Miraval Appetizer and Drink Recipes for Awards Season

It's officially awards season! With the 2014 Academy Award nominations announced yesterday, we wanted to share some of our favorite appetizer and cocktail recipes that are perfect for entertaining. These recipes are featured in Mindful Eating and our newest Miraval cookbook, Sweet & Savory Cooking. Enjoy!

Appetizers:

Crab Wontons with Soy-Ginger Dipping Sauce

Serves 8

1/4 c. panko bread crumbs
3/4 c. cream cheese
1/3 c. finely diced red pepper
2 Tbsp. green onions, thinly cut on the bias
2 Tbsp. minced shallots
1/8 tsp. salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
2 oz. crab meat, picked over to remove any shell
3/4 tsp. lemon zest
16 wonton wrappers

HEAT the oven to 350ºF. Spread the bread crumbs in an even layer on a baking sheet and toast until they're a light golden color, about 8 minutes.

PULSE the cream cheese in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Stir in the red pepper, green onion, shallots, salt, pepper, bread crumbs, crab and lemon zest. Mix gently until well blended.

PUT the mixture into a large zip-top bag; snip off one of the lower corners.

ARRANGE the wonton wrappers on a dry, clean surface. Pipe about 2 tablespoons of the crab mixture into the center of each wonton; lightly brush a little water on the edges of the wonton to help seal the wonton. Bring the top right corner and the bottom left corner to a point and pinch; then bring your bottom right corner in and pinch. Repeat the same with the other corner to form a pouch.

TO bake, increase the oven temperature to 400ºF. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the wontons on the baking sheet and spray each one with a very light coat of cooking spray. Bake until golden brown, or about 6 minutes. Serve two pieces for each serving immediately with dipping sauce.

Serving Size: 2 wontons; Calories: 160; Total Fat: 8g; Carbs: 16g; Dietary Fiber: 1g; Protein: 5g

Soy-Ginger Dipping Sauce

Makes about 1 1/2 Cups

• 3 Tbsp. sugar

• 1 1/3 c. rice wine vinegar

• 2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger

• 1 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce or tamari

• 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

IN a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and rice wine vinegar and bring to a simmer. Add the fresh minced ginger. Continue to simmer for 4 minutes. Add the soy sauce or tamari and the xanthan gum, and whisk until well incorporated. Chill until ready to serve.

Serving Size: 1 tablespoon; Calories: 10; Total Fat: 0g; Carbs: 3g; Dietary Fiber: 0g; Protein: 0g

Truffled Black Olive Bruschetta

Makes 12 Bruschette

1 Tbsp. minced shallot
1/4 c. seeded and diced tomato
1/4 c. diced good quality pitted black olive, such as kalamata
1 tsp. chopped Italian parsley
1 tsp. thinly sliced fresh basil
1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. truffle oil
1/4 c. finely diced buffalo mozzarella or other fresh mozzarella
12 quarter-inch slices whole-wheat artisan baguette, cut at an angle
Olive oil

PUT all the ingredients—except the bread and olive oil—in a small bowl, mix gently, cover tightly, and refrigerate at least an hour to let the flavors marry.

HEAT the oven to 400°F. Spray the bread with a thin mist of olive oil and bake in the hot oven until crisp, 4 to 5 minutes.

TO serve, drain off any liquid that may have accumulated in the topping bowl and then pile about 1 tablespoon of the topping onto each piece of toast. Serve right away.

Serving Size: 1 bruschetta; Calories: 80; Total Fat: 2g; Carbs: 12g; Dietary Fiber: 1g; Protein: 3g