Let’s party! Great appetizers for the summer garden party

Celebrate with friends is fun. Appetizers, which can be prepared within no time are very welcome. Cold soups and salads are perfect for picnics or garden parties, right? Eastern spices will give a special twist and are delights for the taste buds. Cold soups do cool inside in the summer swelter. It’s time to invite some friends. Let’s party, the summer motto of the Chef’s Handyman team!

Sweet potato dip, orange or blue

To make sweet potato dips, peel and cut potatoes in cubes. Place them on a baking sheet prepared with parchment paper. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and ras el hanout. Bake in oven at 200°C or 400°F for 15-20 minutes or until soft. Place the cubes into a bowl. Add 3 tbsp. of olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic powder or fresh clove, 1 tbsp. of ras el hanout and 2 pinches of chili powder. Blend all ingredients. Add 2-3 tbsp. of yoghurt or soy cream. Prepare both variations (blue sweet and orange potatoes) separate.

The chickpea dip goes perfect with bread or naan.

Shopping list for 4 serves, 4 blue and 4 orange sweet potatoes, olive oil, ras el hanout (eastern spice), salt, black pepper, garlic-powder, chili-powder, 3-6 soy cream or yoghurt

Cold soups, with cucumber and apple or with melon and mango

Chef’s Handyman Cold Soups

To make the cucumber apple soup, peel 2 cucumbers and 2 apples. Remove core, cut in cubes. Place them into a bowl. Add 3 tbsp. of lemon juice, salt, black pepper, 0.5 tbsp. chili powder, dill, 0.5 tbsp. anise seeds and 1 cup of plain soy yoghurt or yoghurt. Blend all ingredients. Season the soup to taste.

To make melon mango soup, peel 1 melon and 1 mango, remove seeds and cut into cubes. Place the cubes into a bowl. Add salt, 1 tbsp. ras el hanout, black pepper, 4 dashes of chili powder and 1 tsp. of olive oil. Blend all ingredients. Season the soup to taste with salt and black pepper or chili powder.

Store the soup in the fridge until you intend to serve it.

Shopping list for the cold soups for 4 serves, 2 cucumbers, 2 apples, 1 melon, 1 mango, 1 lemon, 1 bunch of dill, chili powder, ras el hanout, salt, black pepper, olive oil, 1 cup of plain yoghurt or 1 cup of soy yoghurt

The shopping list depends on the size of the fruits. To be on the saver side, buy the bigger ones. The cold soup can be stored for 1 day in the fridge. So the leftover can still be used the day after.

Chickpea salad

Chef’s Handyman, chickpea salad

To make chickpea salad, place 4 tbsp. of olive oil in a pan. Add 2 tbsp. of ras el hanout, 1 tsp. of turmeric, salt, black pepper, 1 chopped chili, 0.5 tsp. of cinnamon, 1 tsp. of curry powder. Simmer on low heat. Remove pan. Add 2 cups of canned chickpeas. Cut 15 cherry tomatoes in half, 1 papaya and 1 mango in cubes. Mix all ingredients. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Garnish with lemon zest and cilantro.

Shopping list for the chickpea salad for 4 serves, 2 cups of canned chickpeas, 1 mango, 1 papaya, 15 cherry tomatoes, 2 lemons, 4-5 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tsp. turmeric, 1 tsp. curry powder, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 2 tbsp. ras el hanout, salt, black pepper, 1 chili, 1 bunch cilantro

Have a great party, yours Chef’s Handyman team!

Chef’s Handyman iPhone/iPad app

This cooking recipe will be published in the Chef’s Handyman app for iPhone/iPad. The cooking recipe can be downloaded in the e-cookbook ‘Free Trial Recipes’. Click on the update button (next to the shopping cart) on the bottom within the category screen in the free trial e-cookbook. Now the recipe and the book will be updated. Then check the icon aperitif. There you will find the new recipe. When the app will be downloaded the first time, this cooking recipe will be already included. The Chef’s Handyman app can be found in the App Store.