Blog Party 30 - Veggie Friendly

It's been a few months since I've attended a Blog Party over at Dispensing Happiness. But with such a great theme for #30, how could I resist? Veggies are big in our house right now; I am new-years-resolutioning us into more veggies and less meat and processed food on a regular basis.

First up is open faced tomato sandwiches on biscuits.
Yes, it's winter and tomatos aren't really that great, but I'd rather have a not so great tomato than none at all. I've split biscuits (these are just Pillsbury), spread with a bit of mayo and some dried basil, topped them with sliced tomatos and sprinkled them with salt and pepper. So good. And good for you! Tomatos are low calorie, low fat, have no cholesterol, and are a good source of Vitamins A and C.

Next is one of my favorite lunch/dinner treats - Mango Cucumber wraps.

I spread the whole wheat wraps with a thin coating of dressing - mayo, mango chutney and curry powder - and top with shredded lettuce and chopped cucumber and mango. Normally I'd just roll them up and eat, but I watched an episode of Ricardo and Friends where he made wraps for a children's party. He wrapped them in parchment paper, tied off sections with ribbons, and then cut between the ribbons to make small wrapped servings. They looked so adorable I tried it.

Looks cute I think. PS - Cucumbers are low in calories and fat, and are good sources of calcium, iron, and Vitamin A.

And what Blog Party would be complete without a drink? I made up a batch of Dave Lieberman's Ginger Cranberry Cocktail, except I made individual drinks instead of a jug.
These were great and would be wonderful in the summer on a hot day. Ginger is not a veggie, but is still yummy. Ginger is a good source of Magnesium and Potassium, and is thought to help relieve migraines.

See you at the party!

Blog Party 30 - Veggie Friendly

It's been a few months since I've attended a Blog Party over at Dispensing Happiness. But with such a great theme for #30, how could I resist? Veggies are big in our house right now; I am new-years-resolutioning us into more veggies and less meat and processed food on a regular basis.

First up is open faced tomato sandwiches on biscuits.
Yes, it's winter and tomatos aren't really that great, but I'd rather have a not so great tomato than none at all. I've split biscuits (these are just Pillsbury), spread with a bit of mayo and some dried basil, topped them with sliced tomatos and sprinkled them with salt and pepper. So good. And good for you! Tomatos are low calorie, low fat, have no cholesterol, and are a good source of Vitamins A and C.

Next is one of my favorite lunch/dinner treats - Mango Cucumber wraps.

I spread the whole wheat wraps with a thin coating of dressing - mayo, mango chutney and curry powder - and top with shredded lettuce and chopped cucumber and mango. Normally I'd just roll them up and eat, but I watched an episode of Ricardo and Friends where he made wraps for a children's party. He wrapped them in parchment paper, tied off sections with ribbons, and then cut between the ribbons to make small wrapped servings. They looked so adorable I tried it.

Looks cute I think. PS - Cucumbers are low in calories and fat, and are good sources of calcium, iron, and Vitamin A.

And what Blog Party would be complete without a drink? I made up a batch of Dave Lieberman's Ginger Cranberry Cocktail, except I made individual drinks instead of a jug.
These were great and would be wonderful in the summer on a hot day. Ginger is not a veggie, but is still yummy. Ginger is a good source of Magnesium and Potassium, and is thought to help relieve migraines.

See you at the party!

Blog Party 26 - it's what's inside.

Stephanie from Dispensing Happiness is hosting her 26th Blog Party and this is one is all about what's on the inside. Well clear some room on that table Stephanie, I went crazy and brought lots with me today!!!

My first contribution to the party is Melon and Prosciutto. When I was a waitress at a restaurant in the downtown area I used to walk over to an Italian restaurant a few blocks from my house after work and get an order of this to go. The restaurant served big wedges wrapped in full slices of the salty ham. I prefer to go bite-sized. So, cut your melon (I used cantaloupe) into bite size pieces and wrap them in a bit of prosciutto.


Next up, ham and cheese wraps. Spread Boursin or herb and garlic cream cheese on a tortilla and top with a layer of thinly sliced ham. Roll up tightly, then cut into bite sized pieces.


