Category Archives: Appetizer

Sweet & Simple Snacks Pt. 1: Two Easy Treats

Peanut Butter & Jelly Snack Mix and Parmesan Crisps

The life of a college student means there is very little time for preparing food. Since I commute, there are many times where I spend my whole day on campus, and consequently need to eat at some point. However, the cafeteria doesn’t appeal to me much. Usually, this means I grab an apple or a protein bar on my way out the door, but that gets boring really fast. Sometimes, I’ve got to get creative. I need fuel that’s fun and easy to make.

Today and tomorrow I will be bringing you 4 Sweet & Simple Snacks (2 today; 2 tomorrow). By “sweet and simple,” I meant that they’re totally quick and easy to throw together, but super tasty as well.

First up, my latest snack of choice: Peanut Butter & Jelly Snack Mix.

This stuff is awesome for several reasons:

  1. You only need two ingredients: Peanut Butter Multigrain Cheerios and grapes.
  2. It’s healthy.
  3. Kids love it too.

Not only is this snack simple, but it’s fun as well. Who doesn’t love a good spin on PB&J? It’s absolutely perfect for packing in a ziplock bag and toting to school/work/where ever. I love the sweet and salty combination, as well as the mix of textures. So, when you’re in need of a satisfying snack that’s as good for you as it is yummy, this stuff is where it’s at!

Peanut Butter & Jelly Snack Mix
By The Smart Cookie Cook

All You Need Is:

  • 3/4 cup Multigrain Peanut Butter Cheerios
  • 1/2 cup grapes

To Serve it Up:

Combine Cheerios and grapes in a small bowl or pack into a ziplock bag to take to work or school. Enjoy!

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The second Sweet & Simple Snack: Parmesan Crisps.

These are basically the simplest food in existence. It’s literally Parmesan cheese with some garlic powder & red pepper flakes sprinkled on. You let it melt and turn golden, give it a flip, and VIOLA. Like magic, the cheese turns into a thin and crispy chip. They taste like an upscale Cheez-it, and they’re so addicting! These not only make a great snack, but they’re a perfect party appetizer as well. You can churn out dozens of these babies in minutes and keep your guests snacking all night!

Parmesan Crisps
By The Smart Cookie Cook

Yield: 12 crisps (Note: You can easily double or triple this recipe as necessary)

All You Need Is:

  • 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • garlic powder
  • red pepper flakes

To Serve it Up:

  1. Bring a skillet to medium heat. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle a tablespoon of cheese onto the skillet in the shape of a small circle, making sure there are no holes. I recommend cooking four crisps at a time. Let cook until cheese melts and turns golden on the bottom. Gently slide a spatula underneath the crisp and flip. Let cook until the other side is golden. Transfer to a plate. Sprinkle with garlic powder & red pepper flakes to taste. Enjoy!

Making appetizing snacks can be easy! Switch up your same ol’ snack routine and try these easy and delicious twists. Make sure you stop in tomorrow for two more Sweet & Simple treats! Here’s a hint for what’s to come in part two: a little bit of indulgence!

Healthy Cookie: Sauteed Cannellini Beans and Kale

I know; I’ve been going kale crazy lately. But can you blame me? It’s so good!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: kale is the king of greens. It is chock full of nutrients and plain old delicious. It’s the tastiest of all greens in my humble opinion. With all that good stuff in such a natural, untouched form, kale is truly a bundle of benefits given as a gracious gift from Nature itself. In today’s day and age (especially as Americans), we’ve been trained to love foods that are processed, chemically enhanced, and filled with preservatives. Because of this, foods like kale can be confounding. Kale is untouched, a product of Mother Nature only. And yet, it is so delicious and nutritious.

Okay, so nature is pretty awesome sometimes.

Now, there is but one flaw when it comes to kale: it doesn’t have a significant amount of protein. So how do you balance out the meal? With beans, of course!

I love me some beans. Protein-packed, hearty, and plain old delicious, beans are a super food (much like kale). Therefore, they’re the perfect addition to a kale dish. Put beans and kale together, and what to you get? Sauteed Cannellini Beans and Kale.

