Avocado Feta Salsa

Ingredients

• 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 ripe avocado - peeled, pitted and chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
• 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese (vegan or dairy)

Directions

1. In a bowl, gently stir together tomatoes, avocados, onion, and garlic. Mix in parsley and oregano. Gently stir in olive oil and vinegar. Then stir in feta. Cover, and chill for 2 to 6 hours. 

Recipe from allrecipes.com, photos by Laura Spear 

Spicy Three Pepper Hummus

I love hummus! I could eat it each and everyday if i had it available. It is expensive to buy at the store, once in a while I'll treat myself to a container at our local sams club but most of the time we make it ourselves. Recently I was in the mood to treat myself so i was browsing the hummus section at sams... gasp*  a new flavor!!! The excitement overwhelmed me when I read the title "The Seasons Finest Hummus" a seasonal flavor! I was so excited I knew since it was a seasonal item that it wouldn't be around forever so i snatched it up and headed to the checkout. Once home i opened one of my favorite chips to dip in the hummus, I always go with blue corn tortilla chips or pita chips. I took my fist bite, a big one fully loaded, I wanted all the flavors.......It was the worst tasting thing I have ever tried..... it didn't even taste like hummus!!!! It had all the herbs and spices one would put on a turkey at thanksgiving, olive oil, rosemary, sea salt and this God awful turkey taste!!! Obviously there was not turkey in it but the taste was there. Now don't get me wrong these flavors are spectacular on a turkey but i do not want them in my hummus on a chip!!! So I took my disgruntled vegan self to the pantry determined to save the $5 hummus. I added black pepper, cayenne pepper, and about a 1/4 cup of franks red hot and stirred. This made the hummus tolerable but never again will I go for the holiday seasonal flavor. 

Now this brings me to my recipe which is for Spicy three pepper hummus. I liked the cayenne and black pepper mixed with the hot sauce so I figured i'd browse the internet and search for a peppery hummus. i came across this recipe on allrecipes.com so we decided to give it a go. My wonderful husband actually whipped this up for me in a matter of minutes and it was SO good!!! It definitely lived up to its 4 1/2 star review. 

Ingredients

• 2 (16 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/8 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 slices jarred jalapeno pepper, chopped
• 1 teaspoon liquid from the jar of jalapeno peppers
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the garbanzo beans, olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, jalapeno, and juice from the jalapeno jar. Season with black pepper, cayenne, cumin and oregano.
2. Mix using the whisk attachment on low speed until the ingredients start to blend, then turn the speed to medium, and blend to your desired consistency. Cover and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to blend. Make sure your container is sealed well, or your fridge will smell like garlic!

Recipe from allrecipes.com submitted by FLCRACKER Photo By Laura Spear 

Spicy Buffalo Beer Dip

1 lb. (16 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes


1/2 cup light beer

1/2 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream

1/4 cup hot pepper sauce for Buffalo wings  (Franks Red Hot)

1/4 cup KRAFT Natural Blue Cheese Crumbles

2 green onions, sliced

MICROWAVE VELVEETA and beer in a large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 5 min. or until VELVEETA is melted, stirring after 3 min.

STIR in remaining ingredients.

Top with some Crumbled Blue Cheese


Recipe and pic by Velveeta

Raspberry Habanero Pepper Jelly

Ingredients


3-5 habanero peppers, deseeded and membranes removed (Be sure to wear gloves when doing this... those babies are HOT. And don't touch your eyes or mouth b)

2 sweet red peppers

1 sweet green pepper

12 ounces frozen raspberries, defrosted and put through a food mill with fine disc

2 1/4 cups water (**or a mixture of the raspberry juice from defrosted raspberries and water to make the total)

1 cup vinegar

1 3/4 ounces sure-jel dry pectin (powder, not liquid)

4 cups sugar

Directions

1 Chop up peppers in a processor until they are chopped fine. Put all but ¼ cup peppers in a saucepan with raspberries and water. Bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to simmer and cook 15 minutes. Press through a sieve or a jelly bag. You should have 2 cups prepared juice. (Sometimes I have more juice than needed so I freeze it for another batch).

2 Return juice to a clean pot. Add vinegar and reserved chopped peppers. Cool 15 minutes.

3 Add pectin. Bring to a boil; add sugar. Bring back to a boil and boil hard for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; skim foam.

4 Ladle into hot ½ pint jars leaving 1/8” headspace.

5 Seal; process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes (for 4 oz. jars).

6 Note: jelly might be liquidy at first, but gels over the next 1 or 2 days.

Recipe and pic, all recipes

7 layer Mexican Dip

1 can refried beans

shredded monteray jack cheese

1 tub of guacamole

Sour Cream

Diced tomatoes

Chopped Green onions

Fresh Cilantro

Layer each of the listed ingredients in the order provided. You decide how much of each ingredient you like (some people like more or less of certain things)

After it is layered refrigerate for 20 minutes before serving, and enjoy!

Recipe and photos by Laura Spear

8 Layer Dip

Ingredients


1 (15-ounce) can refried beans

2 tablespoons hot sauce

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

4 scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 (16 to 18 ounce) jar green chili or tomatillo salsa

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, a palm full, chopped

1 (15-ounce) can black beans

2 teaspoons ground cumin, 2/3 palm full

1 (16 to 18 ounce) jar chipotle salsa

2 cups sour cream

1 lime, zested and juiced

2 ripe avocados

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 lemon, juiced

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

Salt

2 plum tomatoes, diced

Pimiento stuffed jumbo Spanish olives, chopped

Cheese to top the dip with (cheddar or mexican cheese mix)

Tortilla chips


Directions

Heat refried beans in small nonstick pan over medium heat and season with hot sauce. Transfer the beans to a small, deep casserole dish. Scrape pan clean with rubber spatula and return to heat.



