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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.
This is my favorite dip to have on hand….
1 pkg of cream cheese softened(sometimes I use the whipped cream cheese)
1/2 cup of green onions, chopped. Or about half a bunch
3 ounces of real crumbled bacon
Mix and chill, serve on crackers (I prefer wheat thins)
Golli’s spicy chicken salad
2 Tbsp Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp Freshly squeezed lime juice
1 Tsp adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers)
2 Medium roasted chicken breasts, cut into cubes
half of an avocado, diced
Salt and pepper, to taste
Mix the first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add chicken and avocado. Combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. Eat with saltine crackers or tostadas. Enjoy!!!
Guacamole
2-3 medium avocados
1 T Fresh lime juice (about 1/2 a lime)
½ -1 t fresh minced garlic
2 T finely minced onion
2 heaping spoons of sour cream
3-4 T finely diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
Scoop out avocado from skins and mash in a bowl with a fork. Add remaining ingredients and combine well. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Make it at least 30 minutes ahead of time to let the flavors combine and intensify.
Chicken Dip
1 large can shredded chicken – Drain
1 sm can green chilies – Drain
1 sm can jalapenos – Drain
1 block of cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
Combine and heat all ingredients until melted. Stir as needed. Serve with Tortilla Chips
Mango-Pineapple Salsa
1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
1/2 small fresh pineapple, diced
2 tbsp minced red onion
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
1-2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
Chop all the ingredients and place in a bowl, add the lime juice and combine gently until well mixed.
Cowboy bean dip
2 cans black beans or white beans or mixed(drained and rinsed)
1 tomato diced
1 small red onion
2 avocados pitted and diced
Cilantro to taste
1 bottle of your favorite Italian dressing(to taste)
Mix all ingredients and add salt/pepper to taste. Serve with chips of choice. We like the giant fritos
Zingy Artichoke Crab Dip
1 loaf freshly baked sourdough round bread
1 tbsp. olive oil
8 oz. fresh crabmeat
1 cup alfredo sauce
½ tsp. garlic powder
14 oz. jar of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
8 oz. cream cheese, cut into chunks
3 tsp. of your favorite hot sauce
In a 3-quart saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add crabmeat, alfredo sauce, garlic powder, chopped artichoke hearts and cream cheese. Simmer, stirring frequently, 5 minutes or until cream cheese is melted. Slice the top (4-inches in diameter) of the round sourdough bread and hollow out the bread to form a bowl for the dip. Just before serving the dip, stir in hot sauce to taste. Spoon the artichoke dip into the hollowed bread. Serve hot with the pieces of bread removed from the center.
Smoked Muenster, Shrimp & Chili Quesadillas
12 flour or corn tortillas
12 thin deli slices of smoked muenster cheese
1 (4-ounce) can roasted green peppers, seeds removed and cut into strips
1 sweet yellow onion, peeled and cut into thin slices
1 pound raw medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and split
3/4 cup salsa
Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with foil; spray with non-stick cooking spray. Place 3 tortillas on each pan. Put 1 slice smoked muenster cheese on each tortilla. Lay 4 slices of green pepper strips over cheese. Top the quesadillas with onion slices and 4 to 6 shrimp halves. Top each quesadilla with another slice of cheese and tortilla. Spray the tortilla top lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Place pans in oven; bake quesadillas for 5 minutes. Remove from oven, turn quesadillas over and bake another 4-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and tortillas are golden brown. Remove from oven, let cool 5 minutes and place on cutting board. Cut into wedges and serve with salsa.
Bruschetta
2 large tomatoes
garlic (3 cloves)
fresh basil
olive oil
salt & pepper
baguette or country loaf
cream cheese
1) Dice the tomatoes but make sure you take out ALL the seeds before you dice so that the bruschetta isn’t runny!
2) Chop the garlic and the fresh basil and add them to the tomatoes.
3) Season with salt and pepper and olive oil
4) Cut your baguette into slices and drizzle olive oil on top. Season with salt/pepper (a little bit!). Put the slices on a baking sheet at 400C and bake for 5-10 minutes so that the slices are slightly browned and toasty.
5) Let the baguette slices cool and spread a thin layer of cream cheese on top. This is KEY to making it super yummy! Also prevents the bread from getting soggy from the bruschetta.
6) Top with your tomato mixture and you are done!
Guilt-free Buffalo Chicken Dip
1 large can of chicken breast
1 container of 0% fat greek yogurt
Hot sauce to taste
Dump chicken and yogurt in bowl, add hot sauce to taste, then stir!
Either place in serving bowl and serve with celery sticks, or fill celery sticks with dip.