Pesto, White Bean and Broccoli Dip

I was sent a copy of The Truly Healthy Family Cookbook by Tina Ruggiero and after a brief page-through I knew it was a keeper.  You can usually tell when a healthy dish will end up stale and flavorless just by reading the recipe, and all of these sound delicious (yes, I read recipes for fun, what's it to you?).  Some of the meals on my to-do list: Risotto with Mushrooms, Butternut Squash and Kale, Mini Salmon Sliders and Turkey Meatloaf with Chipotle Glaze.  Yes, please, all of that.  

Right off the bat I made this Pesto, White Bean and Broccoli Dip because I'm trying to feed my daughter more iron.  Beans and Broccoli are great sources of iron!  Iron, iron, i-ron... that's a weird word.  Anyway.  This was simple to make, yielded a HUGE batch, and was great on pasta or crackers.  

Thanks for the book, Tina!  Recipe here.
  

Smoked Albacore Dip

I am in vacation mode.  Every August, we rent a house in the same town on the same road and I do the same things that I never do the rest of the year: I read, I ride a bike, I watch Showtime series, I paint rocks.  Yup, I really paint rocks and it's becoming an unhealthy obsession.  I also cook, and although that's nothing new, I try to cook light, beach-y meals.  Like this dip Carson and I attempted two years ago.  Only this time, we made it with Smoked Albacore (found at Gelson's) and instead of flaking the fish with a fork, we put it in a food processor.  It gave the dip such a lovely and professional quality.  In fact, we might set up a Lemonade Stand and sell our dip on the side.  Of course, you'll also be able to purchase my painted rocks for only $500 a pop.  What, they're really special.  

Patsy's Turkey Burgers with Garlic Mayo Dip

Guess what?  If you send me recipes, I will make them.  Most of the time.  If they sound deliciously irresistible, that is.  No pressure.  A friend/reader constantly sends me recipes and I have them all bookmarked.  I finally got around to these turkey burgers, named after one of her relatives.  Ground turkey mixed with all sorts of vibrant, somewhat southwestern ingredients, fried up as sliders and dipped in a tangy garlic mayo.  She recommended topping them with avocado, which I did, and I also added mushrooms and served them over sourdough toast.  They were superb.  Patsy probably doesn't follow a recipe, since she invented these, but I tried to throw one together for you.  Send me more recipes!  Send me more recipes!  But only if they're irresistibly delicious.      

Patsy's Turkey Burgers with Garlic Mayo Dip
(Makes approx. 15 sliders)
Printable Recipe

Burgers:
1 lb. ground turkey
1/4 cup chopped parsley or cilantro (I used cilantro)
5 or 6 chopped green onions (tops and bottoms)
Poblano pepper, finely chopped
Anaheim pepper, finely chopped
1 large egg
1 T mayo
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used panko)
1/2 tsp salt

Mayo:
1/4 cup mayo
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced

Throw all burger ingredients in a bowl and mix with a spoon or your hands.  Form them into slider size (or regular burger size if you wish).  Heat olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the burgers until cooked through (roughly 5 minutes a side if you're making sliders).  Whisk mayo ingredients together and serve.

Peach Butter

Well hello millions of peaches!  I traded in my zucchini the size of a wiener dog for two boxes of freshly grown peaches.  Again, these came straight from our friend Linda's garden.  I've never been to their home, but I imagine it to be a magical place where friendly birds turn into cartoon characters, singing you songs while feeding you berries.  I bet that's what it's like there.

Welcome to Peach Week.  

I decided to make peach butter first because it called for 4 pounds of peaches and I wanted to make a dent in my stash before I became overwhelmed.  I found this recipe and it's delightful.  Just the right amount of sweet with no added spices - simply peaches, lemon juice and sugar.  They call it "butter" because it's a cross between a jam and a sauce (and mine is much more like the latter).  I can't wait to pour it over ice cream, stir it into drinks, drizzle it over pancakes and smother it over toast and scones all, summer, long.  

Four pounds is roughly equivalent to 40 smaller-sized peaches, FYI.  That's a lot of peaches to peel, pit and chop.  However, the method of boiling them for 30 seconds and letting them cool in cold water before removing the skin worked beautifully...  

Simmering peaches...

I used my immersion blender to puree it until it reached a silky smooth, butter-like texture... 

Thickening "butter"...

Gifts! 

Super Sunday

Are you one of those people who love the Super Bowl for the commercials, halftime entertainment, betting and food?  We'd be friends.  Well, this year I won't have a chance to make any snacks because I'M GOING TO THE GAME!  GAH!  I will be celebrating my birthday Indy style.  Whatever that means.  That means I'll be cold?  So, here are some snacks that I WOULD make if I were going to be home.  