Add a little extra-virgin olive oil to the pan and raise heat to high. When the oil smokes, add the scallions and sear them, 2 to 3 minutes. Add green salsa to scallions and heat through. Add cilantro, remove salsa from heat, and layer on top of the beans.



Return the same pan to the stove, lower heat to medium and add black beans, heat through and season with cumin, layer on top of the green salsa.



Top the black beans with a layer of chipotle salsa. Mix sour cream the lime zest and juice and spread on top of the chipotle salsa.



Combine the meat of 2 ripe avocados with garlic, lemon juice, jalapeno and salt to form a chunky guacamole. Top the salsa with guacamole. Garnish the dip with the final layer of diced tomatoes and sliced olives.

Top with a layer of cheese

Recipe and photos by Laura Spear

Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Ingredients


1 cup thawed, chopped frozen spinach

11/2 cups thawed, chopped frozen 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

2 cans of french bread dough (roll into one big ball and bake as directed) or buy one round loaf of bread to serve the dip in.

Bread for dipping

Directions

Boil spinach and artichokes in 1 cup of water until tender and drain. Discard liquid. Heat cream cheese in microwave for 1 minute or until hot and soft. Stir in rest of ingredients and serve hot.

Cut the top off the bread bowl keep for storing it, take out the inside of the bread bowl (you can chop it up to use for dipping) pour the dip into the bread bowl.

Buffalo Chicken and Blue Cheese Dip

4 Chicken Breasts ( I used can chicken)
2 (8oz) pkgs cream cheese, softened
12oz Bottle Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Sauce
16oz Blue Cheese Dressing (i used chunky)
Shredded Cheddar
Blue Cheese Crumbles (mix some in and some on top)

1. Boil and shred the chicken
2. Mix softened cream cheese with blue cheese dressing, frank’s and chicken in a baking pan, add a few crumbles.
3. Top with shredded cheese and blue cheese crumbles
4. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until the cheesse on top is bubbly

Hot Artichoke Dip Bread Bowl

2 16-oz sourdough bread rounds (about 6-in. diameter), divided (or use 2 cans of french bread dough and back into a ball)

Vegetable oil

4 oz cream cheese, softened

½ cup milk

1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts in water, drained

1 1.4-oz envelope or one 1.8-oz box (2 envelopes) vegetable soup mix

1 garlic clove, pressed

1 lemon

1 container (8 oz) sour cream

Grated fresh Parmesan cheese (optional)


1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Slice off top of one bread round to create a lid; set lid aside. Carefully remove center of bread round to form a 4½-inch-wide and 2-inch-deep well for dip. Slice center of first and entire second bread round into 1-in. cubes. Place bread bowl on center of Large Round Stone. Arrange bread cubes around bowl; spray with vegetable oil.
3. In a bowl, whisk cream cheese until smooth. Add milk to cream cheese; whisk until smooth. Chop artichokes. Add artichokes, soup mix and pressed garlic to bowl; mix well.
4. Microwave on HIGH 5-7 minutes or until hot (do not boil).
5. Juice lemon to measure 2 tbsp juice. Stir juice and sour cream into hot artichoke mixture; pour into bread bowl.
6. If desired, grate Parmesan cheese over bread bowl and bread cubes. Lean lid against bread bowl.
7. Bake 13-15 minutes or until bread cubes and top of dip are golden brown. Remove from oven; serve immediately.
Recipe by Pampered Chef, Photos by Laura Spear

Cranberry Spice Dip

I got this recipe from my good friend Donna who is an amazing cook! She uses orange marmalade in place of the strawberry preserves and less cayanne pepper.  So try her amazing recipe out too!

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened


1/2 cup canned whole berry cranberry sauce

1/4 cup strawberry preserves

1/4 tsp. ground red pepper (cayenne)

1/4 cup Slivered Almonds, toasted (not necessary to toast if you're in a hurry)



1. SPREAD cream cheese onto bottom of 9-inch pie plate.



2. MIX cranberry sauce, orange marmalade and ground red pepper; spoon over cream cheese. Sprinkle with almonds and a dash more of cayenne pepper on top.



3.SERVE with RITZ Crackers.

Thai Peanut Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup coconut milk
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1.In a bowl, mix the peanut butter, coconut milk, water, lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, hot sauce, ginger, and garlic. Mix in the cilantro just before serving.

Recipe and pic from All recipes

Mediterranean Layered Dip

Mediterranean layered dip

(eat with baked pita triangles or buy pita chips)

You will need:
1 cup of garlic flavored hummus
1/2 cup fat-free yogurt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon of finely chopped mint
1 1/3 cups of seeded and finely chopped cucumbers
1 1/3 cups of seeded and finely chopped roma tomatoes
1 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
pinch of salt
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
3 ounces reduced fat feta cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons chopped Kalamata olives (about 8)
Optional: 6 pita pockets cut into triangles and baked for dipping

Layer it in a casserole pan starting with the first ingredient and moving through the list.
Refrigerate at least an hour before serving.


You can also use this dip in a pita pocket with slices of chicken,  see my Greek Isle Pocket recipe for more details.