Appetizers & Snacks Archives - My Halal Kitchen

Easy Party Dips: Chipotle Sauce or Yogurt Dip with Fresh Greens

by Yvonne Maffei | Nov 2, 2011 | American, Appetizers & Snacks, Condiments & Sauces, Eid, Halal-Certified Products, Indian, Mexican, Poultry Dishes, Recipes

Whether you’re planning an ‘Eid celebration at home or bringing a dish to your host, you’ll want some recipe ideas for appetizers that are easy to make while healthy for everyone you serve.

Chipotle Sauce and Yogurt & Cream Sauce are two variations on dipping sauces that go great with chicken bites

In this post are two quick and easy appetizers that are perfect for presenting to guests. They don’t take a whole lot of time to make and contain ingredients that are easy to swap out if you don’t have a few called for in each recipe. Most of all, they’re absolutely delicious, too.

Chicken Bites with Chipotle Dipping Sauce

Ever since Saffron Road came out with their halal chicken products, it seems as though my life just got easier without having to compromise on values that are important to me. I can trust that not only are they halal, but sourced from ingredients that are humanely raised and therefore healthy, which makes me feel happy and comfortable to serve it to others.

Mexican piloncillo or raw cane sugar melts when you heat it. They are added to chipotles in this sauce to sweeten it up and remove some of the heat

Chipotles are smoked jalapeño peppers– and they smell delicious when you open the package. Just don’t get too close or it can be overpowering.

The chipotles need to be boiled for a while in order to soften them before they are puréed into a sauce.

When combined with other ingredients or even on their own, the puréed chipotles become a beautiful deep color.

Plated next to these Chicken Bites by Saffron Road on a bed of greens, they look beautiful and appetizing. Your guests will really savor the taste when dipping each piece into the chipotle sauce.

Chicken Bites with Chipotle Dipping Sauce

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

10-12 chipotles (dried jalapeño peppers)

2 tablespoons raw cane sugar (1 small piloncillo cone)

3-5 cloves garlic, preferably roasted

1/4 cup cilantro, stems removed and roughly chopped + more for garnish

1/4 cup yellow onion, diced

16 ounces (2 boxes) Saffron Road Chicken Bites

fresh mixed greens (optional)

Directions

Chipotles are not necessarily hot to the touch, but once you get them cooking, you might notice the heat- especially when you begin to blend them. Be cautious and have plenty of ventilation when cooking them.

Place the chipotles in a bowl of cool water with something heavy (like a plate) for about 20 minutes. Rinse and discard the water.

In a medium size saucepan, add the soaked chipotles and sugar to about 2 cups of water. If using fresh garlic, add those to the water. If using roasted, save them for later.

Cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes, covered. Be sure the sugar has completely dissolved. If it hasn’t, stir with a spoon to break it up and cook for just a few more minutes.

Remove from heat but do not discard the water. Remove the chipotles and garlic from water. Once cooled, remove the stems from the chipotles (and seeds, if desired, but not necessary) and the skins from the garlic if you cooked them with the skin on.

To a blender or food processor, add the chipotle, garlic, cilantro and onion. If using a hand blender to combine the ingredients, place all of the items in a deep enough bowl that they won’t end up all over you once you begin to blend. Blend until smooth, or until at least there are no chunks of pepper left.

Pour the chipotle sauce in a serving bowl.

Heat the chicken bites according to package instructions. On a serving platter or plate, place the washed fresh greens and the cooked chicken bites on top. Garnish with additonal cilantro (optional) and serve alongside the chipotle sauce for easy dipping.

Tandoori Seasoned Chicken Nuggets with Yogurt Dip

Yogurt plus sour cream or heavy cream with a bit of greens added makes a wonderful and super-quick dipping sauce to complement the Tandoori bites by Saffron Road that have a little spice kick to them.

Any type of greens will work- be creative and use what you have or what is seasonal. Chopped chives, cilantro, chopped arugula or mixed salad all work well.

Greens look appetizing next to the other colors on the plate and vice versa for the other foods.

You can plate the chicken, greens and yogurt dip simply alone or drizzle the pieces of chicken with the dip. Stick a toothpick in each bite for your guests or not, depending on how you choose to serve this appetizer.

Mix the greens in thoroughly if you don’t want a whole bunch of green at the top.

Tandoori Seasoned Chicken Nuggets with Yogurt Dip

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

11 ounces yogurt (about 1.5 cups)

1 cup sour cream or 1/2 cup heavy cream or creme fraiche (optional)

1/4 cup fresh greens, chopped (mixed salad, arugula, cilantro, chives, chicory or anything else bright green and fresh)

Sea salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

fresh greens (washed and left in whole pieces or roughly chopped)

16 ounces (2 boxes) Saffron Road Tandoori Seasoned Chicken Nuggets

Directions

Prepare the yogurt sauce by mixing the yogurt with the sour cream or heavy cream, if using. If you are using only yogurt, be sure to use whole milk yogurt because it is thicker. Low fat or no fat yogurt will need a little something extra to thicken it up, such as sour cream.

Mix the fresh greens into the yogurt (or yogurt-cream sauce). Add the salt, pepper and minced garlic. Pour into a serving bowl.

