Mango Guacamole

Mangoes were on sale at our grocery store and I remembered seeing this recipe on How Sweet It Is a while back, so I picked a few up so that I could give it a try. Guacamole isn't something that I've always liked. It took me a while to get around to trying and liking avocado, but I am so glad that I do now! The sweetness of the mango and the spiciness of the jalapeño really help balance this guacamole. It ended up pairing so well with our magic enchiladas on Friday night, too!

4 Avocados
1 Tomato, chopped
1/2 cup Mango, chopped
1/3 cup Red Onion, chopped
1 small Jalapeño, seeded and chopped
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
Juice of 2 Limes
Handful of Cilantro, chopped

Remove the flesh from the avocado and place it in a bowl. Add the tomato, jalapeño, onion, mango, and cilantro and mix until combined. Add the salt, pepper, and lime juice and mix until the desired consistency is reached. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

This week's recipe swap had a theme of tailgate and appetizer foods.  I received this recipe from The Nest What's Cooking member named asilsjf.  She originally got this recipe from the September 2007 issue of Cooking Light, submitted by Krista Ackerbloom Montgomery.  Since we were going to a family reunion for my mother-in-law's family, I figured it would be a great time to make this dip, so that it can be shared by multiple people, rather than just by me and Joel!  I put a little bit of the dip into a small ramekin and baked it along with the big foil pan, so that I could try it hot out of the oven.  Let me tell you, I'm so glad I was making this for a party because I don't think I would have had a hard time eating the whole pan myself...it's that good!

2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
3 Garlic Cloves, crushed
1 (14 ounce) can Artichoke Hearts, drained and chopped
2 bricks (8 ounces each) of Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 of a 10-ounce package Frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry

Combine 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella, sour cream, 2 tablespoons of Parmesan, pepper, garlic, artichokes, cream cheese, and spinach in a large bowl.  Stir until well blended.  Spoon mixture into a 1 1/2 quart baking dish.  Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Caramelized Onion Dip

My friend held her second annual wine tasting party tonight.  This year, in addition to bringing a bottle of wine, each attendant was asked to bring either an appetizer or a dessert.  I brought a bottle of gewürztraminer and this dip, which I found here on Pink Parsley, originally from Ina Garten.  I enjoyed this dip very much.  The cayenne gives it a little punch of heat and the caramelized onions are amazing!  It didn't see too many others eat it, which disappointed me a little bit since I rushed home from work to make it, but it left more for me to enjoy, since it was my dinner!

2 Vidalia or Yellow Onions (I only used 1)
3 tablespoons Butter
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
4 ounces Cream Cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1/2 cup Mayonnaise

Cut the onions in half and slice them into 1/8-inch thick slices.  There should be about 3 cups total.  Heat the oil and butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat.  Add the onions, cayenne, salt, and pepper and sauté for 10 minutes.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes, until the onions are browned and caramelized.  Allow to cool slightly.  In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise and beat with an electric mixer until smooth.  Add the onions and mix until well combined.  Taste for seasonings.  Serve immediately or chill to serve later.

Spinach Dip

For Easter, I wanted to have something small to nibble on before we ate our dinner.  I had this dip recipe saved from Cook and Be Merry, and thought it would be worth a try.  I put this in a bowl, along with some cut up vegetables and some crackers, and by the end of the night, I was left with an empty bowl!

1 cup Sour Cream
1 cup Mayonnaise
1 1/2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch Style Dressing Mix
1 (10 ounce) package Frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed and squeezed very dry
1 (8 ounce) can Water Chestnuts, drained, dried, and chopped
1/2 cup Red Bell Pepper, diced

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.  Separate the clumps of spinach so that it is evenly distributed.  Chill until ready to serve.  Serve with raw vegetables, crackers, or bread.

Homemade Ketchup

Again, for some reason, ketchup was one of the things on my list to make in 2011.  Well, here it is!  We were planning on making oven-baked onion rings for dinner and I noticed that the dipping sauce called for ketchup.  Not having any in the fridge, and not really wanting to go out and buy a bottle, I decided I may as well try my hand at making my own.  I followed this recipe from Sarah's Cucina Bella.  It was super easy and quite good!  While it didn't taste exactly like the tart, vinegary stuff you buy in the squeeze bottles, it had a very good mellow flavor.  I liked how I was able to taste the hints of allspice!  I bottled it up in a Ball jar and put it in the fridge.  I'll take it out on Easter to go along with the sausages.

