Cherchies Blog

appetizers

Stacked Crab Mango Avocado Recipe

appetizers, entrees, lunch, saladsSheri SpalloneComment
Stacked Crab Mango Avocado Salad Recipe

Stacked Crab Mango Avocado Salad Recipe

Cook Time: No cooking!  

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes

Difficulty:  Easy

Makes 2-3 crab stacks (or 1 if you're really hungry:)

If you want to wow your guests with a light, tasty lunch, salad, or appetizer, this stacked crab tower bursting with flavor is the perfect recipe for you! Your guests will think you spent hours creating this mouth-watering masterpiece. 

I recently had a variation of this recipe at a local restaurant, and since then, I have been obsessed with recreating it at home; however, the thought of making it myself seemed daunting. That was until I learned I could make this crab stack with a soup can rather than buy another kitchen tool. Hello! Determined to satisfy my crab craving and make something other than our usual crab cakes (which are delicious), I was going to create this tasty culinary tower!

And create I did. I made and treated myself to this delicious stacked crab salad featuring crab, mango, and avocado and drizzled it with a tangy citrus cilantro dressing. And I felt like Mrs. Fancy Pants:) This delicious recipe was not daunting; it was easy, delicious, light, and bursting with flavor, and it all came together in minutes! I will make this for my next "girl's night out" and serve it with crackers as an appetizer.

So, are you ready to get stacking? Grab your soup can and make this delicious crab mango and avocado salad today. Have fun creating different combinations, but report back. We would love to hear about your variations. I may add chopped red onion and our Pretty Peppers to the layers the next time I make this.

Thanks for stopping by; here is how we made it!

Ingredients

Preparation

Slice an avocado in half, remove the pit by inserting a knife and twisting, score the avocado with a knife, and scoop out pulp into a small bowl. Squeeze one half of the lime over the avocados and gently mix.  Set aside.

Peel mango with a vegetable peeler, cut the fruit off the mango, cut into small chunks, and place the mango in a separate small bowl.  Open both ends of a soup can and reserve contents for another time (perhaps you want soup with this delicious salad).  Thoroughly clean the can.  (If using a can of crab, simply open both ends, empty contents, clean and use in your crab stack).

Drain the crab and place in another small bowl.  Prepare the dressing by mixing the rest of the lime juice, orange juice, vinegar, olive oil, and Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning.  Set aside. Now, let's get stacking!

Place the can on a plate.  Carefully add the avocado to the can and gently press the avocado in the mold with a spatula or spoon.  Next add the mango followed by the crab and tamp down just as you did with the avocado.

Carefully push the stack through the can with a spatula onto the plate.  Drizzle with the dressing and serve immediately.  Behold, the Stacked Crab Mango Avocado Salad!  Enjoy:)

Stacked Crab Mango Avocado Salad Recipe

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Blackberry Chicken Flatbread Recipe

appetizers, lunch, leftoversSheri SpalloneComment
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I love experimenting in the kitchen with new recipes, new flavors, new textures, and new uses for leftovers, and this recipe in particular caught my eye.  My hubby calls these type of recipes, "girlie" (meaning he won't touch them), but I call them "all the more for me and my friends" recipes;)  

This "girlie" recipe is adapted from Lively Table, with a few Cherchies® tweaks, but it's full of flavor and texture...kind of like me :), and it features our our award-winning Cherchies® Champagne Mustard, juicy blackberries, and delicious melty cheese.  Yum! This flatbread would make the perfect light appetizer or lunch.

Thank you for stopping by!

Ingredients

  • 1 fresh pizza dough (Feel free to use your favorite flatbread as a substitute)

  • 2 tsp olive oil

  • 1 teaspoon (tsp) Cherchies® Garlic'n Herbs Seasoning Blend

  • 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp.) Cherchies® Champagne Mustard

  • 1 (4oz.) ball fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced into thin slices

  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

  • 1/4 cup shaved fennel, plus 1-2 tbsp fronds for garnish

  • 2-4 oz thinly sliced grilled chicken (about 1/2 small breast). Leftover chicken is also perfect

  • 1/2 cup blackberries

  • 1-2 tbsp balsamic reduction

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven and pizza stone to 425° F.

  2. For the Balsamic Reduction, place 1/4 cup of Balsamic vinegar in a small sauce pan. Cook the vinegar on medium-low until vinegar has reduced to a thick syrupy consistency (about 2 Tablespoons).

