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It’s summer. It’s hot. Too hot – I think the heat is to blame for my missing culinary mojo. There’s just something about 95 degree temperatures that makes turning on my oven a little less appealing than normal.
With all the heat, blue skies, and an 85 acre pond in our backyard, we’re kind of used to last minute entertaining. So we keep the fridge stocked with simple, fresh ingredients that can be transformed into delicious eats without too much cooking involved.
For our recent Fourth of July festivities, I decided to keep things pretty effortless and portable, so people wouldn’t have to be tied to the table while enjoying the food. One of the most well received items on the menu were these easy Greek Salad Skewers. With only 6 ingredients and minimal prep time, these Greek Salad Skewers couldn’t be easier – or cuter!
Now, here’s where things get a little fun! I want you to share YOUR favorite appetizer recipe that uses 6 ingredients or less (see below for specifics) for the chance to win a $600 gift card. I’ve teamed up with American Express and their Dinner @ 6 promotion to create simple appetizer recipes that use 6 ingredients or less.
Are you seeing a theme here with the number 6? Let me explain. American Express recently launched two cash back credit cards – Blue Cash Preferred and Blue Cash Everyday.
One of the most exciting benefits of the Blue Cash Preferred card is that Cardmembers receive 6% cash back for purchases at the supermarket – the highest cash back rate available for grocery purchases! With these new Blue Cash® Cards, there are no spend minimums, cash back caps, ongoing enrollments or rotating categories of cash back benefits. Which is a pretty sweet deal when used responsibly.
Greek Salad Skewers
Ingredients:
12 grape tomatoes
4 ounces feta cheese, cut into 12 (1/2-inch) cubes
1 mini cucumber sliced into 12 pieces
12 pitted kalamata olives
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons Za’atar*.
12 (4-6 inch) bamboo or wood skewers
Directions:
1. Thread the skewers starting with a tomato, then a piece of feta cheese, a cucumber and an olive. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
2. Just before serving, arrange skewers on a platter, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Za’atar.
Notes:
- I highly recommend finding Za’atar. It’s such a great spice (a blend of sumac, sesame seeds and herbs) to have on hand. I love the brand Urban Accents because it’s flavorful and readily available at my local market.
Follow Jamie on Instagram. We love to see what you're baking from MBA! Be sure to tag @jamiemba and use the hashtag #mbarecipes!
Requirements for Participation
One winner will receive a $600 Gift Card from American Express:
1. Submit your favorite APPETIZER recipe that features 6 ingredients or less. You MUST cut and paste the entire recipe into the comment form. If you have a blog, please also provide a link to the post.
2. You may submit 2 recipes – leave each recipe in a separate comment.
Seasonings, spices and herbs, garlic, vinegars and oils DO NOT count as one of the 6 ingredients.
3.. Contest ends July 23, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. PST. Entries that do not follow the directions above will be deleted without notification.
4. Winner will be posted in a follow up post by July 29, 2011.
5. Contest open to US residents only.
6. Winner will be chosen via random.org and will have 3 days to respond or a new winner will be selected.
Additional Entries
If you also have a MAIN COURSE recipe that uses 6 ingredients or less, be sure to head over to goodLife {eats} and enter on Katie’s blog as well. Good luck!
Disclosure
This post and the giveaway are sponsored by American Express. The views and opinions expressed within this post are my own.
Homemade Baked chips
1-3 lbs of potatoes
salt, pepper or paprika or rosemary to taste
olive oil
Slice potatoes on a mandoline or by hand (skin on) to about 1/8″ thick.
Toss potato rounds in oil and season generously with salt/pepper or other spices.
Place single layer on foil covered baking sheet and cook in oven at 350 for 15-20min, flipping once, until desired browning. Serve warm or cold.
Tomato Pitas
4 Pita Bread
½ cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
4 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Cup Grape Tomatoes, Halved
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Pre Heat oven to 350 degrees
Sauté the tomatoes over medium heat with a tablespoon of olive oil for 3-5 minutes. Add salt and pepper
Meanwhile, cut each pita into 4 wedges and place onto a foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over each pita and bake for 3-5 minutes. Remove from Oven.
Add tomato on top of the pita and cover with cheese. Return to oven for 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Pesto turkey burger
1 package of fresh turkey burger package ( I like Applegate all natural packaged turkey patties)
4 slices of pepper jack cheese
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon cilantro pesto
4 burger rolls, split in half
1 ripe avocado, peeled, sliced
cook patties on a skillet. When close to being done, add pepper jack cheese on top of the patties. The cheese should melt. While the patties are cooking mix mayonnaise and pesto in a small bowl. Place cooked patties on burger rolls. Spread mayonnaise and pesto mix on the patties. Serve with sliced avocado
Black Bean and Chicken Nachos
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
2-3 chicken breasts
1 packet of low sodium taco seasoning
Chicken broth or water
Shredded Cheese
Tortilla Chips
Cook chicken breasts in large skillet. Once cooked through, either shred or use a chopping utensil to cut into very small, shredded like, pieces or strips. Add black beans and about 1/3 of the seasoning packet. Add in about 1/4 cup of broth or water. You may need to add more, depending on consistency. Now let simmer until fully incorporated. Place tortilla chips on a cookie sheet or baking stone, warm in oven, then top with chicken and bean mixture, and cheese.