This dish hits all the right marks:

Delicious? Check.
Nutritious? Check.
Protein-packed? Check.
Flavorful? Double check!

Talk about well-rounded!

Fresh kale and tender, creamy cannellini beans get sauteed with veggie stock, garlic, onions, and of course some spicy red pepper flakes to create a sizzling dish with a myriad of textures and flavors. The whole thing is topped off with reduced-fat mozzarella cheese for that little touch of indulgence that even a nutritious meal needs.

The best part is that this delicious meal is crazy low-cal, so you can stuff your face without having to stuff your bulging belly into jeans that no longer fit tomorrow morning. That’s the best kind of meal!

A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:

  1. Not a fan of cannellini beans? Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) would be a delicious substitute.
  2. Craving meat? Add some strips of white meat chicken to the mix.
  3. This meal is super fast, perfect for a weeknight dinner.
  4. This would be delicious with some whole wheat pasta!

Sauteed Cannellini Beans and Kale
By The Smart Cookie Cook

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup vegetable stock
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 2 generous cups roughly chopped fresh kale
  • 1/2 cup cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • salt, to taste
  • red pepper flakes, to taste
  • 1 reduced-fat or light mozzarella string cheese stick (like Sargento)

Directions:

  1. Bring a medium skillet filled with 1/4 cup of veggie stock to medium heat. Add the garlic and onions. Saute until aromatic and translucent, about 2 minutes.
  2. Add the kale and cover. Let simmer for 5 minutes or until kale begins to wilt.
  3. Meanwhile, pull the cheese stick into strings then roughly chop. Set aside.
  4. Once the kale begins to wilt, add the beans, salt, and red pepper flakes and stir. Add up to another 1/4 cup of veggie stock if the kale is too dry for your like. Continue to cook uncovered until beans are hot.
  5. Turn off the heat, but keep the pan over the burner. Immediately sprinkle the cheese over the top then cover until cheese melts, about 1 minute. Grab yourself a bowl and enjoy!

Healthy Cookie: Kale and Bean Soup

Let’s be honest: we all get bored with our food sometimes. If we could eat whatever we wanted without gaining a single pound, seeing a spike in our cholesterol level, or having to actually make the food ourselves, then that would be a different story. But that’s not the case. We’re limited by time, money, and the number of notches in our belts.

Eating healthy can seem repetitive at times. Eating vegetarian and healthy can be even worse. I get into these periodic ruts where I eat the same three or four meals for a couple of weeks until, eventually, I cannot take anymore. It comes down to two options: think of something new and delicious to make, or die.

Alright, that’s a little extreme, but isn’t that what it feels like sometimes? Luckily, I was able to brush some dust off the ol’ idea light bulb and come up with something good: Kale and Bean Soup.

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PB & J Dip (Video)

Sometimes, when you least expect it, a stroke of genius hits you.

That’s how I get all my greatest foodspirations*. I’ll be sitting around (hungry), thinking about food (is there anything else worth thinking about?), and then some beautiful idea hits me out of the blue so suddenly that I’m practically knocked right out of my chair. This PB & J Dip was born from such unexpected grace.

It was one of those situation where the second I thought of it, I had to make it right then and there. Well, sort it. I thought of this when I was tucked snugly in bed, trying to fall asleep, so I didn’t exact hop up from my half-conscious state and flee to the kitchen. But I did make if first thing the next day. Thank goodness I did.

This is the easiest dip you will ever make in your life. You only need four ingredients, peanut butter, jelly, whipping cream and powdered sugar, and it comes together in mere minutes. But that’s not the best part, my little cookies. This dip is crazy-insane, blow-your-mind, hug-your-grandma, praise-the-heavens delicious. So, it’s easy to whip together and downright divine to eat…is this real life?

Well, if I am dreaming, then no one pinch me. I wan to stay in my bowl of PB & J deliciousness forever. With layers of luscious, fluffy peanut butter mousse and tart yet sweet jelly, it is like dipping into heaven’s bowl. Top it off with a layer of salty roasted peanuts and discover textural bliss between the light, creamy dip and the crunchy nuts. This is what all salty-sweet foods dream of being.

