Nibbly bites

Cheeseball recipe – Cheeseboard on a budget!

cheeseball recipe

This cheeseball recipe is another one of those recipes that I’ve made on and off over a decade. It’s a recipe I actually got off my Aunty Lois. She’s a great cook and one day I asked her what her best recipe was. She paused and then said ‘my cheeseball’ – naturally I begged for the recipe and lucky she obliged! I can’t help myself, I’ve put my own spin on it over time. It’s become a great ‘go to’ recipe, particularly if we have people call in unexpectedly or at short notice as it’s something you can whip up without too much difficulty for nibbles: I always have cream cheese in the fridge and some salami (that’s a staple in my son’s lunchbox).  Note, in these situations I freeze the ball instead of chilling it in the fridge to speed things up.

Well, we’ve been on a reduced income since I started my new job and subsequently now work part-time, so frankly, pulling out an extravagant cheeseboard groaning with a stinky Kikorangi blue, vintage cheddar, double cream brie, cumin gouda, stuffed baby peppers and a selection of gourmet deli meats is no longer in my budget. That’s a bit of a bugger because a cheeseboard, as odd as this probably sounds for someone who loves cooking, is one of my favourite things to make, as well as eat, noting it’s not particularly conducive to being Weight Watchers friendly at the moment!  Anyway, since we’ve been on a reduced income I’ve totes ditched the cheeseboard and, instead, pulled out this old school favourite cheeseball recipe a few times as a ‘nibbley dish’. It always lands well with the punters and you can serve it up with any cracker, or even a nice loaf of ciabatta, meats, anything goes. I love it on dried apricots tucked into a slice of salami, but I’m a bit random like that.    On that note, there’s a heap of ways you can variate this recipe, be sure to check out the notes at the bottom of the recipe below.

Lastly, as the recipe below makes two balls (snigger… I’m so smutty and immature) I often keep one in the fridge (not rolled in nuts) and then stuff it into chicken breasts a few days later. I wrap the breasts in streaky bacon, pan fry them till they are golden on both sides, then bake them until the chicken is cooked. This is next level stuffed chicken breast – I promise.

(more…)

Muhammara Dip (Red Capsicum and Walnut Dip)

 

Muhammara Dip RecipeOriginally a Syrian recipe, this Muhammara Dip (red capsicum and walnut) is often found as part of a meze platter.  My friend Marie introduced me to this heavenly concoction and I instantly begged her for the recipe. I’ve played around with the recipe a bit (I can’t bloody help myself) and the result is this creamy red capsicum dip, with a hint of tartness and sweetness from the pomegranate molasses. If you like hummus, get cracking and make this, it is, if I do say so myself, phenomenal, and it’s wayyyyyy nicer than any hummus I’ve tried.  It’s so good, I’ve made three batches of this in just over a week (!) and we are having it with everything:   It goes beautifully with my morning poached eggs on toast, mixed in with yogurt as a creamy salad dressing, as a side sauce with roast veges, it’s also amazeballs with BBQ chicken. Oh, and it’s shit-hot in sandwiches in the place of mayo or sugar-laden relishes and chutneys.   

I’ve made my Muhammara dip in my Nutribullet, and it works perfectly. You can, of course, use a food processor (I try to avoid using mine as much as possible because I’m lazy: I detest washing it up and putting it away in the cupboard!).  Having looked at some other versions of the recipe online, I’ve noted the more traditional methods of making this dip is actually in a mortar and pestle, so the result is a dip that’s got a coarse, pesto-like, consistency. Yum, I’ll give this more authentic method a bash at some stage.

Note, If you don’t have pomegranate molasses – don’t fret, just leave it out, it’s not a deal breaker. In fact, I only just included pomegranate molasses in my latest batch as I only just made a trip to Vetro to get some more.  Up until then I’d added a couple of dates for sweetness and a half teaspoon of balsamic vinegar in an attempt to get the sweet/tart hit (it worked well and I high-fived myself on my Kiwi cooking ingenuity).  Similarly if you don’t have any smoked paprika, or cumin (etc), just leave it out.  Feel free to add in a handful of fresh mint (I tried that – thumbs up). If you’ve followed my blog for a while you’ll know I’m a big fan of ‘making do’ in the kitchen, it’s such fun and some of my best recipes have come as a result of improvising. Get your creative on! (more…)

Best Ever Chunky Guacamole Recipe

guacamole recipeI’ve been hit up by a couple of friends over the summer holidays pointing out that my chunky guacamole recipe isn’t on my blog. Opps!  Best I fix that!  It seriously is the best ever guacamole I’ve ever tried. Yes, I know that’s a big claim!

