Guacamole

Guacamole is the best Mexican condiment. Actually, forget the qualifier...guacamole is pretty much awesome no matter what you’re eating, and unless it’s loaded with salt, it’s quite nutritious for you! The primary ingredient is avocado, a delicious, versatile and healthy fruit, containing a good source of healthy fats (helping boost HDL - the good cholesterol) and dietary fiber, as well as numerous vitamins. Avocados can be used as a fat substitute in a variety of ways - think spreads (like cream cheese, mayonnaise, other dressings) or as a filling for deviled eggs. And, of course, as a dip! Guacamole is a much healthier alternative to your typical dips loaded with mayonnaise, cheese, or sour cream.

The great thing about guacamole is that you really don’t need a set recipe! It’s so easy to make and can be totally modified to your personal taste. It’s pretty much just mashed avocados with some extras for taste and texture - onions, cilantro, garlic, tomatoes, salt, pepper, or a variety of other spices. You can even add some heat by throwing in some cayenne pepper or chopped jalapenos! Everyone has their own favorite concoction - here’s one that’s served me well.

Ingredients: (~2 cups)

2 ripe avocados

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 TBSP lime juice

~1 TBSP onion, finely chopped

1-2 TBSP tomato, finely chopped (about half of a Roma tomato) - optional

~1 TBSP cilantro, chopped

Salt, fresh ground pepper to taste

Slice the avocados in half lengthwise and remove the pits. Scoop the avocado meat into a bowl and mash. Add garlic, onion, tomato, cilantro, and lime juice and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve up as a delicious dip for chips or with your favorite Mexican dish, such as enchiladas or quesadillas (recipe coming soon!).

~Karla

Other dishes you might like having guacamole with:
Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas
Roasted Corn Quesadilla
Vegetarian Enchiladas with Sour Cream Sauce

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Mango Relish

Growing up in India, summer was synonymous with playing in the sun, coming home with parched throats to drink cool water from earthen pots, and most importantly - mangoes! I literally can’t stress enough the excitement over Alphanso mangoes. Ripe Alphanso mangoes are beautifully bright yellow, have a tender texture that’s not as fibrous as a lot of other varieties, and the taste is really what rightfully gives them the title of ‘king of mangoes’.

 

Out here in the US, you can buy really expensive Alphonso mangoes, but I typically settle with other varieties that are more easily available, and honestly - fairly delicious! A ripe, sweet mango is particularly suited for making a sweet and sour relish. This quick and  simple recipe uses ripe mangoes for sweetness, lemon juice for tartness and cilantro & ginger to bring out the freshness of all the ingredients. My favorite way of eating this is with avocado toast, but it makes a wonderful dip for chips and crackers, or can be used as a relish for topping grilled chicken, fish, or tofu.

Ingredients: (Makes ~ 1 cup)

½ cup chopped ripe mango

¼ cup chopped onion

1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

⅛ tsp grated ginger

½ tsp lemon juice (or to taste)

1 small Roma tomato - deseeded and chopped

1 small pinch of red pepper flakes (or to taste)

 

Mix all ingredients. Adjust red pepper and lemon juice to your liking. Serve with tortilla chips or crackers. For sweet and sour mango-avocado toast, spread mashed avocado on toasted multigrain bread. Top it with mango relish and enjoy!

~Gayatri

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Baked Spinach Artichoke Chicken Dip

One of my husband’s favorite appetizers is spinach artichoke dip - two healthy greens turned into somewhat of an indulgence with warm, gooey, garlicky melty cheese. Sometimes, if we are not particularly hungry, we’ll split an order of spinach artichoke dip for a meal, and we always run out of dip before we’ve used up the chips that come with it! I had never really thought about trying to make my own spinach artichoke dip. While I usually have frozen spinach on standby in the freezer, artichoke almost never makes it to my weekly shopping list. I had tried using fresh artichoke once before, many years ago, and it was pretty disastrous. Recently, however, I started experimenting with soufflés and have regularly gotten canned artichokes - much easier to work with! With both spinach and artichoke on hand, I decided it was time to give this favorite appetizer a try. For additional substance, I tossed in some shredded chicken breast to make it a little more meal-worthy.

Ingredients:

1 can artichoke hearts (about 8-10 hearts), coarsely chopped

~10oz chopped spinach (I used frozen, thawed & drained)

~1.5 cups chicken breast, cooked and shredded

8oz cream cheese (I used reduced fat)

~6oz plain Greek yogurt (I used fat-free)

~½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

~1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

Heat oven to 375°F.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix until cream cheese and yogurt are incorporated, but no need to make it a homogenous mixture - pockets of melty cheese are wonderful when eating!

 

Transfer the mixture to a baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the cheese at the edges begins to brown. Allow sufficient cooling time to prevent burned tongues, top with more parmesan, then dig in with crackers or chips!

