Beet Skordalia + Variations: Greek Almond and Sweet Potato Dips

There is nothing better than a friend calling me up to come over, taste some amazing dip, dissect and recreate them ... oh yeah, and bring the kids and she will feed and watch them while I play in the kitchen with the ingredients that she bought. DREAM COME TRUE!

Needless to say, I wasted no time and was over the next day. She bought three skordalia dips from the farmers' market. They were super delicious but super expensive. We are all for supporting our local businesses but at one point we need to be practical and make things ourselves if we can. One dip original, one was beet and the other chipotle. They were all delicious! By the time I left her house I was so full from taste testing and adding a pinch of this and a dash of that, but it was worth it! We got all three dips down to what we thought was perfect.

I am currently on beet overload. I have pickled them, froze them, added them to my smoothies for breakfast, beet ice cream, beet cupcakes, we've had them for dinner for the past two weeks and have been living off of this dip during the day. I am about 32% beet as I type this!

I still equally the love the other flavors, but until I use some of these fresh garden beets I have, I won't be making the other flavors as much. If you've hung out with me in the past month, there's a good chance I've served this to you and many have asked for the recipe so I had to showcase the glorious beet!

I love harvest time! On a side note, my garden is doing terrible, but I am soaking up what my family and friends are sharing with me. Thank you everyone! I guess it's to be expected with a July baby ... it's not my fault (ha ha ha).

Beet Skordalia

Makes 2 cups

1 c blanched almonds
1 cup beets, chopped
1/2 c sweet potato, chopped
3/4 c olive oil
3 garlic cloves
1/4 c lemon juice
3 T basil
1/2 t salt

Preheat oven for 375 degrees F. Bake beets until they are soft. 

In a pot of boiling water, potatoes until they are soft. Drain.

In a food processor, add all ingredients together and puree until smooth. It should be the consistency of hummus. Enjoy!!!

Sorry, not pictures of these right now ... but enjoy them just the same. They are yum yum yum! Happy Harvest all!!

Plain Skordalia

1 c blancbed almonds
1/2 c sweet potatoes, chopped and cooked
1/4 c lemon juice
1/2 c olive oil
1 T basil
1/2 t salt
2 garlic cloves

Chipotle and Pepita Skordalia

1 c pepitas
1/2 c alomds
1/3 c sweet potatoes, shopped and cooked
2 T lemon juice
1/2 c olive oil
1 clove garlic
3/4 t salt
1/2 chipotle pepper, I use canned ... adjust according to your heat liking.

Vegan Fig and Cashew Dip

Figs are not one of those things that I normally buy. They are a nice treat that I have every now and again. Dates on the other hand, I eat all the time! But when your father-in-law asks to pick up some dates for you and picks up a gigantic Cosco bag of figs, you start eating more figs! They do look delicious, right?!

I made fig preserves twice, but have you ever had that urge for something creamy? I love creamy dips ... Okay, I love all dips but creamy ones are the best! We were doing a morning brew session (brewing a danky West Coast IPA) with some friends. I always have snacks as we brew, but we were starting at 9 am so my normal salty snacks didn't sound right. I decided to give the fig preserves an overhaul and make more of a dip out of them.

The dip went over as good as the beer! I served them with apples, pepper water crackers and some more dried fruit. It went great with our coffee stout!

Vegan Fig and Cashew Dip

Makes 1 1/2 cups

8 dried figs
6 oz cream cheese
1/2 c cashews
1 t minced ginger
1 T lemon juice
dash of salt

Place figs and cashews into a food processor and mix until they are finely chopped up. Then add remaining ingredients and mix until everything is well incorporated and smooth.

Top with fresh chives ... it's pretty and adds and extra savory flavor to it!

Don't forget to try my fig preserves too!

Chicotta! Vegan Ricotta Cheese (Dairy, Soy and Nut-Free)

A while back I made a spinach artichoke hummus for a party. It was very tasty, but in typical Ashley form, I made way too many appetizers for the party and I had a lot leftover... such a problem, right?! My mom always said, there's nothing that kills a party faster than running out of food or beer and you always have to listen to your mother!

That week after the party, I was turning all of the leftover dips into dinner entrees. I used the spinach artichoke hummus for a lasagna roll-up and poured marinara on top. It went over really well in the house and I kept telling myself that I need to do that again. Fast forward two months, my friend brings over a delicious lasagna this weekend and I've been devouring it since. You'd think I had my fill but I wanted more lasagna.

