With only three ingredients, this gluten free appetizer recipe is so easy to make, yet your guests will think you slaved in the kitchen all day. Like most green leafy vegetables, fresh basil is loaded with Vitamin K. The small and medium sized leaves make for a nice tender appetizer. Just remember to not pick the leaves of the plants that are mid flowering, as the leaves will be bitter. The plants that are flowering should be topped off. The flower makes a nice centerpiece on the serving dish.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup or more shredded cheese (I used a mixture of Monterey Jack and Mozzarella)
- 1 small 4 oz. can diced green chiles
- 1 dozen fresh basil leaves (small to medium)
Instructions
- Remove the stems from the basil leaves; rinse under cold water; pat dry with a paper towel; set aside.
- Drain juice from green chiles.
- In a small food processor or blender add green chiles and cheese.
- Pulsate until blended well, but do not over mix, as this will cause the mixture to become runny.
- With a teaspoon add mixture to the leaves and arrange on a serving dish or plate.
- Chilling the mixture will make it more firm, too.
Alternative Serving Suggestion
- Serve on crackers as seen the photo below. This will work well on a gluten or gluten free cracker. I just received some rice chips (cracker like) I bet that would work great!
Green Chiles and Cheese on Crackers
Tips
- Adding more cheese to total about 1 cup will make the appetizers more stiff, taste more like cheese and easier for guests to handle. I love green chiles and made these for myself, therefore, I used extra chiles.
- You may also use cream cheese in place of shredable cheese, but in that case I would leave the chiles whole and mix by hand.
More on Basil Plants
- Not only should you not pick the leaves of the basil plants when they are flowering, but you should never pick more than one third of the leaves at any one time.
- If you continue to chop off the top of the plant you will prevent it from flowering, which will prevent bitter tasting leaves.
