Easy Entertaining with “The Lush Life’s” Sarah Tracey

Sarah Tracey pairs 4 tasty appetizers with delectable wines for fun and easy entertaining at home

Red or white, sweet or dry, wine lovers are usually entertainers at heart. When planning your next gathering of friends and family, consider these simple yet delicious recommendations from sommelier and founder of “The Lush Life,” Sarah Tracey, who partnered with Fresh Cravings to create “Dips and Sips.” Aimed at reinventing wine and cheese parties, the movement focuses on simplistic recipes, easy dip pairings and suggested wines.

“When I entertain at home, I’m always looking for ways to impress my friends with fresh, creative bites I can pair with wine,” Tracey said. “My favorite hack is finding great products with high-quality ingredients then creating simple, elevated ways to serve them. The less time I spend in the kitchen, the more time I get to spend with my guests.”

Tracey relies on the versatility of Fresh Cravings’ array of dip options and crowd-pleasing, bold flavors worth celebrating. With authentic-tasting chilled salsas offering a vibrant alternative to soft, dull blends of jarred salsa and flavor-filled hummus made with premium ingredients like Chilean Virgin Olive Oil, these dips elevate both traditional and reinvented recipes.

For example, Tracey’s recipes for Polenta Rounds with Pico de Gallo Salsa and Crab, Spiced Butternut Squash Naan Flatbreads, Cheesy Tortilla Cutouts with Salsa and Hummus-Stuffed Mushrooms offer flavorful, easy-to-make appetizers that can make entertaining easy and effortless. Plus, these crave-worthy morsels are just as tasty and approachable for guests choosing to skip the wine.

Let’s get started…

Hummus-Stuffed Mushrooms

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Recipe courtesy Sarah Tracey

Ingredients

• Non-stick oil spray
• 16 ounces cremini mushrooms, stems removed and gills scooped out
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 container Fresh Cravings Classic Hummus
• 1 jar Manzanilla olives stuffed with pimentos, halved
• jar roasted red peppers, slice into thin strips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare sheet pan with non-stick olive oil spray
2. Place mushroom caps on the sheet pan, spray with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Roast 7 to 8 minutes, remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.
4. Fill cooled mushroom cap with hummus and add an olive slice to the top of each mushroom.
5. Wrap roasted red pepper strips loosely around each olive slice.

Perfect Pairing: Light bodied Oregon pinot noir with cherry tones

Cheesy Tortilla Cutouts with Salsa

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Recipe courtesy Sarah Tracey

Ingredients

• Non-stick cooking spray
• 6 large flour tortillas
• 16 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated
• 1 can (4-ounces) green chiles, drained
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 container Fresh Cravings Restaurant Style Salsa, medium

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare sheet pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Working in batches of 3 – Lay flour tortilla on the sheet pan and top with grated cheese. Sprinkle 1/3 of the following ingredients on the tortilla in order: Grated cheese, chiles, cilantro. Sprinkle with additional cheese. Top with another tortilla and bake until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.
3. Cut into desired shapes – themed for special events – with cookie cutters.
4. Serve with salsa

Perfect Pairing: Zestful New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc

Spiced Butternut Squash Naan Flatbreads

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Recipe courtesy Sarah Tracey

Ingredients

• 1-1/5 pounds butternut squash, chopped into 1/2-inch chunks
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• container Fresh Cravings Roasted Garlic Hummus
• 1 pkg mini naan dippers
• 1 bunch fresh rosemary, minced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Toss squash with olive oil, maple syrup, cumin and chili powder.
3. Spread on prepared pan sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven.
4. Spread hummus on naan dippers and top each with squash and fresh rosemary.

Perfect Pairing: A savory and earthy rose’, La Veielle Ferme

Polenta Rounds with Pico de Gallo and Crab

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Recipe courtesy Sarah Tracey

Ingredients

• 1 tube (16 ounces) prepared polenta
• non-stick cooking spray
• salt, to taste
• 8-ounces jumbo lump crabmeat
• 1 container Fresh Cravings Pico de Gallo, Mild
• 1 bunch fresh mint, finely chopped

Directions

1. Prepare baking sheet with non-stick spray.
2. Slice polenta into 1/4-inch-thick rounds and arrange on baking sheet.
3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and crispy, remove from oven.
4. Sprinkle with salt, to taste and let cool.
5. combine crabmeat with Pico de Gallo and top each cooled polenta round with crab mixture.
6. Garnish with finely chopped fresh mint or other herb of your choice.

Perfect Pairing: A vibrant, fruit forward rose’, Mateus Rosé

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Find more recipe and pairing ideas perfect for enhancing your next party at FreshCravings.com.