Spring Vegetable Garden Appetizer

 

Today I’m trying a fun food for all your spring and Easter get-togethers, a Spring Vegetable Garden using hummus and fresh baby carrots, radishes, asparagus, celery, peppers, and sugar snap peas.  You can vary the vegetables according to your preference and availability. Use the smallest part of your celery bunch with the green attached. I’m currently able to get local baby carrots with greens attached. There is so much greens I must remove half or it fills the dish.  If you can’t get those, use small carrots and even cut them smaller and shorter. Watch for spring crops of asparagus and the fresh little peas. You can cut half off so it fits the dish.  (For my far north readers, pin this recipe for your spring crops later.)

I’m using my basic hummus recipe, but feel free to use your favorite. Double the basic hummus recipe using 2 drained cans  of chickpeas.  If buying commercial hummus, use 2 10-oz. hummus containers. This is the base for your garden and should be at least one inch deep in your dish. You may substitute your favorite dip if it is thick enough to support your little veggies in a vertical position.

Classic Hummus

Use organic when available. It's great with veggies or pita chips as an appetizer or snack.

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained, liquid reserved
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 drops sesame oil, or to taste (optional)
• baby veggies or cut veggies like carrots, celery, spring peas, radishes, asparagus, peppers 

Instructions

• Place all ingredients in food processor
• Blend until smooth
• Stream reserved bean liquid into the mixture as it blends until desired consistency is achieved but keep it thick for appetizer garden
• Double recipe for hummus 

  Instructions for Spring Garden Appetizer

  • Double recipe for hummus or use your favorite dip
  • Fill bottom of serving dish with 1 to 2 inches of hummus
  • Place baby veggies in the hummus vertically
  • Serve with pita chips or veggies
    
  • Enjoy! 
    

    

Spring Hummus Vegetable Garden Appetizer

Use organic when available, serves 6

Ingredients

• 20 oz or more of hummus or dip
• 6 small carrots with green attached
• 6 celery heart stalks with green attached
• 6 asparagus
• 6 radishes with greens attached
• 6 sugar snap peas or snow peas
• 6 small peppers
• optional fresh parsley or other herb for garnish

Instructions

• Spread hummus to fill bottom of a deep baking dish 2 to 3 inch
• If desired, blanch asparagus (I like them raw, but it's an option)
• Cut asparagus in half
• Cut radishes in half
• Cut any celery, carrots, or peas that are too tall
• Arrange a row of carrots like a garden
• Repeat with celery, radishes, sugar snap peas, peppers, and asparagus
• You should now have 6 rows of veggies
• Optional garnish with fresh herbs
• Serve with whole grain crackers and a tray of more spring veggies

Enjoy!

 

 

 

This dish was shared on St. Pete’s Channel 10, Good to Know Segment:

How to Impress Your Easter Guests with Creative Snacks & Thrifty Tablescapes

 

 

 

 This post was shared on these fabulous link parties!

Deviled Easter Chick Eggs

 

 It will be the first day of spring in a couple of weeks, and then Easter is April 5th this year. Today I’m trying another cute food presentation that I pinned years ago, Deviled Easter Chick Eggs.  Use your favorite deviled egg recipe or mine below and decorate the little eggs to look like chicks. It’s not hard to do, and it looks adorable for holiday get-togethers.

Start with week old eggs, as fresh eggs are hard to shell. To prevent cracking, remove eggs from refrigeration about 30 minutes prior to boiling. Place eggs in cold water, bring to boil, turn off burner, and cover.  Let sit for 15 minutes. Let cool, and refrigerate at least two hours before cutting for best results. Serve using an egg holder, a saucer, bowl, or a platter  To use on a flat platter, with a sharp knife, slice off a very thin layer from the base of the egg to make it flat. You have the option to make feet but it’s not necessary.  Then cut 1/3  of the egg off the top. I cut straight across but later you can make ragged edges if desired.

 

 

 

 

 

Deviled Easter Chick Eggs

Use organic when available, makes 12 Easter chicks

A cute food art for spring & Easter using deviled eggs decorated to look like little chicks.

