It’s not very often I get invited to adult only events, so when I do I want to be sure to bring adult food. Enter my antipasto skewers, a portable version of the always favorite antipasto platters. These platters are always such a hit and involve little to no actual cooking. They can also be made the night before to keep things even easier on yourself. For anyone not familiar, antipasto platters are a popular appetizer in Italian cuisines and consist of an assortment of Italian cured meats, cheeses and olives.

Ingredients:

1 ball fresh mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Italian dressing
1/3 lb pepperoni, sliced medium from the deli counter of your grocery store
1/3 lb salami, sliced medium from the deli counter of your grocery store
1 jar pitted black olives
1 jar green olives
1 jar roasted red peppers
1 bunch of fresh basil leaves

Additional supplies needed:
Small wooden skewers or plastic cocktail stirrers

Makes 30 skewers

Method:

Start by cutting your mozzarella ball into 1/2 inch chunks. To make things easier on yourself, count as you go to get the exact 30 mozzarella chunks you need. Next, place your mozzarella chunks into a small shallow glass dish, pour over your Italian dressing, stir to coat and then place into the refrigerator to marinate for 30 minutes. While the cheese marinates it’s time to prep all of your other skewer ingredients. Drain both cans/jars of olives and set aside. Wash and pat dry your fresh basil, cutting any large leaves in half, again needing 30 pieces. Open your jar of roasted red peppers, taking out a few peppers at a time, cut into 1/2” size chunks, similar to the size of the olives or mozzarella. Once you’ve got your 30 pieces, set aside. Now it’s time to cut the cured meats. Take 15 slices of pepperoni and 15 slices of salami, cut them all directly in half. They will end up looking like semi circles. By this time your mozzarella should be done marinating and it’s time to set up your assembly line to make the skewering process go by quicker. This was the pattern I followed: green olive-salami-pepper-mozzarella-basil-pepperoni-black olive. I recommend using the plastic cocktail skewers, they’re a little more expensive but make for a nicer presentation, and easier eating, not to mention they’re colorful! Now working in the pattern it’s time to assemble your skewers. When you add the salami and pepperoni you’ll want to fold the semi circle 3 times, it’ll look like a little ribbon once on the skewer. By doing this you make the meats fit in line with all the other ingredients but not shorting anyone on the portions. Once done cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.

These are a little tedious to make, however, with that being said, they require zero cooking. They were a total hit at the party I brought them to and I left with an empty dish. Not to mention these are low carb and Keto friendly! Feel free to get creative with these skewers, you can make them to adjust to your personal flavor preferences. Other possibilities to put on the skewers include; cherry tomatoes, artichokes, mushrooms, parmesan, asiago, prosciutto or capicola.

Alright so parfait is a stretch, but the title was too cute to resist. However, you could layer this like a parfait and it would ring true to its title. Now that we got our food terminology out of the way we can get to the recipe. This little cute breakfast came about almost as an accident. My kids enjoy yogurt a few mornings a week and we’re always switching up our flavors, toppings and fruit combinations. They have so many varieties of yogurt on the market that the possibles are endless.

Ingredients:

Yogurt (white in color)
Strawberries
Blueberries
Puffs, baby snack cereal

Method:

Pour yogurt into a bowl, then top with chopped strawberries, blueberries and puffs cereal. That’s it! This one is a literal dump and done.

I got a little fancy by using our yogurt covered frozen blueberries but fresh or frozen regular blueberries will also work. Some of you may be a few years removed from the baby stage and I’m not far behind you, however, these puffs have remained a favorite in our household for kids of all ages. Also their star shape brings the whole patriotic theme home, not to mention they come in all sorts of flavors to compliment your yogurt and fruit.

I have just fallen in love with Mexican street corn. It became a staple around here last summer, the flavors are just awesome! I decided to try and take my love for this side dish and make it the main dish and boy did it work! These tacos are delicious!! The best part is, they only need a few more ingredients than Mexican street corn which makes these come together quick.

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 fresh jalapeño
2 ears corn on the cob, cooked
1 avocado
1/4- 1/2 cup cilantro
1/4 cup red onion
Cotija or Feta cheese
Taco size flour tortillas
Garlic mayonnaise (recipe below)

-1/2 Cup regular mayonnaise, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon adobo sauce, stir and done.

Extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

Additional ingredients:
Tortilla chips
Lime juice

Method:

First up heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Next, dice your chicken into bite size chunks and make your spice mixture of chili powder, cumin, garlic, paprika and a big pinch of salt, rub this mixture all over your chicken. Place the chicken into the hot oil and cook 3-5 minutes, or until done. While your chicken cooks, cut the corn off of the cob and warm in a small pot on the stove, medium low heat, stirring occasionally. Once the chicken is cooked through, reduce heat in your frying pan to low and deglaze your pan with a tablespoon or so of water, if needed. Now make your toppings bar, chop red onion, avocado, jalapeño and cilantro, leave them separate to create your own or you can combine all the toppings together in a small bowl. Warm your tortillas if desired and it’s time to build your tacos. Using the home made garlic mayonnaise to start, spread a healthy spoonful all over the tortilla. Next spoon your chicken mixture down the center, top with warm corn, then the toppings, and lastly sprinkle on some cheese and enjoy! To make these extra special, add a squeeze of lime juice over the top and some crushed tortilla chips for texture.

These hit all the flavor notes for me! Spice from the jalapeño, sweetness from the corn, bite of the onion, creaminess of the avocado, and the saltiness in the feta. The additional citrus with the lime and texture from the chips make these a home run! To make this keto friendly or low carb I use low carb mini pitas or low carb tortillas then go light on the corn, and heavy on the avocado. My tip for this one, use left over corn! We often grill corn on the cob during the spring and summer months and end up with some extra. I’m always looking for new ways to use the leftovers and this is perfect, as all you need to do is warm the corn for a topping.