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.