Recipe: Guacamole

I'm off to South Jersey to get together with some girl friends of mine. I decided to bring one of my favorite things to eat with me. The recipe below is originally from my very good friend Amanda, but over the years I've altered it slightly.

4 Hass Avocados (DO NOT use Florida avocados)

1/2 Small Spanish Onion chopped (regular yellow or white is ok too)

- this should be about 2 Tbsp of chopped onion

1 Plum/Roma Tomato - seeded and chopped

1 tsp of chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 tsp of salt
1 lime

1 clove of garlic (minced, I prefer to use a garlic press)
1/2 of one jalapeno minced (remove seeds and ribbing)

Use the above ingredients as a starting point, adjust the flavor (spicyness or saltiness to your liking). Be aware of the guests you are serving the dip to, some people may not like the taste of cilantro, 1/2 tsp of chopped fresh cilantro is not a ton of flavor.

Cut the Avocados length wise, remove the pit and scrape the fruit of the avocado with a spoon. Transfer to a bowl (glass works well), or a mortar and pistol. Smash up the avocados to a consistency to your likely. I like a tiny bit of chunkiness to mine :)

(This mortar and pistol was a present from my Future Mother In-law, it weighs about 25 lbs!)

Add the chopped tomato, chopped onion, cilantro, 1/2 lime juiced, salt, garlic and jalapeno (you can substitute a few teaspoons of hot sauce, like Red Hot, if you don't have jalapenos). Mix it up.

Chopped tomato

Transfer to the bowl you are going to serve it in.

If you aren't ready to serve it yet, drizzle enough lime juice (from the other half of the lime) to thin layer of juice on the the top of the guacamole. Cover airtight with plastic wrap. The avocado will oxidize and turn brown make sure you follow the these steps to keep it fresh. The dip should be eaten within a few hours. Serve with Tortilla chips!

Final product, pressed with plastic wrap

Super Bowl Sunday Delicious Dip

I'm currently on my lunch break - I made my salad and now I'm back at my desk.

I decided to check out Rachael Ray's Weekly Newsletter which appeared in my inbox this morning. This week she is focusing on 5 Super Bowl Dips- one of which is a Spinach Artichoke Dip (SAD). After looking at her recipe I came to the conclusion, based on the ingredients, the SAD recipe that I use (a variation of Alton Browns recipe) is probably better. I recently made this dip for a friend's housewarming party and it got rave reviews! If you decide to test drive this recipe please leave a comment and let me know your opinion.

Spinach Artichoke Dip (SAD)

1 ½ bricks of neufchatel cheese (or Cream Cheese- 1/3 less fat)
1- 8oz or 10z package of frozen chopped spinach
1- can of artichoke quartered hearts in water or brine NOT marinated! (canned veggie isle)
½ -cup light mayonnaise
½ -cup reduced fat sour cream
2/3 -cup shredded parmesan cheese
½- tsp red pepper flakes
½ -tsp garlic powder
½- tsp salt

Defrost the Frozen Spinach (I typically do in the microwave)

In a small pot cover spinach with water and cook on low for 5-10 minutes.

Drain the can of artichoke hearts. Chop them up into smaller pieces.

Remove the neufchatel cheese from the packages and put in a microwavable dish ( I use a medium sized, oval corning ware dish, a 9x9 square glass baking dish would also work).

Microwave the neufchatel cheese from 1 – 1.5 minutes until it begins to bubble.

Stir in all the other ingredients: Mayo, Sour Cream, Red Pepper Flakes, Garlic Powder and Salt, chopped artichoke hearts, chopped cooked spinach and parmesan cheese. Mix thoroughly.

Before serving pop the dish back in the microwave (covered with lid or plastic wrap) for 1 minute increments. Serve the dip warm with tortilla chips or sliced French bread

Substitutions and Notes:

*Neufchatel cheese is a version of cream cheese with less fat – every grocery store sells it in the dairy isle right next to the cream cheese.

* You can use an 8 oz bag of frozen artichoke hearts (find by frozen veggies)- defrost and drain before using.

*If using grated parmesan cheese, cut the amount of cheese to a 1/3 cup.

*I attempt to make this as light as I can and still taste yummy, so feel free to fatten this recipe up by using the full-fat versions of sour cream, mayo and cream cheese.

*I do not endorse making this even “healthier” with fat free products.