Romesco Sauce

Romesco Sauce

 

I was very excited to see this recipe in Southern Living this month.  It's similar to the Red Pepper Dip that I made a couple of months ago, but I think I like this one a little better.

 

When I traveled to Nashville, TN for work, I stayed for a week at a hotel near a Whole Foods.  I usually stopped by Whole Foods to get dinner each night - and my favorite was a made-to-order vegetarian sandwich that they made in the deli area on a fresh baguette with Romesco Sauce.  I loved the sauce, but had never made it.

 

I love any recipe with one line of directions - process all ingredients in a food processor. 

 

This recipe calls for a drained jar of roasted red bell peppers, toasted pecans (8 minutes in the oven on a baking sheet), 2 garlic cloves, olive oil, red wine vinegar (I used Balsamic), and a dash of sugar, sea salt, and pepper.

After the dip set up in the refrigerator, I drained it before taking it and a bag of pita chips to Wine Club on Saturday night.

 

 

The recipe says that it is great served on all things grilled (chicken, fish, steak, etc.), as a sandwich spread, or served as a dip with vegetables or pita chips.

 

It was a big hit, so this goes out to all my wine club friends!

 

Double click recipe to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

 

Enjoy!

Red Pepper Dip

Red Pepper Dip

 

I found this dip in a magazine, and I wish I could tell you which one!  I ripped it out and didn't keep the bottom of the page where it tells you which magazine.  My guess is Good Housekeeping, Fitness, or Real Simple since I never rip out the pages of my Southern Living's or Mississippi magazines!

 

Regardless, this is a great dip that works well with pita chips and vegetables.

I was concerned that I made too much last night and that we'd never finish it up, but we ended up eating most of it at supper.

 

I prefer it with cut vegetables (carrots, celery, broccoli, and cauliflower were what we had), but David and the boys liked it just like they like their hummus - with pita chips.  I have to admit - it was good with pita chips too.

 

And who am I kidding, Brennan doesn't eat peppers. 

But David, Thomas, and I really liked this recipe.

 

And it couldn't be easier.  Or healthier.  Score.

 

Simply drain a jar of roasted red peppers, and puree in a food processor or blender with cumin, Balsamic vinegar, and walnuts.

 

I think it would be great on a baked potato too.

 

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Enjoy!

 

Artichoke Dip

Artichoke Dip

 

I had to do a quick search on the blog to make sure I hadn't already put this recipe out there.

It's an oldie but a goodie, and one that I share regularly with friends who want an easy appetizer.

I've made it for years.

Drain two cans of artichokes and mash them up with a fork on a cutting board. 
The more you mash, the creamier the dip will be.

Mix artichokes together with shredded Parmesan cheese, mayo, lemon juice, and salt & pepper to taste. 

Bake at 350* for 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.
Tastes great with Triscuits! 

 

 

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

 

Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

 

Buffalo Chicken Dip

 

I saw this recipe in Mississippi Magazine (the Fall 2012 edition) and knew there would soon be a great opportunity to make this appetizer.  Tailgating, Super Bowl party, who knew?  But I knew it would be a hit, and it was!

 

I made this dish for a recent Wine Club/baby shower that we hosted and it was the first dish to run out.  That's always a good sign.

 

You start by melting cream cheese over medium high heat until smooth.

Then you stir in finely chopped celery, hot wing sauce, and shredded chicken.

 

Transfer it to a baking dish.

 

And top with crumbled bleu cheese.

This point I covered the dip and put it in the oven until a few minutes before the party.

 

Bake it for 20 minutes at 425* and serve with Frito Scoops.

 

I don't eat much chicken, but this was really really good!

 

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

 

Enjoy!

Reuben Dip

Reuben Dip

 

We attended an Oktoberfest party last night and I wanted to take a couple of good German dishes.

My friend Kathja shared this recipe for me. 

 

It ended up being great!  I returned with an empty dish.

 

Best part - this is an entirely microwaveable recipe.

Only 5 minutes or so of overall cooking time.

 

 

Kathja is from Austria and said (in her dry German way) that this is a very typical Oktoberfest style dish.  That can be served any month at all!  She loves our obsession with all things Oktoberfest this time of year.

 

She said that she normally uses dried beef for this dish, but if you had leftover corned beef, this is a great way to use up those leftovers.

 

She let me know that men especially love this appetizer for its salty, heartiness.

I found that the ladies liked it too :)

 

I used Armour dried beef.  It's really salty, but the crackers help cut the salty taste.

Really, it was delicious!

 

 

You start by melting a little butter in a microwaveable dish for 30 seconds.

 

Then you add in shredded Muenster cheese (I used Havarti because Kroger didn't carry Muenster), cubed cream cheese, ketchup, Dijon mustard and black pepper.

