Appetizers and Snacks


Bacon Wrapped Dill Pickles

Makes 8 appetizers, or a snack for two people (in our house anyway)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

4 strips of good bacon
4 large dill pickles (read the label - no added chemicals or sugar)
16 toothpicks

  1. Cut the bacon in half horizontally (next time I am going to try in vertically - cover more of the pickle).
  2. Cut the dill pickles in half and pat dry with a paper towel.
  3. Wrap the bacon around one end of the dill pickle and anchor with a toothpick.
  4. Wrap the rest of the bacon around the pickle and anchor with a toothpick at the other end.
  5. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
  6. Turn the broiler on and broil until the bacon is crispy - about 5 minutes.  Watch so they don't burn.


Chorizo and Sweet Potato Jalapeno Poppers

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and put a large pot of water on to boil.  Also, line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.

1 large sweet potato
1 Tbsp. bacon fat
1/2 red onion (I didn't have an onion, so I left this out and they were still delicious). chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 chorizo (the chorizo sausage I bought was hard, so I removed the casing, chopped it into smaller pieces
   and chopped it up into small pieces - sort of ground beef size - in the food processor)
1/4 green salsa (I didn't have green salsa, but I did have some homemade sriracha sauce, so I used that -
   and they were still delicious)
2 oz. full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup grated cheddar/monterey jack cheese blend
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped (I think cilantro tastes like soap so I didn't use it)
10 green jalapeno peppers + rubber gloves!
1 Tbsp.  almond flour (I didn't think the recipe needed this, so I didn't add it)

  1. Rinse the sweet potato, poke all over with a paring knife and microwave on high for 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of your potato.
  2. Once it is cool enough to handle, scoop out the insides into a large bowl and mash with a potato masher or fork.
  3. Mash the softened cream cheese into the sweet potatoes.
  4. Meanwhile, heat the bacon fat in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the chopped onion and minced garlic.
  5. Add chopped chorizo and cook for another two minutes.
  6. Add the salsa (or sriracha) and remove the pan from the heat.
  7. Once it is cool, add the chorizo mixture to the sweet potato mixture, along with the grated cheese and the cilantro, if you are using it, and mix together.
  8. Prepare the jalapeno peppers - use rubber gloves for this or make sure you don't touch any part of yourself or anyone else until you have washed your hands several times - rinse the jalapenos to start.
  9. Cut each jalapeno in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and the white membrane.
  10. Drop the cleaned jalapeno halves into the bowling water and cook for only 3-minutes.  This removes some of the heat from the peppers and softens them a bit.
  11. Drain the jalapenos on paper towels and then stuff each pepper with some of the chorizo sweet potato mixture - pile it up.
  12. If you want to sprinkle the almond flour on top, do it at this point, but I didn't think it was needed.
  13. Bake the stuffed jalapenos for 20 minutes.
Bacon-Wrapped Figs
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

8 fresh figs, washed and stem removed
4 slices of good bacon, halved horizontally
  1. Wrap each fig in half a piece of bacon and put on the baking sheet, seam side down.
  2. Bake for 40 minutes (or until the bacon is crisp).
  3. Cool slightly - you will burn your mouth is you eat them right away - you have been warned!
Plantain Crackers
(from The Paleo Mom)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper

2 large green plantains (mine were riper, so the chips were sweeter)
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 tsp. salt
  1. Peel the plantains and slice them into your food processor.
  2. Add the coconut oil and salt and process until pureed.
  3. Pour the batter onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and smooth the batter out as evenly as possible.
  4. Bake for 10 minutes then remove from the oven and using a pizza cutter or pastry scraper, score the batter into whatever cracker size you like.
  5. Bake for another 50-55 minutes, rotating the pan once during cooking. (I didn't and the thinner edges burned a little)
  6. Let cool thoroughly.  Store in a closed container at room temperature.



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