Strawberry & Peach Salsa

This summery fruit salsa makes for an attractive and delicious garnish to grilled chicken, pork, and fish.  It's also good as a dip for tortilla chips.  Light, fresh, healthy, and easy to throw together - perfect for your summer festivities!  

Our Favorite Guacamole

The first time I introduced my husband to guacamole, he was not a fan of it.  At.  All.  I, on the other hand, am a self-proclaimed guacamoholic.  It's very healthy, but I try hard not to overindulge because of the high calorie count.  A few years back, we fell in love with these beautiful salads at a local Mexican restaurant that included a little side of guacamole.  I don't know if it was because they used less lime than we were used to, but my husband was hooked... and so was my little sous chef!  This recipe is my copycat version, and it's pretty darn close.  It's delicious, creamy, and very easy to make.  We like our guacamole smooth and creamy with a few chunks here and there, but if you prefer it chunky, just mash less.  

Baked Crab Rangoon Dip & Homemade Wonton Chips

Last night was a big night for us.  Eagles versus Cowboys for a chance to go to the playoffs.  I was cautiously optimistic, but if history is a good predictor of the future, at the very least, I was going to have something good to snack on!  I had made our favorite crab cakes for dinner and found myself with some leftover crab.  After some thought, I decided to turn one of my favorite appetizers into a dip.  This crab rangoon dip doesn't disappoint!  It's creamy, delicious and tastes just like my favorite Chinese takeout's crab rangoons.  The homemade wontons are airy, crisp and super easy to make.

As for the game, it was a nail biter as usual, but it tuned out to be a thing of beauty!  I'm already thinking about what to make for the playoff game against the Saints!

Quick & Easy Queso

We love our queso!  This recipe may not be "authentic" but it's quick, easy and oh, so tasty!

Black Bean Pico de Gallo

Fresh, tangy, slightly sweet, spicy, crunchy, healthy, low in calories... the perfect condiment to dip your tortilla chips into or top your tacos with!  Pico de Gallo is an uncooked Mexican condiment that contains much less liquid than salsa, so it can be used as a main ingredient in your favorite Mexican dishes.  It's very versatile, so you can add or subtract ingredients to your own taste.  

Creamy Artichoke Spinach & Crab Dip

Super Bowl Sunday is quickly approaching.  Do you have any special appetizers or meals planned?  This artichoke spinach & crab dip is so creamy and delicious and would be a perfect compliment to your Super Bowl festivities.  There is just the right amount of crab so it doesn't overpower the other ingredients.  The tomato on top gives a little extra burst of sweetness to each bite.  You can make a lighter version of it by substituting the mayonnaise with nonfat plain yogurt.  For a vegetarian version, simply omit the crab.

New Year's Black-Eyed Pea, Sausage & Kale Dip

Happy New Year!   

One year down and may we have many more to come!

How do you celebrate the New Year?  We enjoy pork and sauerkraut for dinner every year.  This year, I decided to also serve a New Year's dip with ingredients considered to be "lucky".  Black-eyed peas symbolize coins and kale symbolizes folded money, which means wealth for the New Year; pork symbolizes progress because pigs root forward; and tomatoes symbolize health.  My family loved this dip!  It was a lot of fun explaining to my daughter what each ingredient symbolized.  She wanted to find and eat as much of the kale as she could so she could save up for a pink car.  That led to a good laugh!

I wish you all a healthy and happy 2012 filled with joy, laughter and love.

Creamy Cheddar Chipotle Sauce

One Year Ago:  Baked Spiced Apples with Walnuts

This recipe is my attempt at duplicating my favorite store-bought (expensive) chipotle sauce and I must say that it turned out fabulous!  It is creamy, smoky, mildly spicy and highly addicting!  I have to be careful with this in the house because our diets tend to go out the window with it around!  I have used this as a salad dressing; as a dip for crackers, chips, pretzels, bread, vegetables, etc.; mixed in with ground beef for my taco salad; and as a sauce with chicken dishes.  My husband pretty much uses it on everything and anything he can get his hands on.  Like I said, addicting.  

Coffee-Infused Medium Salsa

One Year Ago:  Ham, Green Pepper and Onion Pizza

While Italian cuisine is my favorite, Mexican is a very close second.  Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner, on May 5th, so I thought I would share with you a yummy salsa.  Coffee is the secret ingredient.  Shh! 