Go Giants!  p.s. WATCH THE VOICE AFTER THE GAME! 

Homemade Potato Chips

Soft Pretzels

Citrus Marinated Olives

Fried Cheese Curds

Marcona Almonds with Rosemary

...and for the kiddos Homemade Goldfish

Also, a fun treat idea for your team colors, "Black and White" Cookies:

Tuna and Avocado Tartare on Sesame Wonton Crisps

Tartare sounds so fancy, doesn't it? You don't MAKE tartare, you eat it at fancy restaurants while drinking crisp white wine. Well, NOT ANYMORE (insert commercial voice). It's extremely simple to make, all you need is some sushi-grade tuna (most markets sell that, just ask) and a sharp knife to cut it with. And it's delicious and you can impress your friends and eat it at home without drinking stupid crisp white wine.



I loosely followed this recipe, but I was missing a few ingredients like wasabi paste, rice vinegar, green onions and chives. Oh, and California Caviar (come on now). Really wish I would have had wasabi, it was missing that heat. Also the rice vinegar, it was missing that tang. The onions and chives would have been nice too. Alright FINE, and the California Caviar, whatever that is, WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! (That's me crying.) (I like to explain myself in parentheticals).



crispy wontons (a must-read wonton story)...





avocado and cucumber (we missed you green onions and chives)...





pretty pink tuna...





tartare...

Smoked Mahi Mahi Dip

Did you know you can buy an electric smoker a Home Depot for $39? If you're a girl, I'm going to guess that you didn't know that. If you're a guy, you might have known that, because I've seen men wandering the aisles of Home Depot the same way that the women do at Target. Just looking. At everything. And putting random things in their cart that they ditch at the last second. But I'm talking about myself now and I'm supposed to be talking about a smoker.

If you'll remember (will you please?), I spoke of a restaurant awhile back called Son of a Gun. About a month ago, we finally went, and had a very, VERY memorable meal. Everything was excellent, but the Smoked Mahi Mahi Dip was something magical. A dip Carson and I have been thinking about almost daily since we went. And when something food-related is on our brain, you know we'll eventually do something about it. In this case, we decided to recreate it ourselves.

But first, where to buy smoked mahi mahi? Um, nowhere, that's where. You have to do it yourself. Next, how do you smoke fish? Well, there are lots of ways, but the easiest is to google electric smokers and find the cheap kind they sell at Home Depot...


We actually splurged on the $69 one because we're certain we'll put it to good use. Next up, email the chefs at the restaurant and beg them for the recipe. Luckily, they are friends of mine and pointed me in the right direction: smoked fish, lemon, mayo and chopped white onion. WE CAN DO THIS, YES WE CAN! So we got to work...

We read online that sometimes smoking fish can dry it out, so we decided to brine our mahi mahi for roughly 4 hours in water, sugar, salt and a little lemon juice.


After Carson and his dad put the smoker together (fyi: it's cheap because it comes in eleventy thousand pieces), and after the fish had properly brined and dried, we started the process. The fish goes on a rack that rests over hot lava rocks and soaked hickory wood chips (fyi: these resemble potato chips to people over the age of 60, ahem Carson's mom... be careful).


We weren't sure how long to smoke it for, but after an hour and a half it was looking good...


We took the fish out, and started furiously flaking it with a fork. Fun.


And after an absurd amount of taste testing, we came up with the right balance of mayo, lemon juice and onion. We added a touch of salt to ours, some hot sauce, and a chopped hard boiled egg that Carson thought would add some richness. It did. He's swell.


It is to be served over Saltenes. Nothing else. Do you hear me?! Alongside some lemon wedges and extra hot sauce for those who need more. You guys, I'm really proud of our dip. It might not have matched the MAGIC of Son of a Gun, but it's damn good. In fact, I'm going to go eat some right now. Good Day.

Corn and Black Bean Salad

I feel like after blogging for over three years, you're allowed throw in a repeat every now and again, especially if it's as good as this salad.

This is probably more of a dip then a salad, but really it can go either way. While it's probably served best as an appetizer or party food, I'd be perfectly happy eating a big bowl of this stuff for lunch, just throw in some whole grain tortilla chips and you've got one flavorful and nutrient packed lunch. This would also make a great addition to your taco salad, nachos, burritos or tacos. Gosh, I already want to make this again!

Corn and Black Bean Salad

Ingredients

2 cans black beans-drained and rinsed

2 can corn-drained
1 red onion chopped

2 avocados chopped (I omitted avocados this time around, but it is good)

1 red pepper chopped
1 yellow or orange pepper chopped
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes halved
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Vinaigrette
2 TB lime juice (fresh if possible)
2-3 tsp chili powder
1-2 tsp salt (kosher salt if you have it)
1-2 TB olive oil

Directions

When chopping veggies, try to make them as uniform in size as possible.