It’s that familiar flavor combo you loved served up in a new, indulgent way. Grab your dipper of choice and dive in.

I serve this PB & J Dip with hunks of moist pound cake, salty pretzels, and crisp mini vanilla wafers. They are all perfect vessels in their own way. Which one you choose is entirely up to you.

A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:

  1. Want to whip you whipped cream really fast? There are two keys to speedy whipping: super cold cream and a chilled bowl. Keep you cream in the fridge until you’re ready to use it so it’s nice and chilled and, if possible, let your bowl chill out in the fridge for a while too.
  2. Use whatever flavor jelly you like best.
  3. I don’t recommend using crunchy peanut butter. It will ruin the smooth texture of the mousse.
  4. Crackers, brownie chunks, shortbread, and celery sticks would also make great dippers.
  5. Instantly turn this dip into a trifle: Layer crisp ladyfingers between the PB and J layers and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
  6. This dip is PERFECT for parties. Dip is the ideal party food, plus who doesn’t love peanut butter and jelly?
  7. Make sure you watch my how-to video below!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Dip
By the Smart Cookie Cook

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup + 2 tbsp. powdered sugar
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 12-oz. jar of jelly (your choice of flavor)
  • Salted roasted peanuts for garnish and crunch
  • Assorted dippers: chunks of pound cake, vanilla wafers, pretzels

Directions:

  1. In a large mixing bowl, whip the cream and sugar on high speed until stiff peaks form.
  2. Gently fold in the peanut butter until well incorporated.
  3. In a large glass bowl or trifle dish, spread one-third of the peanut butter mousse onto the bottom of the bowl. Top with half of the jelly and spread out evenly. Add another third of peanut butter and spread out. Top with the other half of jelly, followed by the last third of the peanut butter. Smooth out evenly. Your layers should be: PB, jelly, PB, jelly, PB.
  4. Top with a generous sprinkle of roasted peanuts and serve. Store leftover covered in the fridge for up to 2 days.

*Foodspiration – n – a brilliant inspiration involving food.

Classic Crispy French Fries

My little cookies, I must confess something about myself to you.

When I was little, I had a problem, or perhaps “obsession” would be the better word. I have mentioned the deep, all-consuming love I had for potatoes as a child a few times before, and I have never once exaggerated. Potatoes were my main food group between the ages of 6 and 12. I could not get enough of them. It didn’t help that I was a picky eater, so I didn’t eat much else. In the morning, I would eat a hashbrown with cheese melted on top. Then, I would come home from school and wolf down almost an entire bag of sour cream and onion potato chips (still my favorite). And for dinner: I gorged on my all time favorite cheese fries from Giovanni’s Pizza, the incredible pizzeria I was so blessed to live within walking distance from as a kid.

Whether it be mashed potatoes, hashbrowns, or potato pancakes, I ate every food involving potatoes to satiate my starch cravings. However, my true achilles heel was french fries. At that young age, I knew of no love stronger than the one I harbored for french fries. I would make a meal out of them, eating ungodly large piles in one sitting. They were just so good. (Would you be shocked if I told you I went through a pudgy stage right around this time?)

Eventually, my dad rationed me to only eating fries twice a week, in the hopes of working some other food groups into my system. This was a crushing blow, but perhaps for the better. Nowadays, I eat much healthier (not to mention, I lost the pudge). My diet consists of many more health-conscious choice and a lot loss french fries. But I’ve got to say, they are still one of my absolute favorite foods.

When I choose to indulge, I still love to scarf down some fries. There’s just something so impeccably addicting about those golden, deep-fried suckers that lures me in every time. If you offer me fries, I could muster up a serious amount of strength and force myself to pass them up, but as soon as I eat one, I’m a goner.

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Baked Fontina Dip

This one’s for all the foodies who have ever asked, “Is it socially acceptable to consume mounds of melted cheese and nothing more?” It’s time to fess up; many of us desire to do just that. The good news is, you finally can.

