matcha and margs.

Holiday Appetizer Ideas and Charcuterie Tips

November 26, 2019appetizers, blog, guides, recipes

As I get older, I have come to realize how much I truly love to host people. I love the cooking, the decorating and the opportunity to create an inviting atmosphere for my friends and family. I always want my space to be an open place for others to feel comfortable and relax. This holiday season, I am embracing my love of hosting while getting creative in the kitchen. For my Thanksgiving, I am bringing a few appetizers – and of course a festive cocktail for good measure. I wanted to share a few tips and tricks if you are in the same boat and help make the holidays a little easier on your end.

First things first, I made a delicious appetizer with my favorite sprouted grain crisps from Angelic Bakehouse. They are my go-to for sprouted grain products, and I was so happy when they launched new flavors of their sprouted grain crisps. They are all amazing, but I decided to use the Fig & Tarragon crisps to make a sweet and savory appetizer. I love how versatile they are, and they would make for the perfect item on your charcuterie board as well.

Fig & Tarragon Goat Cheese Bites

For my first appetizer, I used the Fig & Tarragon savory crisps and laid them out on a sheet. I then took some cranberry goat cheese, sliced it and added it to the crisps.

The star of the show in my opinion here was the candied pecans, which I made by pan frying with coconut oil, an abundance of cinnamon, and coconut sugar. My biggest tip here is to not eat these all straight out of the pan before adding them to the crisps. You guys, these are GOOD! Ever since making this appetizer, I have been making the candied pecans on repeat to snack on. I don’t use any strict measurements here – I just put coconut oil in the pan, heated it up, added the pecans, cinnamon and coconut sugar, and cooked until the pecans had a good coating and the house smelled fragrant. Yum, it really is the most delicious smell!

Last but not least, I added pomegranates to the mix as they are my favorite fruit. They add the best sweetness to holiday dishes and I could really eat them year round. These little flavorful bites are addicting and are sure to please any and all guests! You could also put the ingredients for these on a charcuterie board separately and allow guests to assemble the bites for themselves.

Charcuterie Tips and Tricks

The second thing I am bringing for my Thanksgiving appetizers is, you guessed it, a charcuterie board! I have so much fun making these and of course, eating them too. Preferably with a glass of red wine on the side. Although I typically only eat goat’s and sheep’s milk cheeses, I always like to make sure there is something for everyone. If there are any dairy free guests attending, you can include hummus on your board, homemade vegan cheeses, and so much more. One of my favorites is the Homemade Vegan Ricotta from Minimalist Baker.

As far as the board and accessories go, I love a good wooden board. You can even use a wooden cutting board that you already have on hand. My favorite accessory to put on the plate is mini ramekins to hold different items, a honey stirrer, and toothpicks for making the eating process easy for guests.

I start my boards off by assembling the cheeses evenly throughout the board. I try to include a variety of cheeses, although my favorite is always a flavored goat cheese. Honey, cranberry, fig flavored; you name it, I’ll have it! It adds such a fun sweetness to the board. For other cheeses, I like to include a sharp cheese as well to contradict the creaminess of the goat cheese. I also like to then put out small bowls filled with nuts, fruits, chocolate covered nuts, etc.

For the crackers, I love using the Angelic Bakehouse sprouted grain crisps. Now that they have so many fun flavors, you can put a variety of them on your board. My other favorite board fillers include grapes, anything truffle flavored, honeycomb, olives, cured local meats – I could go on forever. My most important tip for assembling a charcuterie board is to HAVE FUN and not take it too seriously. Put on the items and flares to the board that make your board you, and treat it like a fun art project.

A mini charcuterie “plate” I made with the Angelic Bakehouse Sprouted Rye Crisps.

Dips & More!

Another fun appetizer to make is a dip for everyone to enjoy. Although it is more “game-day themed”, I love making my Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Dip. It is super simple and only calls for a few ingredients. You can also dip the savory sprouted grain crisps in here as they would make for the perfect vehicle. Another delicious dip idea is the Hot Spinach Dip from Skinnytaste, which is a lightened up version of Spinach Artichoke Dip. It is delicious and a fun way to sneak some greens onto the table!

Now that my stomach is growling, I will leave you guys with these tips and tricks and wish you a very happy Thanksgiving. I am extremely grateful for your support of me and my brand every single day. If you use any of these ideas for your table on Thursday, definitely let me know as I would love to share about it on my account. To a happy, healthy and safe holiday – I love you all.

xo,

Cori

** This post has been sponsored by Angelic Bakehouse, but all opinions and recommendations are wholeheartedly my own. Thank you for supporting my content and the brands that I choose to affiliate myself with.

Chicken Sausage Apple Stuffing

November 18, 2019dinner, recipes, side dish

One of my absolute favorite Thanksgiving themed dishes in stuffing. It is versatile, filled with all the carbohydrates and flavors, and you can truly customize it with any ingredients that you like. For me, that means using chicken sausage instead of pork sausage, and adding a little bit of sweetness to accompany it. That’s where my idea for this chicken sausage apple stuffing came from! I absolutely love chicken sausage and love how it secretly lightens up one of the dishes on your festive table.

For this stuffing, I used breakfast chicken sausage as it typically includes sage as ingredient. Sage pairs wonderfully with all of the Thanksgiving dishes and adds a really nice flavor. I get my chicken sausage ground in a tube from the butcher and do not recommend using the links. I love the flavor that a nice, browned chicken sausage adds, and I also recommend adding the drippings into the stuffing mixture. Some other things I like to add to the mix include different vegetables like mushrooms, celery, onions and fresh herbs like rosemary and sage. The cooked apples are a really nice touch of sweetness that complements the breakfast chicken sausage.