I wanted to see if I could just make a more simple ricotta blend like the hummus I used but a little lighter and fluffier (if that makes sense). As you may know, I try to  limit our soy intake so I didn't want to use any tofu. I have read a lot of vegan ricotta recipes that use cashews too. Well truth be told, I'm lazy and unorganized! Soaking the cashews for hours and remembering to do it the night before just isn't ideal for me. Also, it's just a personal preference, but I don't love the sweetness that cashews give to vegan cheeses (hence the potato and carrot Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce). So instead of cashews and remembering my hummus, I added a lot of artichokes to give it a salty yet fluffy texture than just hummus. And there you have it ... Dairy-Free, Nut-Free and Soy-Free Chickpea Ricotta ... Chicotta!

It worked out great in a lasagna, it tastes great as a dip and I even put it in a creamy pasta bake. Feel free to add some frozen spinach too ... get creative and have fun.

Vegan Ricotta

Makes 2 cups

1-15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 garlic clove
1/3 c olive oil
1/3 c nutritional yeast
1 T tahini
1 1/2 T lemon
1/2 t salt
1-15 oz can artichokes, drained and rinsed

In your food processor, mix everything except the artichokes until it is nice and smooth. Add olive oil if you need a smoother texture. Next, add in the artichokes and give it a few good turns. I do it so that there is still little tiny pieces of artichoke but nothing big.

Now, it's ready to use in your favorite lasagna, pasta bake or just pull out some chips and carrots and enjoy it as a dip!

Vegan Thai Meatballs with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Can everything in life be easy? Seriously though! I feel like life has been a lot of work these days ... and by life, I mean feeding a family of six and try to have everyone happy (at least content) about dinner. Sounds impossible right? Yup, it is.

Then, like a full moon, a recipe comes along (in my case, usually by accident) that everyone loves dinner and it was super easy to make and even more importantly, to clean up!

To make a short story long, that is how Vegan Thai Meatballs came into our lives. The kids were getting whinny and I realized that dinner was just a short 20 minutes away and I had nothing prepped and no idea what I was making. I turned the oven on, grabbed a can of beans and then stared at an empty fridge. I hardly had any vegetables or anything fresh ... just a little bit of leftover chopped cilantro and asparagus. Ugh!

I went back to the pantry, grabbed the peanut butter and panko and figured I might as well make a burger. I quickly threw everything into a food processor, said a little prayer and braced myself for the crying that was sure to come when they realized they did not want to try new food.

Much to mine and Paul's surprise, they all loved it. I mean seriously ... it's peanut butter, which they love but is more reason for them to pretend they don't! Paul then asked, "What did you put in these?" That's when the real panic set in. I was in such a rush, I had no idea what the complete list of ingredients was, let alone amounts.

I made them the following week (of course, the kids didn't love them as much as the first time because, c'mon, they're kids!), but Paul and I still loved them and they were even better once I payed attention to what I was doing. Even though the kids go back and forth if they like these or not, I love how amazingly easy they are to make and how many meatballs it makes for the time I don't have to put into dinner. Leftovers are always great in my house!

Vegan Thai Meatballs

Makes about 24

1 15-oz c chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 c peanut butter
1/4 c tamari or Mrs. Braggs Amino Acids
1/4 cup cilantro
1 garlic clove
1 t minced ginger
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 c peanuts, roasted and salted
1/4 c chives, chopped
1/2 c panko (regular or gluten free)

Spicy Peanut Sauce
1/3 c peanut butter
1/3 c tamari or Mrs. Braggs Amino Acids
2 T organic, unrefined coconut oil (add more oil if you want a thinner dip)
dash of red pepper flakes ... add to your spicy liking

Preheat oven for 375º.

Mix all meatball ingredients in your food processor until the mixture is relatively smooth. Form into meatballs.

Place on a sprayed pan and bake for 15 minutes.

While they cooking, mix the spicy peanut sauce ingredients in a bowl or on a stovetop .

Once meatballs are done ... enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper Baba Ganoush

Contrary to popular belief, I haven't given up on PractiGanic! This summer has just been too much fun with the kids, my Etsy Store has been taking off, I've accomplished another triathlon and working on strengthening my yoga practice that they computer has taken a back seat (can you blame me?!). Hopefully now with two in school and only two at home ... Francesca is already 6 months and the coolest baby ... I should be able to start tackling my laundry list of blog posts that I have been backlogging. So, without further ado, my new dip love ... Roasted Red Pepper Baba Ganoush!

