Appetizers

Caramelized Vidalia Onion & Sausage Galette

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It’s my favorite time of the year……..Vidalia Onion season! Do you know what makes Vidalia Onions so sweet? The low amount of sulfur in the soil of which they are grown, combined with growing conditions and weather! And, fun fact, Vidalia Onions are grown in 20 South Georgia counties! Shuman Farms RealSweet Onions have been bringing onions to us for over 35 years.

Whenever you see the RealSweet® bag at your local grocery store, rest assured in knowing that you are receiving only the highest quality of onions. Each bag is checked by hand for quality and weight accuracy before shipping. Once packaged, these sweet onions are loaded onto trucks and shipped to your local grocer. The Vidalia growing region may only be in Southeast GA, but Vidalias are available all over the country! Be on the lookout for these onions on your next trip to the grocery store, and taste the RealSweet difference! 

I was so excited to create a new recipe with these gorgeous Shuman Farms RealSweet Onions. This Caramelized Vidalia Onion & Sausage Galette is packed full of sweet onion flavor in every bite. The sausage helps to give it a savory note and the Dijon mustard gives it that yummy flavor that keeps you coming back for just one more bite. This galette is not only delicious, but super easy to prepare. Serve as a main dish with a salad, or it would also make a wonderful appetizer!

Caramelized Vidalia Onion & Sausage Galette

Ingredients: 

8 oz. breakfast sausage

1 pre-made pie crust

6-8 ounces Gruyère cheese

5 medium Vidalia onions, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard

2 tablespoons butter

5 sprigs fresh thyme

Salt/Pepper to taste

Egg White to brush on crust

 

Instructions: 

In a large skillet, brown the sausage. Take out of pan and set aside.

In the same skillet that you used to cook the sausage, add butter. Then, add in the onions, salt/pepper and thyme. Cook stirring frequently. You want the onions to be caramelized and a golden brown. It will take around 15-20 minutes.

While onions are caramelizing, grate the Gruyère cheese.

After onions have cooked down, add cooked sausage back in.

Add in Dijon mustard, and mix together.

Roll out premade pie crust on a non-stick baking sheet or pizza pan.

Place the sausage and onion mixture into the center of the pie crust.

Gently fold the edges of the dough over the filling. Make sure to pleat the dough about every 2 inches.

Sprinkle the grated Gruyère cheese over the top of the filling.

Use an egg white wash to brush over the crust. This will result in a golden brown crust.

Place on baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees until crust is golden brown, around 25-30 minutes.

Serve and enjoy! You can sprinkle extra thyme on top if you desire.

 

 

Cowboy Caviar – The Perfect Appetizer for Any Occasion!

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If you need a fun, yet delicious recipe for all of your summer barbecues, Cowboy Caviar is going to be your new favorite appetizer! This delicious “salad” is comprised of some of my favorite items and is full of freshness in every bite! There are many variations of how Cowboy Caviar can be made, but this recipe is my version. Feel free to add some heat with a jalapeño, or you can omit the avocados. It really is super versatile and can be made to your liking! I am calling this an appetizer, but really you could add this on top of grilled chicken or pork and it would be the perfect compliment as well — The possibilities are endless!

INGREDIENTS:

4 roma tomatoes, diced

1/2  yellow pepper, halved and diced

1/2 red pepper, halved and diced

1/2 red onion diced

2 avocados, diced

1 bunch of fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1 15oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 15oz. can black beans drained and rinsed

1 can sweet corn drained

You will also make a sweet and savory dressing to immerse the Cowboy Caviar with. When you add this to this mix of veggies and beans, it sets the delicious factor over the top!

DRESSING:

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon lime juice

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup sugar

1 Teaspoon onion powder

1 Teaspoon oregano

Salt/Pepper for taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a large bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients together except for the avocados. (corn, tomatoes, beans, cilantro, bell peppers, and red onion). 

In a smaller bowl, whisk together ingredients for dressing and pour over the salad mixture.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving so that the flavors can combine together. Just before serving add in the diced avocado.

Serve with your favorite tortilla chips or veggies and enjoy! It is so addicting, you will have a hard time eating just a few bites!

Easy Avocado Egg Salad Bites

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I am always looking for quick and healthy lunch ideas. This recipe for Easy Avocado Egg Salad Bites is one of my favorites lately and is also great for those of you who are following a low-carb or keto diet. I love that it combines both egg salad and avocado into one delicious bite!

INGREDIENTS:

6 eggs, hard-boiled

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 cucumber sliced into round, bite size pieces

1 large ripe avocado mashed

Everything But the Bagel Seasoning for sprinkling on the top of the bites. (You can also use this one from Walmart)

DIRECTIONS:

Peel and dice the hard boiled eggs. (If don’t have one of these Dash Rapid Egg Cookers, you are totally missing out! it will hard boil your eggs in just minutes and they will peel like a dream!) Add them to a mixing bowl.

Cut avocado in half lengthwise and remove pit. Add the avocado mixture to the mixing bowl with the eggs.

Add in the mayonnaise and a few sprinkles of the Everything But the Bagel Seasoning.

Mix everything together. I personally like to leave some chunks of avocado and egg in my salad, but if you prefer it smoother that is fine as well.

