May: Easy Appetizers, as fancy or simple as you want!

Starting left to right: Liptauer Cheese (Hungarian spiced cheese spread), Cilantro Pesto, Mustard/Slaw Sauce, Hummus, Blue Cheese Spread w/ walnuts, and Sun-dried Tomato Pesto.

Veggies: Broccoli, Carrots, Asparagus, and various colored Bell Peppers.

Breads: Whole Wheat Pretzels and a French Baguette sliced into 1/2 inch rounds that were toasted in the oven for 5 minutes.

I used a food processor for almost all of these. I find it to be very quick and easy, plus clean up is a piece of cake.


Liptauer Cheese (Hungarian spiced cheese spread)

2 tsp paprika
1/2 a small onion
2 teaspoons drained capers or a few pickled banana pepper rings
3/4 tsp caraway seeds
8 oz cream cheese

Put everything but the cream cheese into the food processor and puree until the onion is minced, usually 10 seconds. Add cream cheese and puree until smooth.

Scrap into a small bowl or spread on bread rounds.


Cilantro Pesto

1 bunch cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt to taste

Wash and use mostly the leaves of the cilantro and discard the stems. Throw everything into a food processor and puree until smooth. I start with about a tsp salt. I sometimes add more lemon or garlic, depending on my mood.

Scrap into a small bowl or spread on bread rounds.


Mustard/Slaw sauce

1/2 cup Marzetti's Slaw Sauce
1 to 2 Tbsp mustard

Mix together with a spoon. Serve with veggies, especially broccoli!


Hummus

1 15 oz can or 2 cups homemade, drained chickpeas
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp peanut butter or tahini (tahini is what they use in the Middle East, but almost everyone has peanut butter)
2 cloves garlic
salt to taste
1 to 2 Tbsp Olive oil (optional)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground cumin (optional)

Put everything into the food processor and puree until smooth. Serve with pita bread or bread rounds or veggies.


Blue Cheese Spread w/ walnuts

8 oz cream cheese
2 oz blue cheese
2 Tbsp apple juice
1 Tbsp chopped walnuts

Puree everything but the walnuts, until smooth. Scrap into a small bowl and sprinkle with walnuts or spread on bread rounds and sprinkle with walnuts.

Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

Pesto usually has Parmesan cheese, but I find that you don't need it for this pesto. You can add a 1/4 cup if you like.

1/4 cup oil pack sun-dried tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup cashews (any nut can be used: pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, etc.)
2 cloves garlic
salt to taste

Put everything into the food processor and puree until only slightly chunky. Scrap into a small bowl or spread on bread rounds.


Enjoy!