Whether you’re snacking during a football game or relaxing in the company of friends, bring a touch of the Mediterranean to the occasion with today’s nibble-ready recipe.

Prep time is 15 minutes, and all of the ingredients should be available at your local natural and organic food store.

Serve with an aromatic Pinot Grigio, fruity Chardonnay or richly flavored Cabernet Sauvignon.

Note: You may also top a salad with these spicy olives.

Spicy Marinated Olives

Makes 1 dozen appetizers (about 2 cups olives)

1. Toast coriander and cumin seeds in small skillet over medium heat, shaking skillet occasionally, until seeds are fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. In jar with tight-fitting lid, combine seeds and remaining ingredients, except olives. Cover; shake well.
3. Add olives; cover and shake well to coat olives with marinade.
4. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 1 month before serving. Serve at room temperature with wooden picks as appetizers or add to tossed green salad.

More Olive Recipes from Our Blog

1. Green Olive Salsa
2. Green Olive Cheddar Dip
3. Olive-Stuffed Goat Cheese Bites
4. Grilled Flatbread with Olive, Orange and Fennel Relish
5. Marinated Olives
6. Greek Pasta Salad
7. Spanish Olive Drizzle

Recipe and photo courtesy of Lindsay Olives

If the gang is coming over to watch football, you can nix the bagged snacks and serve this healthier, tastier appetizer. 

The recipe is infused with classic Italian flavors, but you won’t have to spend hours chopping, stirring and sautéing. With only four ingredients, it’s light on effort, but long on enjoyment. 

Prep time is 20 minutes, cook time is 20 minutes, and all of the ingredients should be available at your local natural and organic food store. 

If you’re catering to a gourmet crowd, dress up the serving plate with sprigs of fresh basil or rosemary.

Tuscan Stuffed Mushrooms

Makes 40 appetizers

1 container (10.5 ounces) prepared bruschetta sauce
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese
40 medium fresh white mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed
40 small basil leaves (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease large baking sheet.
2. Combine bruschetta sauce and cheese in a medium bowl.
3. Fill each mushroom with 1 heaping teaspoon bruschetta mixture. Place on prepared baking sheet.
4. Bake for 20 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to a serving platter, and top with basil leaves.     

Recipe and photo courtesy of Buitoni

As summer picnic and barbecue season winds down, make your next seasonal dish stress-free with a no-cook appetizer that’s perfect for potlucks or cookouts.

Our weekend recipe comes from Ingrid Hoffmann, host of Simply Delicioso on the Food Network and author of Simply Delicioso: A Collection of Everyday Recipes with a Latin Twist.

"Entertaining doesn't have to be a time-consuming and tiresome process," she says. “With a few ingredients, you can create simple and tasty recipes.”

Best of all, this healthful recipe will appeal to both children and adults. All of the ingredients should be available at your local natural and organic food store.

Black Bean and Corn Scoops

1. Combine all ingredients, except chips, in a glass bowl and toss well. Refrigerate 30 minutes to an hour to meld flavors.
2. Spoon mixture onto chips, and place on a serving dish.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Tostitos

Yesterday, I discussed the transformation of a once-dreaded holiday appetizer: the cheese ball. But you can make a truly inspired organic starter if you try some of the new approaches suggested by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board:

• Wrap your cheese ball in style. Use a higher-end nut, such as roasted pine nuts or hazelnuts.
• Wrap Brie in puff pastry, brush with egg wash, and bake for a sophisticated appetizer (“Brie en croute”).
• Go ethnic. As Emeril Lagasse would say, “Kick it up a notch.” Combine a flavored organic Monterey Jack cheese (such as pepper jack) with salsa, and roll it in toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds). Serve with organic corn chips.

One important note: This isn’t the time to roll out your fanciest homemade breads. Keep it simple (translation: relatively bland), and let the cheese ball be the star of the show. Perfect accompaniments include baguettes, nut breads and water crackers.

For best results, always bring your cheese to room temperature before blending it with other ingredients. Then, refrigerate the cheese ball until it’s firm. Before serving, bring it back to room temperature for easy spreading and enhanced flavor.

Delicious Asiago cheese

It’s confession time: I’ve always had a morbid fear of cheese balls. Those prepackaged, way-too-orange dairy orbs that retailers roll out during the holiday season are seldom organic, and every ingredient is highly processed. Ugh.

I’m happy to report that culinary therapy has cured me of my disorder. Cheese balls, you see, are now considered a hip holiday appetizer—as long as they’re homemade with healthful organic ingredients.

The best news of all? They’re incredibly easy to prepare. Just mix, shape and refrigerate, advise experts from the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

Here’s a great recipe for your holiday table. Note: Because you follow an organic lifestyle, Organic Authority recommends using certified organic ingredients, when available, in all recipes to minimize your risk of exposure to pesticides, chemicals and preservatives.

Savory Italian-Style Cheese Ball With Asiago and Fontina

Makes 25–30 servings

3/4 cup pine nuts
8 ounces (2 cups) Asiago cheese, shredded
2 ounces (1/2 cup) Fontina cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated
4 ounces cream cheese, cut in chunks and at room temperature
2 tablespoons prepared, refrigerated basil pesto
2 tablespoons half-and-half
1/4 cup marinated sun-dried tomatoes, diced and dried well

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread pine nuts on a baking sheet and toast for about 5 minutes or until golden. (Check after 3 minutes and stir.) Pour onto waxed paper and cool.
2. Place Asiago, Fontina, Parmesan and cream cheese in bowl of food processor. Process until well blended. Add pesto (drain first if the pesto is runny). Pulse to incorporate. If the mixture is too stiff, add half-and-half to desired consistency. Remove mixture to a bowl, and stir or work in tomatoes with hands.
3. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Shape into ball. Roll ball in pine nuts, pushing nuts into ball, if necessary.
4. Garnish with fresh basil and slivers of sun-dried tomatoes, if desired.
5. Serve with crusty bread, Italian breadsticks or crostini crackers.

Recipe and photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Inc.