Irish Nachos

Corned Beef, Cabbage, Potatoes, Beer .. what can I say, it can't be anymore Irish then that, right? Well, there is debate on whether or not Corned Beef & Cabbage is truly Irish cuisine. But it is one of the most popular dinners eaten in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. 

Irish Nachos are a great spin on the traditional Irish corned beef and cabbage meal. The nachos are made up of waffle fries, deli corned beef, cabbage, and then topped with a beer cheese sauce. It's a great appetizer (or even a main dish) for any St. Patrick's Day celebration. These Irish Nachos were made by a member of my Taste Tempters Cooking Club for one of our March dinner gatherings. There are awesome - the beer cheese sauce on top is just to die for! She adapted the recipe from Rachel Ray's Irish Nachos. 

Irish Nachos... 

Ingredients:

• 1 20-24 oz. bag waffle fries 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1 pound deli-sliced corned beef, chopped 
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced 
• 1/2 small head green cabbage, thinly sliced (about 2 cups) 
• Salt and ground black pepper 
• 2 tablespoons butter 
• 2 tablespoons flour 
• 1 cup beer (I prefer a mild tasting beer)
• 1 cup chicken stock 
• 1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450ºF. 
2. Arrange the waffle fries on a baking sheet and cook according to package directions, adding about 10 minutes onto the baking time to make them extra crispy. 
3. While the fries are baking, place a medium skillet over medium-high heat with 2 about 2 tablespoons of  olive oil. Add the corned beef to the skillet and sauté until light golden brown and heated through, 2-3 minutes. 
4. Add the onions and cabbage to the pan, and cook until the onions have softened and cabbage has wilted, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and reserve and keep warm.
5. While the veggies are cooking, place a sauce pan over medium-high heat and melt the butter. Add the flour to the pot and cook for about a minute. 
6. Slowly whisk the beer into the mixture and cook for about 30 seconds to cook off the alcohol. Whisk the chicken stock into the pan and bring up to a bubble. Simmer until thickened, 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat and stir in the cheese to melt. Season the with salt and pepper. 
7. To serve, arrange the crispy waffle fries on a platter, top them with the corned beef and cabbage mixture and top with cheese sauce (lots of it).

Enjoy and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Super Bowl Hot Crab Dip with Football Chips

Super Bowl Hot Crab Dip

Ingredients:
2(8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. mayo
1 packages (14 oz.) imitation crab meat
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
2 T dry sherry
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried parsley

Directions:
Preheat oven 325 degrees
Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. 
Place crab mixture into a 1-quart baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes or until heated and just starting to bubble.
Serve with chips or crackers

Football Chips

• 1 pkg Soft Flour Tortillas
• Football Cookie Cutter
• Cooking Spray
• Salt
• Paprika

 Cut Football Shapes from each soft flour tortilla

 Place on foil or parchment

 Lightly spray each football chip with cooking spray

 Sprinkle with salt

Using the football cookie cutter as a template,make the laces on each football chip by carefully sprinkling paprika onto the cookie cutter.

 Place on a baking sheet

 Bake for 7 minutes at 400 degrees (keep on eye them so they don't over brown)

  

Go .... Bruncos !!

Greek Style Turkey Spinach Pita Sliders with Spicy Garlic Feta Sauce

These juicy and flavorful mini Turkey Spinach Burgers are seasoned with Greek-style seasonings and stuffed in mini pita pockets, topped with veggies and a Spicy Garlic Feta Sauce. Perfect for lunch, dinner, parties, Super Bowl, etc. 

The burgers and sauce can be made ahead. Grill /cook the burger patties right before you are ready to serve guests.

Prior to serving, I stuffed the pita pockets ahead with the veggies, covered, and stored in the refrigerator for a few hours. Then right before serving I grilled the patties, topped the veggies with the sauce and added the patties.

Turkey Spinach Burgers:

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground turkey
2 cups baby spinach leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
2-3 cloves roasted garlic, smashed (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
12 mini pita pockets

Burger toppings: baby spinach leaves, tomato slices, thinly sliced red onions, and cucumber slices

Directions:
Mix the turkey, chopped spinach leaves, spices, garlic, salt and pepper  in a bowl Dampen your hands and shape the mixture into 12 small patties, about 1/2 inch thick.

Lightly brush a grill pan with the olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add half of the patties and cook until browned and cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Cook the remaining patties.

To serve, fill each mini pita pocket with a tomato slice, baby spinach leaves, thinkly sliced red onion, sliced cumber; spoon on some of the Spicy Garlic Feta Sauce on top of the veggies and then top with turkey patty.

Spicy Garlic Feta Sauce

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces feta cheese crumbles, brought to room temperature
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 4-8 cloves roasted garlic either purchased or homemade
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup plain Greek-style yogurt 
• 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 jalapeno peppers, diced (use fresh or roasted)

Directions:

Place feta cheese in your food processor* with a metal blade and pulse the feta cheese until it is completely broken up into tiny crumbs. Add the next 4 ingredients, starting with 1/2 cup of yogurt (increase the amount of yogurt if you would like a thinner sauce. I used 3/4 cup), and process, stopping to scrape down the sides occasionally, until it is completely smooth and creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in, by hand, the diced jalapeno peppers. 

*I used my NutriBullet to make the sauce. You could also use a mini food processor to make this

Feta Cheese, Jalapeno Peppers (fresh or roasted), Roasted Garlic, Lemon, Greek-style Yogurt, Olive Oil

Mix all in a NutriBullet or food processor 

Serve or store in refrigerator 


You can serve on turkey burgers, hamburgers, sandwiches, or serve as a dip with pita chips.

Enjoy! 

Baked Jalapeno Poppers

Game Day is coming up and I'm getting my Super Bowl game plan down! One definite appetizer on the plan are these Baked Jalapeno Poppers. Jalapeno Poppers are favorite of ours that we like to order when we are out at a pub. But they are always fried (and oh, so delicious) but I really was looking for a way to make them so they have nice crispy coating and not fried.

The peppers are sliced, cleaned, roasted, filled with cheese, dredged in Panko bread crumbs, and baked. These totally met all my expectations of a tender, cheesey, crispy jalapeno popper.

12 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise, stems, seeds and membranes removed

 

Roast peppers for 10 minutes

Mix cream cheese and shredded cheddar cheese together

Spread 1 tablespoon of cheese mixture into each pepper half

Dip each cheese filled pepper into egg 

Dredge each pepper into panko bread crumbs

Place peppers on a prepared baking sheet and bake

Ingredients:

• 12 fresh jalapenos
• 6 ounces cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• panko bread crumbs
• Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Cut jalapeno peppers in half, lengthwise, remove seeds and membranes (to protect your hands, you may want to wear gloves when handling the peppers).
3. Place cut jalapeno peppers onto baking sheet. Cook for 10 minutes or until peppers just start sizzle and get lightly browned. Remove peppers from the oven. Let cool. (You may omit this precook step. But I like to precook/roast them a bit to make sure the peppers are nice and tender.)
4. In the meantime, in a medium bowl combine cream cheese and sharp cheddar cheese.
5. Spread 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture into the middle of each jalapeno half, and set aside. 
6. One at a time, dip into the egg mixture, then dredge in the panko crumbs, pressing to coat. Set cheese side up, back onto the baking sheet.
7. Lightly spray with the cooking spray and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese starts to bubble and they start to get golden brown. It's ok of the cheese starts to overflow. 
8. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

These can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for a few hours. Or freeze. (If you freeze, increase the cooking time).

Enjoy!