Small Bites for Tea Time (from a Trader Joe’s Haul!)

Tea sandwiches, canapés, finger sandwiches — any way you slice it, these small bites for tea time (or cocktail hour) are easy to assemble with a handful of items from Trader Joe’s!

Tea Sandwiches + Canapés

Trader Joe’s, if you’re fortunate to have one nearby, is a great place to stock up on party-friendly food that won’t break the bank. Not news to you, I’m sure. It’s a mix and match paradise with everything you need to create an endless array of hors d’oeuvres. 

I was inspired during my recent stock up visit to create some not-so-traditional tea time eats — small bites in the form of canapés and finger sandwiches. I’ve got four recipes you can pull together easily for a little nosh.

Shopping List

Here’s everything you need to create all four recipes…

Finger Foods in One or Two Bites 

Detailed ingredients and instructions are in the recipe below, but here’s a little description of each delectable, small bite.

Chickpeas with Avocado-Goat Cheese Spread — mashed avocado is blended with creamy goat’s milk cheese and a spritz of lemon juice then spread over toasted pita wedges. Smashed Greek Chickpeas with Parsley & Cumin are piled on top then garnished with thin slices of baby San Marzano tomato and parsley. Take me to the Mediterranean! 

Zucchini + Yellowfin Tea Sandwiches — ribbons of baby zucchini are dressed in a simple lemon vinaigrette then layered with rich, olive oil packed yellowfin tuna + Goat’s Milk Creamy Cheese on pillowy whole wheat bread. Bright lemon and tangy goat cheese balance the melt-in-your-mouth tuna.

Smoked Trout Latkes — crispy potato pancakes are topped with sour cream and sweet + smoky flakes of rainbow trout and garnished with capers and fresh parsley. Not far off the beaten path, these familiar flavors are so comforting.

Toasted Cheese Crumpet with Pickled Radish — small rounds of British Style Crumpets are toasted in butter, and topped with Dijon mustard and havarti cheese then garnished with quick pickled radish. First, you’re hit with tangy mustard, then crunchy radish to finish with savory, butter-drenched crumpet.

Tips for Making These Tea Sandwiches + Canapés

Chickpeas with Avocado-Goat Cheese Spread

• Smash the chickpeas with a little of the oil from the can to bring all the flavor. 
• Don’t skip this step as it will prevent the chickpeas from rolling off your pita and mussing the front of your shirt!

Zucchini + Yellowfin Tea Sandwiches

• Run a standard vegetable peeler down the length of the baby zucchini to create ribbons. 
• Drain tuna on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
• Before closing the sandwich, drizzle a little of the lemon vinaigrette over the tuna.

Smoked Trout Latkes

• Flake the trout and take care to remove any tiny bones before assembling.

Toasted Cheese Crumpet with Pickled Radish

• For really fine julienned radish, first slice on a mandolin then run your knife across each round to create tiny slivers.
• Make these last because they are best hot out of the pan!

What to Do With Extra Ingredients

If you’re only making a small amount of each, you might be wondering what you should do with any extra ingredients! Not to worry…here are some ideas:

• Toast crumpets and serve with butter or jam or both for an easy breakfast!
• Toss Greek chickpeas, San Marzano tomatoes and sliced baby zucchini with mixed greens and your favorite dressing for a filling lunch or light dinner.
• Or, toss them with pasta and olive oil and top with feta!
• Use the tomatoes and baby zucchini in an omelet or frittata.
• Top bagels and cream cheese with smoked trout, sliced radish and capers for a savory breakfast.
• Make a smoked trout melt with havarti…
• Or, use that havarti to make Kimchi Grilled Cheese!

What About Dessert?

Fret not, check out my semi-homemade Mini Desserts from Trader Joe’s. Pair them with these small bites for the perfect afternoon tea!

More Bite-Size Appetizers to Explore!

• Easy Grilled Shrimp + Polenta Appetizer with Calabrian Cream
• Air Fryer Irish Cheddar + Bacon Potato Croquettes
• Spicy Whiskey Glazed Chicken Wings
• Crab + Goat Cheese Palmiers

Small Bites for Tea Time

Sip + Sanity | Linda Feller

Tea sandwich, canapé, finger sandwich — any way you slice it, these small bites for tea time (or cocktail hour) are easy to assemble with a handful of items from Trader Joe’s! Four different recipes to choose from!

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Course.Course Appetizer, Sandwich

Ingredients

Chickpeas with Avocado-Goat Cheese Spread (Makes 8)

• 1 pita bread, sliced into 8 wedges
• 6 tablespoon TJ's Greek Chickpeas with Parsley & Cumin, smashed with a fork
• ¼ avocado, diced
• 3 tablespoon TJ's Goat's Milk Creamy Cheese, (or soft goat cheese)
• ¼ lemon
• 3-4 TJ's Heavenly Village Marzano Tomatoes, (or grape tomatoes), sliced thin
• kosher salt + fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Zucchini + Yellowfin Tea Sandwiches (Makes 6)

• 2 baby zucchini, made into ribbons with vegetable peeler
• ¼ lemon
• extra virgini olive oil
• kosher salt + fresh cracked black pepper
• TJ's Goat's Milk Creamy Cheese
• ¾ can TJ's Light Yellowfin Tuna in Olive Oil, drained on paper towels
• 6 slices whole wheat bread, crusts removed, then cut in half

Smoked Trout Latkes (Makes 4)

• 4 TJ's Traditional Latkes, cooked per package directions
• 1½ tablespoon sour cream, (or creme fraiche)
• TJ's Smoked Rainbow Trout, (or smoked salmon), flaked + bones removed
• 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon capers, drained

Toasted Cheese Crumpet with Pickled Radish (Makes 9)

• ¼ cup radish, julienned
• 1 tablespoon vinegar, (I used white wine vinegar)
• 1 tablespoon water
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3 TJ's British Style Crumpets
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• dijon mustard
• 2 slices TJ's Havarti Cheese

Instructions

Chickpeas with Avocado-Goat Cheese Spread

• Toast the pita wedges until just crispy. Mash together avocado and goat cheese with a squeeze of lemon and season with salt + pepper. Spread the avocado mash onto pita wedges. Top with a spoonful of smashed chickpeas, then a couple slices of tomato. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Zucchini + Yellowfin Tea Sandwiches

• In a small bowl, toss the zucchin ribbons with the juice of 1/4 lemon, a drizzle extra virgin olive oil and salt + pepper. Lay the slices of bread out in pairs. On one slice, spread goat cheese. On the other slice, layer zuchinni ribbons. Repeat for each pair using all the zucchini. Add tuna on top of the zucchini then drizzle with a little vinaigrette from the zucchni bowl. Top that with the goat cheese covered slice of bread.

Smoked Trout Latkes

• Top each latke with a dollop of sour cream. Add flaked smoked trout to each. Garnish with 3 or 4 capers and fresh parsley.

Toasted Cheese Crumpet with Pickled Radish

• In a small bowl, stir together vinegar, water, salt + sugar until they dissolove. Add the julienned radish and combine. Using a 1.5" round cutter, cut 3 circles from each crumpet. Do the same with the havarti getting 5 circles from each slice. Melt butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Toast the crumpets in butter, flat side up, then flip. Apply a little Dijon to the top of each, then a slice of havarti. Cover the skillet for a minute to help melt the havarti. Remove from the pan and top each with pickled radish.

Keywords.Keyword holidays

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