I’m all about the broccoli cheddar combo, as you may remember from my Broccoli Cheddar Latkes found HERE. I adore all things mini and love nothing more than a great tasting perfectly sized appetizer.

Ingredients:
2 heads of broccoli
2 eggs
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup of cream cheese
1 1/4 cups of bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions:
Steam broccoli. Once soft, place in large mixing bowl and mash together. Add eggs, cream cheese, 1/4 cup of bread crumbs, salt, pepper, garlic and cayenne pepper. Mix well until combined. Wet your hands and shape the broccoli mixture into balls, about the size of falafel balls/walnuts. (about 1 tablespoon of broccoli mixture) Dip the balls into the remaining bread crumbs, then place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Spray cooking oil on top of balls then bake on 375′ for about 20 to 25 minutes until slightly crispy. Serve several balls on skewers or individually on a platter with a combo of mayo and ketchup on the side.

*Tips&Tricks: You can also use the broccoli mixture to make a quiche. Simply put the mixture in a prepared pie crust and bake for about 45 minutes. Or make mini pies with it! Top pies with bread crumbs and extra shredded cheddar cheese.For those of you cheese lovers, wrap the broccoli mixture around cheddar cubes for a super cheesy filling!

~ Recipe submitted by Nina Safar

Ingredients:
12. oz tortellini pasta (I used frozen sun-dried tomato tortellini)
2 tablespoons earth balance buttery spread (non dairy)
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups soy milk
2 tablespoons pesto sauce (I use the Dorot frozen cubes. 1 cube = 2 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
12 oz. artichoke hearts

Directions:
Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Once cooked, remove from water and set aside. Reserve 1 cup of water and set aside. Heat up earth balance in a large pot until melted. Add the flour and whisk together until smooth and combined. Add the milk and whisk together until smooth and combined. Continue to whisk together until thickened. Add the pesto and season with salt, pepper and garlic. Drain the artichokes and add to the sauce and whisk together with sauce. Once nice and thick, turn off heat and add the pasta into the sauce. Mix together and serve with freshly chopped basil and red pepper flakes. (optional, for those that like it spicy!)

*Tips&Tricks: If you do not like artichokes, you can replace them with wilted spinach, sauteed mushrooms and onions, or simply stick with pasta. You can also swap the tortellini for your favorite pasta! If you want to make this dairy, simple use butter instead of the earth balance and use milk or heavy cream instead of soy milk. If serving this dairy, be sure to add some parmesan on top after it’s cooked. There is nothing like yummy fresh grated parmesan!

~ Recipe submitted by Nina Safar

The verdict? Crispy and delicious! The outside is crunchy but the onion is still tender which makes for a great combo! It was hard to save enough for the photo. I kept stealing some from the plate. You know, just to make sure they were good. These would make a great appetizer to a dairy meal, just add parmesan to the bread crumbs mixture. (Yes, I totally whipped up two batches just to test it out and yes, it was totally delish!) Since what you eat is only as good as what you dip it into, I served them up with a honey mustard dipping sauce with some crunchy baked onion rings mixed in.

Ingredients:
1 onion
2 eggs plus 1 teaspoon water
1 cup of bread crumbs
2 tablespoons fresh herbs (I used lemon basil)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions:
Whisk the eggs and water together in a shallow dish. Combine herbs, salt and pepper and bread crumbs in a separate shallow dish. Peel onion. Cut into rings. Dip the onion rings into egg mixture, then into bread crumbs herb mixture. Place on lightly greased baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (You can spray the rings with cooking oil for an extra crunch!) Bake on 400′ for 25 minutes or until crispy.

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup of mayo
1/4 cup of honey
1/4 cup of djon mustard
3 onion rings chopped

Combine the mayo, honey and mustard until smooth. Top with chopped onion rings for a tasty crunch!

*Tips&Tricks: Add shredded or grated parmesan to the bread crumbs mixture for a deliciously dairy and cheesy taste!

~ Recipe submitted by Nina Safar

Ingredients:
1 pint of roasted grape tomatoes (get recipe HERE)
1 bag of spinach (about 4 cups)
3 cloves of garlic, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons earth balance natural buttery spread
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups of almond milk (or soy)
8 oz. pasta (I used Trader Joes Garlic Basil Linguine but any long pasta will do such as fettucini or spaghetti)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon basil, chopped

Directions:
Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. While the pasta cooks and you roast the tomatoes (recipe HERE) saute olive oil and garlic in a large pot. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Once wet and wilted, it will reduce in size. Remove from heat and set aside. Using the same large pot, melt the earth balance buttery spread and add the flour. Whisk until combined and slightly thick. Add the milk and whisk until combined and continue to whisk over medium heat until smooth and thick. If you want it to be thicker, you can add an additional tablespoon of flour. Once sauce is thickened, add the spinach and tomatoes and combine well. Add pasta to pot of sauce and whisk together. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper and stir several minutes over heat then turn off fire. Add fresh lemon basil and mix together before serving.

*Tips&Tricks: You can easily make this recipe dairy by using butter instead of the earth balance, and using heavy cream or cows milk instead of almond milk. If you make this dairy, serve with parmesan cheese shredded or grated on top.