 

Microwave it again for 1 minute.  Stir it and if it needs another minute, go for it.

 

Don't worry - this isn't the serving dish so don't worry about the messy look.

 

Then stir in the chopped dried beef.

At this point I covered the dish and put it in the refrigerator until we were about ready to leave.

It's not necessary though.

 

When you're ready to serve your dish, place a cup of rinsed and drained sauerkraut in the bottom of your serving dish, top with the beef mixture and stir up just slightly.

 

Microwave for 3 minutes and serve with crackers or small slices of rye bread.

Delicious and decadent!

 

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Guten Appetit!



Watermelon Salad with Jalapeño and Lime

Watermelon Salad with Jalapeño and Lime

 

I saw this salad in the Vegetarian Times Farmer's Market Cookbook and I've been meaning to try it all summer.

We love sweet watermelon and I almost always have some cut up in the fridge that we eat at most meals.

 

This recipe can be made ahead of time or right before serving.

 

You whisk together lime juice, lime zest, and olive oil and pour it over 3 cups of cubed watermelon.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

 

When you're ready to serve, place some jalapeño rings in each serving dish and mound watermelon on top.

The original recipe calls for garnishing with sea salt, black sesame seeds, and thinly sliced basil.

We served ours without the garnish, but I think the black seeds and basil would make it extra pretty.

 

It's a zesty, only hint of hot at the very end, version of plain watermelon.

I like it, but don't think the oil was necessary at all.

I think watermelon by itself, or with a little lime and lime zest, works just fine!

 



 

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

 

Enjoy!

 

Grilled Bread with Rosemary-Honey Drizzle

Grilled Bread with Rosemary-Honey Drizzle

I saw this recipe in the September 2012 Vegetarian Times and made it that very night with crusty bread I had just picked up to go with soup.

I wasn't grilling out, so didn't grill this bread - I heated it in the oven instead.  But I think it would taste great grilled!

I made the rosemary-honey drizzle by warming honey, rosemary, lemon zest, and sherry vinegar over low heat for 5 minutes. 

I toasted the sliced bread on 400* for about 4 minutes that I had spritzed with olive oil and sprinkled with a touch of Kosher salt.

I split the rosemary-honey drizzle into four little cups to serve each of us with dinner.

It was absolutely delicious!

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

 

Enjoy!

Buttered Nuts with Rosemary and Orange

Buttered Nuts with Rosemary and Orange

In the same Real Simple magazine article that I followed to make Chocolate-Drizzled Nuts with Sea Salt comes this recipe for another sweet/savory snack.

This version is cooked in a large skillet for a couple of minutes, then cooled on a baking sheet.

You start by melting butter, then adding the mixed nuts, sugar, rosemary, and orange zest.

Then allow the nuts to rest for a little while before serving.

A couple of notes:

**I didn't have an orange so used lemon zest instead.

**I think fresh rosemary is the way to go in this recipe.

**The nuts were a little greasy so I'm cutting the amount of butter in half in the recipe below.

So delicious!  I am storing them in an air-tight container in the fridge and pulling them out for snacks in the afternoon with the boys.

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

Enjoy!

Butter Bean Green Dip

Butter Bean Green Dip

The June 2012 Vegetarian Times had an article about using healthy dips to get kids to eat more raw vegetables.

Our boys tend to eat vegetables pretty well, but I couldn't resist ripping out this page because the dips sounded really great!

We went to an Olympics Opening Ceremony party last night, and I took this dip.

It disappeared quickly.  I thought it was delicious and apparently others did too!

Next time I make this dish I will double it.

Rinse and drain a can of butter beans in the food processor.

Add fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt & pepper and puree again.

Add chopped fresh parsley and puree again.



Add the white parts from 3 scallions and puree one final time.

I served the dip with raw carrots, mushrooms, and red peppers, along with Wheat Thins.

It was really good!

This recipe is a keeper for my family!

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.



Enjoy!

Black Bean Hummus

Black Bean Hummus

This recipe comes from the Eat to Love book, and was so easy to make.

I took it to our Wine Club last weekend, and thought it was great with Stacy's Pita Chips.

I think the reason this is a Hummus, instead of a Bean Dip, is because of the addition of Tahini, as you would include in Hummus.

I have this tahini on hand for Homemade Hummus.  I purchased it at Kroger.

This recipe really is a piece of cake.

You place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend to desired consistency, adding a tsp of water at a time if needed.  I did not end up adding additional water.

Transfer to a bowl, garnish with paprika, cover, and chill until ready to serve.



Is also great served with vegetables such as carrots, broccoli or cauliflower florets, zucchini, cucumbers, romaine lettuce leaves, or asparagus spears.

