Super Paleo Snack

I have tried to find good Paleo appetizers and snacks, but I have to say, they are somewhat lacking.  There are plenty of guacamole recipes and dip recipes of all kinds...but what do you dip in them?  Almond crackers don't seem to quite fit (maybe if I salted them...), and dipping green peppers into guacamole seems a little redundant.  So let's change it up a little bit.  Let's expand our horizons.

Let me introduce you to Pizza Bites and/or Salami Chips.  Inspired by this recipe, I'm going to tell you right now that sometimes I just eat pizza bites for dinner.  They make a great appetizer, too - even if you're not on a Paleo diet!  The folks over at health-bent seem to be okay with cheese, although it is something I have chosen to abstain from (for Lent only, I promise - I'm not forgetting that cheese wheel I just made!).

Now, this really only works if you can find some good quality salami (the recipe I followed called for preservative-free pepperoni from Applegate farms).  These are a larger diameter than your regular pizza pepperoni.  Deli cut, if you will.  So take your salami or pepperoni and put it on a baking sheet.  Bake at 400* for four minutes, then take them out and flip them.  Bake for four more minutes.

They should get slightly crispy.  And if they're like the salami I used, they'll also form themselves into handy little bowls that you can fill with tomato sauce + pizza spices, your favorite pizza toppings, and cheese.  The ones in the photo below have red peppers, mushrooms and fennel. 

After you've added toppings, the salami will not get any crispier, so now you just need to bake the toppings to your preference - 5 to 10 minutes.  Such a great appetizer!

Or, if you are looking for something to dip into your guacamole, cut all the crispy salamis in half.  The thicker the cut, the more robust your "chips" will be.  But if they are thin, no worries - you can just spoon topping onto them.

So check that out!  Another 2-for-1 appetizer.  Once again, I will admit to eating salami chips with guac for dinner.

This is my 100th post!  And since having a couple recipes make it to pinterest, I've been seeing some decent traffic lately.  Maybe it's time to upgrade the blog and actually spend a little time on how it looks.  I'm also working on a recipe page, you can get a sneak peak HERE but thus far I...haven't figured out how to add it to my links sidebar.  Sorry, between work and cooking, this blog is really more of a hobby :)