Tag Archives: appetizer

Mar10

Spinach, Basil and Avocado Dip

Posted on March 10, 2013 by saramackay23

The flavors are so bright and refreshing in this dip, you’ll wonder why you’ve never had avocado, basil, and lemon together until now! The combination is like a fresh bite of spring! I know that sounds silly, but one taste of this and you will forget it’s still winter.

As long as you have a food processor, it’s extremely quick to whip up. Put some spinach, basil, avocado, beans, garlic and lemon in the bowl:

Pulse a few times until you get a creamy consistency:

After you’ve had a few bites with a spoon, then you can figure out what to do with the rest :) I’ve found it tastes good any time of day.

Breakfast – I love putting it on top of my eggs in the morning:

Lunch – spread some dip on your sandwich or try these lettuce roll-ups that I’ve been making lately:

Snack or Appetizer – use as a dip for carrots and cucumbers or spread on crostini (thinly slice some crusty bread, brush both sides with olive oil, toast in a 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes):

Dinner – mix a few spoonfuls of dip into a bowl of quinoa, then you can add extra cannelini beans, chopped basil, crumbled walnuts, or a drizzle of olive oil:

You will run out of the dip before you run out of ideas to put it on!

Spinach, Basil and Avocado Dip

Source: Hummusapien

Ingredients:

1 avocado
½ cup cannellini beans (the rest can be used in the quinoa bowl)
2 large handfuls spinach
15 fresh basil leaves
1 large garlic clove
Juice from half a lemon
½ teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

Directions:

Pulse all of the ingredients in a food processor until the mixture is well blended and creamy.

Feb2

Apple Brickle Dip

Posted on February 2, 2013 by saramackay23

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Seriously, one bite of apple brickle dip and you are done for. No joke. This dip has become infamous at our Manhattan Beach parties and is by far the most requested recipe that I make! Anytime someone new drops by and tries it, I always get an email the next day asking for that “amazing apple dip” recipe. It is always the first bowl of all the appetizers to disappear.

Want to be the MVP of your Super Bowl party tomorrow?? Whip this up!! It literally takes less than 5 minutes.

Beat together the cream cheese and sugars, and then stir in the toffee bits. I like to use Heath “Bits ‘O Brickle Toffee” that you can buy at Target. You might only find the Heath bits that contain chocolate at a grocery store, but I think it’s much better when it’s just the toffee if you can find it.

Then slice some green apples for dipping and you’ll wow anyone who tries it, assuming you still have some left to share!

Apple Brickle Dip

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Passed on years ago from my mom!)

Ingredients:

1 package 8oz cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package English toffee bits (about 10oz)
6 green apples

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugars, and vanilla. Then, fold in the brickle chips. Serve with sliced apples.

*If you are making the dip ahead of time, wait to mix in the brickle chips in until right before serving because I think it tastes best when they are still crunchy. If you mix them in right away, they will get soft during the day. Also, wait to cut the apples so they don’t brown.

Aug30

Creamy Feta Dip

Posted on August 30, 2012 by saramackay23

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A few nights ago after work I met some of my girlfriends for a hike and picnic at Griffith Observatory. Griffith Park is a great place to go when you are visiting LA, or even if you already live here! There is a couple mile hike that starts up behind the Observatory and loops around to give you great views of the city and gets you very close to the Hollywood sign. The Observatory itself is cool too – they have two huge telescopes that you can use to view the stars. I even got to see Saturn when I was there last time.

After all that exercise, we dug into this Creamy Feta Dip I made. It was SO GOOD. It was SO creamy and just a perfect bite of feta heaven. Also, very simple to make! First, you have to roast jalapenos and garlic, which made our apartment smell delicious.

I made half the recipe for 6 people and it was plenty. If you want leftovers or are bringing this dip to a party, definitely make the full recipe. I didn’t really know how to take a good picture of creamy dip, so you’ll have to trust me on how awesome this is!

Recipe from How Sweet It Is

Creamy Feta Dip with Jalapenos

makes about 2 cups [a little goes a long way!]

2 bricks of feta cheese, 8 ounces each

3 whole jalapeno peppers

1/4 cup olive oil + 1 tablespoon

1 bulb garlic

the juice of half a lemon

the zest of half a lemon

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop the top off the garlic bulb and drizzle it with a teaspoon of olive oil. Wrap it in foil and roast for 25-30 minutes, or until garlic is golden in color. At the same time, brush the jalapenos with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Either grill or roast them – I stuck them in the oven with garlic and just watched until they were charred. Remove both from oven and let cool. Once jalapenos are cooled, remove skins, cut in half and discard the seeds. Chop into small pieces. Don’t touch your eyes!

In a large bowl, crumble the feta bricks. [Crumbling the bricks yourself works best, but if you can only find crumbled feta that is fine.] Add chopped jalapenos, the zest of half a lemon, and the juice of half a lemon. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the bulb directly into the feta. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil and mash with a fork. You want the feta to be a bit “wet” – I can best describe it as a cross between a spread and a dip. There is no right or wrong – make it however you’d like. Taste the feta and season with salt and pepper. Serve with pita chips, warm pita or naan, or spread it on sandwiches. Store it in the fridge for up to one week – I find that I like it best at room temperature, so allow it to sit out for about 30 minutes before serving. We also think it would be great with some kalamata olives.