If you'd like to put a little more effort into an appetizer than just opening a jar of salsa and a bag of tortilla chips, look to the new cookbook Taste of Home 5-Ingredient Healthy: Simply Delicious Dishes for Today's Cooks.
That's what I did, and I discovered I had most of the ingredients already on hand for the garbanzo-stuffed mini peppers. I only had to pick up fresh cilantro leaves and miniature sweet peppers. Already in my pantry were garbanzo beans, cumin seeds and cider vinegar. (Ingredients that do not count as one of the "five" are water, salt, pepper and oil.)
I simply sliced the mini peppers in half and scooped out the seeds and membranes. Then I blended the other ingredients together, spooned it into the pepper halves, and sprinkled it all with cilantro, creating a festive platter ready for company to enjoy.
Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 can (15 oz.) garbanzo beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 3 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 16 miniature sweet peppers, halved lengthwise
- Additional fresh cilantro leaves
Directions:
- In a dry small skillet, toast the cumin seeds over medium heat until aromatic, 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently. Transfer to a food processor. (I used a blender.)
- Add garbanzo beans, cilantro, water, vinegar and salt; pulse until blended.
- Spoon into pepper halves. Top with additional cilantro. Refrigerate until serving.
Other recipes include mini ham and cheese frittatas, Old Bay crispy kale chips, peanut butter granola pinwheels, chicken parmesan patty melts, roast pork with apples and onions, orange pomegranate salad with honey, chocolate avocado mousse, and old-fashioned honey baked apples.
Taste of Home 5-Ingredient Healthy: Simply Delicious Dishes for Today's Cooks is available here.