Place the Avocado Egg Salad onto the sliced cucumbers and sprinkle some more Everything But the Bagel Seasoning.

Enjoy! These are so refreshing and you can even serve these as an appetizer if you wish for your next picnic or potluck! I was thinking that these would be so yummy with the addition of bacon bites on them as well!

Homemade Pimento Cheese Spread #KetoFriendly

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I don’t know about you, but I think that there is something comforting and delicious about a yummy dish of homemade pimento cheese spread. I mean, every good southern girl has at least one Pimento Cheese recipe in her repertoire, right? Here is recipe that I have been making for awhile now that is not only delicious, but is also great for those on Keto and low-carb diets.

Homemade Pimento Cheese Spread

(recipe adapted from Big Bear’s Wife)

Ingredients:

1 8oz. package of softened cream cheese

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. dried mustard

4oz. diced drained pimentos

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese and shredded cheddar cheese together with an electric mixture. Add in the mayonnaise and mix together. Add in the dry spices and the Worcestershire sauce and stir everything together. Fold in the pimentos. Refrigerate for at least one hour until serving. I love to serve with Whisps for a low carb or keto-friendly snack. This is so delicious and you will not be able to eat just one helping!

 

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

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I made a similar version to this salsa last weekend and my family loved it! I decided to add black beans to the mix this week and it is even tastier! If you love a good chunky salsa then you are sure to love this Black Bean & Corn Salsa! Once you start eating it though, be warned that you will not be able to stop! It is that good!

Ingredients:

1 can of drained black beans

1 can of drained sweet corn (last week I used fresh corn; either will work)

2 medium sized tomatoes, diced

1/2 red onion, diced

1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped

fresh squeezed lime juice (I just eyeball and add for taste)

salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together. Check seasonings for taste. Add as much salt/pepper and lime juice to your preference. Refrigerate at least 3-5 hours. Eat with corn chips and enjoy!

Baked Zucchini Fries

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I don’t know about you, but I am always searching for ways to get more vegetables into my diet. It can be a struggle some days, right? I know that I am not alone!

One of my favorite vegetables is zucchini. I love that it is so versatile. You can make noodles out of it, sautee it, bake it and more! I recently made zucchini “fries” and they were so delicious! These “fries” are so easy to make and you can dip them in your favorite low calorie dipping sauce!

Baked Zucchini Fries

3 medium zucchini rinsed

no calorie butter spray

salt, pepper to taste

2 tablespoons bread crumbs

 

Directions:

Cut the zucchini into strips to resemble fries and place on baking tray.

Spray the zucchini with the butter spray and season with the salt and pepper.

Sprinkle on the breadcrumbs.

Combine all of the ingredients together and bake at 350 until done. This typically takes about 20 minutes.

If you want more breadcrumbs to make them even crispier, you can add more. I am just trying to watch my caloric intake since I am doing the Nutrisystem plan.

Enjoy! These are so delicious! I dipped them in Calorie Free Walden Farms Ranch dressing that I buy at Publix.

You will want to eat the entire pan! Go ahead, zucchini is so good for you!

Mini Caprese Bites With Balsamic Drizzle #SundaySupper

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One of my favorite appetizers that I turn to again and again when we dine out is Caprese Salad! There is something to be said for the ooey gooey mozarella paired with the sweet tomato, basil and balsamic glaze! Caprese Salad servings can sometimes be on the larger side, so wouldn’t it be fun to make them into small bites that you can pop into your mouth when you are having a party or social function?

This week the #SundaySupper Tastemakers are bringing you some delicious Fancy Appetizers that will be perfect for your next party or social function. A big thank you goes out to our amazing host Wendy of Wholistic Woman who helped to make this event happen!

This past Christmas Eve I was at my friend Charity’s house and we made these Mini Caprese Bites With Balsamic Drizzle that are to die for! They are the perfect taste of a Caprese Salad but in bite size. Shhh….don’t tell anyone, but I can down 5-6 of these in 1 sitting. Oh, and did I mention that they are guilt-free eating? How can you wrong with Basil, Tomato, Mozarella and Balsamic?

Not only are these Mini Caprese Bites With Balsamic Drizzle delicious, they are also super easy to make! You are sure to reach for this Fancy Appetizer again and again! People will think that you slaved over this fancy appetizer all day long, but you can whip it up in no time flat!

Ingredients:

Cherry Tomatoes

Fresh Basil

Mozzarella Balls (I found these in the specialty case at my local grocery store)

Balsamic Glaze (you can make your own, but I found the most delicious pre-made variety)

Salt/Pepper to Taste (optional)

Toothpicks

Directions:

Take the Cherry tomatoes and cut off the bottom to form a “foot” so that they can stand up on their own. Take a mozzarella ball and place on top of the tomato followed by a fresh basil leaf. After you have assembled the plate with all of the bites, drizzle the balsamic glaze over the top. You may also sprinkle with salt and pepper if you prefer. Serve and enjoy!

Here are some more delicious Fancy Appetizers from my #SundaySupper Tastemaker friends for you to enjoy!

Finger Foods

Hors d’oeuvres

Seafood

Sweets

Veggies

Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.