Once everything going into the stuffing was cooked and prepared, I added the chicken sausage apple stuffing mix to an Ello DuraGlass 9×13 Food Storage Container. These containers are oven safe (up to 425 degrees), so I thought it would be the perfect container to bake the stuffing in. I love that they are portable so that right when you are done baking and cooling, you can transport your creation to your next destination. They are extremely stylish too which is always a plus in my book. You can find their products on their website, at Target, or on the Target online website.

RECIPE:

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Chicken Sausage Apple Stuffing

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time35 mins

Course: Dinner, Side Dish, Thanksgiving

Keyword: Chicken Sausage, Fall flavors, Holiday dish, Seasonal, Side Dish, Stuffing, Thanksgiving

Ingredients

1 loaf high quality sandwich bread did not use ends; around 14 slices
1 lb ground breakfast chicken sausage
1 package mushrooms chopped
1 yellow onion diced
2 stalks celery chopped
6 sage leaves finely chopped (around 1 tbsp)
1 stalk fresh rosemary around 1 tbsp
3 cups chicken stock
2-3 tbsp olive oil can sub butter or vegan butter if dairy free
3 cloves minced garlic
2 small apples diced
1 egg whisked
salt to taste amount depending on if using low/high sodium broth
additional fresh herbs, raisins or cranberries for more sweetness toppings optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Cut the bread into one inch pieces and spread out on a baking pan. Bake for around ten minutes. Once done, put in a large bowl.
While the bread is baking, put 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and brown the breakfast chicken sausage.
When the chicken sausage is cooked through, add it to the bowl with the baked bread along with the oil and dripping remains.
Heat up 1-2 tbsp olive oil and the minced garlic in a pan. Once heated, add in the onions and celery. Once they are translucent, add in the mushrooms, rosemary and sage and sauté until everything is cooked through.
Add all of the cooked veggies, etc. to the bowl with the bread and the chicken sausage. Pour in the chicken stock and the whisked egg and mix until everything is well combined. It is really important to ensure everything is mixed well and fully covered!
Depending on if you used low sodium or regular (higher sodium) chicken stock, you may want to add salt to taste here! It all depends on how salty the broth you used was.
Add all of the ingredients to the Ello DuraGlass 9×13 Food Storage Container. Make sure everything is evenly spread and covered in liquid, etc.
Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes OR until the top is browned.
10. Top with additional fresh herbs, optional cranberries or raisins, and enjoy! Best enjoyed straight out of the oven, but it can be kept well in the refrigerator for a few days. You can also freeze any leftovers, but when you heat it up you will want to add more chicken stock.

I am so excited to be partnering with Ello Goods this holiday season as they offer a wide variety of sustainable products that are also affordable. This is so important to me around the holidays as there is a lot of gift giving, food exchanging, etc. Their brand aligns greatly with mine and I cannot wait to bring more awareness to sustainability around the holidays through some fun new recipes.

On top of their DuraGlass Containers, they also sell reusable water bottles, mugs, reusable produce bags and so much more. I definitely recommend checking out their website or checking out their products the next time you are at your local Target store.

If you decide to make this recipe for your holiday festivities, definitely let me know! If you post the final product on Instagram, tag me @matcha_and_margs so that I can share the love right back. I would also love to see if you guys decide to bake with Ello Goods this holiday season. Happy holidays to you and yours!

xo,

Cori

Thai Coconut Soup with Greens (Df, Gf, Paleo, Whole30)

October 22, 2019dinner, lunch, recipes

For the longest time, I absolutely hated anything curry flavored. I despised the taste of curry powers, etc. and avoided it at all costs. Flash forward to now and what do you know – my palette matured and I love a good, creamy curry. This love came about from trying a lot of Thai food and truly growing a love for all of its flavors and ingredients. My favorite Thai dish that I consume whenever it is found on a menu is Thai Coconut Soup. It is extremely creamy and filled with a variety of comforting flavorings. It was only time until I made my own to enjoy at home!

One of the first ingredients you will use in my recipe is lemongrass. This is not an item you want to skip as it adds a wonderful acidic note to the dish. You can find lemongrass in your produce section or packaged in the international section of your grocery store. Fresh is always better, but no stress if you cannot find it in your product section. The next aromatic ingredient you will use is minced ginger and this is one of my favorite parts of the soup. It pairs great with the creamy coconut milk, chicken broth, shiitake mushrooms, and kale, making this the perfectly satisfying soup. And of course, you can’t forget the red curry paste!

I decided to add in Nature’s Greens Organic Kale Greens into the Thai Coconut Soup as they add additional vitamins and nutrients. I love Nature’s Greens triple washed greens and they really added a nice additional layer to the dish.

Are you vegan or vegetarian? Or do you want more protein?

No worries here; you can hold the fish sauce and add more coconut aminos. You can also swap the chicken broth for veggie broth. To make this meal more filling, I will sometimes poach two chicken breasts and add them to the finished soup. In order to poach chicken breasts, you will put two defrosted breasts into a pot and cover with water and seasonings of your choice. Bring the water to a boil and once boiling, put the heat down to low and let simmer for around 13-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Once completed, take two forks and shred apart the chicken.

Recipe:

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