You see, the trick is to be crafty about it. If you melt down a hunk of cheddar and stuff your face into it, you’ll probably get some judgmental looks and sideways glances. However, if you melt together Fontina with olive oil, garlic, and an array of fresh, flavorful herbs, then you’ve got yourself a dip, and dip is 100% accepted by society (…unless it has people it. As Johnny Depp so eloquently points out in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, cannibalism is “frowned upon in most societies”).

This Baked Fontina Dip is delightfully deceiving. It tastes and looks like some fancy fondue, when in all actuality, it’s three simple ingredients melted into cheesy bliss. It doesn’t get much easier than this, nor does it get more indulgent. A dip that’s practically pure cheese is the ultimate way to feed your soul. All you need is a good hunk of bread, and you’re ready to go to town.

If ooey, gooey, melty* cheese sounds good to you, then you can’t pass up this delicious dip. It has tons of flavor from the fresh herbs and garlic, mimicking fondues and dips from the fanciest of Italian restaurants. The best part is, you don’t have to go out to a fancy Italian restaurant to eat it. You don’t even have to exert a significant amount of effort; just pop it in the oven and bake, then get ready to start dipping.

A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:

  1. I’m going to be honest: you must keep this dip warm in order for it to remain dippable.* When it starts to cool, it immediately begins to re-solidify, like most fondues do. I recommend serving it in a fondue pot or some other heated serving dish. If you don’t have either of these things, then eat fast!
  2. I adore sourdough bread for dipping in this. You could also do Italian bread or veggies. I don’t recommend crackers or chips though because they won’t hold up to the dip.
  3. If you aren’t into the herbs I used, basil or parsley would be delicious substitutions.
  4. This makes A LOT of dip, so I cut it in half for you. Trust me, you’ll be glad. Unless you’re feeding an army, you don’t need all that cheese!
  5. Got leftovers? Make it into a grilled cheese!

Baked Fontina
Adapted from Smells Like Home; originally adapted from How Easy is That? by Ina Garten

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 lb Italian fontina, rind removed and cubed into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. Adjust top rack of the oven so that it sits about 5 inches under the broiler unit. Preheat broiler.
  2. Spread cheese out in the bottom of a cast iron pan or casserole dish.  Drizzle olive oil over the cheese.  Mix together the garlic and herbs in a small bowl and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the cheese.  Sprinkle salt and pepper over the top of the cheese.
  3. Bake for 6 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and melted through.  Carefully remove the pan from the oven and set it on a heatproof surface – the pan will be hot!  Serve immediately with bread for dipping.

*Melty – (adj) Melted; a term often used to describe foods that are ooey gooey.

*Dippable – (adj) Having the ideal texture for dipping.

Cheddar Jack Bean Dip

Hey football fans, do you know what this Sunday is?

It’s that bowl thing you get really excited about every year.

I’m going to be honest with you little cookies, I’m not big on sports. The Super Bowl means as much to me as the latest Twilight premiere means to most men. But (if we’re still being honest), there is one aspect of the Big Game that gets me excited: the food.

The Super Bowl doesn’t just mean football, grown adults hollering at the TV screen, or amusing commercials (the only part of the game I watch); it means finger foods galore. Dips, chips, wings, pizza, and more congregate on this day in order to provide fans with handheld and deep-fried goodness. I may not know who’s playing in the Big Game this year (let alone how football works to begin with), but I do know a thing or two about food.

What’s a quintessential Game Day eat? Dip, of course. It’s standard, snackable finger food fare, perfect for parties and get togethers like watching the Superbowl because it can be shared (just don’t be “that person” who double dips). However, achieving the perfect dip is more complicated than one might think. You need something substantial, not so thin that it’s like soup, but not so thick that it’s undippable*. A little bit of kick is always a crowd-pleaser, but you don’t want to go too hot in case you’ve got some spice-intolerant* people attending your Game Day gathering. Cheese makes pretty much any dip perfect, but go too rich and you’ll be sending your over-stuffed guests rolling home. Perhaps more importantly than all of this, that dip better be delicious.

