I normally take what I call "greek meat balls". Something I tried to copy from the greek restaurants. It's served with mezedes, the starter platter which has a bit of everything. Wonderful stuff!my mouth is watering, thinking about it
1lb lean ground beef (also used ground turkey. or a mixture of lamb and beef and a bit of pork)
1/4-1/2c grated onion or chopped up very fine
1T minced garlic
salt and pepper
good sprinkling oregano
sprinkling mint
little sprinkling parsley
1t cumin (can leave it out, if you don't have it)
1t grated lemon zest
1 egg
Mix everything together well. If it's a bit dry i add a dash of dry white wine
Chill for an hour (optional, they shape better). Make 1 inch balls, saute in hot oil. I get about 18-24 out of this.
Make sure the ground beef is not fatty. I've also broiled these instead of frying.
I serve them either with bought honey-mustard or feta cheese dip. If I'm not rushed
I've made tzatziki the cucumber/yogurt dip they serve in greek restaurants. I posted tzatziki under the egg thread in breakfasts.
The other thing i've copied from this platter is grilled eggplants slices (thick slices), grilled zucchini slices (cut longways), brushed with olive oil before grilling, both can be eaten with dips. I didn't feel like frying them, it's quicker to slice and grill.
I sprinkle them with salt, let the water drain from the slices, and then brush them with oil, bit of pepper, garlic (optional) and grill. Don't let them go mushy when you grill them.
I've also made the phyllo cheese pastries but they are not low carb
The filling is nice as a dip, about 1/2 lb feta cheese, about 4T grated parmesan (or pecorino, or a mixture of both), about 6-8T cream cheese or ricotta (basically, it's a mixture of feta, hard cheese and soft cheese). Add enough cream/sour cream/yogurt/1/2 and1/2 combination (or just one thing, whatever I have at hand, even a bit of mayo) to make it into a dip consistency. Some pepper and cayenne. I do things from memory, never write them down
Don't add salt, feta is salty enough.
ooh! if the feta is in brine, drain it, and it must be crumbled/mashed up. It's nice if there are little chunks of feta left.
The other thing i've had served with mezedes is fried squid rings. They are nice too, if you can get them.
I've made imitation dolmades, grape leaf rolls, just used a spiced ground beef mixture (i left out the rice, used ground beef only), and blanched chinese cabbage leaves (the top part only), put a spoonful of beef rolled up into little parcels, put about 2T olive oil in a large flat-bottomed pot, pack in the parcels as you roll them, cover with veggie broth, cover and simmer gently. Takes a while to cook.
Another seasoning mix i've used with ground beef is:
1T coriander seeds
2T cider vinegar
freshly ground pepper
freshly grated nutmeg
just a dash of ground cloves
and this one is spicy!
turmeric
salt
1 large clove garlic, crushed
piece root ginger, grated
coriander seeds
1 hot green chilli, crushed
garam masala (curry spice)
Smoked salmon (lox) is another firm favorite of mine for finger food.
Take a Mousse/pate recipe and substitute with smoked salmon. Or smoked salmon rolls, with cream cheese inside, cream cheese with diced pickle, etc. Just use your imagination and whatever you find interesting in the fridge.
And a crustless quiche cut up into bite size pieces:
This is the one I used to make:
4 large eggs
1c cottage cheese, or cream cheese
1c 1/2 and 1/2
1c grated cheese, cheddar, feta, doesn't matter (sharp hard cheeses)
4 slices cooked bacon, cut into tiny bits
4 slices ham, chopped
1-2 hard boiled eggs chopped
1T minced onion
2 hotdogs chopped up (put them in hot water before)
2-3T finely chopped bell pepper
salt & pepper
Mix everything in a bowl. Pour into a Pam sprayed cheesecake tin.
Bake for about 20-30mins 350' until a knife stuck in the center comes out clean. It must be well set.
cut into bitesize squares.
Hope there are no typos