I will be the first one to tell you that I don't like eggplant. Okay, so maybe not entirely true ... you know how I always tell you that "it's impossible to dislike a vegetable, you just haven't had it prepared the way you like it yet?" Well, the way I like eggplant is breaded, deep-fried and smothered in cheese. Let's just say, I usually only eat eggplant once a year! However, I still buy it at least 4 times a year making different things and telling myself, "This is it ... Get ready to love eggplant!" Time after time, the eggplant gets choked down and I am sad about dinner and vow not to buy eggplant again.

Old habits die hard. I was at the farmers market and there is the most beautiful stand off eggplant, miniature eggplant, Japanese eggplant, striped, white, purple ... they had it all! I couldn't help myself and I had to buy one. When I got home, I stared at my lone purple eggplant thinking, "Now what am I going to do?!" In my experience, I have learned that if I have to hide a vegetable in a meal, put it in a dip or a burger. I had a party in two days so I decided to go for the dip. A simple baba ganoush but I had to give it a twist in order for this to hopefully be a winner. I decided to try a roasted red pepper baba ganoush (seriously, isn't it the best word to say??). I added my favorite seasonings in the whole world ... paprika and coriander, crossed my fingers and pureed that eggplant and you know what? IT WORKED!

With every visit to the farmers market, I am now buying eggplant! The whole family is digging in too (even Francesca is loving her newest 'baby food') It's lighter than hummus, but just as flavorful ... and, no oil needed! I finally found the way that I can enjoy eggplant and still be healthy!

Roasted Red Pepper Baba Ganoush

Makes 2 cups

1 large eggplant
1 red pepper
2 garlic cloves
2 T tahini
2 T lemon juice
1/2 t paprika (smoked or regular)
1/2 t coriander
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Cut eggplant into quarters and deseed the red pepper. Lay them down on a sheet tray with their skins up. Broil for about 5 minutes or until skins on pepper are blackened and the eggplant is shriveled. Let them cool and the skins will peel right off.

Add all ingredients into your blender and puree until smooth. Enjoy!

Easy Vegan Nacho Cheese Dip (Nut-Free and Soy-Free)

So, I have a confession. I was slowly poisoning my husband! Seriously, this is real life and not some Lifetime movie!

At the end of my pregnancy, I was getting really lazy with my cooking and when I get lazy, I turn to cheese meals. It's quick, easy and my pregnant self love it! However, Paul being slightly lactose intolerant (he can have cheese but the milk and cream make his tummy turn), could not handle all the cheese. For about three weeks, we couldn't figure it out. We thought he gained a gluten intolerance, we thought he had eczema, our heads were spinning! We were trying tons of different things. Then it dawned on me, we had been eating an extreme amount of cheese and I hadn't been making him salads for his lunch. This meant he was eating leftover cheese dinners for lunch. I was poisoning him!

So, we went dairy free and after three days he was back to normal. Phew! After about two weeks, I slowly added a little cheese back in and he was back to normal. This little ordeal got me back in love with my vegan cooking ... especially on Mexican nights!

I have been making vegan nacho cheese dip for over a year. Sometimes I would add cashews and sometimes tofu. Hands-down, this is the best and easiest way to make it. It's so easy! I (almost) always have all the ingredients on hand and it only takes about 15 minutes to put together. What else can a girl as for. Instant, healthy, easy nacho cheese dip ... and without poisoning anyone! Now, I have been making double batches because I have been putting it on just about anything I can. It's a great bonus too because as I'm trying to get back in shape, post-baby, it's a quick and filling snack that I love munching on.

Vegan Nacho Cheese Dip (Nut-Free and Soy-Free)

Makes 1 1/2 cups

1 c diced potatoes (unpeeled)
1/2 c diced carrots

2 t jarred jalapeños, diced
2 t juice from jalapeños
1/4 c nutritional yeast
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 t salt
1/2 t garlic
1/2 t onion powder

Bring a pot of water to boil. Cook potatoes and carrots until they are tender. Drain when done.

In a bowl, put all the ingredients. With your immersion blender, mix until smooth.

Serve right away or refrigerate. When you are ready to warm it up, keep it covered while you warm in the oven. Enjoy!