Guess what? I’ve got a dip to satisfy all of the above criteria: Cheddar Jack Bean Dip. It’s nice and thick while still passing the No-Break Chip Test,* and it’s got the ideal balance of hearty yet not overly rich. There is definitely some heat here, the kind that sneaks up on you. You take a bite and you think you’re safe, when all of a sudden, it hits you. Hello, red pepper flakes; Didn’t realize you where there…

This Bean Dip isn’t just packing heat; it’s exploding with flavor too. Between the onions, garlic, olive oil, and of course, that spicy kick, your mouth is going to be partying hard with every bite. Super Bowl Party? What Super Bowl Party? The party is happening in this dip.

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Sweet & Simple: Honey Roasted Nuts

When it comes to flavors, sweet and salty treats provide the ultimate eating experience. They give a little bit of this and a little bit of that so you don’t have to choose when you snack sensors start calling to you. It’s the best of both worlds, a complex blend of sugar and salt to create multiple levels of flavor.

Honey is perhaps the most naturally sweet substance mother nature has bestowed upon us (besides sugar itself). It’s like sweet liquid gold. In contrast, nuts are the Earth’s natural salty snack. Combine the two, and you’ve got the pinnacle of salty-sweet snacks in the most basic form that nature intended.

These Honey Roasted Nuts are a handful of honey-kissed delight. With the perfect balance of salty and sweet, they are wonderfully satisfying to your snack attack cravings. They’ve even got a bit of heat that kicks in when you least expect it, spicing up your snacking experience. These aren’t your ordinary store-bought honey roasted peanuts; they’re fresh from the oven, made with real honey, and packing more flavor in one peanut than a whole jar of the store-bought stuff.

Besides being delicious, these nuts are quick and easy to make. Mix up the ingredients and give it a nice and toasty roast, and you’ve got yourself a snack. They’re the perfect finger food for Super Bowl celebrations, or for late-night self-indulging. To share or not to share? That’s up to you, my little cookies.

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Creamy Tomato Soup

There was a time years ago when people found comfort in a can of Campbell’s Tomato Soup. It was all they knew: a creamy, warm meal that flowed smoothly down their throats, and straight to their hearts. Often, the soup was rounded out with the addition of a grilled cheese sandwich. A simple comfort yes, but it was cheap and it was good.

Little did those people know, they were missing out big time.

The real appeal of canned soup is its convenience; it’s quick, easy, and tasty. All you’ve got to do is pop open a lid and heat it up. But did you know how incredibly easy homemade Creamy Tomato Soup is? All you need is a handful of ingredients to create fresh, flavorful soup in next to no time. You can have this meal on the table in ten minutes, or you can cook it then let it sit over low-heat and eat when you’re ready. It’s a perfect weeknight dinner because it takes so little effort. You practically just pile the ingredients into a pot and call it a day. Let’s be honest; after a long, hard day, you need something hearty and replenishing that won’t diminish whatever small bit of energy you have left to make.

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Homemade Onion Rings

What is it about dredging something in batter and submerging it into a vat of steaming hot oil that makes food so much more delicious? I’ve yet to try anything deep-fried that I didn’t deeply love. Whether it be potatoes, cheese, mac and cheese, or even Oreos, it seems no food is immune to the deep fryer’s  kiss of golden brown goodness. Deep-frying takes an otherwise basic food and kicks it up to a whole new crispy, golden level. It’s like some sort of magical metamorphosis. A plain ol’ stick of cheese can turn into a gooey, crispy, crunchy delicacy when covered in breading and dunked in the fryer. Plain potato goes from limp and bland to golden brown and delicious. Is is it magic? I can’t say for sure. But when I eat a good basket of deep-fried onion rings, it’s hard to think otherwise.

Although I’m a fan of all things fried, onion rings are definitely in my top three favorites. They’re crispy, crunchy, and delicious, with great flavor from that onion. When done right, onion rings are a tasty treat. After having tried these circular onions from just about every restaurant in existence, it is only natural that I began to ponder how good homemade onion rings might be.

Turns out, homemade onion rings aren’t good.

They’re AMAZING!

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