Green Dragon Chicken Rolls

My friend, Pooh, was at Trader Joe’s when they were handing out samples of these rolls. She loved them so much, she asked the lady how she made them, then wasted no time picking up all the ingredients to try making them herself once she got home. She then came over to my house and taught me how to make them.

These rolls make a great appetizer for parties or family gatherings. All the ingredients to make them come from Trader Joe’s but you could really buy them anywhere (except for the green dragon sauce). You can cut the recipe in half if you don’t want to make so many rolls.

GREEN DRAGON CHICKEN ROLLS

• 1 bag (1 lb. 12 oz.) frozen breaded chicken
• 8 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, then crumbled
• 1 cup sour cream, plus extra to use as “glue”
• 2 – 8 Tbsp. Trader Joe’s Green Dragon hot sauce
• ½ small head of lettuce, very thinly sliced
• 1 pkg. (6 sheets) lavash flatbread

1. Bake breaded chicken according to package directions.
2. Let cool completely, then chop into little pieces.
3. In a small bowl, combine sour cream and green dragon sauce. Start with two tablespoons green dragon sauce and keep adding, a tablespoon at a time, till it’s as hot as you like. Three tablespoons is plenty hot for me.
4. Toss chopped chicken, crumbled bacon, sour cream mixture, and lettuce together in a large bowl.
5. Place a sheet of lavash bread down on your work surface.
6. Mound 1/6 of chicken mixture down one long edge of lavash.
7. Smear about an inch wide of sour cream along opposite edge. This acts as the “glue” to seal the roll closed.
8. Roll lavash up tightly beginning at side with chicken mixture and ending at side with sour cream, pressing edge to seal well.
9. Repeat with remaining lavash and chicken mixture.
10. Wrap each roll in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator until ready to use.
11. Slice into 3/4-inch thick slices and serve.

NOTE:  If you can’t get Green Dragon sauce, substitute some other hot sauce like Sriracha. You can also substitute tortillas for the lavash.

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Mini Seafood Potpies

I had to take some appetizers to a party so decided to make mini seafood potpies. I love potpies but we usually make them with chicken. I thought seafood would make a nice change. You could do this with shrimp only or crab only. Or you can add lobster or scallops for more varied seafood. Just make sure your combination of seafood totals half a pound. If you like, you can double the filling recipe to make one deep dish potpie.

MINI SEAFOOD POTPIES

• ¼ cup butter
• ½ small yellow onion, finely diced
• ½ cup sliced mushrooms, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1 cup milk or cream
• ¼ cup clam juice
• ¼ cup sherry
• ¼ lb. cooked crabmeat (can substitute imitation crabmeat), roughly chopped
• ¼ lb. cooked salad shrimp, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup parsley, chopped
• 1 box (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water, to brush pastry

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. Melt the butter over medium heat.
3. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
6. Add the milk, clam juice, and sherry.
7. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes.
8. Stir in the crabmeat, shrimp, and parsley.
9. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
10. Meanwhile, unfold pastry sheets on lightly floured work surface.
11. Cut out 12 circles a bit larger than the size of the muffin cups you will be using (you may need to roll the pastry out a bit to be able to cut 12 circles).
12. Cut out 12 mini fish shapes from puff pastry scraps to top each pie.
13. Press the pastry circles into the wells of your muffin pans.
14. Make an egg wash by beating the egg with 1 tablespoon water.
15. Brush the pastry crusts with egg wash and bake for 6-8 minutes.
16. Remove from oven.
17. Fill par-baked crusts with seafood filling.
18. Top each with one of the mini puff pastry fish you cut from the scraps.
19. Brush top crust with extra egg wash.
20. Return to oven and bake about 15 minutes or until top pastry is puffed and golden.
21. Serve hot.

Cheesy Bacon Tater Tots

Did you know that February 2nd is National Tater Tot Day? It’s an easy day for me to remember because it’s also my only brother’s birthday. Tater tots are an iconic American food that was created in the early 1950’s. The founders of Ore-Ida were trying to figure out what to do with all the little leftover pieces of potato that they had tons of everyday. They chopped up the potato pieces, mixed them with flour and seasonings, then forced the mixture through the barrel of an extruder, slicing off little one-inch pieces as the mixture came through. And so the tater tot was born.

