Every season has its occasions for entertainment, whether it’s summer time backyard barbecues, fall football watching, winter holiday parties or springtime family gatherings, they all have one thing in common: food. For some, like our friend Abigail from bon__abbetit , a big part of entertaining is the exciting challenge of creating a menu of new dishes. She her most recent creation shared with us, a recipe for Whipped Feta Veggie Dip, that pairs perfectly with our veggies!
If you’re looking for inspiration for your next shindig – you’re in the right place! While we have lots of great appetizer recipes, there are some preliminary issues you need to figure out before you start planning out your appetizer menu.
Start Here
Considering options and occasions is the first place you should start when planning out your menu for your get together. Asking questions like:
- Will people be sitting down?
- Will you be supplying utensils?
- Would it be best to serve something small and bite-sized?
- Should you do hot or cold or a mix of both? (Keeping in mind where the event is taking place and what the ambient temperature will be can really help answer these questions as to the appropriateness of your appetizer menu.)
- Will the flavors of all the appetizers complement each other?
- Is there a theme?
- Do any of your guests have dietary restrictions? (vegan/vegetarian, gluten free, food allergies)
As you can see, there are a lot of considerations that need to be hashed out!
Greek Themed
Abigail decided to go with a Greek theme for her rooftop get together. Greek food is often light, easy to share and a great way to take advantage of fresh veggies. Her recipe for Whipped Feta Veggie Dip is based on a classic dip, but with a twist. It has the hallmarks of the salty, creamy flavor a traditional feta dip would have, but with a bit of added heat and a touch of sweetness.
In a food processor or blender, add the feta, yogurt, olive oil and honey with a pinch of salt and pepper, then blend until it has a creamy, smooth consistency. It is important that you do a taste test so you can add more yogurt and olive oil if the dip needs a little more creaminess.
Then you are going to sauté your spicy ground sausage in a pan over medium heat with a little olive oil. Once it’s nicely browned and cooked through, remove it from the pan and set it aside.
Abigail paired this dip with our Aurora Bites Mini Sweet Peppers, that she cut in half and removed the seeds from, Juno® Bites Red Grape Tomatoes and Uno Bites™ Nano Cucumbers. These flavorful veggies are from our popular snacking line up and are made for just such purposes! They are the perfect complement to this dip recipe.
Before you put the finishing touches on the dip to serve it, arrange the veggies on a platter. In a shallow bowl, spoon out the feta dip and create a small crater in the center. Add the sausage into the middle of the dip and top it with the remaining honey plus a pinch of salt and pepper.
If you’d like to stay with the Greek food theme for your appetizer menu, we’ve got you covered! Try our Greek Mezze Platter, Greek Salad on a Stick and Cucumber Sushi Spirals with all the flavors of the Mediterranean to complement each other.
For the full dip recipe, you can find it here.
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