Great as an Appetizer or Snack

Ingredients

• 12 hard-boiled eggs peeled
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 tbsp yellow mustard
• Optional make w/o mustard
• 1 dill pickle finely diced
• 1 tsp pickle juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 carrot cut into rounds
• 12 slices of pickle or black olives

Instructions

• Refrigerate hard-boiled eggs for at least two hours or overnight 
• With a sharp knife, slice off a very thin layer from the base of the egg to make it flat if you're using a platter
• Slice top 1/3 of eggs leaving a little yolk with the skin
• Use a spoon to remove bottom yolk to a bowl
• Mash yolks with a fork
• Add mayonnaise,  pickle, pickle juice, mustard, salt, and pepper, and mix well
• Fill a piping bag or plastic bag with a corner snipped with the egg yolk mixture
• Pipe yolk mixture into bottom of egg whites to create chick
• Cut small wedge from carrot rounds to make a beak for each chick
• Cut pickle or olive slices into small squares to use for eyes
• Add 2 olive eyes to each chick
• Add egg white top to each chick
• Adjust so it looks like chick peeking out of egg
• Serve on deviled egg tray as centerpiece or in egg holders or on platter
• Optional, add a dab of deviled egg filling as glue to stick them to the platter
• Optional, make 3 cuts in carrot round for a foot, 2 per chick
• Optional, decorate platter with herbs like parsley or dill
• Optional, serve on saucer or bowl with salad greens as first course of meal – you've made a free-range chick  Enjoy!  

 

 

This dish was shared on St. Pete’s Channel 10, Good to Know Segment:

How to Impress Your Easter Guests with Creative Snacks & Thrifty Tablescapes.

  

 

Please see my Link Parties page for the parties where this post was shared.

 

 

Asparagus & Tomato Quiche For Easter Brunch

 

 

Last week at the farmer’s market, one grower had a little packet of fresh new asparagus which reminded me of a spring Quiche. Fresh asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and basil cooked in a cheesy custard sounds perfect for breakfast, lunch, brunch, or even dinner.  An asparagus Quiche is one of my favorites for an Easter or spring brunch.

I usually use Swiss cheese but have enjoyed quiches made from a variety of cheeses.  Your favorite crust can be used – even store-bought.  If you cannot have grains in your diet, you can oil the pie plate and cook the vegetable custard without a crust.

 

Asparagus & Tomato Quiche

Use organic when available, vegetarian  Serves 7 to 8

Ingredients

•     6 eggs or 4 whole eggs and 2 egg whites
•     1 bunch of asparagus or 7 or 8 stalks
•     1 9" pie shell
•     1/2 cup milk
•     1 cup cream
•     1 cup grated cheese, such as Swiss, cheddar, Gruyère
•     1/4 cup torn fresh basil
•     1 cup cherry tomato halves
•     Salt and pepper to taste
•     optional medium tomato to cut into pinwheel slices for decoration 

Instructions

1.     Preheat oven to 425 F or 218 C
2.     Oil pie pan and add dough
3.     Fork bottom of pie crust and cover crust edges with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning
4.     Bake pie crust for about 5 minutes
5.     Remove aluminum foil and bake pie crust for another 8 minutes until almost done
6.     Reduce oven to 325 F or 162 C
7.     Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a large pot
8.     Cut most of the asparagus into pieces and save some for top of Quiche
9.     Once water is boiling, add the cleaned & trimmed asparagus into pot & boil for 1 minute
10.     Remove immediately and run under cold water to stop the cooking process
11.     Set asparagus aside
12.     Whisk the eggs in a large bowl and add the milk and cream
13.     Whisk together thoroughly and then stir in the shredded cheese, basil, salt & pepper
14.     Add cooked asparagus and tomato slices to bottom of pie shell
15.     Pour custard mix on top
16.     Adorn top with cherry tomatoes and asparagus (optional)
17.     Bake for 35 minutes or until center is firm
18.     Cover edges of crust with aluminum foil if the crust starts to burn
19.     Let quiche stand for at least 5 minutes before cutting
20.     Can be made ahead of time and served at room temperature.
21.     Optional decorate top of quiche with sliced tomato cut into pinwheels in center of top & asparagus around edge pointing in

Enjoy!

This post was featured at:

 

 This post was shared on these fabulous link parties