Goat Cheese & Pistachio Wrapped Grapes & Happy New Year

Happy New Years Eve! If you're celebrating tonight by hosting some friends or attending a party, you've probably already got your menu planned - I know I do!  But in case you're still looking for a small appetizer to add to the table, I've got the perfect idea for you!

I first saw the idea of wrapping grapes in goat cheese and nuts on a blog and I thought it sounded like the perfect bite-sized party treat.  It basically combines three elements of a typical cheese platter - grapes, cheese, and nuts, into one sweet and tasty bite!

While you only need three ingredients to make these, they are a bit time-consuming (although it will go faster if you can recruit a helper or two)! The results are worth the work though - I loved the combination of the crunchy pistachios with creamy goat cheese and a juicy grape inside. I served these to my family on Christmas Eve and they were definitely a hit, everyone loved them!

And for another easy hors d'oeuvre idea that also uses nuts and goat cheese, try these goat cheese and almond stuffed dates that I made last year during the holidays!

Have a great evening everyone!

Goat Cheese & Pistachio Wrapped Grapes
As seen on various sites, such as Squash Blossom Babies and Sandy a la Mode
Note: I realize you don't really need another recipe for these, but I just wanted to show the amounts that I used below. For more detailed step-by-step pictorial instructions, see the links above

40 small red seedless grapes

1 small log (113g) goat cheese

1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachios

Wash and dry the grapes.  Take a small piece of goat cheese and squish it flat with your fingers. Wrap it around one end of a grape and press firmly so that the cheese sticks in a thin layer. Continue adding cheese until the whole grape is covered (Note: You want the cheese as thin as possible, but without holes or gaps).

Continue wrapping grapes in goat cheese until the cheese is used up - you should have enough for about 40 small grapes. 

Use a food processor to crush the pistachios into fine crumbs.  Place the crumbs in a shallow bowl.  Roll each goat cheese covered grape in the pistachios and press them in with your fingers so that they stick. 

Keep finished grapes refrigerated until serving time.

Rosemary Grape Focaccia

Happy Easter to everyone who is celebrating it today!  We will be having our family Easter dinner tonight, and I'll be contributing a vegetarian entree for my sisters and I to eat instead of ham.  I chose a new recipe from Vegan Planet for a couscous cake topped with a spring vegetable saute - I hope it turns out as good as it sounds!

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to come up with an Easter themed recipe for my blog this year, but I still have a tasty recipe for you today...and I also have a few recipes inspired by my Singapore/Thailand trip coming up next!

When I first tried roasted grapes in this quinoa salad, I started thinking of more ways that I could use them.  Then Heather of Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes gave me a great suggestion when she said she makes a focaccia with roasted grapes and rosemary. I couldn't get this idea out of my head, so I knew I had to try it myself as soon as I could!

I had always thought that focaccia required some kind of special dough, but when I looked for recipes to follow, I found out that you can just use any regular pizza dough.  So I turned to my trusty Vegan Planet once again to get a recipe for traditional pizza dough, although I changed the flours so that my dough was made with half whole spelt and half light spelt. This resulted in a slightly darker focaccia than you would usually see, but at least it was a bit more nutritious!

Once you have the dough prepared, the focaccia itself is pretty easy to make.  I just tossed some sliced shallots with garlic, olive oil and dried rosemary (since I didn't have fresh), and spread that over top of the dough. Next, I took my grapes and pressed them down into the dough.  Then it goes into the oven to bake, and when it's done you can sprinkle some coarse salt on top like a traditional focaccia.

This was a simple combination of ingredients that worked really well together! Even though there was no sauce and the toppings were minimal, they still provided a lot of flavour and I loved the combination of the sweet juicy grapes with the savory shallot-rosemary mixture.

I think this would make a great appetizer if you cut the focaccia into smaller pieces, but it also made a great lunch for me on its own!

Rosemary Grape Focaccia
Inspired by Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes and adapted from Vegan Planet and various other sources

1 recipe of your favourite vegan pizza dough (I used the Traditional Pizza Dough from Vegan Planet made with half whole and half light spelt flour)

2 small shallots

2 small cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp dried rosemary (can substitute fresh rosemary)

1 cup red grapes

Preheat oven to 400°. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and sprinkle with cornmeal.

Roll out the dough to a 9x13 inch rectangle (about ½ inch thick).

Peel the shallots and cut in half lengthwise, then slice thinly. Place sliced shallots in a bowl along with the minced garlic and olive oil. Stir to combine, then add the rosemary and stir again.

Spread the shallot mixture over the dough, pressing down gently. Distribute the grapes evenly on top of the shallot mixture and press each one down into the dough.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until dough is golden and shallots are browned.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with coarse salt if desired.

Makes about 6 servings/pieces. (Note: I made half the recipe for a smaller 3-piece focaccia, as shown in the pictures) 

Quinoa with White Beans, Roasted Grapes and Brussels Sprouts

Whenever I make a salad or grain like rice or quinoa for my meals, I like it to include a variety of components so that it doesn't just feel like a boring side dish.  This quinoa dish that I made recently emcompasses what I like to think of as a complete meal - it has veggies, fruit, legumes, grains and nuts, all in one bowl!

I usually add raisins or dried cranberries as the "fruit" component in my salads, but this time I tried using roasted grapes, which I now love!  Roasting grapes in the oven makes them soft and almost caramelized with a deep, sweet flavor.

I first saw roasted grapes on Two Peas & Their Pod, and I've been wanting to try them since then.  I finally got around to making some crostini topped with roasted grapes a couple of weeks ago, and I liked it so much that I wanted to find more ways of incorporating them into recipes.

So I did some searching and came across this recipe for Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Grapes on the blog Jeanette's Healthy Living.  I liked the idea of combining the grapes with brussels sprouts, so I used her recipe as inspiration for this quinoa.

The grapes and brussels sprouts are roasted together with fresh thyme, and since I wanted those flavors to shine, I kept the dressing very simple and minimal.

To bulk up the dish a bit more, I added some canned cannellini beans, which I thought complemented the other ingredients really well. I also added some toasted pine nuts, but another nut like slivered almonds, walnuts or pecans would also work well. 

Altogether, this meal was definitely filling enough for dinner, but also makes a nice lunch!

Quinoa with White Beans, Roasted Grapes and Brussels Sprouts

Inspired by Two Peas & Their Pod and Jeanette's Healthy Living 

1/2 lb brussels sprouts, washed, trimmed and cut in half

1 tbsp olive oil, divided

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt and pepper

1 cup red grapes

1 tbsp fresh thyme

Salt and pepper

1 cup water

1/2 cup dry quinoa

2-3 tbsp pine nuts (or pecans or slivered almonds)

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1/2 tsp agave nectar
1 cup canned white beans, rinsed and drained

Preheat the oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with foil. Toss the brussels sprouts with 1/2 tbsp of olive oil and the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Spread the Brussels sprouts and grapes on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with thyme and stir to combine.  Place baking sheet in the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes, until the grapes have softened and the brussels sprouts have browned.

Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil in a medium sized saucepan. Add the quinoa, cover, and reduce heat to low. Let cook for 15 minutes, then remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff quinoa with a fork and transfer to a large bowl.

Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet for a few minutes, until lightly toasted.  Prepare the dressing by whisking the remaining 1/2 tbsp of olive oil, white wine vinegar and agave together.

Add the roasted brussels sprouts, grapes, white beans and pine nuts to the bowl with the quinoa. Pour the dressing over everything and toss to combine. Season with more salt and pepper if desired.

Makes 2 servings.