• Going Out
    • Phx Restaurants
    • How To Order At Starbucks
  • Running
    • My Running Story
    • Race Calendar
    • Race Recaps & Results
  • Blogroll
  • Bucket List
  • Video

Ari's Menu

Little changes making a big difference.

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Weight Loss
    • My Story
    • Common Swaps
  • Who’s Who
  • Contact
    • Policies & Disclosure
  • Press

Fig, Prosciutto & Brie Cracker Bites

June 1, 2015 · by Ari ·

Fig, Prosciutto & Brie Cracker Bites: The perfect easy and delicious appetizer or snack!

Elegant and simple, fig, prosciutto & brie cracker bites are the perfect appetizer for entertaining or a special afternoon snack. Just four delicious ingredients and next to no prep time!

Fig, Prosciutto & Brie Cracker Bites: The perfect easy and delicious appetizer or snack!

One of my very favorite sandwiches comes from a little wine bar here in Arizona. They have a great wine selection (obviously), but also lots of delicious sandwiches, salads, and to-die-for bruschetta boards. 

I always get their sandwich that comes with fig jam, prosciutto, and brie. I love the perfect balance of a sweet and salty entree, and I will choose it almost every time.

Fig, Prosciutto & Brie Cracker Bites: The perfect easy and delicious appetizer or snack!

Now that summer is officially in full swing, we’re spending lots of time grilling by the pool, and I have already eaten my weight in grilled corn and zucchini. We’ve already enjoyed many nights of entertaining outdoors while sipping crisp cocktails by the pool. 

As I put my menu together, sometimes I have a hard time deciding what to put out for appetizers. I love creating fresh and flavorful side dishes to accompany the main event on the grill, and I of course can’t resist the opportunity to bake up a special dessert. But I struggle a little when it comes to appetizers and hors d’oeuvres.

The other night I had these delicious Nut Thins crackers from Blue Diamond hanging out in my pantry and I decided to put them to good use.

Fig, Prosciutto & Brie Cracker Bites: The perfect easy and delicious appetizer or snack!

These Fig, Prosciutto & Brie Cracker Bites

  • Come together in minutes
  • Offer an elegant presentation
  • Won’t break the bank
  • Taste divine

The flavor-packed nut thin crackers provide the perfect base for this appetizer – crisp and crunchy with the perfect salty bite. They’re wonderful on they’re on, and even better all dressed up!

Fig, Prosciutto & Brie Cracker Bites: The perfect easy and delicious appetizer or snack!

How to Make Fig, Prosciutto & Brie Cracker Bites

    1. Lay your crackers out in an even layer. Use Blue Diamond Nut Thins for best results.
    2. Layer each cracker with a thick spread of fig jam. Use your favorite, or make your own. Don’t go too light here – you want plenty of sweet, syrupy fig flavor.
    3. Add a small wedge of brie. You want about a 1” piece so the brie is perfectly nestled inside your cracker, not overlapping the sides. Cut nice, thick pieces for an ultra-creamy bite.
    4. Top with loosely-rolled prosciutto. One 2” piece will do it, but if you really love prosciutto, feel free to sneak in an extra piece.

It only took a few minutes to spread on some fig jam (I used a balsamic fig jam, and it was an excellent life choice), add a thin slice of creamy brie, and top it off with a beautiful slice of rolled-up prosciutto. 

With the mix of sweet and salty flavors, crunchy and velvety textures, and perfect simplicity, these little bites will easily become the hit at all your gatherings!

Fig, Prosciutto & Brie Cracker Bites
Recipe Type: Appetizer
Author: Ari Ziskin
Prep time: 10 mins
Total time: 10 mins
Ridiculously simple and easy fig, prosciutto & brie cracker bites are the perfect appetizer for entertaining, or just an afternoon snack. Just 4 delicious ingredients and next to no prep time!
Ingredients
    • [url href=”https://www.bluediamond.com/index.cfm?navid=34″ target=”_blank”]Blue Diamond Nut Thins[/url] (I used the original flavor)
    • Fig jam
    • Brie cheese, cut into 1″ slices
  • Sliced prosciutto, cut into 2″ pieces, loosely rolled
Instructions
  1. Assemble by spreading fig jam onto crackers, then top with brie and prosciutto. Serve.
3.3.3070

This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond. All opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Appetizers, DIY/How To, Gluten-free, savory, Snacks · Tagged: 4 ingredient appetizer, appetizers, brie, cheese, crackers, easy appetizers, fig, prosciutto, snacks

White Chocolate Vanilla Bean Pistachio Butter

July 9, 2012 · by Ari ·

Have I ever mentioned that nut butter is my absolute favorite thing in the world?

I’m sorry. I don’t know a less funny thing to call it that is not “nut butter”. The other options are not better. Trust me. I’ve tried.

Anyway. I could eat peanut butter from the jar. I could down spoonful after spoonful of almond butter. I could pretty much live on the stuff. As long as I could also have fro yo. Then my life would be content.

It’s weird because, as a kid, I was never the type to ask for pb&j. This love didn’t come until much later in life. Probably when I discovered apple + pb was my very favorite snack (It’s the best one in the world. Fact.), or when I realized I could eat my oatmeal out of the jar, after reading that brilliant idea on some of my favorite healthy living blogs. It’s versatile, delicious, and there are a million combinations you could create.

Pistachios are probably my favorite nut. Hazelnuts give them a run for their money, and I really love cashews too, but I would have to say pistachios are my tried and true fav. I’ve seen some pretty interesting spreads at local shops–cinnamon cashew butter, hazelnut butter (or even better–NUTELLA!), etc., but I’ve never seen pistachio butter. I should put a patent on it, because, clearly, I’m a genius. I should be famous. Selling signed pistachio butter jars with my picture on the label. It’ll catch on faster than cookie butter. Okay, maybe not, but coming from someone OBSESSED with cookie butter, I can honestly say that it is just as delicious.