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

Enjoy!



Chocolate-Drizzled Nuts with Sea Salt

Chocolate-Drizzled Nuts with Sea Salt

I pulled this recipe from the November 2010 Real Simple magazine holiday party food special.

Obviously, it's been sitting in my recipe file for quite awhile!

I'm always on the lookout for simple desserts, and this is one I knew would go over really well.

I don't make desserts that often, so when I do it's pretty special.

This is one of the fastest desserts ever, and we're really enjoying the leftovers still today.

This could also be served as a snack or alongside other appetizers.

To make, I spread 2 cups of lightly salted roasted nuts on a baking sheet.

Technically it's supposed to be a parchment-lined baking sheet, but I got ahead of myself.

Then I melted semi-sweet chocolate chips in a small glass bowl and drizzled it over the nuts.

Ignore the large clumps of chocolate!

I then sprinkled the nuts with flaky sea salt and set the baking sheet in the refrigerator while we ate dinner.

15 minutes later I pulled out the baking sheet and transferred the nuts to a bowl.

Of course, we all loved the nuts.

Store the leftovers in a storage container with a tight lid.

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

Enjoy!



Almond Miso Dip

Almond Miso Dip

The June 2012 Vegetarian Times had an article on helping kids eat more raw vegetables, especially as snacks.  They included three healthy dips that might make crudite time more palatable for kids. 

I made the first of these dips this weekend.

Thomas and Brennan do well with raw vegetables, so I don't think they necessarily need a dip to be enticed to eat them with dinner, but a yummy dip never hurts!

I was really surprised how well they liked this dip.

Brennan declared it "the best dip he's ever had". 

So there you go.  Ringing endorsement.

Right off I have to say this version was technically "Peanut Miso Dip" because we were out of Almond Butter.  It worked really well with the peanut butter.  I think it would be great with almond or cashew butter as well.

I mixed the dip up in a small saucepan.

I heated natural apple juice, then added in miso, dissolving it well.  Then I stirred in the peanut butter, and put some in a small bowl for each of us. 

That night we had yellow peppers, carrot sticks, and daikon radish with dinner - they all worked great with this dip. 

David thought the carrots were best. 

Brennan doesn't like bell peppers, but I asked him to try the pepper with this dip, seeing if it made a difference.  It didn't.  Peppers are still on his short list of foods he won't eat, and that's OK.

And still plenty leftover for snacks and lunch the next day.



I will say that this is not a dip I'd want to eat everyday, but it apparently is a hit with kids, or at least the ones in our house!

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

Enjoy!



Grilled Artichokes

Grilled Artichokes

I have wanted to learn to grill artichokes for years, and finally saw a great blog post with fantastic step by step directions. 

I won't do it the same justice that Kim at Sand and Sisal did in her post, so be sure to check hers out as well!

Our wine club had a Picnic/Grill themed party so I thought it would be a great opportunity to try out the artichokes. 

I prepped them at home, with my helper Thomas, and Barry and Mike grilled them the evening of the party.

We picked out four good looking artichokes at Kroger.

We filled a large pot with a couple of inches of water, lemon, garlic, and salt.

Then my helper showed up and I gave him the task of trimming the pointy ends off the artichokes.

While it's evidently not a necessary step, I would recommend it because I pricked myself repeatedly on those pointy ends.  Thomas did a thorough job.

At this point you have to work rather quickly because once the artichokes are cut open they start turning brown in about 30 seconds.

Slice open one artichoke and scope out the hairy choke and pink leaves.

We thought they were soooo cool when we opened them up!

This is what it looks like (mostly) scooped out.  I did a bit more clean up on the hairs after the photo.

Rub a halved lemon all over the inside, quarter the artichoke and place it face down in the boiling pot of water.

This is what the choke and pink leaves from just one artichoke looks like!

I quartered the artichoke halves before popping them in the boiling water.

I stirred them up well so everyone got equal time.

While they're boiling you make up a marinade with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, steak sauce (I used A-1), and Montreal steak seasoning.

I happened to have this one hand because my friend Vinita shared with me her love for this seasoning awhile back.  She uses it on everything from salmon to steak.



Drain your artichokes and marinade them in a large bowl.

I then covered and refrigerated the bowl and took the artichokes to the party a few hours later.

After they were grilled up, they were ready to eat!

You just char them lightly on either side at this point.

To eat, take a leaf by the end and put the leaf in your mouth and pull between your teeth to get all the yummy meat off.  Don't eat the whole leaf, just the meat from it.

So good, really addictive!



I found prepping the artichokes to be somewhat laborious, but it was nice having a helper. 

I would definitely make this dish again for a grilling party!

Enjoy!