Roasted Grape + Goat Cheese Bites

Last night was a good night.

Shaun & me at a Giants game in 2010

The Giants are going to the Superbowl! I feel like celebrating.

Maybe with some popcorn mix...

...or red & blue cake!

But since it's Monday, I suppose I shouldn't. I'll save it for the Superbowl (!!!) in 2 weeks! We had a great time watching the game in all of its nail biting, shoulder tensing, stomach aching glory.

And you know I made a few other snacks in celebration! After seeing How Sweet Eat's roasted grape & goat cheese sweet potatoes, I knew that I had to adapt this flavor somehow. Roasted grapes simply sounded A-mazing! And so I did.

I used the DIY tortilla idea, but adapted it even further as suggested by my mom. I made the tortilla rounds slightly larger so that they became more Tostitos-scoops like, pinching the sides to fit them in the mini-muffin tin. Imagine the possibilities with this idea! I can think of 1.1 million fillings for these little low carb tortilla bites.

I filled these guys with roasted grapes, goat cheese and a drizzle of honey. The result? Sweet and tangy bites that were a perfect game day (or anytime!) snack! And at 4 WW Points Plus for 4 bites, you really can't go wrong.

Roasted Grape & Goat Cheese Bites
Yields 6 servings, 4 bites per serving
4 WW Points Plus per serving (or 1 PP per bite!)

1 recipe DIY tortilla chips, made into slightly larger rounds & pinched in the pan to make little cups
2 C red seedless grapes
4 oz. goat cheese
1 Tbsp honey
cooking spray
kosher salt

Make the tortilla chips and set aside, leaving them in the muffin tin to cool. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil, spray with cooking spray. Add the grapes. Spray them lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with just a tiny bit of kosher salt.

Roast 'em up for about 20 minutes, or until they are squishy and smelling yummy.

Meanwhile, fill up the tortilla cups with about 1/2 tsp goat cheese each. When the grapes are finished, lower the oven heat to 350 and add a few grapes to each cup and top with a small dollop of honey. Bake for 10 minutes. Serve immediately. Beware of extrememly hot grapes!

Yum!

I really loved this little appetizer. It's delicious! I hope you give it a try and enjoy it! It's also perfect for the Superbowl and so I'm including it in Kelly's Skinny Superbowl Snacks! Head over to her site for some great snack ideas for the big game!

Have a great week everyone!

Questions of the Day:

What's your favorite appetizer?

What did you do this weekend?

psst...I reorganized another bathroom cabinet! Read about my strategy on The Peach & The Pit!

Game Day Eats: Pear, Gorgonzola & Bacon Toasts

It's sooooo rainy and humid and disgusting here on the East coast. It's one of those days that makes me want to stay in bed with a cup of tea, some good reality TV and the air conditioning blasting. Yep, I'm still rocking my air conditioning. I simply cannot sleep while it's hot in my apartment. And I simply cannot bear the though of wearing rain boots while it's so warm outside. Ick.

Anyway.

You all know about my love for football Sundays. I love the constant of it. I know that it will always be a relaxing day where Shaun and I make time to just relax, geting dooded up in our respective team jerseys and making a yummy spread of food. I also like to use it as an excuse to try some new dishes! So often I get caught up in my usual favorites; pizza dip, mini hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls (yup, we go there) and simple chips and onion dip.

This past week, I decided to change it up a bit. I threw together these pear, gorgonzola and bacon toasts in no time. The toasts are quickly cooked in the oven, while the rest comes together in a snap.

Creamy, sharp gorgonzola, crunchy toast, sweet juicy pears and turkey bacon crumbles...what could be better?

Pear, Gorgonzola & Bacon Toasts
*Adapted from Food Network Magazine
**Makes a lot of toasts
1 baguette
1-2 fresh pears, cored and sliced
4 oz cream cheese, softened
3 oz gorgonzola crumbles (about half of a container)
2 slices turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
olive oil
kosher salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the baguette, spread out on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 7-10 minutes until baguette is toast-like. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet or microwave until slightly crispy and crumbled. Drain on a paper towel and set aside. Mix together the gorgonzola and cream cheese; season with salt and pepper. Cut up the pear into small slices. Take out the toasts, place them on a platter and assemble. Spread gorgonzola mixture, followed by pear and top with bacon crumbles.

Enjoy. It's easy!

And pretty! For a party, you could probably even make these right before your guests arrive, simply toss the pear slices in lemon juice before plating them and cover with saran wrap. I'm keeping this on file for my next gathering. Yum!!

I love the combination of sharp cheese and sweet fruit. Not to mention the smoky bacon flavor topping. So delicious.

So there you have it. A {very} easy game day {or anytime!} eat!

Questions of the Day:

Do you ever enjoy a rainy day?

What's your favorite unusual flavor combination?

What foods do you enjoy for curling up in front of the TV?

Crispy Pie Chips + Strawberry Mint Chutney

Yesterday looked like this:

I actually didn't mind. This summer has been so bananas with busy-ness that I was secretly excited to simply spend the afternoon at home. It made me a tad excited for Fall, when Sundays at home are a staple.

And with an afternoon at home, I love to get down with some cooking! I haven't really been cooking lately. I've mostly been throwing together super quick dinners. I was so excited to get back in the kitchen and get cooking yesterday. When I realized that I had some strawberries on the verge of going bad, I decided to make a little jam with some of the mint leaves from our urban herb garden.

As for what to dip in the chutney? I had saved a cute recipe from Food Network Magazine for baked chips made out of leftover pie crust scraps. Genius, no? They were the perfect vehicle for this strawberry chutney. I used limited sugar in both of these recipes, so for a sweeter chutney or a more 'coated' chip, go crazy on it. You can also use melted butter in place of the cooking spray on the chips. Hope you enjoy!

Cinnamon Pie Chips + Strawberry Mint Chutney
for the chips:
*adapted from Food Network Magazine
1 pre-made refrigerated pie crust (like Pillsbury)
1 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the unrolled pie dough into strips (I used a fluted pastry wheel, but a basic pizza cutter will do the trick). Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Lay the pie pieces on the sheet and spray them with cooking spray. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Bake about 15 minutes.

for the chutney:
1 1/2 C strawberries, hulled & quartered
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp cornstarch (optional)

Place strawberries, lemon juice, mint and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Let cook, stirring occasionally. Once the strawberries start to release their pectin, turn the heat to low and simmer until thickened. If you have limited patience (like me), add the cornstarch for a quicker thickening. Let cool and serve.

The chutney is thick and super strawberry-ish. I love it. It's so fresh, light and summery. For a sweeter version, add more sugar!

Questions of the Day:

What do you like to do on a rainy day?

Do you ever use leftover pie crust for anything?

psst...today I'm blogging about some fun eye candy getting me through this Monday morning over on The Peach & The Pit. Head on over to check it out!