Sauteed Peppers Canoe Hors d'oeuvres Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Sautéed Peppers Canoe Hors d’oeuvres Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Celery is one of the top ten agricultural products of Monterey County California, so I often think when I go to the grocery store, “What can I make with celery?”  This hors d’oeuvres is colorful and tastes great, too.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

-3 large seeded and chopped peppers (red, yellow, and green)

-2 tablespoons olive oil

-1 teaspoon dry garlic

-1 large, peeled, and chopped onion

-1 cup sour cream

-8 washed celery stalks with the bottom cut off so the stalks can lie flat on a dish

Steps:

1-Sauté peppers, onions, and garlic in olive oil for 10 minutes.

2-Place peppers mixture in a bowl and add sour cream.  Mix well.

3-Fill the celery cavities with the peppers-sour cream mixture.

4-Cut the celery in 2-inch segments and place on a tray.

Serve with carrot juice.

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Onion Canoe Hors d'oeuvres Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Onion Canoe Hors d’oeuvres Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

This savory and crunchy hors d’oeuvres is refreshing and does not fill you up so much that you cannot eat your main dish.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

-2 tablespoons olive oil

-1 large peeled and chopped onion

-1 teaspoon dry garlic

-1 cup sour cream

-8 stalks washed celery

-paprika for sprinkling

Steps:

1-Sauté chopped onion and garlic in olive oil for 10 minutes.

2-Place onions in a bowl and add sour cream and mix.

3-Place the onion-sour cream mixture in the celery cavities.

4-Sprinkle paprika on top of the celery.  Cut the celery into 2-inch segments.

Place the celery segments on a tray and serve.

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click here for:  Ruth Paget's Amazon Books

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Spinach Canoe Hors d'oeuvres Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Spinach Canoe Hors d’oeuvres Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Spinach wilts down to ¼ of its original size when it is sautéed, which makes this hors d’oeuvres a concentrated burst of flavor.

You will need an immersion blender to make this recipe.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

-2 tablespoons olive oil

-1 peeled and chopped large onion

-1 pound washed spinach

-1 cup sour cream

-8 washed celery stalks with bottom cut off so stalks will lie flat on a plate

Steps:

1-Sauté onions in olive oil for 5 minutes in a soup pot.

2-Add damp spinach leaves to the soup pot.

3-Turn the leaves over high heat until they shrink down to ¼ of their original size.

4-Turn heat off.  Add sour cream to the spinach.  Insert an immersion blender and pulse till you have a rough mixture.

5-Fill the celery cavities with the spinach mixture.  Cut the celery into 2-inch segments and place on a tray for serving.

Serve with carrot juice.

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click here for:  Ruth Paget's Amazon Books

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Pineapple-Walnut Canoe Hors d'oeuvres Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Pineapple-Walnut Canoe Hors d’oeuvres Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

When I was growing up in Detroit (Michigan), my mom’s friends would take care of me on Thanksgiving while she worked the holiday shift at the Detroit Free Press newspaper. 

One of her friends made this scrumptious pineapple canoe hors d’oeuvres to eat while waiting on the turkey.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

-8 stalks washed celery

-1 cup whipped cream cheese

-1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple

-1 cup finely chopped walnuts

Steps:

1-Mix the cream cheese with the drained crushed pineapple.

2-Stuff the celery cavities with the pineapple-cream cheese mixture.

3-Sprinkle the chopped walnuts over the tops of the celery and completely cover them.

4-Cut the celery stalks into 2-inch segments.  Place segments on a platter and serve.

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click here for:  Ruth Paget's Amazon Books

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Pan-fried Cheese Balls Hors d'oeuvres Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Pan-fried Cheese Balls Hors d’oeuvres Recipe Created by Ruth Paget

Any vegetable oil will work for pan-frying these cheese balls on the stovetop.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

-2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

-1 cup corn flour

-1 egg

-1 tablespoon Szeged or Chinita paprika

-1/2 to ¾ cup oil for frying depending on the size of your frying pan

Steps:

1-Mix cheese, corn flour, egg, and paprika together.

2-Add oil to frying pan and heat it until it is sizzling.  Use spoons to carefully drop cheese balls in oil.  If you are worried about being burned, wear cotton gloves.

3-Fry first batch of cheese balls for 5 to 10 minutes and repeat.

4-Place cheese balls on paper towel to drain.

Serve cheese balls in a bowl with toothpicks on the side to pick them up easily.

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click here for:  Ruth Paget's Amazon Books

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