takes apples into a more tender dessert, afternoon snack or easy appetizers snack. The apples, sliced or chopped, may be mixed into the batter or used as a topping like an upside down cake. In other cases, the apples are turned into apple sauce and integrated into the batter to make the cake soggy and full of apple flavor.
The standard apple cake healthy meals formula highlights the wonderful compounding of cinnamon and apple. Ground cinnamon lends a subtle hint of spice to the apple cake just as it does to apple pies. To make an apple cake, you would require a baking apple that must be peeled, cored and then sliced. It is tossed with a bit of flour and sugar so that it bonds to the batter when supplied later.

The cake batter appetizer recipes is then assembled, starting with combining the dry elements first (flour, sugar, baking powder and salt) before the liquid elements are added (eggs, oil, melted savorless butter, orange juice and vanilla extract). Unlike the more delicate chiffon and angel cakes, the apple cake has the less soft crumbs and the more flavorsome batter of a pound cake.

To bake the apple cake batter, it must be poured in a cake pan or a tube pan (a Bundt cake pan would also look attractive when you unmold the cake later) but only halfway. Arrange the apple slices on top of this batter before you pour the last leftover cake batter on the slices. Last, finish off with the last of the apple slice mixture. Cool the apple cake onto a wire rack.

Give the apple cake some crackle by adding chopped walnuts into the cake batter or arrange some cooked pecans on the bottom of the cake pan before pouring the batter. When you serve up the apple cake, the nuts on top will look savory and provide a counterpoint texture to the apples.

Try Out with other flavors and elements that would go nicely with your apple cake. For one, cranberries, caramel, sour cream, buttermilk, yogurt, cornmeal and even ginger will give you stimulating savors for your apple cake. As topping, make a cream cheese frosting, brown sugar glaze and streusel topping, or a good choice vanilla bean ice cream for your apple cake.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Asparagus With French Orange Sauce



Asparagus boiled until tender but still crunchy or al dente and seasoned with a French orange sauce made with egg yolks, cold water, lemon juice, butter, orange rind, sea salt and cayenne pepper in this recipe adapted from “Around the World in 450 Recipes” by Sarah Ainley.



This makes a lovely easy appetizers or side dish to meats and fish. This also makes a light and nutritious healthy meals topped over rice, noodles, or pasta.

To prepare asparagus appetizer recipes for cooking, rinse well and pat dry. Trim off the bottom end of the asparagus opposite of the tips and snap off the hard parts. If the asparagus is mature and a bit stringy, you can peel off the stringy parts using a vegetable peeler until you get to the tender inner part. For the best flavor and texture, choose young asparagus spears that are bright green in color and have no signs of wilting. The asparagus should still be bright green in color, tender but with a nice snap when broken in two with your fingers. Its characteristic crunch is what makes is such a pleasure to it.

The tangy and creamy French orange sauce complements the rich and buttery flavor of asparagus perfectly. The base of the sauce is hollandaise, which is one of the most popular French sauces used to accompany fish, vegetables, and meat. To make the sauce, you need a bain-marie, water bath or double boiler. You can also improvise with a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Making the sauce requires care and a delicate touch. The egg yolks should not coagulate and cook through when placed over the heat or they will scramble and the sauce will be ruined. They should be heated and mixed just until all the ingredients for the sauce are well incorporated.

Ingredients
¾ cup unsalted butter
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon cold water
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Juice and grated rind of 1 orange
30 asparagus spears, tough bottoms removed
Sea salt
Cayenne pepper

Preparation
1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Remove any foam from the surface and set aside.

2. Place a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of just simmering water. Add the egg yolks, water, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon of the orange juice. Season with salt. Whisk constantly over low heat until the sauce begins thickening. Remove the bowl from the stove.

3. Whisk in the melted butter, a couple of drops at a time, leaving the milky solids in the bottom of the saucepan behind. The sauce should thicken. Add the orange rind and 2 to 4 tablespoons of orange juice. Season with salt and cayenne. Keep warm, stirring from time to time.

4. Fill a deep skillet with 2 in. of water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Add the asparagus. Return to a boil. Simmer for 4 to 7 minutes, or until barely tender. Drain gently. Pat dry.

5. Place the asparagus on a platter and spoon some sauce over them. Serve immediately.













Sunday, November 3, 2013

Eggplant in Tomato Wine Sauce

This easy appetizers is full of flavor. It is also quite beneficial for the health. Here the eggplant is cooked with mushrooms, bell peppers, onions and garlic and flavored with vinegar, chives, tomato sauce, red wine, oregano, salt and pepper to make a gourmet sauce. This is excellent for pasta shells or even rice. This vegetarian appetizer recipes can be included in your weekly family menu as it makes a light and healthy meal. This colorful and delightful dish is best enjoyed with a good glass of red wine like Merlot of Pinot Noir.


Healthy Recipes Ingredients:
2 cups pasta shells
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup vinegar
1 large sized, peeled and cubed eggplant
1 finely chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1 chopped green bell pepper –
1/2 cup chives - chopped
2 tablespoon garlic - finely chopped/minced
1 each tomato - medium sized, chopped
4 tablespoon tomato sauce
4 tablespoon oregano
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
1/4 cup red wine

Preparation:
1. Cover pasta shells in water and cook in a saucepan according to package directions.
2. Add water and vinegar in a separate saucepan, and bring it to a simmer. Then add chopped eggplant, onion, chives, garlic, green peppers, and mushrooms. Cook for about 15-20 minutes until vegetables are tender.
3. Drain when vegetables are cooked then add to the cooked pasta along with tomato sauce, oregano, salt, pepper, and red wine. On low temperature stir and heat gently.