Easy Appetizers

Vegan cookies, gluten-free cookies, wheat-free cookies...healthy cookie recipes are easy to make if you are willing to experiment with a few alternative quality ingredients. Agave nectar is the perfect sweetener for such baked treats. Not only because of its superiority to refined sugars, but also for its moisture-retaining qualities.

Healthy Cookie Recipes Can Be Made Without Sugar, Butter, Eggs, Or Milk!

Let's start with a solid base of ground nuts. We can use whatever fits best our personal preferences and budget. Pecans tend to be a bit more expensive than almonds and hazelnuts (filberts), walnuts are often on sale or available at a less expensive regular price. Always buy bulk, and halves and pieces are just fine. No need to get whole nuts since we ground them up anyway.

A good cookie recipe should include some fat. As we want to keep this healthy, nutritious, and acceptable for vegans, let's forget about the butter and choose instead almond, cashew, or peanut butter, or a combination thereof. If you don't like the flavor or price of nut butters, substitute with organic canola oil.

Great, but what about the flour if we want to make gluten-free cookies? The answer is: organic brown rice flour! Works like a charm and is much healthier than white flour.

Next up: which sweetener? As stated above, agave nectar is a great sweetener for baked goods. Similar to honey, it helps retain the moisture in cookies and cakes. It also blends quickly and easily with all other ingredients for a well-mixed batter.

To add flavor to this basic healthy cookie mix, use some vanilla or almond extract, ground cinnamon, crushed anise seeds, and a pinch of salt, of course.

And to add even more nutritional value, consider lightly toasted rolled oats, raisins, sesame seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. My goodness...what to do with all that energy?

Why This Is An Easy Healthy Cookie Recipe For Vegan Cookies And Gluten-Free Cookies

We don't really need a recipe for these incredible power morsels of nutrition. It all depends on what we have on hand, or what we like to eat, or what we want to buy. Here is a simple recipe template utilizing the ingredients discussed above:

4 cups ground nuts
1 cup nut butter or 1/2 cup organic canola oil
1 cup organic brown rice flour
3/4 cups agave nectar
1 Tablespoon vanilla or almond extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon crushed anise seeds, cardamom, or other spices
1 teaspoon salt
Optional: 1/2 cup each raisins or toasted oats or seeds
The individual ingredient quantities don't really matter that much. The template is just a general guide line. Our goal is to mix a batter that holds its shape when divided into cookie-size balls. We might have to add a little water if the mix is too dry and crumbly. Or, we might have to add more brown rice flour to a wet and sloppy batter.

This is the best part: As we are not using raw eggs, we can taste our cookie batter before we bake it off! Add more agave nectar if you like it sweeter, more spices or seeds, until you are happy!

Important points for the baking process!

Place 2-inch balls on a parchment-lined cookie pan and flatten lightly with a fork (similar to making peanut butter cookies, dip the fork in cold water before pressing it on the cookie portions)
Use a fairly low oven temperature: 8-10 minutes at 300-325 degrees; agave nectar browns a little faster than sugar, so keep an eye on your cookies and don't let them get too dark on the bottom!
Remember, there are no raw eggs in our batter; we won't have to bake it completely through. A lightly "under-baked" interior is wonderful!
So, be adventurous and experiment with a variety of nuts, seeds, dried fruits, spices, and whatever you love in your gourmet vegan cookie. As long as you don't burn them black, they will always be good eating. And because they are so healthy and nutritious, they'll be good for you, too!

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Having a group of friends over and don't want to spend a lot of time making appetizers or snacks? Here are some quick and easy recipes for you. Choices include Ham and Cheese Roll with the unusual ingredient of Dr. Pepper. Quick and Easy Onion Cheese Dip has only 4 ingredients and needs to chill for an hour. Both of those recipes are great "make-ahead" party foods. The Easy Tuna Spread gives your party food a different taste with this Tuna mixed with cream cheese and salsa, etc.

HAM AND CHEESE ROLL

8 oz American Cheese, grated
8 oz cream cheese
dash hot sauce
dash of garlic powder
1/2 cup very finely chopped nuts
1 tbsp Dr. Pepper
2 small pkgs shaved ham slices (ie Buddig)

Lay ham slices out in a pattern overlapping each other. Mix the other ingredients together until well blended and put over the ham. Roll ham up to make a log. Cover with more ham if needed to be sure all cheese is covered. Refrigerate until serving time. Cut into thin slices and serve with assorted crackers or party breads.

QUICK AND EASY ONION CHEESE DIP

2 tubs (8-oz each) cream cheese spread
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tbsp real bacon bits

Mix all the ingredients together until well blended. Spread mixture into an 8-inch pie plate. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour before serving. Serve with an assortment of crackers.

EASY TUNA SPREAD

1 pkg (8-oz) cream cheese, cut-up into pieces
3 tbsp medium hot salsa
1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp dried minced onion
1 can (6 1/2-oz) can water packed tuna; drained and flaked

In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, salsa, parsley, and onion. Mix the ingredients together until well blended. Fold in the tuna. Serve with whole-wheat crackers or party rye bread.

Enjoy!

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Easy party appetizer recipes are the way to go if you are planing to have a party. They can be easily made and will allow you time to mingle and chat with your guests. They are a sure way to add some zing to your party.

Easy party appetizer recipes include; spiced nuts, sweet potato chips, cheese sticks, veggie pizza, cocktail sesame wafers among many others. These are easy to prepare and can be made at home. They eliminate the worries caused by complicated started dishes.

To make spiced nuts, add salt, sugar, cinnamon, butter, cloves, nutmeg vanilla and water in a saucepan. Put the saucepan on the stove and stir the mixture continuously for some time, Pour the contents of the pan onto a baking dish and allow to cool before breaking them in to small pieces. If you are to toast nuts, spread them evenly on a baking dish and bake for fifteen minutes.

To make sesame wafers, mix cheese and margarine on a frying pan, add flour , salt,grounded pepper, sesame seeds and finely chopped nuts. Mix these well until a soft dough is formed. Spread using a spoon on a cookie sheet and shill until firm. Cut out into slices and bake at 350 degrees Centigrade for twenty minutes. They are then ready to be served. You will however need to ensure that you choose the right starter dish that will go with the main dish being served. With these Easy party appetizer recipes, you are sure to have a memorable party

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Chef Kamal demonstrates how to prepare these delicious Thyme or Red Pepper Pizzettas. This recipe is featured in his cookbook, Classic Lebanese Cuisine, 170 Fresh and Healthy Mediterranean favorites. For additional recipes or information, please visit: www.cookingwithkamal.com and for speciality ingredients and gifts, please visit: www.shopkamal.com

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