I have been on a real Mediterranean kick lately, and this appetizer is no different! I know, I know, Tzatziki is supposed to be a sauce not a dip. But I can’t help it, I think it goes great with crispy baked pita chips. There are a million different recipes for Tzatziki sauce as each person has their own unique version. Below is my version, which is very quick and easy to assemble – but please take a look at this recipe from Kalyn’s Kitchen and also this recipe from Simply Recipes for some great ideas and twists! I like my Tzatziki on the tangy side, so I sweetened up the pita chips to compliment! It is a combination I highly recommend.

Tzatziki Dip (Serves 8):

2 c non-fat Greek yogurt

1 c english cucumber, seeded and finely diced

4 cloves of garlic, finely minced

1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1 1/2 tbsp dill

1 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Place yogurt in large bowl. Seed and dice cucumber and dry with paper towel to remove excess moisture. Add cucumber, garlic, lemon juice and dill to the yogurt. Stir to combine. Pour olive oil on top of yogurt mixture and stir until incorporated. Add salt and pepper and stir to season. Cover and leave in refrigerator for at least one hour.

Sweetened Pita Chips (Serves 8):

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

olive oil

6 whole wheat pitas

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine paprika, chili powder, cinnamon, sugar and salt in small bowl. Split each pita into two round halves. Working with one half at a time, drizzle olive oil onto pita and distribute evenly with pastry brush. Sprinkle seasoning on pita. Repeat with remaining pitas and stack all pita halves. Cut stack of pitas into 6 triangles (total of 72 pieces). Spread pitas out onto baking sheets in single layer and bake for 10-12 minutes or until browned and crispy. Allow to cool before serving.

I have a very clear philosophy when it comes to cooking: keep the ingredients simple, but make the ingredients the best they can be. If you are going to make a simple appetizer, like the one in this recipe, make each ingredient shine. In this recipe, I have marinated the cubes of feta in a light vinegarette and I have oven roasted grape tomatoes instead of using jarred sundried tomatoes. The parsley pesto is meant to swirl on the plate so each appetizer can pick up a little bit of the sauce. But you can serve the pesto in a little bowl for dipping as well. These little bites have big bursts of flavor and go well with a dry, white wine. Enjoy!

There is something about a cast iron frying pan that resonates somewhere deep in my New England roots. My grandfather had a well seasoned cast iron pan. My father has a well seasoned cast iron pan. And truth be told, when my grandfather passed away a few years ago, my father inherited his father’s cast iron frying pan. Not that my father’s pan is anything to sneeze at, it is now 40 years old. But by doing the simple math, my grandfather’s pan must be 80 years old. And having fallen in love with cast iron, I want to inherit both of them. Actually, my father has a whole set of cast iron cookware. Given to him by one of his lovely daughters, yours truly. I was giving cast iron as a gift even before I truly appreciated it. I was always surrounded by cast iron pans, but I never understood the lure of cast iron until I finally broke down and bought one for myself a year ago.

I always thought cast iron pans were too fussy. I never quite understood why my father was so particular about his. There were rules about how to handle this pan. And as the main dishwasher of the family, I really resented the cast iron rules. My father insisted that soap never touch the pan and that it had to be dried immediately by hand with paper towels. “Seriously,” I always thought, “I’m on a roll with the soapy hot water right now!” I honestly thought the cast iron pan was just one other thing that shouldn’t be touched by children. I never really got why it was such an “adult” thing. Although, I also never understood the concept of a non-immersive electric skillet and almost ruined a few of those with my hot soapy water, too. Yes, electric skillet, I’m a child of the 70’s.

A colleague of mine was raving about her cast iron pan one day and when I expressed a knowledge of what that was, she encouraged me to buy one. She also went through the “rules” of owning one. I had heard these all before. You need to season it. You should never wash it with soap. You should dry it immediately. And you should always, always rub it with oil after every use. She even confessed to me that sometimes she just wiped it out with a paper towel if it wasn’t too dirty. Ew, I was horrified! I would never not wash one of my pans!

Season what now? I didn’t even know what “season” meant, I had to Google it. Basically, the more you use this pan, the better it gets. I love a good return on my investment, I was sold! The next time I was in my favorite department store, I picked up a 12″ Lodge cast iron pan. These come already pre-seasoned, so I skipped a labor intensive step right there. I carefully chose my first meal to make in the pan – sliced chicken sausage with red peppers and onions. I couldn’t believe how well the pan cooked. I mean, having cooked with the nuclear oven for so long, I expect less-than-greatness from a stove top burner. But this pan burned hot, it burned even, it gave the dish a great caramelized taste. I was hooked from the very beginning. And I have been loving it ever since! I’m a convert and I will tell anyone who listens. This cast iron frying pan has changed all of my dishes.

And yes, I gladly follow the rules. I wash it out with plain hot water every time I use it. Ok, most every time. Rarely, if I’ve cooked something not too messy, I will just wipe it out with a paper towel! Ew!! And I dry it right away. With recycled paper towels. And I rub oil into it every single time. But I would never describe this pan as fussy. In fact, it’s the opposite of fussy. It’s amazingly simple, and to know that my ancestors have been cooking with cast iron for ages gives me a certain sense of belonging and pride. Just like my grandfather and my father, it hits me somewhere deep in my New England roots to use this pan. It’s a tradition I will gladly carry on. My cast iron pan will last forever and it will be something that I can pass down as well.  As long as it stays well seasoned.

image by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pollyann/2961585771/

Inspired by the book The Skinnygirl Dish by Bethenny Frankel, I decided to create a vegetable soup to eat before meals. This vegetable soup is the perfect appetizer to serve to company. Not only do I sneak more vegetables into my diet (yes, I am a five year old) but I love the idea of filling up on this hearty and delicious soup before sitting down to a meal as a way of portion and appetite control. The base of this soup is from the garlic, onion, carrot and celery – but feel free to substitute the other four vegetables to ones that you love. The key to this soup is to cut all vegetables to roughly the same size for even cooking and a smoother puree. Substitute vegetable broth for a purely vegetarian soup.

