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October 22, 2020 by Kellie 2 Comments

Stuffed Fig

Healthy Appetizer
Stuffed Fig

Healthy Appetizer

Stuffed fig for the win!  A friend gave me a giant bowl of figs from her backyard tree the other day.  They were so sweet, I actually couldn’t believe it.  Obviously some fig jam was in order.  But, I still had quite a few figs left over.  I decided that this amazing sweetness needed a touch of savory and started working on a sweet and savory stuffed figs healthy appetizer.  With just a bit of work I think I’ve come up with a new family favorite and an easy dish to take to holiday parties in the future.

Healthy Appetizer Prep
Healthy Appetizer Prep

A few notes for stuffed fig ingredients:

There’s really not much to this stuffed fig recipe – figs and soft cheese in a savory meat wrap.

Personally, we found we liked the smaller figs best as they made perfect bite size morsels.  If you have the larger figs you can cut them in half and stuff them like a boat.  Learn about figs if you’re going shopping for them.

We tried a couple different kinds of cheese; just what we had in the refrigerator.  Soft cheeses worked better than hard.  Creamier cheeses “mixed” into the soft sweet fig meat the best.  Once I did a little research (yes, after I finished the stuffed fig recipe), I noticed many other recipes use goat cheese.  Personally, I think any mild, soft cheese would taste fine.

Finally, I had pancetta and proscuitto.  Since I wanted to bake the figs, pancetta seemed to work better but either is fine.  You could also choose not to bake the stuffed figs, especially if they are super ripe, and just wrap them in proscuitto.  This works great for various fruits; try Watermelon Appetizer.  Any thin cured meat would be fine.  Just something to give a salty, savory addition to the sweet fig and the creamy cheese.  Gosh, just writing this makes we want to go grab a few to munch on!

Prepping Stuffed Fig

Remember to remove the stem of the fresh fig.  If it’s a small fig just cut a bit of the seeds from the core and you can stuff cheese in the hole.  With a medium sized fig you can score the top of the fig in an “X” and then stuff cheese in the hole.  Using a larger fig you may need to cut the fig in half from stem to bottom, remove a bit of the core, stuff the cheese in the hole, wrap the meat around and bake cheese size up.

Stuffed fig

Cut the pancetta vertically for the smaller figs and horizontally for the larger stuffed figs.

Stuffed fig wrap

If you aren’t baking the stuffed fig then wrap it so people can see the cheese in top.

Stuffed fig exposedWhen baking the stuffed fig then wrapping it depends on the type of cheese you choose.  With a cheese that will melt easily and therefore possibly run out of the fit, then fully encase the stuffed fig with the meat (see below).  If the cheese is a slower to melt type of cheese, then you can leave the cheese exposed or just cover a bit (see the very first picture in the blog).

Stuffed fig wrapped

Finally, place on a parchment covered baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees.  Or until the meat is crispy.

Stuffed fig cooked

Enjoy a delicious, healthy appetizer of stuffed figs.

Stuffed Fig Appetizer Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 20 small to medium figs
  • 3 oz soft cheese
  • 4 oz pancetta

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. With a paring knife cut the stem from the fig.  Cut a small “core” in the fig or “score” the top in an X.
  3. Gently “stuff” a small piece of cheese inside the fig.
  4. Cut pancetta pieces in half and wrap a ½ piece around the fig.
  5. Place figs on prepared baking sheet.
  6. Bake for 10-15 minutes until pancetta is crispy.

Filed Under: Appetizers, Blog Tagged With: fig, healthy appetizer, Recipe, stuffed fig, sweet and savory

June 27, 2014 by Kellie Leave a Comment

Apple Burrito – Great for Kid’s Lunch

Apple BurritosBurrito Finger Foods

Grab and go foods are part of my go-to for the family.  Everyone loves finger foods.  Burritos are perfect because they can be a breakfast, dessert, part of lunch, or a snack.  Wrap ’em up and go.  Apple burritos are one of our favorites.  You can make these ahead and have them ready any time.  They can be gluten-free by using brown rice tortillas.

