Category: By Ethnicity/ Region

toasted ravioli screen

Oven Toasted Ravioli & a $100 Giveaway

April 2, 2012 Filled under Italian, Pasta and Noodles, Quick Weeknight Meals, Shawn's Favorites
104 Comments

Have you ever had toasted/fried ravioli before? I don’t see it on menus very often, but it’s sometimes offered as an appetizer at Italian restaurants or pizzerias. And it’s amazing. (Then again, it’s deep fried pasta filled with cheese. Of course it’s awesome!) When I came home to find a shipment of Monterey Gourmet Foods™ ravioli and pesto to play with, it took me about 2 seconds to decide what I wanted to do with it. This oven-toasted ravioli does away with the guilt that goes along with fried food, and it swaps out the lighter flavors of roast chicken and pesto for the more traditional garlic and marinara. Read More

olive and leek crostade-2

Olive and Goat Cheese Croustades & My Photography Process

March 28, 2012 Filled under Breads, Greek/Mediterranean, Light, Misc.
8 Comments

Over the past year or so, a lot of people have asked me to post about my photography “process.” I usually laugh them off. I love food photography, but I’m by no means a photographer. I’ve never taken a photography class and most of the time I feel like when I get a good shot, it’s because of nothing but luck. Still, when you compare the photos that I take now to the ones that I took when I first started the blog, even I have to admit that there’s been a dramatic improvement. (For reference, this is the first photo I posted. Yikes!) Read More

Olive and Goat Cheese Croustades

Yields 10 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

These bite-sized croustades are perfect as an appetizer or snack. The buttery leeks pair perfectly with thangy goat cheese and briney olives! Recipe courtesy Lindsay Olives

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon unsalted Butter
  • 1/4 cup diced Leeks
  • 1/4 cup diced Lindsay® Ripe Pitted Black Olives
  • 1 (10 oz.) prepared Pizza Dough, thawed if frozen
  • 3 ounces Goat Cheese, crumbled
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh Thyme
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh Oregano

Preparation

  1. Heat butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add leeks; sauté 3 to 4 minutes or until leeks are softened. Remove from heat; stir in olives and set aside.
  2. Heat oven to 400°F. Cut pizza dough into 20 (1/2 oz.) pieces. Shape into 2-inch circles and place on a lightly greased parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 7 to 8 minutes.
  3. Spread each circle with olive mixture. Top with goat cheese; return to oven and bake 5 to 7 minutes. Top with thyme and oregano.

Approx. 109 calories, 5 grams fat, 13 grams carbohydrates, 0 grams fiber, 5 grams protein