Sandwich

German Ham and Cheese Garlic Toast // GIVEAWAY

16 · May 27, 2014 · 6 Comments

This post brought to you by the Panasonic FlashXpress™ Toaster Oven// A few years ago, our family traveled to Germany and one of the first meals I had there was a simple ham & cheese toast from one of the local bakeries. We had stopped at the Rhine Neckar Zentrum (Mall) in Viernhiem for dinner, my husband and the girls decided to eat at KFC and I just couldn’t swallow the idea of eating American food while in Germany. I mean really?

I set out on a hunt for a more “German” quick bite to eat while the family was eating their “American” chicken. I found a little bakery inside the mall there and had the most interesting, simple meal. It was a loaf a good German bread cut in half with some type of garlic spread, diced ham and lots of sharp melted cheese. It was simple and boy was it tasty!

Recently, the folks at Panasonic asked it I would be interested in trying out their FlashXpress™ Toaster Oven and to develop a quick, in a flash meal with the FlashXpress™ and I immediately thought of my first German meal. It would be perfect in a toaster oven! Of course I said yes, and set out to recreate one of my favorite quick German meals.

Once I found a good garlic spread it was super simple to recreate. I used Mezzetta’s Savory Garlic Everything Spread which is SUPER tasty. I spread that on some good bread that I found in the bakery at Super Target, topped that with some diced ham that I sautéed in a little bit of butter, shredded sharp cheddar cheese and a little parmesan cheese.

Popped it into the Panasonic FlashXpress™ Toaster oven and within 10 minutes I had a perfect quick meal for the family, in a flash!

The nice thing… I didn’t have to heat up my oven and my kitchen at all and the ham and cheese garlic toast turned out perfect!

I will have to admit, when I was approached by Panasonic to do this post I was going to turn it down. I didn’t want one more thing cluttering up my counter tops. I mentioned it to my husband and he flipped… He’s been wanted to get a toaster oven for some time and I just wouldn’t jump on board. I have never had a toaster oven and I just didn’t understand the magic that you can create in this little toasting machine.

This one especially is compact, it doesn’t take up much space, you can get it in white or silver and it has some of the best infrared technology around. I especially love that the rack is designed to pull out when you open the door, making retrieving your food easier and safer. It has several presets or you can just use the temperature and time controls. It’s super easy to use and clean and I will have to admit… I use it ALL THE TIME now! I hardly ever use my microwave anymore. I’ve been making homemade croutons, baking cookies and of course making toast of all kinds. I have been TOTALLY converted!

The folks at Panasonic would love to giveaway a FlashXpress™ to one of YOU!!

All you have to do is follow the direction in the Rafflecopter box below…

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer // This is a sponsored post. I received a Panasonic FlashXpress™ Toaster oven to review along with funds to create a recipe. All thoughts, ideas and opinions are my very own.

Zucchini Hummus Recipe

3 · Apr 30, 2014 · 3 Comments

// Zucchini Hummus Recipe brought to you by Pompeian Olive Oil //

A few months ago, I had the exciting opportunity to travel to Israel to go on a food tour of that amazing country. Our first full day there, we were on a quest to find the best hummus in the country. Now hummus in Israel is a BIG deal! Here in America when we get hungry we head out to some fast food joint and grab a burger to eat on the go. In Israel, they have little hummus huts and that’s where everyone goes when they want to grab a quick bite to eat. Our quest took us to Jaffa…

… Just outside of Tel Aviv. Here is where the famous Abu Hasan Hummus hut is located, hidden within the winding streets of this ancient city.

Abu Hassan is famous for one thing… Hummus! That’s about all they make and they make it well. Everyday people line up outside this little hole in the wall shop to get their hummus and when the hummus pot is empty, the shop closes for the day, so you have to get there early!

Abu Hasan’s hummus is unlike any hummus I have ever tried in the US. It’s rich and creamy with a flavor that just grabs you and then haunts you forever. They top the hummus with chickpeas, garlic, paprika, parsley and then they float a full flavored olive oil on top. It’s truly an amazing culinary experience.

When I returned home, all I could think about was that hummus. What I would give for one more taste of that magical creation. I TRIED to recreate it with a few tricks that I learned while in Israel and it was good, but not Abu Hasan good. So, I kind of gave up my quest until the other day.

This last week I spent some good quality time with Aimée and Bettijo from Paging Supermom, while we were attending SNAP, the creative blog conference. While we were sitting at Café Rio in the Salt Lake City Airport, Aimée mentioned one of her favorite recipes and it kind of blew my mind… Zucchini Hummus! Yea, that’s what I said… Zucchini Hummus, for real?

I have heard of making hummus out of white beans instead of chickpeas, but I have never heard of making it with zucchini! I was intrigued and had to give this new idea a go. I did a little research and then put into practice the hummus tricks I learned in Tel Aviv at the Dan Gourmet School of Culinary Arts and came up with my recipe for Zucchini Hummus.

Now, one of the keys to this tasty and good for you treat is the olive oil. For this application, you need a good, full flavored olive oil that is fruity and can hold up to the bold flavors from the garlic and cumin. I used a fabulous full flavored olive oil from Pompeian’s Varietals collection. The magic of the premium Varietals collections is that each type of oil is pressed from one single type of olive. I used the Koroneiki oil which is from the first cold press of the Koroneiki olive.

It’s bold and fruity with a peppery finish that is just perfect for my zucchini hummus. I used it in the hummus as well as floating some on top as a flavor booster as well as a garnish.