 

~Karla

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Kale Yogurt Dip

Crunchy veggies, crackers, chips etc. always taste more delicious when accompanied with a creamy spread or dip. Some of my favorites are warm delicious spinach-artichoke dip, and a creamy garlic, egg and cheese dip. But a creamy dip doesn’t necessarily mean you have to use cheese, mayonnaise or other sometimes unhealthy fats. A great example of that is hummus - with a chickpea base, it is rich in protein, and there are a lot of flavor combinations to choose from. Another low fat but creamy ingredient is yogurt. Indian food is often accompanied by yogurt salad, and the same can take the form of a dip based on the ingredients and consistency of the yogurt. For this particular recipe I used kale, carrots and corn - simply because that’s what I had in my refrigerator at the time. You could use any greens and other vegetables that have a low water content. It’s best to use thick yogurt since the addition of vegetables could make it a bit thinner over time as they release moisture. This dip can be served with crudités, pita bread, crackers or tortilla chips. It also works great as a spread for sandwiches or wraps, or as a yogurt salad on it’s own.

Ingredients:

1 cup finely chopped kale leaves

¼ cup finely chopped/grated carrot

¼ cup steamed corn kernels

2 Tbsp finely chopped pecans (or other nuts)

1.5 - 2 cups thick yogurt (can use low fat as long as it is not runny)

2 tsp garlic powder

Salt

Ground black pepper

Honey (optional)

Mix the veggies and nuts with the yogurt. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder and adjust the seasoning to taste.

If kale is not your favorite leafy vegetable, you could use spinach or some other greens. You could also add some honey to cut the bitterness of the kale.

Chill until ready to serve.

~Gayatri

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Posted by The Cooks of Cake and Kindness on Friday, April 8, 2016

Goat Cheese Marinara Dip

Cold days call for warm comforting snacks. A hot cup of soup, colorful warm spinach salad, delicious roasted potatoes are just a few of the many quick and simple options. Another tasty snack is warm toasted garlic bread with marinara sauce for dipping. If you’re feeling especially chef-y, here’s a way to kick it up a notch with some melty delicious soft goat cheese in every bite!

Ingredients:

Your favorite Marinara sauce (See note below for a quick & easy recipe)

Soft goat cheese (I used herb goat cheese)

Quantities to be adjusted as per your liking - if you’d like to make the dip reallllly cheesy, use a shallow baking dish so you can add a lot of goat cheese slices on top to get a better goat cheese-to-marinara ratio.

Pour marinara sauce in an oven proof bowl/dish. Slice the goat cheese about ¼ inch thick, and place the slices on the sauce. Broil on low in the oven until sauce is bubbly and cheese is golden brown on top. This only takes a few minutes, so watch closely! Serve hot with some crusty toasted bread (garlic bread for more deliciousness!) to scoop up the delectable goat cheese and marinara sauce.

~Gayatri

Note:

Quick homemade marinara sauce - Heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat. Add ¼ cup chopped onion and 2-4 minced garlic cloves. Saute until onions are translucent, then add 1 can of crushed tomatoes. Season with salt, black pepper, red chili flakes (optional), and add about 1 tsp each of dried basil and oregano (or use chopped fresh herbs). Let it come to a boil and take off the heat.

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Posted by The Cooks of Cake and Kindness on Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Garlicky Egg and Cheese Dip

Whenever I’m visiting someone and they serve something I really like, I try to learn how to make it. This dip is one of those recipes from Pani Natalya (Pani  is an Ukrainian honorific for women), whom I’ve had the pleasure to visit with a couple times at Purdue. True to the incredible Ukrainian hospitality, she always has a delicious fare laid out for her guests. One of her dishes that I really enjoyed was an egg and cheese dip which has been in her family for years. The first time I had it, it was served on roasted eggplant slices topped with tomato slices. A fantastic appetizer! Another time we had the dip with crackers and veggies, and it was equally delicious. She was kind enough to pack some for me to take home and also told me how to make it. In the recipe below, I’ve made one minor change - replaced mayonnaise with sour cream. It doesn’t turn out as creamy with just sour cream, so I did add a little bit of mayonnaise. Still tastes great if you leave it out, so feel free to adjust the sour cream/mayonnaise ratio to your liking.

Ingredients

2 eggs - hard boiled and finely chopped

3-4 cloves of garlic

1-1½ cups shredded cheese - 5 cheese Italian blend (or other cheese of your choice)

1-1½ cups sour cream (or mayonnaise)

~¼ cup mayonnaise (optional - use if you like the dip very creamy)

½ - 1 Tbsp chopped dill (or other herbs) - optional

Crush the garlic cloves (preferably in a garlic press). Fine mincing would work, but crushing helps release the juices which make this dip so garlicky.

Mix the eggs, garlic, cheese in a bowl. Add the sour cream/mayonnaise and mix. Adjust quantity till you get the consistency and creaminess that you want. Mix in chopped herbs if using. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serving suggestions

This dip tastes great with crackers or crunchy vegetables like carrots, sweet peppers, broccoli, celery or other crudites.

If you have time and want to make a fancier appetizer or side, you can serve it with roasted eggplant and tomatoes. I had baby eggplants and cherry tomatoes on hand, so I pan roasted the eggplant slices, sprinkled a little bit of salt, added half a cherry tomato on each piece and a small dollop of the dip; sprinkled with crushed black pepper and chopped parsley for a colorful vibrant bite sized snack.

~Gayatri


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Posted by The Cooks of Cake and Kindness on Friday, July 31, 2015