Christmas Appetizers

Pita Trees

Ingredients:

• 4 flavored or plain pita folds or pita (pocket) breads (about 6” diameter)
• 16 thin pretzel sticks, halved
• ½ c. fat-free sour cream
• ½ c. guacamole (i made my own)
  
• 2 T finely chopped parsley
• ¼ t. garlic-pepper blend
• ¼ c. very finely chipped red bell pepper

Directions:

• Cut each pita fold into 8 wedges. Insert pretzel stick half into center of bottom of each wedge to form “tree trunk”.
• In a small bowl, mix sour cream, guacamole, parsley and garlic-pepper blend. Spread about 1 teaspoon of mixture on each pita wedge
• Blot bell pepper with paper towel to remove excess moisture. Sprinkle about ½ teaspoon on each wedge or arrange to form a garland. If desired, cover a refrigerate up to 8 hours before serving.

*These were good, but I would leave the red pepper off (personal taste), they just made them look cute!

**For variety, use cilantro instead of parsley

Smoked Salmon Cheese cups

Ingredients:

• 1 package frozen mini fillo shells (15 shells)
• 3 oz. Chevre (goat) cheese, crumbled
• 1 package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 2 oz smoked salmon, flaked
• 2 T shredded fresh parmesan cheese
• 1 T chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 T whipping cream
• ¼ t. salt
• 1/8 t. fresh ground black pepper
• 2 T chopped pecans, toasted** (I did not use the pecans at all)
  

Directions:

• Thaw fillo shells as directed on package. In medium bowl, mix all remaining ingredients except pecans until well mixed. Spoon into 1 quart resealable food storage plastic bag. Seal bag; cut ½ inch off 1 corner of bag.
• To serve, pipe or spoon cheese salmon mixture into each cup. Sprinkle each with pecans.

*My personal opinion on these is that I did not like the shell...it was a weird texture. Next time, I would make this more as a spread for crackers. The filling was delicious

**To toast pecans, heat oven to 350. Spread pecans in ungreasesd shallow pan. Bake uncovered 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until light brown.

Chile-Lime Shrimp with Creamy Chipotle Dip

Ingredients:

• 2 limes
• 24 uncooked extra large deveined peeled shrimp with tail shells left on
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped (I used 5-6 cloves)
  
• ½ t. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/3 c. mayo
• 2 T honey mustard
• 1 large chipotle chile in adobo sauce (from 7 oz can) finely chopped
• 1 t. adobo sauce
• 1 T chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

• Reserve 1 lime for garnish. Grate 1 teaspoon peel from other lime. Cut lime in half; squeeze enough juice to measure 2 T. Set peel and juice aside.
• Butterfly each shrimp by cutting along the outside curve through the fleshiest part for about 1 ½ inches, cutting almost to the inside curve. (I didnt do this because of time restraints, i left the shrimp regular) The shrimp should spread open.
• In 1 gallon resealable food storage plastic bag, mix oil, garlic, pepper flakes, lime juice and grated lime peel. Shake lightly to mix. Add shrimp. Seal bag; rotate to coat all shrimp. Refrigerate 30-60 minutes to marinate. (I think mine marinated like 2 hours b/c I was working on other stuff)
  
• Meanwhile, in small bowl mix mayo, honey mustard, chipotle chile and adobo sauce. cover; refrigerate until serving.
• Heat oven to 400. Remove shrimp from marinade, place in 15x10x1inch baking pan. Open each shrimp, arranging in pan so that cut portion is on pan with tail tucked in. Discard marinade.
• Bake 5-7 minutes, rearranging shrimp halfway through baking time, until they are pink. Place on serving platter; sprinkle with cilantro. Spoon dip into bowl. Cut reserved lime into wedges. Garnish dip with wedges. Serve shrimp with dip.
  

*These are soooo good. The chipolte dip is amazing. I highly recommend these shrimp!