Combine all of the veggies, including cilantro, in a large bowl. In a small bowl combine lime juice, chili powder and salt. Then, whisk in olive oil to desired consistency, there won't be a lot of dressing, but it will be STRONG. Add dressing to salad and toss well. Serve with tortilla chips, those Scoops chips are great with this salad.

Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip

I LOVE the holidays!! I love the gatherings, the parties, the music, the lights, even the chill in the air and the occasional snow storm. It is, without a doubt, my favorite time of year. And of course, having the love for food that I do doesn't hurt either. The holidays basically hand you a license to go hog-wild in the kitchen, and it's okay! It's the holidays! It would practically be wrong not to.


This is a dip I served for Thanksgiving, which in our house isn't so much an event, as it is a kick-off, to all of the gorging that will happen for the next month. And now that I've made this dip, I can guarantee that it's going to be making a gooey, cheesy appearance often in our household. This is an Alton Brown recipe, which not only has five stars from a million reviews, but it also takes literally two minutes to make. There is no baking, sauteing, or cooking of any kind. Just a quick mix, and into the warmer (crockpot) it goes, providing giddy flavorful love for all in attendance. Make this dip, use carrots, cracker, bread, a spoon, legos, whatever your heart fancies to dip it in. It will all be delicious!


Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Adapted from Alton Brown

Ingredients

1 cup thawed, chopped frozen spinach
1 1/2 cups canned or jarred artichoke hearts
6 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

Heat cream cheese in microwave for 1 minute or until hot and soft. Stir in rest of ingredients and serve hot. Keep in crockpot if you plan to party all night long.

Hot Artichoke Dip

You know, I'm just going to say it, trying to eat healthy just plain sucks sometimes. It's not that I don't like healthy food, it's that I really like the stuff that's not so healthy. And I'm not much of a sweets girl, I'm talking big bacon cheeseburgers, greasy cheesy pizza, and salty snack food, oh how I love it! But, I made a goal this year by golly, and even though it's February and I'm supposed to have forgotten about it, I really want to accomplish my goal of getting healthy. Come hell or a high mountain of potato chips!

That's why I'm always grateful for recipes like this. They make the whole healthy process suck just a bit less. I love artichoke dip, it's cheesy and has that fantastic sharp artichoke flavor. But, unlike a lot of dips, this one is not full of fat and calories. In fact, the bulk of this dip is white beans, which gives the dip the creamy illusion that you are indulging and being naughty. It's wonderful for parties, and tastes just as good cold or room temp as it does hot.

Hot Artichoke Dip
Cooking Light

Ingredients

1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 (14-ounce) cans artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained, divided
1 (15.5-ounce)can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided (I really like Pecorino Romano, I almost always sub it for Parm)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
3 garlic cloves, minced
Cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a food processor; add 1 can of artichokes and beans. Process until smooth. Add remaining can of artichokes, 3/4 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, 1 tablespoon parsley, and garlic. Pulse 20 times or until artichokes are coarsely chopped.

3. Spoon mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle top with remaining 1/4 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and remaining 1 tablespoon parsley. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until bubbly.


4. I think this is best served with tortilla chips, sliced baguette, carrots, celery or cauliflower.

Serves 12: Serving size is 1/3 cups

Per Serving: 98cal, 4g fat, 2g fiber, 5g prot, 488mg sod

Points per Serving: 2!!


With the leftover dip, I made an awesome roasted zucchini and mushroom panini (what else!) Roast whatever veggies you have (asparagus would have also been excellent), spread dip on one slice of bread, top with veggies and any cheese if desired and press. Delicious lunch!

So here's my question...what helps you when you're having a particularly hard day staying on that straight and narrow path to healthy eating?

CEiMB: Five Layer Mexican Bean Dip

I am in love with any type of party food, mostly because it usually means there is a party attached to it! This week's CEiMB recipe was perfect because last night I had a little scrapbooking gathering with some girls in our card club. By the end of the night, it was GONE, which almost never happens, I was thrilled! There is no way you're going to eat this and know that it's lowfat. It's so full of flavor and heat that you'll feel like you're indulging. This is actually the second layered bean dip I've posted and I think I like Ellie's more then my own!

A little tip with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, since usually you open an entire can to use just one. To avoid having to throw the rest away, freeze the peppers, individually in small baggies, and thaw right before use. A great tip if you're like me and you lose sleep over wasted food!

Five Layer Mexican Bean Dip
By Ellie Krieger

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, preferably low-sodium, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon minced chipotle pepper in adobo
4 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups corn kernels (10-ounce box frozen corn)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
2 ripe avocados
4 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallion
1 tablespoon finely diced jalapeno pepper, optional
3/4 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar

Directions

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until they soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.

