Dinner Party Recipes

I realize I teased all of you with the photos of my appetizer/dinner party food yesterday, so here are the recipes - including the directions on how to create the olive penguins!

First up: Roasted Chickpeas, which I first discovered on Michelle's blog.  

Roasted Chickpeas

Yields: 8 servings

-2 (12 ounce) cans chickpeas, drained

-2 tablespoons lemon juice

-1/4 cup olive oil

-1 tablespoon ground cumin

-1 ½ tsp. chili powder

-1 tsp. dried oregano

-½ tsp. ground ginger

-Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2.) Stir together the chickpeas, lemon juice, olive oil, and seasonings in a mixing bowl. Spread the chickpea mixture in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.

3.) Roast in the preheated oven until the chickpeas are dark brown in spots, crisp, and have shrunk quite a bit, 30 to 35 minutes, stirring halfway through the cooking time. Cool to room temperature before serving.

Next up: Black Bean Hummus. This recipe inspired my recipe.

Black Bean Hummus

Yield: 8 servings

-1  tbsp. minced garlic

-2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice

-1  teaspoon  ground cumin

-1  (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

-1  small jalapeño pepper, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)

-Pinch of cayenne pepper

-½ tsp. dried cilantro

-Salt and black pepper, to taste

-2  teaspoons  extra-virgin olive oil

Directions: 
1.) Place garlic, lemon juice, cumin, salt, black pepper, cayenne, black beans, jalapeño pepper and cilantro in food processor; process until smooth.
2.) Spoon bean mixture into a medium bowl, and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with more dried cilantro. Serve with pita chips.

And, the grand finale: Olive Penguins!

Directions, courtesy of my mother:

-Take a slice of carrot for the base; cut out a pie slice piece for the beak; remainder of carrot is for the feet (base).
-Make a slit down the front of 1 olive and fill with cream cheese (squeezed from a bag) for the body
-Make a tiny slit across another olive and slide pie slice carrot in for beak
-Stack onto carrot base with a toothpick

Enjoy!

What are some of your favorite dishes to make for a dinner/appetizer party?

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