halloween festivities!

Yeah for halloween! It's my favorite holiday. To celebrate, we'll be having some people over! I wanted to devote this posting to the munchies that I'll be serving up. Because I want to spend more time on my costume, everything had to have minimal preparation.

blood splattered tablecloth anyone?
Appetizers
Hummus with Pita Chips
Screamin' Hot Peanuts
Crudites with Green Goddess Dip
Spanakopita Triangles with Tzatiki Sauce
Halloween Sugar Cookies

Hummus with Pita Chips
Don't f*** with a classic, especially when it's as healthy and flavorful as hummus.
Add the following in food processor (or blender)
2 cans (15 oz) Chicken Peas, reserving the "juice"
1/2 cup Tahini*
1/4 cup of good olive oil
juice of one lemon
2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper to taste
Process and slowly add chickpea juice for desired consistency, usually about 1/3 to 1/2 of the juice. This makes quite a bit, so if it's only you and a friend, I would definitely cut it in half. Also, I make mine the day before I'm going to serve it, that way it really takes on the garlic flavor.
Serve with Stacy's Pita Chips.
*look for it in the international food section, or by the peanut butter. i recommend kronos brand. a jar may set you back $10, but it goes a long way.


Screamin' Hot Peanuts (adopted from foodnetwork.com)
Whisk until foamy
1 egg white
Add
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder
Toss in
2 cups high quality dry roasted unsalted peanuts
Spray a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread nuts out on the prepared pan in a single layer. Cook for 45 minutes until slightly golden at 250, turning nuts with a spatula every 15 minutes so they toast evenly and don't stick. Set the nuts aside, stirring periodically as they cool. When completely cool, transfer to serving bowl and garnish with dried red chiles if desired.

Crudites with Green Goddess Dip
Crudites:
Baby cucumbers, slices long ways into quarters
Baby sweet peppers
Sugar Snap Peas
Green Goddess Dip (adapted from similar recipe in the Nov 08 Bon Appetit):
Process
1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
1/2 t of soy sauce
1/2 t of ground ginger
1 medium shallot, chopped
1 T white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, peeled
Add
2 large ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, quartered
1/2 cup of sour cream
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1/2 cup of fresh parsley
2 T fresh basil
1/3 cup of fresh tarragon
Slowly add
1 cup of olive oil
Serve as dip with Crudites

Spanakopita Triangles with Tzatiki Sauce
I debated on whether to make these myself; however, due to time constraints I decided to buy the frozen brand from Costco. They are quite delicious and come in trays of 12. A whole box has 48. I then went down to Jasmine Cafe, a local meditarreanean restaurant, and bought a pint of fresh Tzatiki Sauce. Right before the party started up, I popped them in the oven. Though they are best when hot, they are fine at room temperature as well.

And if you're wondering if they were good or not, well, when I went to take a picture of them on the table, they were already eaten up!

Alright, I have a hangover. Happy Halloween!