Actually, when the little potato nuggets were first created, they didn’t have a name for them so the owners of Ore-Ida decided to have a name-the-product contest among their employees. The name “Tater Tots” was submitted by a young mother named Clora Lay Orton. Everyone loved the name and she won the contest.

It’s hard to believe that when the inexpensive tater tots were first sold in stores in 1956, they didn’t exactly fly off the shelves. Today, Americans consume approximately 70 million pounds of them per year! It’s safe to say the lowly tater tot has finally found its place in society, from school cafeterias to the ever popular food truck. It’s certainly found its way to our dinner table!

CHEESY BACON TATER TOTS

• 1 bag frozen tater tots
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup ranch dressing
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 6 slices bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
• 2 stalks green onions, chopped

1. Bake tater tots according to package directions.
2. While tots are baking, combine sour cream and ranch dressing in a bowl.
3. Drizzle sour cream mixture over baked tater tots.
4. Sprinkle cheeses over the top.
5. Place under broiler until cheese is completely melted.
6. Remove from broiler and top with crumbled bacon and green onions.
7. Return to broiler for 2-5 minutes to warm up the bacon.
8. Serve hot.

Crab Salad Crescent Appetizers

I got the inspiration to make these appetizers from the Pillsbury website. My family has been making crab salad for years, though we always serve it as an appetizer in a bowl with crackers on the side. When I saw the photo on Pillsbury, I thought how perfect it would be to wrap our family’s crab salad in crescent roll dough and bake it, instead of doing the same old, same old. It turned out great! And looks so pretty, too!

CRAB SALAD CRESCENT APPETIZERS

• 1 pkg. imitation crab meat, chopped
• ⅓ cup mayonnaise
• ½ pkg. (4 ozs.) cream cheese, softened (optional)
• 1 large shallot, finely minced (can substitute ¼ small onion)
• 1 stalk green onion, green and white part, finely chopped
• ½ tsp. worcestershire sauce
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 can Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Mix imitation crab, mayonnaise, cream cheese, shallot, green onion, worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper together in a bowl until well combined.
3. Unroll dough on work surface and pinch seams to seal.
4. Cut into 6 rows by 4 rows to make 24 squares.
5. Spoon about 1 teaspoon crab salad onto center of square.
6. Pull opposite corners on each side up over filling and let points meet in center.
7. Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Serve warm.

Zucchini Onion Appetizer Squares

This is an old Bisquick recipe and is delicious served as an appetizer or for a light lunch or brunch dish. It’s easy to make and is a good way to use up extra zucchini when it’s in season. I think the addition of oregano adds a bright herby flavor to this dish but you could omit it if you like, or substitute a different herb like thyme or savory.

ZUCCHINI ONION APPETIZER SQUARES

• 4 eggs
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
• 2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ½ tsp. dried oregano (optional)
• ½ tsp. salt
• ⅛ tsp. pepper
• 1 cup Bisquick baking mix
• 3 cups thinly sliced unpeeled zucchini (about 3 or 4)
• 1 small onion, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease bottom and sides of a 9×13″ baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, parmesan cheese, oil, parsley, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and Bisquick.
3. Stir in the zucchini and onion.
4. Spread in prepared baking pan.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned at edges
6. Cut into 1¼-squares and serve warm or at room temperature.

Smoked Salmon Cucumber Canapés

I love smoked salmon. It’s delicious made with pasta or turned into a dip for crackers. But my all-time favorite way to eat smoked salmon is with bagels and cream cheese. These canapés are a take-off on the bagel and cream cheese idea. Instead of bagels, I used english cucumbers for a base. I made our family’s traditional cream cheese filling, but I substituted dill for the green onions.

If you’re wondering where to get smoked salmon, Costco carries a Norwegian brand called Foppen that is just wonderful because besides being delicious, the salmon is already thinly sliced and ready to use. The package comes with plain, peppered, and dilled slices. I cut each slice into strips and then roll each strip into a cone to make the little rosette shapes. It’s really easy and looks so pretty on your appetizer table.

