The truth is, we all probably want to grab a cookie before we want to grab anything that grew from the ground.
Cookie, broccoli, cookie broccoli. See, the choice is clear.

Broccoli, right? PSYCH!

Even me, a veggie/fruit lover, can’t deny that simple fact that we are inclined to reach for the cookie first. But if you offer healthy appetizers that look pretty, people will eat them (in theory…). Just make sure you also offer that cookie!

To balance out the over indulgence of cookies. And fudge. And toffee. I like to have plenty of healthy appetizers at parties and get togethers. Shoot, no matter what time of year it is I like to have healthy appetizers available. I don’t just mean a store bought vegetable tray with ‘vegetable dip’ that you peeled a plastic film off of. No no no. You gotta spruce up healthy appetizers in order to give them some ‘curb appeal.’
*Although, every party needs a veggie tray. I’ve come to the conclusion I’m OBSESSED with carrots. This may seem obvious to some as my skin is a slight shade of orange, and it’s not from self tanner. So my carrot intake has to be monitored. No joke. If you see a veggie tray with no carrots, it’s because I already ate them all.


The folks at Il de France cheese sent me some goat cheese to try, YEAH, I love samples!  It came and went in about 3 hours, flat.  Remember, I sorta love goat cheese?!?! I’ve made frozen yogurt, guacamole, and even poured ganache over it for a delicious appetizer! Goat cheese doesn’t last long in my house!  I wanted to come up with a super easy appetizer that used very few ingredients but that tasted wonderful… check, done and done!  I used my grape and goat cheese crostini as the flavor inspiration and just went from there…


At first I plated them like the picture above. They look only ‘ok.’ That’s when I decided each ‘skewer’ needed to go on it’s own basil leaf. Granted, we have a basil plant that is multiplying by the second, so we have ample amounts to use. Either way they are pretty, I just liked them best on the basil leaf.

Grape Stuffed Goat Cheese
The quantities really depend on how many skewers you want. There’s really no ‘specific’ measurements.

Ingredients
goat cheese
basil, fresh chopped
red seedless grapes
toothpick

Directions
Mix the goat cheese and basil in a small bowl. Scoop about 1 tbsp into the palm of your hand and smash the cheese so it’s a misshaped kinda flat circle. Put a grape on the smashed goat cheese and wrap it around the grape. Roll it in your hands to smooth the edges, then gently stick on a toothpick.
*I say ‘gently’ because if you aren’t careful, the grape will just splatter juice and you’ll have soggy skewers.

Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve within a few hours of making.

****this giveaway is closed****

For the giveaway:

Il de France is giving one of my readers a cheese gift basket. Ah, hello, you know you LOVE cheese, so this seems like a no brainer to try and win!

To enter to win an Il de France Cheese gift basket, please leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite cheese and how you like to eat it.  

Me?  I love my corn cakes with avocado and goat cheese salsa, they’re INSANELY delicious!

For extra entries:

Like Il de France Cheese on Facebook. Leave a separate comment letting me know you did so.
Follow Il de France on Twitter. Leave a separate comment letting me know you are following.
Follow @JuliaMestas on Twitter. Leave a separate comment letting me know you are following.
Follow me on pinterest. I love goat cheese so much I even have a board dedicated to JUST goat cheese!

The giveaway is open until Friday, December 23rd at 9:00 p.m. PST. The giveaway is only open to continental U.S. residents. Please make sure valid email address is included with your comment(s). A winner will be chosen randomly and announced on this post on Saturday, December 24th. I’ll will email the winner and if the winner doesn’t respond in 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.


Good Luck!!!

The winner is comment number 14, Beth Anne. Congratulations!!!