Ingredients:
Printable Recipe

• 3 large tomatoes, diced (when out of season, 14.5 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes may be substituted)
• 1/4 c onion, chopped 
• 1 green chili, minced 
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced 
• 1/4 c corn
• 1/4 black beans, drained and rinsed 
• Zest of 1 lime
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped 
• 1 tsp hot sauce (I use Frank's)
• 2 tbsp brewed coffee
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper 
• Optional:  Cumin, to taste

Instructions:

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl.

Allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Enjoy! 

Creamy Ranch Chicken and Roasted Red Pepper Crostini

One Year Ago:  Chicken Quesadillas

One of my favorite things about being a food blogger is getting free food and ingredients in the mail.  As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received Tostitos' and Lay's new Dip Creations.  Two packages of three different flavors were sent to me:  Country Ranch, Garden Onion and Freshly Made Guacamole.  For the Garden Onion and Country Ranch, you simply pour the spice packet into sour cream, stir and voila!  For the Freshly Made Guacamole, you mash 3 large avocados and add it to the spice packet.  They are all so amazingly tasty and simple to make.  My husband and daughter went crazy over the taste of each.  Of the three, my personal favorite (though it was hard to chose) was the Garden Ranch.  The best thing about these Dip Creations is that they are made with all natural ingredients, there is no MSG, no preservatives and no artificial flavors.  I decided to whip up a special treat for my family using the Dip Creations Country Ranch.  

Ingredients:
Printable Recipe

• 1 packet Lay's Dip Creations Country Ranch
• 2 c sour cream  
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 c baby spinach, chopped
• 1 c cooked chicken, diced 
• 1 c roasted red peppers (I roasted my own peppers, which I highly recommend)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 French baguette, thinly sliced 
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste 
• 2 tbsp basil, chopped 

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the Dip Creations Country Ranch with sour cream.

Stir in the cooked chicken, cover and refrigerate until ready to use. 

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the baby spinach and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until the spinach is wilted down.  Stir the spinach into the Country Ranch mixture.

Brush olive oil over both sides of each baguette and rub a clove of garlic over both sides.  Season with salt and pepper.  Preheat the same skillet that the spinach was cooked in to medium-high heat and place the baguette slices on it.  Cook until both sides are golden brown.

Arrange the crostini.  Spoon the Country Ranch mixture on top of the crostini.  Top with roasted red peppers.

Garnish with basil.

Enjoy!

White Bean Dip

One Year Ago: Shrimp Arrabbiata

This is a simple, delicious and healthy snack that I had a hard time stopping myself from eating! Next time, I will add some Parmesan cheese and experiment with herb flavors.

Ingredients:

Printable Recipe
Recipe by Mike Pagliaro, owner of Apple Spice Junction

• 1 1/2 c white beans, soaked in cold water overnight
• 1 clove garlic, sliced
  
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
  
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil, as needed
  
• Sea salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  
• Crostini
  

Directions:

Brush olive oil over both sides of the crostini. Season with salt and pepper and toast or grill.

Thoroughly rinse and drain the white beans. Cook over medium-low heat for 45 minutes, or until soft.

Blend the beans, garlic, red pepper, rosemary, salt and pepper in a food processor. Add the olive oil, as needed to desired consistency.

Spread on the crostini.

Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

The Philadelphia Eagles are in the playoffs today at 4:30 PM against the Green Bay Packers. Playoffs in my house = not-so-healthy snack food. My husband was looking forward to buffalo chicken dip. If you like a lot of spice, this packs in a lot of it - just the way we like it! For a more mild dip, you can reduce the Frank's hot sauce to 1/4 c. Just be sure to taste it before you put it in the oven and adjust to your taste. You can always stir in a little more ranch to mild it out even more. I originally got this recipe from Franksredhot.com but have made several changes to it over the years. We allowed our daughter to try it for the first time. She loved it and kept going back for more and said, "Ooh, this is so good, I can't help it". GO EAGLES!

Ingredients:

• 2 to 3 boneless, skinless cooked chicken breasts, shredded
• 8 oz Philadelphia cream cheese
  
• 1/2 c ranch dressing
  
• 1/2 c hot sauce (such as Frank's)
  
• 1/2 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat a medium sauce pan over medium heat.  Add the cream cheese, and stir until smooth and creamy.  Stir in the ranch dressing and hot sauce.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chicken and cheese.

Pour the mixture into a lightly greased baking dish (I use a loaf pan).

Bake for 20 minutes. Add some additional cheese to the top halfway through baking.  Allow it to sit for 10 minutes before serving.  Serve with celery, tortilla chips, bread, crackers, etc., for dipping.

Enjoy!