You can serve these raw vegetable chips without anything and they taste great.  Or, you can make the caramelized onion dip for a nice touch to the appetizer.  Just know  to caramelize onions properly it will take about an hour.  It is a wonderful way to pull flavor out of the sweet onion, but it takes cooking them slowly over a long period of time.  Another option is cook them similar to sweet potato chip appetizers.  Prepare them the same way but rather than placing the chips on a serving platter put them on a dark cookie sheet and cook at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  These are very delicious and hold up nicely as an appetizer.

Appetizer Raw Vegetable Chip Ingredients:

• 1 bunch red radishes
• 1 bunch turnips
• 1 small jicama
• 1 medium daikon radish
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon coconut sugar
• ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 4 teaspoons fresh lime zest

Appetizer – Raw Vegetable Chip Directions:

1. Wash all vegetables.  Trim red radishes and turnips.  Peel jicama and daikon radish.
2. Slice vegetables about ¼ inch thick.  Halve any large slices of jicama.
3. Place vegetables on serving platter.
4. Place seasonings in a mini food processor and grind together until well blended.
5. Scatter seasoning mixture over the vegetables.
6. Serve.

Appetizer – Caramelized Onion Dip Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons grape seed oil
• 1 medium sweet onion
• 2 scallions
• 1 ¼ cup full fat, grass fed, pastured Greek yogurt
• ¾ teaspoon onion powder
• ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon white pepper
• ¼ teaspoon fresh rosemary (optional)

Appetizer – Caramelized Onion Dip Directions:

1. Mince onion and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes.
2. Thinly slice scallions, separating greens and whites.
3. Heat a stainless steel skillet until a drop of water “dances”.  Add grape seed oil.  Add sweet onion and scallion whites.  Cook over medium-low heat stirring frequently, until caramelized about 60 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow onions to cool.
4. Puree onion and yogurt in blender or food processor until smooth.
5. Add onion greens and seasonings.  Pulse until finely chopped.
6. Spoon into serving dish.  Serve.

Before starting this watermelon stacks recipe make sure to wash and dry the rind.  You don’t want any bacteria traveling on the knife into the watermelon.  This holds true for any fruit or vegetable you cut, even if you throw the outside rind or peel away.

Kids can have a lot of fun with the recipe using different cookie cutters to make the shapes.  I used a diamond here but circles and squares make nice bases for the watermelon stacks as well.

 

Watermelon Stacks Ingredients

• Small watermelon
• 3 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 3 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
• ¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup sunflower seeds, coarsely chopped
• 1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
• Coarse sea salt

Watermelon Stacks Directions

1. Cut watermelon into about 2-inch thick slices.  Use a cookie cutter to create watermelon cut outs.
2. Place watermelon pieces on serving trays or plates.  Top with tomatoes, feta, red onion, and seeds.
3. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.  Sprinkle with sea salt.

Can be served as an appetizer or as a side dish.

Watermelon Appetizer

Watermelons do not ripen after being picked so choose carefully.  First, look for a yellowish spot where the melon has sat in the soil, if it’s a regular melon (versus seedless).  Thump it and you should hear a dull thud not a hollow sound.  Look for smooth rinds that aren’t too shiny or dull.

Watermelon Appetizer Ingredients:

• Prosciutto
• Cubed watermelon
• Basil leaves
• Skewers
• Lime wedges

Watermelon Appetizer Directions:

1. Cut slices of prosciutto lengthwise.
2. Pierce one end of a piece of prosciutto onto the skewer.  Add one cube of watermelon followed by one piece of basil.  Wrap/weave prosciutto over watermelon and basil threading the prosciutto onto the skewer.
3. Add another cube of watermelon followed by another piece of basil.  Wrap/weave prosciutto over watermelon and basil threading the prosciutto onto the skewer.
4. Repeat to create multiple skewers.  Arrange skewers on serving tray.
5. Squeeze with lime wedges.
6. Serve.