APPETIZERS
GUACAMOLE
Serve with tortillas or crisp vegetables.
For a less pungent taste, use flat-leaf
parsley instead of cilantro.
Makes 2
1
⁄
4
cups
1
large garlic clove, peeled
1
medium jalapeño pepper,
halved and seeded
1
⁄
2
cup tightly packed cilantro leaves
1
medium scallion, white part and
2 inches of green, cut into 1-inch pieces
3
ripe medium avocados (
1
⁄
2
pound each)
peeled, halved and pitted
3
tablespoons lemon juice
pinch cumin
1
⁄
4
teaspoon salt
1
⁄
4
teaspoon chili powder
1
medium tomato, quartered,
seeds removed
Use metal blade to chop garlic, pepper,
cilantro, and scallion until minced, about
15 seconds; scrape work bowl. Add avocados
and all remaining ingredients, except tomato.
Process until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping
bowl as necessary. Add tomato and pulse about
6 to 8 times, until finely chopped. Adjust salt
if necessary.
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories 216 (77% from fat) • carb. 11g • pro. 3g
• fat 20g • sat. fat 3g • chol. 0mg • sod. 158mg
• calc. 26mg • fiber 7g
BLEU CHEESE AND
PECAN SPREAD
You can substitute cottage cheese for all or
part of the cream cheese, and you can
substitute walnuts for pecans.
Makes 1
1
⁄
3
cups
1
⁄
3
cup shelled pecans
8
ounces cream cheese, cut in
1-inch pieces
3
tablespoons bleu cheese
Process nuts with metal blade until finely
chopped, about 10 seconds. Add cream cheese
and bleu cheese. Process until well mixed and
smooth, about 10 seconds. (If substituting
cottage cheese, process until smooth, about
90 seconds.)
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories 292 (86% from fat) • carb. 4g • pro. 7g
• fat 29g • sat. fat 13g • chol. 69mg • sod. 343mg
• calc. 99mg • fiber 1g
CHEESE COINS
These tender and flavorful appetizers are
easy to make, convenient to serve, and
they can be refrigerated or frozen.
Makes 100 cheese coins
8
ounces Cheddar cheese, cut into
1-inch pieces
4
ounces unsalted butter, at room
temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces
1
⁄
4
teaspoon salt
1
⁄
4
teaspoon Tabasco
®
sauce
1
cup flour
vegetable oil cooking spray
Use metal blade to chop cheese until it
resembles coarse meal, about 30 seconds. Add
butter, salt and Tabasco
®
sauce. Process until
smooth, about 60 seconds; scrape bowl. Add
flour and process until just mixed in. Chill dough
until firm, about 1 hour.
Divide dough into 3 equal parts and roll each
into a cylinder about 1
1
⁄
2
inches in diameter. Chill
until firm, about 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 400˚F and coat baking sheets
with vegetable oil cooking spray. Cut dough
into
1
⁄
8
-inch slices and place 1
1
⁄
2
inches apart
on baking sheets. Bake until lightly colored,
about 10 minutes; do not brown. Transfer to
wire rack to cool.
Unbaked, plastic-wrapped cylinders keep
for about a week in the refrigerator. Cooked
cheese coins can be frozen and reheated for
6 to 8 minutes in a 300˚F oven.
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories 22 (69% from fat) • carb. 1g • pro. 1g
• fat 2g • sat. fat 1g • chol. 5mg • sod. 21mg
• calc. 17mg • fiber 0g
22