SMOKED SALMON CUCUMBER CANAPÉS

• 1 lb. smoked salmon, very thinly sliced
• 2 english cucumbers
• 1 pkg. (8 ozs.) cream cheese, at room temperature
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 4 tbsps. fresh dill, chopped
• ½ tsp. salt

1. With a fork, score lines down the skin of the cucumbers. Slice scored cucumbers into rounds.
2. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, mayonnaise, dill, and salt until well combined.
3. Pipe a little cream cheese mixture on top of each cucumber slice.
4. With a sharp paring knife, cut each slice of smoked salmon into strips approximately ¾ inch wide.
5. Roll each strip into a rosette shape.
6. Top each cucumber slice with a salmon rosette.
7. If not serving immediately, chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Norwegian Smoked Salmon from Costco

Cool Veggie Pizza

This is an old Pampered Chef recipe that I learned to make many years ago when The Pampered Chef was still in its early years. The company operates on the same principle as Tupperware — people host a party where the company’s products are demonstrated and sold. I attended a Pampered Chef party where this dish was served and loved it so much that I made it myself for the party I subsequently hosted. It’s been a favorite with my family ever since. A lot of times, I make the recipe healthier by substituting reduced fat crescent rolls, fat-free cream cheese and/or lite mayonnaise.

Anyway, it’s the last day of Nurses Week tomorrow so I’m making this to take to the office. I know the nurses will love it, especially since I’m making the healthy version. Did I ever mention that I work with a bunch of nurses? Well, I do. So healthy food always goes over big at our office potlucks.

COOL VEGGIE PIZZA

• 1 can refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 box cream cheese, softened
• 1½ tsp. mayonnaise
• 1 garlic clove, crushed and minced fine
• 1 tsp. dill weed
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 cups chopped assorted fresh vegetables (any combination of vegetables you like such as broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, green or red bell peppers, tomatoes, green onions, mushrooms, carrots, zucchini or yellow summer squash, etc.)

1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. Unroll crescent roll dough onto a cookie sheet and pinch seams together to seal.
3. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.
4. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
5. Combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic, dill weed, salt and pepper together in a small bowl.
6. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly on top of cooled crust.
7. Coarsely chop your selected vegetables.
8. Sprinkle a layer of each vegetable over pizza crust.
9. Cut into squares and serve.

NOTE:

• If you don’t like dill, you can substitute Italian Seasoning mix. You can also omit the garlic if you want to.
• My favorite combination of veggies that I use whenever I make this pizza is:  zucchini, mushrooms, green and red bell peppers, tomatoes and green onions.

Gambas al Ajillo (Garlic Shrimp)

 

Gambas al Ajillo or Garlic Shrimp is one of the best Spanish tapas ever! It’s a favorite all over Spain and is served in homes and tapas bars in practically every city in the country. It’s very easy to make and is sometimes cooked and/or served in a shallow terracotta or clay pot called a cazuela.

I originally learned to make gambas many years ago from my Spanish chef friend, Mari. Since then, I’ve tweaked what he taught me to come up with my own version. For one thing, in Spain gambas are traditionally cooked in plain olive oil but I like to use a blend of half olive oil and half butter. I find that the butter imparts a great flavor to this dish. It may not be very traditional, but it works for me! Mari also slices his garlic cloves in thin slices, but I prefer to mince my garlic. Some people add a little Spanish sweet paprika or pimentón to their gambas. I don’t usually do this (Mari didn’t), but you can if you want to. Also, more often than not, I make this dish without the alcohol at all and it turns out just fine.

Don’t forget the oh-so-important step of serving slices of fresh bread along with your gambas for sopping up the sauce! In my experience, the shrimp disappear fast whenever I make this dish, but they leave behind a bowl of garlicky sauce that is wonderful for dunking bread in. It’s a great way to extend the enjoyment of eating gambas even after the shrimp are all gone.

