FRIENDSGIVING WITH PURE FLAVOR LIGHT-BITES AND FINGER FOODS

The holidays are a time to gather your loved ones around the table, and reflect on happiness, health, and what you're thankful for. To me, a “friendsgiving” is what kicks off the holidays and the cascading celebrations to come. It is no surprise that meals around this time tend to be rich and heavy, but this certainly doesn't have to be the case. There are plenty of things you can serve that are easy, light and fresh. This year, I was in charge of appetizers for our annual Friendsgiving, and I decided to go with light bites and finger foods. I partnered with [@Pure Flavor] and used their fresh veggies to make toasted pine nut and saffron pork stuffed mini peppers, crispy goat cheese and cucumber toasts, and a classic charcuterie board. All my ingredients and especially my produce were so fresh, and were such a hit because they were bite-sized and easy for people to snack on throughout the evening. What I love about Pure Flavor produce is that I can get the flavors I crave from seasonal summer veggies, and have them all year round. I highly recommend adding them into your holiday menus this year and bring more greens to your table!
An added bonus: finger foods and individual bites are a great way to avoid the spread of germs which is important to think about in our current climate. 

Toasted pine nut and saffron pork stuffed mini peppers
A package of Aurora Bites Mini Sweet Peppers
2 Pure Flavor® Roma tomatoes
2 spicy pork sausages (removed from their casings)
A pinch of saffron
A splash of red wine
¼ cup pine nuts
Salt/pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
Parmesan cheese for topping

Step 1: 
Finely dice your Roma tomatoes and set aside. Slice Aurora Bites Mini Sweet Peppers in half and remove the seeds. Leave the stems as this allows for easy pick up when eating. Set aside.

Step 2:
Thinly slice garlic and add to a medium sized saute pan, along with some olive oil

Step 3: 
After about 2 min, add in pork and diced Roma tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until pork has broken down and the tomatoes and pork have combined. Add in a splash of red wine and let that cook down. Cook until pork has browned, about 5-7 min or so. Add in your pinch of saffron and combine. Remove from heat.

Step 4: 
In another pan, add a little bit of olive oil and let pan get hot. Then add pine nuts. Let them toast for about 3 min, stirring constantly so they don’t burn. Remove from heat.

Step 5: Assembly
On a large roasting pan, line up your peppers in rows. Working one by one, add your pork-tomato mixture to the peppers. Sprinkle a few pine nuts on each. Grate some parmesan cheese and sprinkle on top. Bake on 350 for about 3 min. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Crispy goat cheese and cucumber toasted with hot honey
6 Pure Flavor® mini cucumbers 
4 Oz fresh goat cheese
1 fresh baguette 
Drizzle of hot or regular honey for topping
Salt/pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

Step 1: 
Slice baguette and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toast on a sheet pan for about 3 min or until browned on the edges

Step 2: 
Spread goat cheese on bread. I have used regular goat cheese or herbed goat cheese and both are delicious. Slice cucumbers and add a few to each slice. 

Step 3: 
Drizzle hot honey and more salt and pepper to taste.

Charcuterie Board
This one is entirely up to personal preference, and preference of that of your guest. I did a mix of Aurora Bites Mini Sweet Peppers, Cloud 9® tomatoes, RedRoyals® sweet cherry tomatoes, a variety of cheeses, meats, nuts and honey. All the veggies were delicious, and I did find that the RedRoyals® on-the-vine tomatoes added some visual interest to the board which I would definitely recommend.