I also made two batches of mini potato skins. These are small nugget potatoes that were steamed, halved and had their middles scooped out. One batch was filled with chopped tomato, one batch was filled with chopped ham. They were smothered in cheese, broiled and then topped with sour cream and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper.


For my tasty beverage this month I've put mint and fruit inside ice cubes made from lemonade.


Not only are they pretty, but they won't dilute your lemonade, and when the cubes melts you've got pretty floaties too.


Looking forward to the party Stephanie, cheers!

Blog Party 26 - it's what's inside.

Stephanie from Dispensing Happiness is hosting her 26th Blog Party and this is one is all about what's on the inside. Well clear some room on that table Stephanie, I went crazy and brought lots with me today!!!

My first contribution to the party is Melon and Prosciutto. When I was a waitress at a restaurant in the downtown area I used to walk over to an Italian restaurant a few blocks from my house after work and get an order of this to go. The restaurant served big wedges wrapped in full slices of the salty ham. I prefer to go bite-sized. So, cut your melon (I used cantaloupe) into bite size pieces and wrap them in a bit of prosciutto.


Next up, ham and cheese wraps. Spread Boursin or herb and garlic cream cheese on a tortilla and top with a layer of thinly sliced ham. Roll up tightly, then cut into bite sized pieces.


I also made two batches of mini potato skins. These are small nugget potatoes that were steamed, halved and had their middles scooped out. One batch was filled with chopped tomato, one batch was filled with chopped ham. They were smothered in cheese, broiled and then topped with sour cream and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper.


For my tasty beverage this month I've put mint and fruit inside ice cubes made from lemonade.


Not only are they pretty, but they won't dilute your lemonade, and when the cubes melts you've got pretty floaties too.


Looking forward to the party Stephanie, cheers!

Blog Party 24 - Bloggers Choice

This month the hostess with mostess Stephanie of Dispensing Happiness is celebrating the 24th edition of Blog Party! She's made the theme of 24 "Bloggers Choice". I've chosen to throw a mini barbecue party.

We'll start with the main course. This is a dish I've wanted to make for ages and thanks to Stephanie now I have. Here's a plate of mini burgers.


Originally I wanted to make my own mini buns, but as you may have read in my previous posts, it's hot here right now, so I am not using the oven. Instead we cut the mini buns out of regular buns, and saved the bun scraps to serve with spinach dip the next day. I had some frozen burger patties in the freezer, so I thawed them out and made 3 mini burgers out of each patty. We grilled them up and served them with ketchup and relish.

Next up are bean bites. Brown beans are one of my most favorite foods. I added some onion, a chopped chipolte pepper and some bbq sauce to the beans and microwaved them. They were served on spoons for easy eating. (Those big Chinese soup spoons would have been perfect here, but I don't have any.)



Our beverage for the party is not that new; I made a similar drink for Blog Party 19. This time around it's Pineapple juice and 7-Up. Deee-licious.



Stephanie, congrats on 2 years of Blog Party! It's been fun, and I look forward to many more.

Blog Party 24 - Bloggers Choice

This month the hostess with mostess Stephanie of Dispensing Happiness is celebrating the 24th edition of Blog Party! She's made the theme of 24 "Bloggers Choice". I've chosen to throw a mini barbecue party.

We'll start with the main course. This is a dish I've wanted to make for ages and thanks to Stephanie now I have. Here's a plate of mini burgers.


Originally I wanted to make my own mini buns, but as you may have read in my previous posts, it's hot here right now, so I am not using the oven. Instead we cut the mini buns out of regular buns, and saved the bun scraps to serve with spinach dip the next day. I had some frozen burger patties in the freezer, so I thawed them out and made 3 mini burgers out of each patty. We grilled them up and served them with ketchup and relish.

Next up are bean bites. Brown beans are one of my most favorite foods. I added some onion, a chopped chipolte pepper and some bbq sauce to the beans and microwaved them. They were served on spoons for easy eating. (Those big Chinese soup spoons would have been perfect here, but I don't have any.)



Our beverage for the party is not that new; I made a similar drink for Blog Party 19. This time around it's Pineapple juice and 7-Up. Deee-licious.



Stephanie, congrats on 2 years of Blog Party! It's been fun, and I look forward to many more.