GAMBAS AL AJILLO

• 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup butter
• 10-14 large cloves garlic, minced or thinly sliced
• ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper (increase to ½ tsp. if you want it spicier)
• ½ tsp. salt, or to taste
• 3 Tbsp. minced parsley
• 3 Tbsp. brandy or cognac or dry sherry (optional)
• french baguette bread, sliced

1. Heat olive oil and butter together over medium heat in a sauté pan.
2. Sauté garlic and crushed red pepper until garlic is cooked but still tender. Don’t let the garlic brown.
3. Toss in the shrimp and salt, and sauté just until shrimp turns pink.
4. Stir in parsley and brandy, if using. At this point, Chef Mari would shake the pan, tilting it slightly so the alcohol would catch fire. You can skip that step. Or not. Totally up to you.
5. Transfer to a shallow serving bowl or cazuela.
6. Serve immediately with slices of french bread for soaking up the sauce.

Tzatziki Sauce

Have you ever tried Tzatziki sauce? Tzatziki is a yogurt based sauce that is very popular in Greece. Rich and creamy, Tzatziki sauce is typically served cold with grilled meat. It is also often served as a dipping sauce.

Tzatziki is best made with Greek yogurt, but if you can’t get Greek yogurt, you can use regular yogurt. It will have a runnier consistency but as long as you don’t mind that, it’s fine. Alternatively, you could make your own “greek” yogurt by taking a piece of cheesecloth, folding it in half, and then in half again so you have 4 layers. Lay the cheesecloth in a bowl, pour the yogurt into the center of the cheesecloth, then pick up the 4 corners and tie them together. Hang the cheesecloth bag over the bowl for about 2 hours or so. This will drain the water out and thicken the yogurt giving it a more “greek yogurt” consistency.

TZATZIKI SAUCE

• 2 cups plain Greek yogurt
• ½ English cucumber, about 5-7 inches
• 3-5 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. minced fresh dill (or 1 Tbsp. dried)
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. Place the greek yogurt into a medium bowl.
2. Finely chop the cucumber. You could also grate it, if you prefer.
3. Add the cucumber to the yogurt.
4. Smash, then finely mince the garlic and add to the yogurt. Start with 3 cloves first, then add more if you want it more garlicky.
5. Add the lemon juice, dill, salt, and pepper, and stir all together well.
6. Cover with sarap wrap and chill in refrigerator until ready to use.

NOTE:   This recipe is very versatile. I’ve given you a base to start from but you could really make it to suit your own tastes. If you like lots of cucumber, you could add more; if not, add less. If you want it more lemony, add more lemon juice; or less. Same with the garlic and dill. Just play around with the amounts till the sauce is to your liking. Otherwise, the base recipe is great as is.

Tzatziki will keep for a few days in the refrigerator, but as it sits, water from the yogurt and the cucumbers will separate. Just stir it well before serving. Or for a thicker consistency, you could pour out the water and then stir the sauce.

Shrimp Mousse

This is an old recipe of my Mom’s. She made it all the time for get-togethers or when we were expecting company. It’s very addictive and you’ll find yourself heading back to the appetizer table again and again for just a little bit more.

It always reminds me of my mother-in-law whom I miss terribly. She absolutely loved this mousse! When the party was over, you just knew any leftover shrimp mousse was hers. She would spread it on toast and eat shrimp mousse sandwiches for breakfast, lunch or a snack the next day. I have to say, I picked up that habit from her and on the rare occasion that we actually have leftover shrimp mousse, I find myself having a shrimp mousse sandwich for lunch the day after.

SHRIMP MOUSSE

• 1 packet Knox unflavored gelatin
• 2 tbsp. cold water
• 1 box (8 ozs.) cream cheese
• 1 can Campbell’s cream of celery soup
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 lb. cooked small shrimp, finely chopped
• 1 large stalk green onion, green and white part, finely minced
• 1 stalk celery, finely minced (optional)

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the Knox gelatin in 2 tbsp. cold water and set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the cream cheese and celery soup over medium-low heat, stirring until smooth.
3. Remove saucepan from heat, add in the gelatin, and stir until well-blended.
4. Stir in the rest of the ingredients.
5. Pour into an oiled mold and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until firm.
6. Unmold and serve with crackers.

NOTE:  You can easily turn this into “Crab Mousse” by substituting 1 pound crabmeat for the shrimp. I’ve also made it into “Seafood Mousse” by making it with ½ lb. shrimp and ½ lb. crab.