Pineapple Delight Cake
Ingredients
1 10 oz angel food cake
1 3.4 oz vanilla pudding
1 20 oz can crushed pineapple
1 8 oz can crushed pineapple
1 8 oz container whipped topping
Directions
1.Split angel food cake into 3 layers
2.Empty both cans of crushed pineapple with juice into a large bowl and mix in dry pudding mix. Stir well to combine. Fold in the whipped topping.
3.Spread pineapple mixture onto each layer of cake and stack on top of each other. Spread remaining pineapple mixture on top and sides of cake to cover completely.
4.Keep cool in refrigerator for at least an hour before slicing.
Prep Time:
15 minCook Time:
noneReady In:
1 hr 15 min
Servings
10
LIGHT AND DREAMY 5 CUP FRUIT SALAD
Ingredients
1 cup pineapple tidbits
1 cup mandarin orange slices
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup sour cream
Directions
1.Drain pineapple and mandaring orange slices.
2.Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
3.Serve chilled.
Apple Dip
What you’ll need:
1 8 oz bar of cream cheese
1/2 cup of sugar
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1 tsp. of vanilla
1 package of heath bar bits
What you’ll do:
Blend cream cheese, sugars, and vanilla until combined, then add 1/2 of the package of heath bar bits. Serve with granny smith or gala apples. You can add some pineapple to the apple slices to prevent them from turning brown.
Link: http://daintychef-krissy.blogspot.com/2010/09/apple-dip.html
Spicy Cheeseburger Dip
What you’ll need:
1 lb. (16 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 can (10 oz.) RO*TEL Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained
1 cup Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 lb. ground beef, cooked, drained
4 green onions, sliced
What you’ll do:
Mix all ingredients except onions in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on High 5 min. or until VELVEETA is melted, stirring after 3 min. Stir in onions. SERVE with chips, crackers, or assorted cut-up fresh vegetables.
Linky: http://daintychef-krissy.blogspot.com/2011/02/spicy-cheeseburger-dip.html
Chicken Marsala
From Food
This isn’t exactly 100% slow carb , but it is indeed delicious!
Ingredients:
1 bottle of Marsala wine
2 chicken breasts
1 package of mushroom, sliced
1-2 tsp of oil (for cooking)
salt and pepper to taste
Pour out a bottle of Marsala wine into a pot, bring to a boil, and let wine reduce by half.
In the meantime, wrap the chicken breasts loosely in cling wrap, and pound until 1/2 in thick throughout.
Season both sides with salt and pepper, then cook in a skillet over medium heat.
After about 3-5 min, once the bottom side of the chicken breast has turned golden brown, flip the chicken to the other side, and add the mushrooms to the skillet.
After 3-5 min, add reduced wine to the skillet, and continue to cook until the wine becomes thick and syrupy.
Serve and relish in the deliciousness of the dish…
I pretty much lick my plate clean when I eat this dish
Chinese Scallion Pancakes
Ingredients:
2-3 green onions sliced
2 cups flour, plus extra for rolling
up to 2 cups hot water
1 tsp salt
oil
Instructions:
*I should have taken pictures for these first couple of steps, but I was experiemnting and didn’t know if I’d be successful. If I make more of these in the future, I’ll add some in!
Put flour and salt in a medium sized bowl, mix together.
With one hand, slowly pour in the hot water, a little bit at a time, while you stir the flour mixture and water together (using a spoon) in the other hand.
Once the dough starts to some together, and is about 90% incorporated, stop adding water and knead the dough with your hand (pulling back with your fingers, and pushing forward with the palms of your hand). The dough will be really warm since you used hot water, so please be careful! This should help incorporate the rest of the flour into the dough. If you find your dough is super sticky, throw in small handfuls of flour and knead into the dough until you have a soft, silky, slightly-sticky dough.
Wrap your dough with cling wrap, and let it rest for at least 30 min. (Or do what I did and take a nap, and come back later!)
Once your dough is rested, cut your dough into 8 portions. I really find this step relaxing. The dough is soft, and pliable. It’s very addictive. Heh…
Then roll each portion out into a circle one-at-a-time, and do the following on each pancake:
Put a few drops of oil on top, and smear the top of each pancake.
Then lightly sprinkle the tops with a pinch of salt.
Finally sprinkle on some green oinions.
But wait! You’re not done!!!
Roll up the pancake – think of a fruit roll up, or a sleeping bag…
Then twist it into a pinwheel.
…and roll it out one more time.
I think these last 2 steps are what gives these pancakes their fluffy layers and unique texture.
Finally, cook them in a pan. It’s like making traditional pancakes. Once the bottom is brown and the top has puffed a bit, you can turn it in the pan to cook the other side. You don’t necessarily have to add oil in the pan for this last step, but I find it gives the tops a nice little crispy crust if you just add in a couple drops of oil before you cook each pancake.
Once all the pancakes are cooked, chop them into quarters and serve with your favorite dipping sauce! (Sometimes I just sprinkle on some low sodium soy sauce. Sometimes I made a sauce with 2:1 ratio of black vinegar, and soy sauce, 1 tsp of sugar, 1 tsp of ginger, a splash of sesame oil, and some chili garlic sauce )