Put half of the onion mixture into a food processor with the black beans, chipotle pepper, 2 tablespoons of the lime juice, cumin, water and salt. Puree until smooth. Set aside.

Add the corn to the skillet with the remaining onion mixture and cook for about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro leaves.

In a small bowl mash the avocado with the remaining lime juice. In a medium bowl toss together the tomatoes, scallion and jalapeno, if using. Season tomato mixture with salt and pepper, to taste.

Spread the black bean dip into the bottom of an 8 by 8 glass baking or serving dish. Top with the corn mixture, spreading it out to form a single layer over the beans, repeat with the avocado, then the tomatoes. Top with cheese. Serve with baked chips.

Serves: 12, a serving size is 1/2 cup

Per Serving:Calories 140; Total Fat 8 g; (Sat Fat 2 g, Mono Fat 3 g, Poly Fat 0.7 g) ; Protein 5g; Carb 16 g; Fiber 5g; Cholesterol 6mg; Sodium 245 mg

Points per Serving:3!

You still have until 10pm tonight to enter here in my giveaway for a Silpat, don't miss out!!

A New Year!

Well, I know it's already the fourth, but what the heck...

It's good to be back! How was everyone's holiday? I did my best to check up on ya'll from time to time, but I have to admit, I missed our regular interactions. We are back from our vacation, still getting unpacked, but excited about the new year. I feel so good about 2010 and I have a lot of goals, but first things first...

Check out my blog! My super talented, web designin' brother voluntarily made me a new header and background. What a Christmas present! I love what he's done with it, and yes, I look exactly like the girl in my header (snort, cough). If you're interested in having your blog redone by Kendall, email him at kendall@bengalworks.com for pricing and packages.

And now onto my goals. I don't know about you, but I love making new year resolutions. I do it every year, and I make a lot. I never accomplish all of them, but I do accomplish some, and it feels so good. Some of the goals I have in the kitchen are:

1. Eat healthier. I'm not going to say lose weight. I would like to lose weight, but it's not about weight right now as much as it is about health. I need to eat healthier and exercise to avoid diseases that run strong in my family. I need to be healthier for my joints, muscles and skin. I want to have energy for my family and obligations. I also want to keep my husband and kids healthy, and being the primary cook in the home warrants me that responsibility. AND, if I happen to lose weight on that particular journey, then that would be a fantastic bonus!

2. Join at least two clubs this year. I've already joined the HBin5, which I am so excited about (my sweet man got me the book for Christmas). Does anyone have any recommendations for another club that you've enjoyed? I think this would be a fun way to push myself and meet new people.

3. Make homemade ravioli, potstickers and beef wellington. I've been intrigued with all three of these things and I'm dying to try them myself.

4. Create more original recipes. Most of the things I post are simply recipes that I have found to be very good. I think it would be so fun to start experimenting and writing up my own dishes.

So there you have it, now that it's all out there, I'll be more likely to do it! It will take a week or so to post the mouthwatering foods that are responsible for my unwanted holiday pounds, but after that hopefully there will be some goal accomplishing!

And on to the food. Since this has already been a long post, I'll just show you what our Christmas Eve meal was comprised of. We decided this year we would just set out a huge spread of appetizers to fill up on. This is such a fun idea because everyone gets so full, but also gets to try a huge variety of fun party food.

My mom made these awesome pears, covered in a Gorgonzola mixture and dipped in pecans. Heaven!


We also had a fantastic shrimp cocktail and veggie tray, two of my holiday "must-haves."


And I was SO excited because I finally got to make a cheese platter. I've been wanting to try one of these for a long time. Unfortunately when I went to Costco, the cheese selection was a little slim, but it was still fun. I followed Ina's rule, which is to have one hard cheese, one blue cheese, and one soft cheese. For the soft cheese, I used a triple cream Brie. For the blue, I used a cheese called Cambozo, which was a very soft and subtle blue cheese. It was delicious on apples. And for the hard cheese, I used a cheese called Comte. It had the flavor of Swiss or Gruyere, and it was pretty good, but I probably would have preferred something a bit tangier like Pecorino Romano. And for good measure I threw in some Baby Bellas, which is a soft and mild cheese, great for kids. It was so fun and came out rather pretty if I may say so myself.


Throw in a bunch of cookies, candy, chicken fingers, hot bean dip, and spring rolls, and here you have the final spread. Mmmmmm, can it be Christmas again!



And last, but not least, I'd like to thank Debbie, at Dining with Debbie for this cute award! I am just getting to know Debbie, but I already really enjoy her for her fun posts, personality and delicious food.

Thanks Debbie! I'm going to think of who to pass this on to!

Phew, well, there you have it! I wish you all health, peace and prosperity this year of 2010 and may your tables always be full of good food!