~ Recipe submitted by Nina Safar

Caramelized onions, tomato, basil and goat cheese make these the perfect appetizer to serve this holiday. I had to resist eating all of them long enough to take the photo!

Ingredients:
1 sheet of puff pastry
2 tomatoes diced
1/2 onion diced
1/2 cup of crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup of fresh basil diced

Directions:
Cut out circles of puff pastry using a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass cup. Saute the onions until tender. Add the tomatoes and cook for several minutes. Wet the circles of dough with an egg wash, which is 1 egg + 1 tablespoon of water. Then, place 1 tsp of tomato onion filling in center of each circle. Top with some goat cheese and basil. Pinch the sides together, forming a triangle. You might need to wet it with some of the egg wash to get it to stick. I had to sort of fold the edges over slightly, to keep it from opening up. Bake in oven on 375′ for 15 to 20 minutes until golden and slightly crispy.

~ Recipe submitted by Nina Safar

Whip up this light and tasty dish for brunch! It’s super easy, and won’t leave you feeling greasy. (like all of those latkes did!)

Ingredients:
PAM or 1 tablespoon of olive oil
2-3 eggs
1 teaspoon of fresh dill, chopped
1/4 cup of crumbled feta
3 baby peppers, sliced

Directions:
Lightly grease a frying pan with PAM or some olive oil. Crack the eggs into the pan. Sprinkle the dill on top, the peppers and feta. Allow to cook until eggs are firm.

~ Recipe submitted by Nina Safar

This recipe was inspired by my moms famous cheese blintzes and her delicious noodle kugel. I took the cheese mixture she uses for the blintzes, and combined it with the noodles and apple sauce that she puts in her kugel and bam, I got cheese blintze noodle kugel latkes! That of course, is way too long of a name for a recipe, so I shortened it to cheese blintze latkes.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup of cottage cheese
1/2 cup of ricotta cheese
1/2 cup of apple sauce
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 bag of medium egg noodles, cooked

Directions
Mix the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add the cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, and apple sauce and mix well. Add the cinnamon and sugar and mix well. Then add the cooked noodles and combine. Heat up a large skillet with some oil and shape the noodle and cheese mixture into patties and cook until golden brown on each side.

~ Recipe submitted by Nina Safar

Potato latkes are as exciting as vanilla ice cream. I’m sure there are the purists who believe it’s best to stick with tradition, but I like to mix things up in the kitch. This year, I’m giving the latke a serious makeover, starting with this recipe for broccoli cheddar latkes!

Ingredients:
1 lb. of broccoli florets, chopped and steamed
1 russet potato, peeled and grated
1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup of panko crumbs
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup canola oil
oil for frying

Directions:
Steam and chop the broccoli florets. Place in large mixing bowl. Add the grated potato, diced onion, panko crumbs, eggs, pepper, salt, cayenne pepper, flour, cheese and oil and mix well. Shape into patties and fry until golden brown.

~ Recipe submitted by Nina Safar

I hate baking. Just the idea of making dough from scratch exhausts me. I love eating baked goods though, so every now and then I will shuffle my way into the kitchen and bake me up something sweet and sugary. I used ready made puff pastry dough from the freezer which makes for a flaky thinner crust, if you have the time and want something thick and doughy, this would also work with your fav pastry dough recipe.

Ingredients:
1 8oz package of cream cheese
1/3 cup of sugar
1 tsp. of vanilla extract
1 package of puff pastry dough, which includes 2 sheets

Directions:
You can either combine both sheets to form one long sheet or make two danishes one sheet per danish. Roll sheet out, then combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Mix well. Place in center of sheet leaving room on both sides. (if you are making two danishes, save half of the cheese mixture for the other sheet of dough) You can add toppings of your choice to the cheese, such as fresh fruit like blueberries or chocolate spread. (I made one with cheese and chocolate spread and another with cheese and fresh blueberries) Then cut slits into the dough on either side of the cheese mixture. Starting from one end, crisscross them over the cheese filling creating a braid. Bake on 350′ for 20-25 minutes till slightly golden. Once it has cooled off, drizzle a glaze of confectionery sugar and water over the danish.

~ Recipe submitted by Nina Safar

If you like pizza, but not the heavy feeling that usually comes with eating carbs, you will LOVE this dish! It’s a quick and delicious way to indulge in everyones favorite meal without the guilt or calories.

Ingredients:
1 large zucchini
1 cup of Pizza Sauce (my fav is Don Pepino)
1 cup of shredded cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil or spray olive oil such as PAM

Optional toppings:
Roasted cherry tomatoes
Feta cheese

Directions:
Wash the zucchini and dry clean. Slice 1/4 inch thick rounds. Brush both sides with olive oil or spray with PAM Olive Oil. Place on a baking tray and broil for about 10 minutes. Then add about a tablespoon of pizza sauce to each round, sprinkle some cheese on top and bake for an additional 10 minutes until slightly crispy and browned.

* For additional toppings, place pizza sauce, then roasted cherry tomatoes and crumble feta on top then bake for an additional 10 minutes until slightly crispy and browned. To roast the cherry tomatoes: Slice the cherry tomatoes in half lengthwise, place on baking tray then drizzle some olive oil and honey on top. Season with salt and pepper. Place in oven 400′ and cook for 20 – 25 minutes until slightly browned.

~ Recipe submitted by Nina Safar