This guacamole recipe is reasonably well known across several groups of my friends:  I’ve been making guacamole in my Napier circle of friends since sixth or seventh form (I’m old skool – I still think of school years in ‘form years’!).  As for my Rotorua buddies, they first had this in Ohope three or four years ago.  It made such an impact I dished out the recipe and the name got a rebrand: They call it ‘Holy Moly Ohope Guacamole’, LOL. It’s slightly more sexy than plain old ‘Guacamole’, I guess.  Anyway,  lots of my friends tell me they now make guacamole using this recipe which chuffs me to bits. However, it turns out I’ve been a bit lax by  not sharing the recipe on my blog. Suffice to say I’ve kicked myself up the bum!  So, here you go, embrace the rest of the avocado season here in the Southern Hemisphere! (more…)

Chocolate Orange Bliss Ball Recipe

 

bliss ball recipeSince my bestie Rhonda introduced me to Froozeballs  I’ve been pondering making my own version.

Problem #1: My food processor has been dead all year (it died when I made  boozy hazelnut truffles on Christmas Eve – FYI Ten minutes later I smashed my iPhone…That was a bad day). Needless to say making my own balls hasn’t been an option.

After seven months of dithering over which food processor to purchase I finally got a new blitzer gadget recently and bliss balls were high on my ‘gotta get cooking list’.    I came up with this recipe simply as my orange tree is groaning  with fruit and screaming “eat me”, I was desperate to use my Equagold Premium Dutch Cocoa and after an over-indulgent shopping spree in Vetro, that just about required a second mortgage, I had lots of dates and nuts on hand. Et voila, Choc Orange Bliss Balls were born.

These are the ultimate moorish treat that can’t really do any damage and, I have it on good authority from my nutritionally-savvy buddy Tania that these tick the Paleo box. They are entirely natural, contain no sugar, just raw and wholefood goodness that’s pretty darn decadent (absolute foodie purists might want to sub the cocoa powder for cacao). I’ve got my creative on now: I’m already thinking what I’ll put in my next batch! (more…)

Spinach and Bacon Cobb Loaf Dip

SAMSUNG CSC
OK, strictly speaking this isn’t a Cobb Loaf: I wanted to take a new photo and after looking at three supermarkets: I gave up. I guess this is a ‘loaf dip’. Oh well.

I’ve been making this hot dip for years and it’s always a hit. Some of my friends have been known to invite me around for dinner on the proviso I bring this with me for nibbles! It’s simple to make and it has serious WOW factor (the photo of the finished product here hasn’t really done it justice…). It’s a dish that’s especially popular with the boys.  My boss tried it under duress (it doesn’t look particularly pretty, lets be honest) and he raved and raved about how good it was.  I’ve also made just the filling as a pasta sauce, it’s absolutely delicious folded through penne or bog-standard macaroni (even my fussy kid eats it). (more…)

Dukkah Recipe

Dukkah recipe
I love giving homemade foodie gifts at Christmas and I absolutely love receiving them.  Gift giving doesn’t have to be expensive,  yet, more than ever, society puts an emphasis on giving big extravagant gifts… Just think of all the marketing campaigns you see leading up to Christmas! This makes me sad as I just don’t think this what Christmas should be about.  Giving and receiving something thoughtful, made with love, time and effort – now that’s what makes people feel special… And when you make a foodie gift for a fellow foodie and they come back and ask for the recipe, as happened to me last year with this dukkah recipe, then you know you hit the gift giving jackpot!  Package this dukkah up in a nice jar, tie some ribbon around the lid, maybe make a homemade label – done.

(more…)

Max’s Carrot Dahl

imageI got this recipe off my friend Max, who is the most amazing cook. Max got this from NZ’s Healthy Food Guide (I’d hate to be hit up for not acknowledging the real source!). As usual I’ve adapted it a little (I can’t help myself…) and I reckon this is better than hummus. I have it on toast, on flatbreads, in sandwiches, I’ve even been known to serve it to accompany BBQ chicken kebabs. This is also a great dip to whip up if you’ve got friends coming over as it’s an ideal starter/entree. You just serve it up on a platter with bits of of toasted pita, crackers or raw veges. I made this for book club recently and I had several requests for the recipe, always a telltale sign I’m onto a winner! Lastly, this is low in fat, ticks all the boxes for the ‘good stuff’ and bonus – it’s simple and inexpensive to prepare.  What’s not to like? (more…)

Amazing Asparagus and Bacon Bundles

imageI die quietly and go to heaven every time I eat these… I eagerly await asparagus season every year, I can’t get enough of it. This is one of my favourite ways to eat asparagus although, as my Hubby quite rightly points out, anything wrapped in bacon is a winner!  I’ve made these bundles of deliciousness as a side dish, as a pass around ‘nibble’ when there’s visitors around for dinner.  Time to fess up:  I’ve even had a big plate of it  on it’s own as a meal (told you I love it). They are fun to make – and there’s not much to it! Get in quick – asparagus season finishes far too quickly! (more…)