bacon & fig dip

mmmm… bacon… 

here’s another recipe in ode to bacon. this gluten-free, creamy dip is surprisingly easy to prepare and makes for a great appetizer for your next dinner party, gameday or — you guessed it — baconpalooza!

the bacon:
- heat up 1-2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil in large saucepan on medium heat
- add 5-6 strips of country-style bacon to pan
- fry bacon in pan for a few min until slightly crispy on both sides
- remove from heat & set aside bacon on plate to cool
- pat bacon w/ papertowels to remove excess fat & oil
- reserve bacon fat in pan to add to dip mixture

the dip:
in a small mixing bowl, mix & fold together the following ingredients together until well-combined:
- 1/4 cup low-fat, plain greek yogurt
- 100g chevre frais
- crispy-fried bacon (rough chop into bacon bits)
- 5-6 small dried figs (rough chop into small pieces)
- season w/ ground black peppercorns
- drizzle bacon fat leftover from pan

food styling:
- serve immediately, best served warm
- pairs well w/ gluten-free chips or your fave crackers
- store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge

smoked paprika pork & spinach empanadas

empanadas are one of my all-time faves.

i guess i’ve been a tad spoiled with all the delicious homemade empanadas over the years – thanks to incredible homecooking by my mom and my aunties! though i didn’t tackle the dough made from scratch or the traditional chicken & potato filling this time around, i was inspired to try making empanadas in my kitchen over the weekend… with my own twist on the dish, of course. :)

and if you’re looking for an inventive way to repurpose fresh pizza dough from the bakery, read on…

prep the filling:
fold together the following ingredients in a large prep bowl until well combined:
- 350g lean ground pork
- 1.5 cups red bell pepper (pitted, diced)
- 1/2 fresh italian parsley (finely chopped)
- dash of sea salt
- season w/ ground black peppercorns
- sprinkle 1 tsp smoked paprika evenly over meat

cook the filling:
- heat up a large saucepan on high heat
- add 1 clove garlic (peeled, diced) and 1/4 cup water to pan
- pour the pork & veggie mixture into the pan
- stirfry for a few min until the meat is no longer pink
- fold in 2 cups fresh organic spinach (chopped) with pork mixture

- preheat oven to 400F

prep the dough:
- sprinkle some whole-wheat flour on a clean, flat surface before rolling out the fresh pizza dough (i bought some fresh from the bakery.)
- using a rolling pin, flatten out the dough into a thin, round pie
- sprinkle some more flour on the dough pie, flip over before applying the rolling pin again
- use a round cookie cutter to cut-out circular pieces of dough for each empanada

smoked salmon & zucchini canape

hosting a dinner party can be stress-free. true story.

as they say, sometimes keeping it simple can go a long way. this delicious canape recipe is a crowd-pleaser — and better yet, it calls for just a few ingredients and only takes minutes to pull together. beauty.

the cheese:
- if sheep cheese isn’t your cup of tea, a light cream cheese or chevre works just as well.

the smoked salmon:
- you can easily find wild sockeye smoked salmon in the frozen seafood section at the grocery store… the smoked salmon just needs to thaw and it’s ready-to-eat!

the zucchini:
- 1/3 zucchini squash (sliced into half-moons)

food styling:
- spread a layer of sheep cheese on light rye crackers
- season w/ ground black peppercorns
- add a layer of zucchini half-moons on the cheese
- top w/ wild sockeye smoked salmon (thinly sliced)
- season w/ ground black peppercorns
- pairs nicely w/ your fave sauvignon blanc