Sticking with the Farmers’ markets and Farm Stands theme of using all of
the fresh produce that’s available this time of year, today- it’s all about
appetizers.

If you plan on hosting a special event, (milestone birthday, family reunion or
graduation) and you need recipes for appetizers, you’re in luck.

Listed below are 3 recipes for appetizers that’ll help you use up those extra
cucumbers, green squash and cherry tomatoes.

Recipe no. 1-
Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes!
Don’t can all of those tomatoes, save some for cute and appealing appetizers.
To make:
Slice tops off 2 cups of cherry tomatoes; reserve the tops.
Scoop out the seeds. Whisk together 3/4 cup of ricotta cheese and 1 Tbs.
of chopped basil. Transfer to a pastry bag (or use a medium-sized plastic bag,
cut off one of the corners), fitted with small round tip; pipe into tomatoes.
Place the tops back on.

A quick tip: If you plan on a party or get-together and you need lots of cherry
tomatoes halved, do this…Corral the tomatoes in a single layer on a plastic
container lid; place another lid over the tomatoes, gently holding it in place
with one flat hand. Then use a long serrated knife to carefully slice between
the lids to cut all of the tomatoes in half with one swipe of the knife.

Recipe no. 2-
Zucchini Fries!
Use panko instead of regular bread crumbs to make this dish healthier.
To make:
Cut 2 zucchini into 3″ X 1/2″ sticks. In a bowl, beat 2 eggs; in another bowl,
add 1 cup of Italian-seasoned panko breadcrumbs. Dip zucchini in egg, then
crumbs. Heat 2″ of oil until it’s shimmering; fry the zucchini, flipping occasionally,
until golden brown, 1 to 2 mins.

Recipe no. 3-
Salmon-Roll Ups!
Cucumber slices transform this dish into something elegant.
To make:
Using a vegetable peeler, cut 2 mini cucumbers into ribbons. Cut 4 oz.
sliced smoked salmon into 2″ pieces; dollop each with 2 tsp. herbed
cream cheese. Roll up, wrap 1 cucumber slice around each roll. If desired,
insert toothpicks.
Need a recipe for herbed cream cheese?
Head to google.com and type herbed cream cheese recipe in the
search bar.

Sources:
* Farmers’ Market Today Magazine
* Growing Today Magazine
* Weill Cornell Medical College
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