Strawberry Cheesecake Bites

Fresh strawberries are stuffed with a cheesecake filling and topped with little bunny graham crackers. Well, they're actually upside down bears, but I needed bunnies for a party and couldn't find any. It works... sort of. This super simple fresh treat makes a great party sweet!

How to Make It:

Prepare Strawberries:

Trim off the tip of the strawberry so it stands up in a little muffin cup. Use a melon baller to carve out the strawberry hull, plus a little extra, making room for the cheesecake filling. Chill the strawberries until just before party time or they will get soggy.

Cheesecake Filling:

• 8 oz. package softened cream cheese

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Use a mixer to thoroughly blend the above ingredients. Use a piping bag (or trim the tip off of a plastic bag) to fill the strawberries. Top with your choice of graham cracker. Or get creative and use a different type of cookie!

Tuna Tartare

So scrumptious Tuna Tartare. I love the combination of fresh flavors in this delicious and healthy appetizer. I did a simplified version here since Michael was hungry and I was tired.

How to Make It

• 1/2 pound sashimi grade tuna

• 1 teaspoon dark miso paste

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 ripe avocado, diced

• 1 teaspoon minced red onion

Mix thoroughly together the miso paste, sesame oil, soy sauce, lime juice and salt. Dice the tuna into small pieces then toss with the miso dressing. In a separate bowl, mix together the diced avocado, minced onion and salt to taste. Using a biscuit or cookie cutter, layer the avocado mixture on the bottom and tuna mixture on top of your serving dish. Remove the cutter and serve with crackers. I find a non-seasoned wafer type cracker is great with this appetizer as it doesn't distract from the wonderful flavors.

Personal Pizza With Low-Carb Crust

I'm at it again! Working that low-carb pizza crust recipe. I finally got this thing just where I want it. The crust is thin, tasty and a little bit crisp. You would never know it was made mostly of cauliflower!

How To Make It

The trick is to place your cauliflower florets in a pot with chicken stock and cook the heck out of it. You're basically cooking the flavor out of the cauliflower. I boil it for about 45 minutes. Let the cauliflower cool then wrap in a kitchen towel and wring it out as much as possible to remove the moisture. Your cauliflower should be a doughy texture now. In a bowl, mix the cauliflower with one egg and 3/4 of a cup of grated Parmesan cheese.

Half the mixture to make two small personal pizzas. This is important because the dough does not cook through as well in the center, so it is not advisable to make larger pizzas with this recipe. Set your oven to 350 (f). Using your fingers, spread the dough into two rectangles on a silpat (get these at Sur la Table). Bake 10-15 minutes per side.

Finally, add your favorite sauce and toppings and bake at 425 (f) to desired done-ness. Enjoy!

Zucchini Carpaccio Take Two

As mentioned in an earlier post, Chef Emma from Sur la Table introduced me to Zucchini Carpaccio, which I found to be surprisingly refreshing and delicious! It's the perfect side for these summer evenings. Zucchini Carpaccio Take Two is a slightly refined recipe from the previously posted version. I added a small amount of minced garlic and fresh basil, giving it just what was needed for a perfectly balanced set of flavors. Also, the cheese is shaved versus grated — a minor change but an improvement nonetheless, in my opinion.

HOW TO MAKE IT

• 2 large zucchini

• a good sized handful of arugula

• juice of 1 lemon

• 2 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic, mushed into a paste

• 1 teaspoon minced fresh basil

• Salt and pepper

• 1 tablespoon diced blanched almond slivers

• 2 tablespoons freshly shaved Romano cheese

Thinly slice the zucchini using a mandoline or spiralizer. Set it in a strainer and sprinkle salt generously over. Allow it to sit for 20 minutes. The salt will extract much of the liquid. Thoroughly rinse the zucchini and pat dry with a towel.

In a small blow, stir together the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. In a large bowl, toss all ingredients together reserving half of the cheese and a little of the almonds to sprinkle on top. And there you go!

Pan Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Dear Brussel Sprouts, I'm sorry I've ignored you all these years. I just didn't realize how fabulous you are. I promise to include you in my life from now on. Your New Friend, Susan

How to Make It

• 1 lb brussel sprouts, washed and halved

• 2 pieces thick bacon, cooked to crispy and rough chopped

• 1 tablespoon butter

• salt and pepper

Cook the bacon to crispy in a skillet and set aside on paper towels. Melt the butter in the skillet with the bacon grease. Add the brussel sprouts and cook at medium to medium-high until cooked through and starting to brown. It takes about 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. There you go! Another example of what's awesome when cooked with bacon.