I was BLOWN AWAY when I tasted it for the first time. It truly took me back to Israel. It’s not Abu Hasan, but to me it’s a fresher, even healthier way to savor the flavors of one of my favorite place. Here is how you make it…

Zucchini Hummus

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Prep time

3 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

8 mins

This fresh take on humus will blow you away and have you constantly coming back for more!

Author: Heather // WhipperBerry

Recipe type: light meal

Cuisine: Israeli

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

1 cup Tahini
2 medium zucchini
1 lemon
½ teaspoon citric acid
2 tablespoons of garlic paste
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon of Pompeian Varietials Koroneiki Olive Oil

Instructions

Peel and chop your zucchini and add to the bowl of your food processor.
Juice your lemon and add half of the lemon juice to start to the zucchini.
Add the tahini, citric acid, garlic paste, cumin, sea salt and pepper and blend slowly adding the olive oil while blending.
Taste the hummus and see if the seasoning needs some adjustment. You may need to add a little more of the reserved lemon juice or possibly salt. You can tweak it to your taste.
Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil.
Serve with veggies and pita chips or use as an addition to salads or sandwiches.

Disclaimer // This post is sponsored by Pompeian, I received product and payment for this post.

Agave Chicken Lettuce Wraps

1 · Feb 11, 2014 · 4 Comments

Agave Chicken Lettuce Wraps // Maybe you have heard of agave syrup, but haven't taken the leap of trying it yet! I am like you, and probably wouldn't have, had I not visited a spa that served lettuce wraps with it as a dressing. After having those tasty lettuce wraps, I had to come home and try to recreate that amazing taste, and I knew the key was the Agave syrup. These healthy wraps are easy to make, only use a few ingredients and are delicious.

Ingredients:

2 Chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans

1/2 lemon juiced

2-3 tbs agave syrup

Lettuce (Bib, Boston or Butter lettuces work great)

Cook your chicken breasts your preferred way and let cool. Placing them in a casserole dish with a sprinkle of salt and pepper is the easiest and then either bake in the oven or microwave, depending on what dish you have.

Once cooled and cubed, place your chicken chunks in a bowl. Mix remaining ingredients in and then lastly, add the splash of lemon before refrigerating.

This salad mixture is best served cold, spooned into leaves of your favorite lettuce.

When serving, you can add a drizzle of the agave syrup to the plate for presentation.

Feel free to change ingredients based on your taste!

Also consider adding:

-chopped cucumber

-diced green onion

-pomegranate seeds

-sesame or chia seeds

I'm super excited to welcome the newest member of the WhipperBerry Creative Team, Stephanie from Life Created! She is an incredibly talented food photographer with all kinds of goodies over at her blog. You should take a second to run over and check it out!!

Simple Taco Hand Pies Recipe

761 · Dec 23, 2013 ·

Holiday entertaining can be a little overwhelming. Especially when you are hosting family or friends for several days. You can’t have a Turkey with all the fixin’s at every meal. That would be way to much work, not to mention hard on the wallet. You need to have a few simple meal options that are quick and still fun for the whole family. This recipe is one that everyone can chip in and help make PLUS my family LOVES them!

Jump to Recipe

Who doesn’t love tacos? With this fun spin on a simple classic recipe, your gathering is sure to be a hit. You can serve taco hand pies as the main dish or make them a little smaller and use as an appetizer for a cocktail party. They are so versatile. Here is how you make them.

Ohhhh doesn’t that look tasty? Now you can serve with sour cream, salsa and any other taco fixin’s you can think of.

Now, this is the perfect, easy, crowd-pleasing meal to have on hand when you have company in town. The lovely folks at Kraft® are making it even easier on your wallet this holiday season at Target…

From shopping for gifts to planning family dinners, it’s hard to keep up with all your holiday to-dos. This year, Kraft is helping out with great weeknight meals and entertaining ideas to make the season a little bit easier. Plus, Kraft is offering up to $20 in coupons, redeemable exclusively at Target, to make food shopping easier and to help you have a happy holiday season.

Taco Hand Pies

Who doesn’t love tacos? With this fun spin on a simple classic recipe your gathering is sure to be a hit. You can serve taco hand pies as the main dish or make them a little smaller and use as an appetizer for a cocktail party. They are so versatile. Here is how you make them.

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Prep Time 45

Cook Time 15

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 5 Servings

Ingredients

1 tbsn Olive Oil
1 Sweet Onion
1 lb. Ground Beef
1 packet Taco Seasoning
1 can fat free refried beans
1 can black beans
1 can drained corn
1 pack Kraft Finely Shreeded Cheese
2 cans Pillsbury Corn Buscuits
1 egg beaten

Instructions

First, you will need to cut your onion into strips. I cut my onion in half and then cut into strips. In a large skillet add the olive oil and place over a medium high heat. Once the oil is hot add your onions and sauteé for 3-4 minutes until translucent.
Add your ground beef, season lightly with salt and pepper. Break-up the ground beef into small pieces and brown. Once the meat has browned, remove excess grease with a spoon and discard. Stir in the taco seasoning over medium heat.
Add the refried beans, black beans and corn. Let this mixture come to temperature and the remove from heat.
Lightly flour a clean dry surface and roll out your first corn biscuit. Place about a 1/4 to a 1/3 of a cup of the taco meat mixture in on the rolled out biscuit and top with a generous helping of Kraft® Shredded Cheese.
Then with a pastry brush, brush on a bit of egg wash along the edge of the biscuit dough. Fold over and seal with a fork.
Place on a baking sheet and brush the top of the hand pies with the egg wash. Repeat with remaining biscuits.
Bake in a 350˚ oven for 14-15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes.

Keyword Taco Hand Pies

Sandwich

Taco Hand Pies

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