Pasta Patty Appetizer Recipe

Making pasta patties is my way of using left-over pasta. I made a very simple pasta dish mixing pre-cooked elbow macaroni, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese and eggs. I wanted to create a nice contrast of texture, so I breaded the pasta patties using panko bread crumbs from Asian Food Grocer and gave them a quick pan fry.

I served the crunchy patties with tomato sauce and a light green salad. This is a great light meal for lunch, and can be put together very quickly if you have leftover cooked pasta on hand.

Fried Polenta with Raw Beet Sauce

Polenta is a great alternative when you’re bored with pasta, rice or bread. It works well as a side dish but could also be served as a main course. As an added bonus it's gluten-free, which is very convenient if you're serving it to someone with allergies.

I got a little lazy so I did not cook and form logs of polenta myself; I used store-bought instead. The taste doesn't differ that much, except when I make my own, I usually add a bit of butter , cream and Parmesan cheese for extra flavor. The pre-cooked version is much healthier.

To ensure the success of this dish, the key is to make plenty of sauce to enhance the flavor of the polenta. This time around I made pesto, but with a twist. I made it with raw beets, then sautéed some button mushrooms and melted goat cheese. The combination of both mixtures made the perfect sauce for this polenta.

Baby Bella Mushroom Tart Recipe

Making savory tarts doesn't require a specific recipe. The basic dish consists of a puff pastry shell filled with your favorite mixture and topped with vegetables. I had Baby Bella mushrooms on hand, so I made a version using them along with an artichoke pesto.

The pesto is a combination of artichoke hearts, lemon, garlic, pine nuts and olive oil. To soften the pesto, I added mascarpone cheese. I topped the tart with the Baby Bella mushrooms and roasted red bell peppers. Cheddar cheese was the finishing touch so the filling formed one piece.

Potato Cutlet Recipe (Indian Snack)

Aloo cutlets are pancake-shaped snacks made of potato (aloo means "potato" in Urdu). Indian cooking rarely uses eggs as a binder so to make sure the patties don't break, soaked bread is added to the potato mixture. It's an easy vegetarian snack that satisfies my family's cravings. To make the cutlets a more complete meal, I added protein-packed chana dal (garbanzo lentils). I flavored these appetizers with a little ginger, turmeric and amchur (mango powder) to balance the flavor of the cutlets.

We often make a huge batch of cutlets on Saturday mornings with the girls. They’ve gotten so good that they pretty much do it on their own. Once they’re done cooking, we usually just serve them with a bowl of sour cream. Yum!

Smoked Salmon Appetizers (Easy party Appetizers)