1 (28 ounce) can Tomato Puree
1/4 cup Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup Dark Brown Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Dry Mustard
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt (or more, to taste--I ended up using a bit more)
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Allspice
1/4 teaspoon Smoked Paprika

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil, whisking occasionally, and cook for 10-15 minutes.  Be sure to use a splash guard to prevent splatter (I used a cover, as I don't have a splash guard).  Also, remove the pan from the heat to stir, so as to not get splattered with boiling liquid.  Let cool slightly before serving.  Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Grilled Guacamole

My parents invited us over for tacos last night.  I wanted to bring something, and since I know we all really like guacamole (except my dad, sorry dad!), I thought I'd try this recipe that I found on Kate in the Kitchen.  I've tried a whole bunch of different recipes for guacamole in the past, even the packets of flavoring that you mix with avocados, but I've never seen a recipe for grilled guacamole and therefore I was intrigued.  I used the picture on Kate's blog as a guide, but then tweaked the ingredients to my taste. Although I lost a few onions in the grill, this guacamole was a hit!

3 Avocados
3 Tomatoes (I used small ones on the vine)
1 Lime
1/2 of an Onion
Olive Oil
A few dashes of Hot Sauce
Handful of Cilantro, chopped

Cut the avocados in half and remove the pit.  Cut the tomatoes and lime in half, as well.  Cut the onion into slices.  Brush everything with olive oil and place all ingredients on the grill, fruit side down for the avocados, tomatoes, and limes.  Allow them to cook to desired "grilled-ness" and flip to grill the other side.  Remove from the heat and allow everything to cool.  Remove the avocado from the skin and cut everything into pieces.  In a large bowl, mash the avocados.  Squeeze the desired amount of lime juice over the top and mix well.  Dice the tomatoes and onions and add to the bowl.  Add the cilantro and hot sauce, to taste, and mix well.

Honey Vanilla Goat Cheese Dip

One of two desserts that I made for Easter was this goat cheese dip that I found on bitchin' camero. It was very easy to make and tasted very good. The only unfortunate thing was that I had eaten so much and I was so exhausted, that I only tried a small taste of this dip right as I made it. After everybody had their fill of food, Joel and my mom started to put things away. By the time I turned around, this dip had found it's way to the fridge. It must have been a hit because there was not much left!

8 ounces Goat Cheese

2 tablespoons Honey

1/2 Vanilla Bean (I couldn't justify paying $7 for 1 so I just used about 1 teaspoon of extract)

2 tablespoons Water

Using a hand mixer or food processor, place all ingredients in a bowl and mix until well combined and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Roasted Garlic Balsamic White Bean Dip

Happy Easter! It's been a while since I've posted. Tonight, I am hosting a holiday dinner for the first time. There will be 9 people attending-besides Joel and I, I am cooking for my parents, my brother, my in-laws, and my sister-in-law and her fiance. I am excited, but nervous at the same time. One of the 3 appetizers I am making is this white bean dip that I found on The Way the Cookie Crumbles. It sounded delicious, and I wanted something people can just casually snack on while waiting for dinner to be ready. To go along with this dip, I have crackers, bread, and baby carrots.

1 head Garlic, outer papery skin removed

1/2 teaspoon Olive Oil

4 Sun-Dried Tomatoes, packed in oil

1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt

1 (15 ounce) can White Beans, drained and rinsed

Pinch of Black Pepper

1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar, plus extra for drizzling

1 tablespoon Oil from Sun-Dried Tomato jar

Cut off the top of the bulb of garlic and place it in an 8-inch square of tinfoil. Drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon of oil. Wrap the foil around the garlic and place in a 400 degree oven, roasting until soft, about 40 minutes. When the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the cloves out from their peels and into the bowl of a food processor. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and salt, then process until smooth. Add the beans and pepper, and continue processing. With the machine running, add the balsamic vinegar and sun-dried tomato oil through the top. Adjust the seasonings if necessary. Serve with a drizzle of vinegar and oil on top.

Chocolate-Banana Dip

We didn't have any milk in the house the yesterday for me to have cereal for breakfast, so I had to get creative. I found this recipe on GreenLiteBites the other day and I just happened to have one spotty banana leftover so I used it. I ate this with a few graham crackers. I didn't have the Special Dark Cocoa, so I just used regular cocoa powder. I bet it would have been really good with the dark chocolate taste!!

1 Overripe Banana

1 teaspoon Cocoa Powder

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Peel the banana and put it in a bowl. Microwave it for 1 minute and then mash it up. Add the cocoa and vanilla and microwave it for 30 more seconds (if you think it is too thick add water about an ounce at a time, but I didn't need any). Whisk the mixture to remove any lumps and dip away!

Tatziki

The other night, we made our own falafel wraps for dinner. We cheated and bought a box mix where we only had to add water. Surprisingly, they were actually pretty decent. On the side of the box (Fantastic Foods brand, I think) there was a recipe for "cucumber yogurt sauce" which sounded an awful lot like tatziki to me. I made it for our wraps and it was good. I used the leftovers to eat with bagel chips as a snack.

1 pint Plain Yogurt

2 Garlic Cloves, diced

1 medium Cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 tablespoon Dill

Splash of Lemon Juice

Salt & Pepper to taste

Try to strain the yogurt for a little while before making this sauce so that it can thicken. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and allow it to sit for the flavors to marry, at least 30 minutes.