Fruit Filling for Burrito

You can place anything in a burrito but fruit is one of my favorites, especially for kid’s lunches.  You can make the filling with any fruit that is available, just be sure to compensate with more or less water depending on how “juicy” the fruit is your working with.  Apples are the staple in our house because we can get them for most of the year and are reasonably priced.  This recipe is based on Granny Smiths so if you choose a sweeter apple you may need to decrease the coconut sugar.  Let your taste be your guide – there’s no right or wrong with these types of recipes.  Which is why I love any type of fruit burrito.

You can also make the filling as much as a week in advance.  Frequently I make extra filling and it becomes a side dish for other meals or added to hot cereal for breakfast.

Apple BurritoBurrito for Classroom Snack

These apple burritos hold up really well.  I have made big batches for my son’s classroom, both for snack and for lunch.  After they cool a bit you can cut them in half for smaller portions.  This is a very versatile fruit burrito, especially for busy moms.

Apple Burrito Recipe 

Apple Burrito Ingredients

  • 4 medium apples
  • ½ cup water
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp. ground cloves (optional)
  • Whole wheat or brown rice tortillas
  • Chopped nuts (optional)
  •  1 Tbs. butter, melted

Apple Burrito Directions

  1. Wash apples, cut into quarters and core.
  2. In a 2 quart saucepan, heat apples and water to boiling over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up apples until tender.  Alternately you can puree the apples if a paste texture is more desirable than chunks.
  3. Stir in sugar and spices.  Heat to boiling.  Boil and stir 1 minute.  Cover and refrigerate until using.
  4. Place a tablespoon or two of the apple filling into the center of each burrito.  Carefully not to overfill as it will be hard to roll up.
  5. Top the filling with nuts if using.
  6. Brush the inside edges of the tortilla with water to help secure and roll up.
  7. Place the burritos on a cookie sheet.  Baste with melted butter.
  8. Place into broiler until tortillas turn brown.  Keep a carefully eye on them as this happens fast.
  9. Remove from oven and cool.  Serve at room temperature or refrigerate.  Great for kid’s lunches.

 

Make Ahead Tip

You can make the sauce up to a week in advance.

Filed Under: Appetizers, Recipes, Snack

November 6, 2013 by Kellie Leave a Comment

Appetizer for Potluck – Raw Vegetable Chips & Caramelized Onion Dip

raw vegetable chips and caramelized onion dipRaw Vegetable Chips and Caramelized Onion Dip – A Quick Potuck Appetizer

I don’t often create recipes for non-clients but during my Holiday Survival (Success) Guide radio show Eat Well to Live Well with Kellie Hill which aired Monday, November 4th I answered listener questions.  A lady named Mary asked about what to bring to her holiday office potluck that would be a healthy choice.  Although I discussed how to protect your food choices before going to any party, I wanted to provide a special potluck appetizer recipe that could be thrown together in 10-15 minutes and be the healthiest, tastiest appetizer at the party.  Plus people will be amazed when they find out this appetizer is quick, easy, and nutritious.

Appetizer Options for Quick, Healthy Potlucks

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.

Filed Under: Appetizers, Recipes

September 4, 2013 by Kellie Leave a Comment

Watermelon Stacks

003Watermelon Stacks

Watermelon season is almost over and I’ve really enjoyed using this wonderful fruit in multiple recipes.  This is another great picnic or appetizer watermelon recipe to help you use up a beautiful watermelon.

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.

Filed Under: Appetizers, Recipes

August 21, 2013 by Kellie 2 Comments

Watermelon Appetizer

002Watermelon Appetizer

Can you tell watermelon is in season?  Eating locally means extra recipes using the same ingredients and I have watermelon to use up!  Luckily, watermelon makes a great appetizer to offer guests and this recipe cuts the sweetness with a bit of savory.

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.

Filed Under: Appetizers, Recipes

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