Pureed Vegetable Soup:

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 c onion, diced

1/2 c celery, diced

1/2 c carrot, diced

1  c sweet potato, diced

1 c broccoli, diced

1 c cauliflower, diced

1 c red pepper, diced

1 quart chicken broth

1/4 c parsley, loosely packed

Over medium heat, combine olive oil and butter in large sauce pan. Add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add onion, season with salt and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes. Add carrot and celery, saute another 5 minutes. Add remaining vegetables and chicken broth. Bring soup to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Take soup off of the heat for 5 minutes to cool. Add parsley and blend soup (with traditional blender or immersion blender) and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Good morning foodie fans! Lots of work has been going on behind the scenes while I upgrade and redesign the site. Will hopefully launch the new version next week! In the mean time, though, I have had an extremely stressful week! And while the exercise is consistent (yay me!), the eating…not so much.

I really thought I was doing nothing different this week. Until I took a look at my recycling bin! Where did that box of Bagel Bites come from? I didn’t have those! Oh, wait, yes I did. That was Tuesday night when I didn’t stop working until after 8 p.m. and I was too exhausted to cook. Instead of going out for fast food, I went out and bought a box of those. And where did that box of Texas Toast come from? Right, that was another late night dinner. I had not even realized that these items even made it into my house until I took a good, long look at the recycling. Amazing!

So, with my eyes opened, I will try harder this week. And I’ll pay closer attention to the recycle bin out back. Until next week, stay healthy!

Here is a great way to use up your St. Patrick’s Day leftovers. Serve your leftover corned beef and cabbage as an appetizer! The only thing better than this classic pairing is the dollop of mustard sauce to go over the top. Tangy and bright, this mustard sauce will knock your socks off and is so easy to make – just two ingredients (plus salt and pepper).

Corned Beef and Cabbage Crackers (Serves 4):

12 0z cooked corned beef, chopped

1/2 c cooked cabbage, chopped

12 crackers

Mustard Sauce:

1/4 c fat free greek yogurt (or sour cream if you prefer)

2  1/2 tbsp whole grain mustard

dash of Salt

dash of Pepper

Mix mustard sauce in small bowl. Divide corned beef and cabbage evenly between the 12 crackers. Top each cracker with a teaspoon of mustard sauce. Serve at room temperature. Enjoy!

Once again,  Sur La Table is offering adorable holiday accents for your holiday table! Check out these new Easter must-haves. You won’t find anything cuter than these steals:

This is an adorable hand painted earthenware salt and pepper set to make your Easter dinner shine:

How about these cute straw chicks? This set of three chicks are 3″ tall and will brighten up any Easter decor:

Show off your egg dyeing skills with these chick cups! This set of four cups were crafted in Portugal and brought here to make your Easter a little cuter!

For this week’s recipe I tried to re-create a packaged pizza dip that I had fallen in love with. I incorporated sundried tomatoes into this appetizer to add a burst of flavor. And I’m happy to say, it worked! This dip is so easy, it’s full of pizza flavor and seems to be a real crowd pleaser. Though I make this dip with full fat ingredients, feel free to experiment with lower fat substitutes. Just give the dip more time to set up in the fridge. You can serve this dip with your favorite crackers or crostini as I did here.

Sundried Tomato Pizza Dip:

1 – 8 oz package of cream cheese

1/2 c sour cream

1/2 c mayonaise

3 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried basil

1 tbsp dried oregano (plus more for garnish)

1/2 c finely chopped sundried tomatoes packed in oil

Bring cream cheese to room temperature in large mixing bowl. Add in remaining ingredients and stir very well to combine. Put in refrigerator for at least 1 hour to set up. Take out of refrigerator at least 15 minutes before serving and garnish with a sprinkle of dried oregano. Enjoy!

I’ve lost track of the weeks! I think we just finished Week 7 according to my calculations. Yes, I’m still going strong on the 10in10 Challenge.

I have to admit that I guess I didn’t eat many processed foods to begin with, because I’m not really having to go out of my way to avoid them. The biggest difference in my life is the regular exercise. I feel great! So great, in fact, that I have decided to take on a third form of exercise. So not only will I be running and playing tennis – I’m going to start yoga as well. I have started building a ton of muscle lately and I’m feeling the need to stretch! I’m already looking forward to May when my exercise schedule will officially spin out of control. Tennis three days a week, running three days a week and yoga somewhere in between. I had better be a lean, mean muscle machine before my big trip in September or I’m going to be disappointed!!

Until next week, stay healthy!

I never really thought of fruit salad as an appetizer until it was served to me as a first course to a very delicious meal at a dear friend’s house. But it made total sense once I started eating this salad. It’s light and refreshing, it doesn’t fill you up and it’s the perfect start to a meal. Not to mention healthy! This very easy recipe requires no cooking time and very minimal chopping time. It makes way more than you would think, it easily serves four. Don’t skip the lemon flavored yogurt, it makes the dish! This recipe was originally published on AllRecipes.com and you can find the original recipe here. Try this for your next dinner party, you won’t be disappointed!

Waldorf Fruit Salad (Serves 4):

2 stalks of celery, finely chopped

1 Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped

1 Red Delicious apple, cored and chopped

1 nectarine, pitted and chopped

1/2 c walnuts, chopped

1/2 c dried cranberries

8 oz lemon flavored non-fat yogurt

Combine all ingredients in bowl, chill until serving time.