  3. Roll out the pizza dough and place on a preheated pizza stone.

  4. Lightly spread oil over crust. Sprinkle Cherchies® Garlic'n Herbs Seasoning Blend over the dough. Next, spread the Cherchies® Champagne Mustard over the pizza crust. Then top the crust with cheese, onion, fennel bulb, and chicken.

  5. Bake the loaded flatbread for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with fennel fronds (fancy for the green fennel tips, chopped), blackberries, and drizzle with the balsamic reduction. Cut into squares and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Blackberry Chicken Flatbread Recipe

Enjoy!

Yum

Tuna Pinwheel Recipe

appetizers, snacks, lunchSheri SpalloneComment
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My mom used to make these all the time when my sister and I were growing up.  This recipe was from an old Betty Crocker cookbook (remember those?)  She would bring these pinwheels to our neighborhood parties, and they disappeared quickly. It's funny how tuna salad, presented in these tasty buttery bites, could be addictive.  Of course, I took mom's recipe and tweaked it with a hint of Cherchies® Champagne Mustard and some with our Cherchies® Hot Banana Pepper Mustard.

The true test was trying them on our children, our favorite "taster-testers" (their word for themselves as they were growing up).  They have come a long way in trying new things over the years, but tuna is not their favorite. I made these delicious morsels just in time for their after-school snack.   To my delight, they loved them; they were devoured in minutes, even the ones I brushed with our spicier Hot Banana Pepper Mustard!! 

This recipe would make the perfect tasty appetizer or afternoon snack, but save some for yourself because they will disappear quickly. 

Thanks for stopping by:) Comment below if you have made this tasty recipe. Return for more family-tested recipesentertaining ideas, and cooking tips using all our favorite Cherchies® gourmet products.

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Ingredients 

  • 1 can (6 1/2 oz.) white tuna, drained and flaked

  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise

  • 1/2 cup finely chopped celery

  • 1 Tablespoons (Tbsp.) sweet pickle relish, drained

  • 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) dry mustard

  • 1 teaspoon (tsp) Cherchies® Champagne Mustard (or for a spicier palate, try our Cherchies® Hot Banana Pepper Mustard

  • 20 slices square sandwich bread, crusts removed

  • 4 Tablespoons (Tbsp.) melted butter

  • Paprika


Preparation   
Carefully remove the crusts from the bread with a knife.  In a medium bowl, combine the tuna with the remaining 5 ingredients.  

For easy clean-up, place a sheet of parchment paper over a baking sheet.  Line the slices of bread on the baking sheet.  Thinly brush each slice of bread with half of the melted butter, reserving the other half.  Spread each slice with tuna salad.  (This time, I spread a few slices with our Hot Banana Pepper Mustard to see how they would turn out).

Roll each slice like a jelly roll and place three toothpicks into the bread to secure. Slice each tuna roll into 3 pinwheels.  

When ready to serve, brush the pinwheels with the remaining melted butter, sprinkle lightly with paprika, and broil the pinwheels until lightly toasted.  Makes about 60 pinwheels.

Remove these delicious morsels from the oven and serve immediately.  Enjoy!

Yum

Fig and Herbed Brie Cups Recipe

appetizers, snacksSheri Spallone2 Comments
Fig and Herbed Brie Cups Recipe

Fig and Herbed Brie Cups Recipe

These savory fig cuties hit all the flavor notes in one tasty bite and are a breeze to make for any occasion.

The intense flavors of the savory garlic, tangy brie cheese, and sweet figs, make this a recipe one to cherish.  This recipe is perfect for those last minute holiday celebrations.  For a sweeter version of this recipe, check out our Hot Pepper Jam and Brie Cups Recipe.  Or, live on the edge and bring both;)

Ingredients

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Remove rind from brie and cut into chunks (about 1 teaspoon).  This is an old picture.  Obviously I did not remove the rind.  Some prefer the rind left in tact, while others do not. Your choice.

Place phyllo cups on a baking tray and add a Brie chunk to each cup.  Sprinkle each of the cups with a small amount of Cherchies® Garlic & Herb No-Salt Seasoning Blend.  Add about 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) Fig Preserves.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes, or until brie just begins to melt.  

Remove from oven and serve warm or room temperature.  Garnish with a little thyme and help yourself!

Yum