Not only was this pistachio butter a huge hit, but it is also available for sale to contribute to my fundraising. Bethany loved it so much, that she bough a jar right away. In fact, the one jar I kept for myself kept getting lower and lower, and before I realized it, I had to make more just to have enough to photograph. Whoops. I just could.not.stop.

It has the thick, gooey texture of homemade peanut butter, with the perfect subtle sweetness of the white chocolate, and one of my all time favorite flavors of pure, natural vanilla bean. I can’t think of a more perfect combination.

Perfect on bread, rice cakes, bananas, apples, spoons, fingers….

And, also, a great gift! In fact, I sent it in my foodie penpal package to Kristin who was asking for the recipe. Here you go Kristin!! I’m so glad you like it! 🙂

 

White Chocolate Vanilla Bean Pistachio Butter
Inspired by How Sweet It Is
yield approx 1/2 pint (+ a little extra)

  • 8oz pistachio nutmeat
  • 1 vanilla bean, split length wise
  • 1 1/2 tbs coconut oil
  • 1/3 cup all natural white chocolate chips, melted
  • heavy pinch sea salt

Directions:

  1. Add pistachios to a food processor and blend until a thick nut butter forms. Stream in oil and scrape in seeds from vanilla bean with the processor on, continuing to run it until the mixture is smooth (about 3-4 minutes).
  2. Turn off processor, add melted chocolate and sea salt, and turn processor back on. Blend until smooth.

**Best at room temp, but you may refrigerate for freshness, especially if keeping longer than 2 weeks.

Filed Under: DIY/How To, Gluten-free, Miscellaneous, Sauces & Spreads, Snacks · Tagged: pistachio, recipe, snacks, spread, vanilla bean, white chocolate

Buffalo Deviled Eggs

April 22, 2012 · by Ari ·

You know what food I really missed when I stopped eating deep fried food? Buffalo wings. Those things are freaking delicious! But really, it is not the breaded deep fried chicken that has anything to do with this deliciousness. The chicken is purely the vehicle to get to the delicious, bold, spicy, flavorful buffalo sauce.

And let’s be honest, who doesn’t love deviled eggs??? Crazies. Weird people. Humans with defective taste buds.

Wanna know something strange about me? I don’t love mayonnaise. In fact, if I am going to eat it, I’m one of those freaks that only really likes the light Miracle Whip with a million fake ingredients. It’s strange, but I’ll own up to it. I mean, if you put some creamy potato salad in my face, I will eat it, don’t get me wrong. But like when I see people slather it on a sandwich, I just kind of don’t get it. Good thing there are much healthier and tastier solutions to getting that mayo consistency, like Greek yogurt!

I know many of you are skeptical. “What can someone who doesn’t like mayo know about finding a suitable replacement?!?!” Well, I may not love mayo, but I do love food, and trust me, you won’t be missing anything!

These, along with the super popular cake batter dip, were also made last weekend for Deann’s bridal shower. I think I made close to 20 eggs, and not a single one was left over.

On a random note, I apparently need to work on my drizzling height because the red sauce coming from seemingly no where freaks me out a little bit in this next picture. I promise, these are deviled eggs, not scenes out of a vampire movie.

Because, honestly, who doesn’t want their eggs to be spicier?

 

Buffalo Deviled Eggs

inspired by Baked By Rachel

yield 1 dozen

  • 6 hard boiled eggs, shelled
  • 3 tbs nonfat plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 tbs light miracle whip (or light mayo, or whatever you like)
  • 1/2 avocado
  • garlic pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup Frank’s Red Hot (or buffalo sauce of choice, but we all know Frank’s is the best)
  • 1-2 stalks celery, minced
  • paprika for dusting
  • extra buffalo sauce for drizzling (optional)
  • crumbled bleu cheese for topping (optional–I LOVE it with bleu cheese, but not everyone shares my sentiment)

Directions:

  1. Slice eggs length wise. Scoop out yolks into a medium mixing bowl and set whites aside.
  2. Add yogurt, mayo, avocado, pepper and buffalo sauce to the yolks and mix well. Then use an immersion blender to smooth completely.
  3. Transfer yolk mixture to a piping bag or plastic bag with the tip cut off and divide evenly between the egg whites (I used the star tip because I thought it made them pretty 😉 ).
  4. Sprinkle lightly with paprika, then top with celery.
  5. Add any desired optional ingredients, and serve immediately.

 

 

Filed Under: Appetizers, Gluten-free, Low Carb, savory, Snacks, Vegetarian · Tagged: appetizer, avocado, buffalo sauce, deviled eggs, eggs, greek yogurt, party food, recipe, snacks

Image Map

Popular Posts

Tart Cherry Margaritas: The perfect, refreshing margarita--lightly sweet with a punch of tequila

Tart Cherry Margaritas

90+ Healthy Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Dessert

90+ Healthy Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Dessert

The Ultimate Peanut Butter Cup Brownie Cookies: Rich, fudgy, brownie-like chocolate cookies stuffed with melty peanut butter cups!

Ultimate Peanut Butter Cup Brownie Cookies

Drink & Dish: Cafe Au Lait Cupcakes

Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup

Subscribe via Email:

Enter your email address:

Save an additional $30 on Blendtec Factory Recertified Blenders + Free Shipping

Featured Here

recipe redux
Certified Yummly Recipes on Yummly.com

Member Of…

FitFluential Is Fitness Found
AZ Bloggers Network
az 150 photo az150_zpsfb093d32.gif

Archives


Image Map

Copyright © 2025 | Innovative Child Theme by The Pixelista | Built on the Genesis Framework

 

Loading Comments...