#simple appetizers

Are you gearing up for the Ohio State Football Game or the Super bowl or you just are needing a simple and easy appetizer?  I will be sharing a few on my favorites this month starting with these tasty Sausage Bites. 

This is a favorite recipe of my nephew.  I made it a few years back for our holiday gathering and he loved them.  He loved them so much that the following year I made him his very…

  Every once in a while I like to pretend that we're having guests over for dinner just to find an excuse to make a two or sometimes three course meal, complete with a light, flavorful, but not too filling appetizer.

And this scrumptious and sexy tomato tartar was born on just one of those nights. I know, I know, it looks intimidating at first glance, but it really is quite simple to do. The hardest part, depending on where you live, might be finding the right heirloom tomato for the job.

THE GOODS: (serves 2)

1 large 'n' delicious heirloom tomato

1 cup finely diced zucchini

1 medium/small sized white onion

1/4 cup fresh basil (diced)

1/4 cup fresh parsley (diced)

1/8 cup lemon juice (approx. 1/2 lemon) 

2 tbs lemon zest

1 finely dices garlic clove

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup sprouted or cooked and chilled quinoa

THE HOW:

Cook 1/2 cup of quinoa (1 cup cooked) and let chill in the refrigerator. Or if you want to stick to the raw side of life like I did, you can sprout your quinoa (set aside 3-4 days for the wonderful art of sprouting to take place).

Dice your lovely, juicy heirloom tomato into 1/2 inch cubes and throw into a large mixing bowl where it will patiently await the other ingredients.

Finely dice your large zucchini (please...get your mind out of the gutter.) A technique that I used which works quite well, is I used my mandoline to slice them alla julienne then diced them into cubes from there. 

Take your white onion and prepare to cry your eyes out as you dice it up.

Chop your basil and parsley. Any way you do this is fine. Have fun - use a butcher knife if you really feel like getting your chop on.

Take one lemon and with a zester, or the smallest grate on your cheese grater, scrape off about 2 tbs of that good lemony stuff. The zest is what really gives the flavor. 

Place one garlic clove in a garlic press, or work harder than you ever should for one lousy piece of garlic and dice/chop the hell out of it until it's nice and fine. 

Place all ingredients except for quinoa into a large mixing bowl and gently toss together and add salt to taste.