Party Pleasing Summer Appetizers You Have To Try

Get your grocery list ready and invite everyone over because these delicious summer appetizers are going to make your mouth water and impress everyone you know! The first is made up of all our favorite things – burrata, honey, basil, salt, and a fresh baguette. Could it get any better? And the second is a healthy and refreshing vegetable recipe that can be served as an app or a side dish. Elana, from Meal and A Spiel, visited us with everything to make these appetizers in tow and treated us with the fresh creations (and some sangria too)! Want to have her teach you herself? Take part in one of her fun cooking classes watch her whip up these delicacies, and learn all the tricks!

 

Burrata Crostini with Raw Honey and Basil

Ingredients

extra virgin olive oil
1⁄2 ­1 teaspoon raw honey (yes raw is important for the flavor!)
8 oz good quality burrata, at room temperature
a small bunch of basil, cut into strips
1 French baguette
salt and pepper

 

Instructions

1. Place an oven rack on second rung to the top and light your broiler.

2. Cut bread into 1⁄2 inch slices and place on a cookie sheet.

3. Place burrata on a plate and slice it into 1⁄4 inch slices. (It will get messy. Not a problem!!) Sprinkle salt generously (about a 3⁄4 teaspoon) on the cheese.

 

4. Cut basil into thin slices. (Place a few leaves on top of each other, roll them up into a little green “cigarettes” and use a knife or scissors to cut them into thin slices.)

5. Toast bread by setting it under the broiler for about a minute, until golden. Turn slices over and toast the other side. Be careful not to let bread burn.

 

6. Drizzle olive oil generously on piece of bread, top with a slice of burrata.

7. Using a fork in the raw honey, let a few “strands” of honey fall on top of the burrata. Top with 4-­5 slices of basil. Serve immediately.

 

Grilled Zucchini with Lemon and Mint

Ingredients

4-­5 zucchinis, quartered lengthwise (don’t worry about each slice being
extra virgin olive oil, about 2 tablespoons
1 juicy lemon
a handful of chopped mint leaves

 

1. Heat your indoor grill pan over a medium high flame for about 7 minutes. (Alternatively, use your outdoor grill! It will taste even better, but not all of us are that ambitious!)

2. Grill zucchini until dark grill marks appear on both sides, about 3­5 minutes per side. (Don’t worry if they are not as soft on the inside as you would like, they’ll continue to cook off the grill.)

3. Lay zucchini on serving platter.

4. Drizzle with olive oil.

 

 

5. Sprinkle with salt, about a generous 1⁄2 teaspoon.

6. Grind the pepper mill over the platter, about 20 grinds.

7. Sprinkle with the mint.

8. Taste, make sure there is enough of everything that you like, and adjust accordingly.