Family Gatherings

Dave and I both come from pretty good sized families and are lucky that we get to live close by to the majority of them.  Anytime there is a holiday, birthday, or any other reason to gather, we all gather and eat.  Both families know how to cook and we always end up with way to much yummy food.  This Easter was no exception.  Since we were going to be going over to both sides of the family's gatherings, I decided to make a quick appetizer and dessert that I could bring to both houses. 

I saw a cute idea on Pinterest to dip strawberries in orange chocolate to make them look like carrots.  I used the Wilton Candy Melts (picked them up at Michaels) and dipped some big strawberries.  They turned out so cute!  

I also made a gluten-free carrot cake from a box mix and frosted it with a homemade cream cheese frosting.  It was pretty good, but the cake turned out really thin.  If I ever made it again, I would bake it in an 8x8 pan or use two mixes in one 9x13 pan.  Dave helped me decorate it.  Didn't he do a great job?  

As long as I can remember, every gathering I have ever been to has been graced with a taco dip (aka layered taco, walking taco, layered bean dip).  As much as I like those, they do get a little boring, so I was really excited to find a new take on the layered dip on Pinterest: A greek version!  Everyone loved it and I was requested to make this for every family gathering until the end of time!  It's that good!  We have been pretty busy the past week, so I cheated and had Costco help me out with some pre-made ingredients.  I really like that Costco has been getting more organic, natural products, free from the yucky ingredients you normally find in processed foods.  I love that this can be customized with all your favorite ingredients, or take out things you don't love.

Layered Greek Dip

2.5 cups of your favorite hummus

1.5 cups of your favorite tzatziki

1 jar of kalmata olives, roughly chopped

1 15 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped

1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half

1/2 peeled and seeded cucumber

1/2 large red onion diced

1/2 jar peperoncini slices, drained

1 cup feta cheese

Pita chips or Organic tortilla chips

In a large casserole dish or serving platter (I used a 9x13 covered baking dish) layer ingredients in order.  Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.  Serve with pita chips, or organic tortilla chips. 

http://www.amazon.com/Wilton-Orange-Candy-Melts-12-Ounce/dp/B0061TXUJC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1364848476&sr=8-2&keywords=wilton+candy+melts+orange

Shrimp Civeche

One thing that I really love about living in Northern California, is the access to such a wide variety of fresh foods.  Within a 100 mile radius, this area produces almost every fruit, vegetable and meat one typically eats.  Olive groves for fresh olive oil.  Fields of artichoke plants.  Acres of citrus trees. Miles of pasture lands for animals.  Tomato fields.  Fresh and salt water fish.  Rice paddies.  Dairy farms.  You can even grow some varieties of bananas! If I were to go on a strict locavore diet, I don't think I would really miss out on anything at all.  Everything I love is grown around here. 

I'm still surrounded by bags of fresh lemons, so they are making their way into almost everything we eat.  And, even though it's only mid March, the temperatures have been creeping their way into the mid to high 70s!  When it starts to get warm outside, I only want to eat cold foods.  I decided to make my take on a shrimp civeche.  It was great eaten as is, but I also enjoyed it on a bed of butter lettuce leaves and scooped it up with organic tortilla chips. 

Shrimp Civeche

1 pound very small cooked shrimp, rinsed (I used 100 count shrimp)
2 Tbsp salt

Juice from 3 limes 

juice from 4 lemons
1 red onion, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, large stems removed and chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and diced

1 bunch of radishes, diced

Green Tobasco to taste
1-2 avocado, peeled, seed removed, cut into small chunks

Fresh butter lettuce (optional)

Organic corn tortilla chips (optional)

 

Place shrimp in a large glass bowl (do not use metal). Mix in the lime and lemon juice, red onion, cilantro, cucumber, and radishes. Refrigerate until ready to serve (at least 1 hour)  Right before serving, add the Tobasco and avocado. Serve chilled on a bed of fresh lettuce or as a dip with organic corn tortilla chips.  Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.  

Cucumber Tomato Salad

My garden is still overflowing with cucumbers.  We can't eat them, pickle them, or give them away fast enough.  Even if we ate cucumbers 3 meals a day, we would still have too many.  And yes, this is only from one plant!  Those things grow like weeds! 

When I was finishing up dinner the other night, I realized that I had forgotten to make a veggie to go with the meal.  I needed something fast so I decided to make a quick cucumber tomato salad.  It's so refreshing and tasty, it makes you forget you are actually eating something healthy!  

I like to start by washing and slicing up my cucumbers and tomatoes and putting them in a serving bowl.  I grind some fresh salt and pepper over the top.  Then I will drizzle over some oil and vinegar over the top.  In 5 minutes tops, I have a yummy vegetable to serve with my meal or as a stand alone snack.   

I have a slight addiction to gourmet spices, seasoning blends, olive oils, and vinegars.  I love that you can make the same basic dish and make it different every time based on a slight variation each time.   So even though I make this salad frequently, I always try to change it up to keep it from getting boring.  Sometimes I'll use rice vinegar and sesame oil.  Other times, I'll use olive oil and apple cider vinegar and toss in some fresh basil.  I've even added some sliced sweet red onions, mozzarella cheese, and olives to the mix.   

This time I used olive oil and a 20 year old aged pomegranate balsamic vinegar.  In place of salt, I used some Garlic Gold Sea Salt Nuggets.  Have you tried Garlic Gold before?  If you haven't you really should.  (No, they aren't paying me to say this...I just love this stuff).  I picked up some with a Groupon-like deal a while ago and I'm obsessed.  Little crunchy nuggets of garlic and sea salt.  This is not the garlic salt my mom used when I was little.  This stuff is awesome.  

I think that this was probably my favorite combination that I have put together so far.  Maybe we were really hungry, or it was really that good, but I was really disappointed when the bowl was empty.  

Cucumber Tomato Salad

1 cucumber

1 large tomato

1-2 tbl olive oil

1-2 tbl vinegar

salt and pepper

Wash cucumber, peel and seed if desired.  Slice.  Wash tomato and slice.  Place tomato and cucumber slices into a serving bowl.  Drizzle with oil and vinegar.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.   

This post was shared on Whole Food Fridays Week #11 and Creative Thursday Link Party #26