Sweet Pea and Feta Crostini

I’ve seen a lot of pea purees lately around the internet and I’ve been dying to give one a try, but quite frankly, something about the words “pea puree” makes me think about a yellow-brownish tiny jar of baby food.  Bleck!  I saw a recipe out there for a pea puree topped with feta and I decided to do some work on it and jazz it up a little bit.  The puree itself was a little flavorless so I added some garlic and some ricotta cheese to give it a more creamy texture without changing the vibrant green color.  It really is a perfect spring recipe and would be a great addition to any St. Patricks’ Day table!  What I like most about it is that you can use frozen peas which are available any time of year and cheap as dirt!  

Sweet Pea and Feta Crostini (serves 4 as an appetizer)

2 c. fresh or frozen sweet peas (if frozen, blanch in boiling water then plunge in ice water)

1/3 c. ricotta cheese

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

juice of 1 lemon

2 garlic cloves, minced

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 small block of feta cheese, crumbled

1 baguette, sliced and toasted

1.  In a food processor, combine peas, ricotta cheese, 3 tbsp EVOO, lemon juice and garlic cloves.  Process until creamy.  Season with salt and pepper.  Smear pea puree on each slice of toasted bread and top with crumbled feta.  Drizzle each crostini with olive oil.

Goat Cheese and Black Bean Dip

I guess my lazy weekend has turned into a lazy week!  I’ve been MIA from my blog!!!  Well last night I made a bunch of food to get back into it and now I’m packed with content that I’m super excited to share with you all!  I also watched Julie and Julia and my blogging spirit has been renewed!  

So today I have a fantastic and flavorful dip for you.  During the fall {also known to many as “football season”}, dips are a-plenty.  Most of these dips are clogged with fat in the form of sour cream, cream cheese or mayo...{and I’m not saying these dips aren’t the most amazing and flavorful dips out there....fat makes the stuff fantastic!}  Here’s a dip that doesn’t have one teeny drop of mayo or sour cream or cream cheese!  The only cheese in it is a sprinkling of creamy goat cheese -- which is a flavor bomb in and of itself.  I also used eggroll wrappers and sliced them into strips then baked them to use as dippers.  This is a much more healthy alternative to tortilla chips.

Goat Cheese and Black Bean Dip

from O Magazine

1 tbsp EVOO

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp cumin

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 c. chicken stock

salt and pepper to taste

2 large poblano peppers

1 bunch scallions, sliced

1/2 c. chopped cilantro

10 eggroll wrappers, each sliced into 4 strips

cooking spray

1. First start with the eggroll wrappers.  Preheat the oven to 450.  Spray cooking spray on a large cookie sheet and lay eggroll strips on sheet.  Then, spray each strip with cooking spray.  Bake 3 to 5 minutes or until lightly browned.
2. Heat EVOO and cook onions and garlic about 5 minutes.  Stir in cumin.  Add 1 can beans and mash using a potato masher.  Stir in stock and other can of beans.  Simmer 5 to 7 minutes and season with salt and pepper.  Let cool.
3. Broil poblanos and blacken skin.  Place in paper bag to cool.  Peel skin, seed and chop.  Toss with scallions and cilantro. 
4. Decrease oven temp to 375.  In a 1 to 1 1/2 qt baking dish, spread half of bean mixture in bottom.  Top with half of cheese, crumbled, and half of pepper mixture.  Repeat layers.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Serve.