Phoenix-based Chef Nik Fields on how to serve up Covid-smart Holiday meals

Do you know how to plan and execute a Covid-safe Holiday celebration? Chef Nik suggests we do something different to the usual double dipping, family-style, sharing platters this season. So Phoenix-based celebrity Chef Nik and Chic Chef Co. have come up with some ideas for you.

These individual recipes are the perfect solution to enjoy the best party food, stick to social distancing protocol, and still be the life of the party for creating a beautiful tablescape and lifetime memories with yummy food inventions below! 

Spice up your salads

Put individual salads in any cup of choice! Martini glasses, champagne glasses or even a margarita glass, all depending on your vinaigrette! The Fields of Greens & Chocolate Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad is guaranteed to be a show-stopper and you can make the dish inventive, tasty and pandemic friendly using the recipe below: 

Ingredients

Salad greens

Apples

Strawberries

Blueberries

Red onion

Pecans (toast then in the oven on 325 for 12 minutes if you have the time)

Feta or goat cheese (optional)

Honey

1 small shallot

Chic Chef Chocolate balsamic

Chic Chef All purpose EVOO

Chic Chef Honey Garlic Mustard

Directions

Wash and dry all produce put in a bowl. Make your vinaigrette:

1 cup Chic Chef Chocolate balsamic

1/4 cup Chic Chef All purpose EVOO

1 tablespoon Chic Chef Honey Garlic Mustard

1 tablespoon Honey

1 tablespoon shallot

Whisk well, refrigerate until ready to serve. Pour over your salad mixture, then pile high in any glass of your choice! Make the vinaigrette ahead of time for more flavor- will last up to 7 days refrigerated.

Prawn and Gazpacho Shots

24 large prawns peeled, deveined (tails intact)
1 tbsp Chic Chef All-purpose extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 chorizo, cut into 24 slices
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Gazpacho
2 Lebanese cucumbers
6 ripe roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
330g jar whole roasted peppers, drained
1 small shallot
8 fresh mint leaves
2 tbsp Chic Chef red wine vinegar
2 tbsp Chic Chef All purpose extra virgin olive oil

Make Gazpacho: Remove and discard seeds from 1 cucumber. Finely dice and reserve. Peel and roughly chop remaining cucumber. Place in a food processor with tomato, peppers, eschalot, mint, vinegar and oil. Season. Process for 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl, until smooth. Pour into a fine sieve set over a large jug. Using the back of a spoon, press mixture through a sieve. Discard solids. Refrigerate, cover for 1 hour or until chilled.

Meanwhile, place prawns, oil and garlic in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat (see notes). Thread 2 prawns onto each skewer.

Heat a large frying pan over high heat. Cook skewers for 1 minute each side or until lightly charred and just cooked through.

Pour gazpacho evenly among 24 shot glasses. Sprinkle with diced cucumber and parsley. Place a skewer in each glass. Serve.

"From mini versions of your favorite desserts to finger food served on sticks or in cute baskets, the possibilities are endless to create your COVID-Friendly party for all seasons!" says Nik.

For more information, please visit chicchefco.com or linktr.ee/nikthechicchef. Follow Chef Nik on Instagram: @Nikthechicchef

About Nik Fields, Celebrity Chef, Author, Philanthropist & Entrepreneur

Chef Nik, better known as “Nik the Chic Chef or “Foodie with a Cause” has merged her passion for food and life and has gained national recognition for her amazing culinary art skills having prepared cuisine for celebrities such as Jess Hilarious, Supa Cent, Angie Stone, Vivica Fox, Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold, Snoop Dog, Sharon Stone, Tony Goldwyn, Famke Janssen, Shar Jackson, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Vincenzo Williams as well as Personal Chef to Phoenix Cardinals football player, Chris Johnson (CJ2K) and many others. Chef Nik has been featured in People Magazine, The Doctors on NBC, HGTV as well as several series on Bravo and VH1. Nik Fields' philanthropic efforts to provide food and clean water to villages in the Dominican Republic has garnered international acclaim. Her nonprofit organization Waste Not Want Not (WNWN Inc.) encourages households and restaurants to limit food waste.

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