Tag: dip

Tzatziki as Easy as 1-2-3

I do a lot of entertaining in the summer, and my family loves Mediterranean food, so you will likely find hummus and other yummy dips at our house. This week we made Tzatziki Sauce – which is a Greek cucumber yogurt sauce. Generally, you might find it alongside a gyro at your favorite Greek restaurant. And, while it’s not usually served as a dip — more of a condiment — we use it as one. We like to dip pita chips and fresh raw veggies in Tzatziki Sauce. It’s full of cool cucumbers, zesty garlic and fresh dill making a refreshing dip which is perfect for the warm weather.

If you don’t want to eat it as a dip, and prefer to serve it as a sauce, you can use it alongside grilled chicken or fish (I think it would be great with grilled wild salmon!) — and I bet it would taste pretty good on a burger (whichever kind you fancy).

It’s pretty simple to make — just three easy steps — grate, drain, mix (see more details below). It’s also the perfect recipe for those of you have a garden full of cucumbers!

Tzatziki as Easy as 1-2-3
Yields 3+cups

2 cups of shredded cucumber, salted and drained (see note below)
3 cups of plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped dill
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp white vinegar
salt
pepper

There are basically three steps involved in making this dip. Grating the cucumber, salting/draining it and then mixing it together with the rest of the ingredients.

Peel and slice the cucumber lengthwise. Remove the seeds with a spoon. Use a hand grater to grate the cucumber. Place the cucumber in a colander and add a little salt (1/3 teaspoon) in order to extract some of the liquid. Let it sit as you prepare the rest of the sauce.

In a large bowl, add the yogurt, dill, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, white vinegar, salt and pepper.

Drain as much liquid from the grated cucumber and add the cucumber to the bowl with the yogurt mixture. Mix to combine and serve.

August 21, 2015
Mad for Mango Salsa

My latest addiction is Mango Salsa. In fact, I’ve been making it about once a week now for the past month. I might have a problem, but it’s just so delicious! It also happens to be healthy (so it’s a good addiction!), and it is super easy to make.

By the way, I think my family is just as addicted as I am, so I know you will love this recipe.

It only requires five ingredients: mango, red bell pepper, green onion, cilantro, olive oil (and salt and pepper). Chop, mix, season . . . it’s perfection in a bowl.

Serve it as a dip with some tortilla chips. Use it as a topping on seafood or fish (the salsa is amazing on fish tacos . . . )

If you prefer a spicy salsa, add some chopped jalapeño. If you have tomatoes or avocados on hand, maybe chop them up and add them to the mango salsa. But, honestly, you don’t need to do anything. The basic recipe is to die for. You too will soon be addicted to Mango Salsa.

So, if you don’t have any mango on hand, I suggest you run out and buy some . . . NOW!

Mango Salsa

Yields about 3 cups of salsa

2 cups of chopped mango
1 cup of chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup of sliced green onions or scallions
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, add the mango, red bell pepper, sliced green onions, olive oil, cilantro, salt and pepper and toss to combine. Let the mango salsa mixture sit for a few hours in order to meld the flavors and extract some delicious juices — even better — make it the night before!

Helpful Hint: A mango has a large flat pit that makes it tricky to cut. I highly recommend buying pre-sliced mango. It will save you lots of time!

June 5, 2015
Cauliflower Hummus

I recently ordered a veggie burger at a restaurant, and it came topped with a big dollop of cauliflower hummus. It was fabulous—it tasted very much like traditional chickpea hummus, but it wasn’t as heavy. I guess that makes sense. With less than 30 calories per cup, boiled cauliflower is much lighter than boiled chickpeas (269 calories per cup.) I came home from my restaurant experience and immediately started experimenting to create my own cauliflower hummus. Why not? Even though I love traditional chickpea hummus, there’s certainly nothing wrong with a copycat version that I can eat with reckless abandon and not feel overwhelmingly full afterwards.

Please note that this is a very mild tasting hummus. Feel free to experiment with your own version to suit your palate. I used steamed cauliflower, but you can oven roast the cauliflower with a bit of olive oil instead. You can also add a clove or two of garlic to intensify the flavor.

Ingredients:
1 medium cauliflower, chopped and steamed until soft
1 tablespoon almond butter
2 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon paprika
Juice from ½ large lemon
½ teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients into a food processor, and process until smooth.

January 27, 2015
White Bean Dip with Seasoned Pita Chips

This white bean dip recipe that I’m sharing with you is a modified version of a dip that I found in a Giada DeLaurentiis cookbook (Everyday Italian) years ago. It’s become our hummus alternative. In fact, it’s a family favorite and frequently graces our events (right alongside my husband’s famous guacamole!). And, it very may well be on the menu this Memorial Day weekend!

It’s really a cinch to make. With only a few ingredients, and a food processor on hand, you will have a delicious homemade white bean dip in no time!

I serve my dip with seasoned pita chips — a homemade take on a store-bought favorite. This too requires very little effort and, I bet you have most, if not all, of the ingredients in your pantry. Once you make homemade pita chips, you will turn your nose up at the store-bought kind! The pita chip recipe follows as well.

As with most of our recipes, this one can be modified and adapted to suit your needs and tastes. You will also notice that we generally “season to taste” which allows you to control the amount of spices, specifically salt.

Enjoy!

White Bean Dip

Yields approximately 2 cups of dip.

2, 15 ounce cans of white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of parsley
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon of salt
1/8 teaspoon of pepper
4 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

Add beans, olive oil, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper and juice of one lemon to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until combined and creamy.

Serve with homemade pita chips (recipe follows) or fresh veggies.

Homemade Seasoned Pita Chips

four large, whole wheat pita rounds, cut into eighths
olive oil
oregano
garlic powder
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Arrange pita on an oiled sheet pan (you might need two depending on the size of your pan). Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Bake for 10-15 minutes until toasted and lightly browned.

Pita will harden as it sits.

May 23, 2014
5-Ingredient Guacamole

Cinco de Mayo is around the corner and what better way to celebrate then to whip up some guacamole?

Rumor has it that my husband makes some of the best guacamole around. His guacamole is usually a big hit at our parties, with guests parking themselves in front of it, so I thought it was worth sharing!

It’s really very simple to make and only includes five main ingredients — avocados, garlic, lime, salsa, cilantro — and, some spices that you likely already have on hand. We suggest you serve it with tortilla chips — or raw veggies if you want to offer a healthier option.

Of course, as with all of our recipes, you can modify it to your liking and substitute ingredients, as necessary. For example, if ripe tomatoes are available in your neck of the woods, throw some chopped tomatoes into your guacamole (vs. the salsa we suggest). If you don’t like cilantro, skip it.

Make the recipe your own! (but, it’s pretty good as is!)

5-Ingredient Guacamole

4 ripe Haas avocados

1 large clove of garlic, crushed

juice of 1 lime

1/2 cup of store bought salsa

handful of cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of cumin

1/8 teaspoon of pepper

Cut avocados in half, remove pit, score each avocado and scoop flesh out into a bowl. Mash the avocado with a fork until you achieve the desired consistency (some people like their guacamole chunky, others like it more mashed — all a matter of preference). Add crushed garlic, juice of one lime, chopped cilantro, salt, cumin and pepper. Mix until incorporated. Serve immediately!

Enjoy~

May 2, 2014