New Year's Appetizers!

Happy New Year! Last year I set a goal for myself (yes, goal, not resolution- semantics) to be more positive- look for the positive of every situation and just try to remove negativity. I know that I wasn't always a positive person, but I did legitimately try to remember that positive thoughts are more helpful than negative ones. This year I am going to try to worry less- I need to not worry about what my future will look like, I need to not worry what other people are doing or have done... stop it Ashley! Goal is set, can't wait for 2015... I really think this will be a great year! We started the year making mini coffee-protein muffins- she likes to help put everything in the blender and add the chocolate chips.

I spent New Year's with a small group of friends... we met through CrossFit, but our relationship goes beyond the box. My friend Kelly hosted and we all brought appetizers. Two of the ones I made were completely not healthy- who cares it is New Year's- but the other one I ended up making two homemade sauces for that turned out really well. I am using the same sauces to glaze salmon this week for dinner- they make WAY more than you need for this recipe. The recipe is from the following website... but with store-bought sauces- http://realhousemoms.com/glazed-kielbasa-bites/... therefore I am re-naming it :)

Glazed Hawaiian Bites

- 2 lbs Kielbasa

- 1 Can Pineapple Rings packed in juice

- Glaze

      - 3 Tbsp Teriyaki Sauce

      - 2 Tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce

      - 2 Tbsp Pineapple Juice (from can)

Preheat Oven to 425 degrees. 

1. Cut the kielbasa and pineapple into bite-sized pieces. Stack one piece of pineapple on each kielbasa and secure with a toothpick. 

Put them in a glass baking dish and brush with the glaze. 

 Bake 20 minutes until the tops are caramelized.

Sauce #1- Teriyaki Sauce (makes about 1 Cup)

- 3/4 Cup Water (divided 1/2 cup + 1/4 Cup)
- 1 Tbsp Raw Honey
- 1/4 Cup Coconut Aminos (or Gluten Free Soy Sauce)
- 2 Tbsp Coconut Sugar (or more honey)
- 1/2 tsp Fresh Ginger, finely minced
- 1 Garlic Clove, finely minced
- 1 Tbsp Arrowroot Powder

1. In a small sauce pan over medium-high heat, whisk 1/2 cup water and all of the other ingredients except the arrowroot powder. 
2. Mix the 1/4 cup of water and arrowroot powder together to form a slurry. Once the liquid in the pan it bubbling, add the slurry as you whisk. The sauce will thicken fairly quickly and will even more as it cools. Thin it out with more water if needed. I store mine in the fridge in a jelly jar. 

Sauce #2- Sweet Chili Sauce (makes about 1 cup)

- 2 Garlic Cloves, peeled
- 2 Serrano Peppers, seeded and membrane removed
- 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar (or white distilled)
- 1/2 Cup Coconut Sugar
- 3/4 Cup Water
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
- 1 Tbsp Arrowroot Powder + 2 Tbsp Water

1. Put all of the ingredients, except the arrowroot powder in a blender and blend until smooth. 

2. In a small sauce pan over medium-high heat, whisk the sauce until it starts to thicken and boil.

3. Mix the 1/4 cup of water and arrowroot powder together to form a slurry. Once the liquid in the pan it bubbling, add the slurry as you whisk. The sauce will thicken fairly quickly and will even more as it cools. Add more red pepper flakes if it isn't spicy enough. I store mine in the fridge in a jelly jar. 

The other appetizers I made were directly from Pinterest and both very tasty! 

Pillsbury's Buffalo Crescent Ring

And Jalapeno Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

Beware of this one! I didn't de-seed my jalapeno and it had a pretty good kick! The only change I made was using coconut sugar, and about 1/4 cup less, than the recipe called for because I don't have refined sugar in my house. :)