To prepare the plate, lay the greens on a serving tray. Prepare the chicken nuggets as directed on the package. When finished, place on top of the bed of lettuce and next to or in the middle of the plate where the nuggets will be served.

If you like, drizzle the chicken nuggets with the yogurt sauce and place a toothpick in each one for easy eating.

For more appetizer recipes, click here for my appetizer category.

Be sure to enter Saffron Road’s giveaways this week of Clean Your Kitchen Green and coupons for FREE Saffron Road products! Visit their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter to be sure you hear about the giveaways!

This post was sponsored by Saffron Road Food for Eid ul Adha.

Five Layer Black Bean Dip + Homemade Tortilla Chips

by Yvonne Maffei | Jun 6, 2011 | American, Appetizers & Snacks, Kid-Friendly, Mexican, Recipes

This morning I had the great honor of being able to show young junior high students at a local school how to prepare a fun and healthy after-school snack that they can prepare for themselves without ever having to turn on a stove.

This demo was conducted in conjunction with IFANCA‘s initiative to talk to kids about what’s halal in commercial food products as well as how to make healthy food choices on their own. Our all-American kids love all-American food as well as food from their ethnic families’ culinary heritage, but the halal factor in store-bought products can be a bit confusing.

Asma Ahad, a food technologist at IFANCA (Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America), was there to dispell many of the myths surrounding food ingredients and what makes them halal or not. She did a great job engaging the kids in a hands-on activity and the kids were great listeners who were totally present during the entire presentation, including, of course the one that involved the food tasting.

I showed them how to make a Five Layer Bean Dip and Homemade Tortilla Chips and also had a few helpers along the way who came up to do some of the prep with me, which was so much fun.

The recipe is below and I’ve also created this video to show you how to make it.

Five-Layer Black Bean Dip

This five-layer bean dip is more of an American favorite than anything traditionally Mexican, though enjoyed on both sides of the cultural border. It’s also incredibly versatile because you can use any kind of cheese your family likes, whole beans or smashed beans, salsa or simply cut tomatoes, guacamole or smashed avocadoes. Whatever you have on hand, this is a quick, easy and healthy snack that requires no cooking- even the kids can make it for themselves without ever touching the stove!

Five Layer Black Bean Dip

This five-layer bean dip is more of an American favorite than anything traditionally Mexican, though enjoyed on both sides of the cultural border. It’s also incredibly versatile because you can use any kind of cheese your family likes, whole beans or smashed beans, salsa or simply cut tomatoes, guacamole or smashed avocados. Whatever you have on hand, this is a quick, easy and healthy snack that requires no cooking- even the kids can make it for themselves without ever touching the stove!

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 cans (15-ounces each) black beans

1 cup sour cream, or ½ cup sour cream + ½ cup whole milk yogurt

1 cup chopped tomatoes (seeds and juices removed), or ready-made salsa

1 tablespoon jalapeño peppers or ¼ cup canned fire roasted green chiles (about 4 ounces), diced

½ cup scallions, roughly chopped

1 cup guacamole or about 2-3 firm avocados, diced

1 ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

4 lime wedges or 1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Directions

Drain the beans of all liquids using a colander or sieve. Pour the drained beans into the bottom of a square cake pan and spread the beans evenly across the bottom.

Next, layer the sour cream or the yogurt-sour cream mixture on top of the beans. Do the same with the chopped tomatoes or salsa. Add the jalapeños and/or green chiles on top of the salsa then add the scallions.

Top with an even layer of guacamole or diced avocados then add a layer of cheddar cheese on top. Place lime wedges on the side for those who would like to squeeze on top of the dip before eating, or squeeze fresh lime juice over the entire top layer of the dip just before serving.

Scoop up with freshly baked homemade tortilla chips and a side of hot sauce, if desired.

Homemade Tortilla Chips

When buying corn tortillas, look for those that have only three key ingredients- corn, water, and lime. I have my favorite brands, but there are new ones popping up all the time that cater to the consumer interested in more natural and whole foods. It’s also best to make sure the corn used to make the tortillas is not genetically modified.

Flour tortillas should have stone ground wheat and only a few additional (all natural) ingredients.

Makes about 100 chips (if you don’t need this many just use half or less than that. The direction below can be used for any quantity)

Ingredients

1 package (10g)/284g ‘El Milagro’ corn tortillas, about 12 tortillas, or the same amount of flour tortillas

Special Equipment

Toaster oven, conventional oven or comal (cast iron skillet or pan)

Directions for Baked Tortilla Chips

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Triple up the tortillas and cut this bunch into quarters. You should have 4 sets of triangles.

Cut each set of triangle in half lengthwise.

Place on 2 baking sheets (ungreased) one up and one the opposite directions. Place in hot oven and bake for 30 minutes or until all are golden brown and crispy.

Place each piece in a toaster oven. Bake at 425°F or on the ‘toast’ setting for 10 minutes.

Directions for Stovetop Tortilla Chips

Follow directions for cutting using the method above.

Use a comal, or grill pan to brown the chips on each side. Heat the pan so it is nice and hot. Place cut tortillas over the entire surface of the pan and heat for just a few minutes until one side is browned. Flip and keep on heat for about 10 seconds before removing.