No Fail Festival Falafel with Lemony Tahini Sauce

Let's just say falafel has been my nemesis in the kitchen for the last 10 years ... 10 years ago is when I first had falafel! We were at a music festival in Tennessee and it was quite possibly the best thing ever! Some guy was selling them, 'fresh' out of is trunk. If you've ever been to a big music festival, this is completely normal! At first I thought it was so good because I was super hungry and didn't think much of it. When we got back home and saw it on a menu, I didn't ignore it like I had in the past ... I ordered it and it was delicious (but still not as good as at the fest!).

Since that monumentous occasion, I have had countless types of falafel and even made too many batches to count. However, in the past three years I have completely given up my goal to make a good falafel. Every time I made them at home, the consistency was all wrong, the flavor was subpar and they would usually fall apart. I finally decided, this is one thing to leave to the pros and quit trying. I know I always say, try try again ... but, as far as I could tell, the relationship with falafel and my kitchen was over.

Last month, we were out to eat with our cousin and he mentioned that he made falafel the night before and it was delicious. After rolling my eyes I told him about how I was physically incapable of making it. Then, he introduced me to the secret ... dried chickpeas and frying. As I quickly went back in my memory, I truly believe I had always used canned chickpeas. This may be the reason that they were too wet or crumbling apart. That, and the fact that always tried baking them. I am not a big fan of frying, but when it comes to the crispy outside and the moist inside, there is just no way around it.

With those two points, I had to try to make them again. I pulled out a couple different falafel recipes I had played with in the past and put together a new recipe with my 'new method'. Needless to say, I was not excited and even had a back-up dinner planned in my head when this failed. To my complete surprise, they worked! The flavor was still a little subpar, but the actual falafel was crispy on the out and soft and moist on the inside. I was ecstatic! The whole family loved them even though the seasoning wasn't the greatest. How on earth do I payback my cousin for giving me the secrets of falafel success?!

I was so excited that I made them again just a few days later to play around with the spices. After a few more 'spice' attempts, I have finally found my festival falafel! The only difference from the festival was I make mine with a yummy tahini lemon sauce which in my eyes falafel should not live without. Still, with every bite I take, it brings me back to seeing Tom Petty, Radiohead, Phil Lesh and Friends, The Cat Empire, G. Love, Beck and so many other amazing acts that we saw that weekend. Thank you, falafel ... food truly is nostalgic!

No Fail Festival Falafel

Makes about 25 balls

1 c chickpeas, dried
3/4 c onion, chopped
1/2 c quinoa flour, AP flour can be substituted
1/2 c cilantro, chopped
1/4 c parsley, chopped
1 T lemon
1 1/2 t cumin
1 1/2 t coriander
1 1/2 t garlic
1 1/2 t salt
1 t paprika
1 1 pepper
1/2 t baking soda

organic canola oil for frying
veggies for serving with. I like cucumbers, tomatoes and fresh greens.
Pita bread or some other wrap

In a bowl, place your chickpeas in water. Let them soak overnight. Make sure you have a lot of water in the bowl so that they can really hydrate!

In a high-speed blender, Vitamix or food processor, blend all ingredients until everything is well incorporated. Place mixture in the refrigerator for an hour or two to firm up (it is a wet mixture).

When you're ready to cook your falafel, heat two inches of oil in a pot. I like to use a smaller pot so that I'm not wasting a lot of oil. When the oil is hot enough, start scooping out 1 1/2 inch balls out and placing them in the oil. I let mine go for 3-4 minutes and then roll them around to the other side to make sure all sides are done. If you use a ton of oil, you shouldn't have to flip them. Place them on a paper towel to soak up any extra oil.

On your pita bread, wrap or greens ... place a couple of the falafel balls as well as the tomatoes and cucumber. Top with some lemony tahini sauce and enjoy!

Lemony Tahini Sauce

Makes 1 1/2 cups

3/4 c tahini
1/2 c grapeseed oil (olive oil works)
1 big juicy lemon, juiced ... use two if you don't have a juice one!
4 t tamari
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T cilantro, chopped
1 T parsley, chopped
3/4 t paprika

Mix all ingredients together. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Roasted Parsnip and Horseradish Dip

This past two weeks I got some great parsnips from my CSA. I have made soup, I have done fries. I really wanted a dip to snack on. I did a quick google search for parsnip dip and all I could find was parsnip hummus. Sounded good, but a bit flat for my tastebuds that day. Hmmm ... what could I put in my parsnip dip to really tantalize my tastebuds ... horseradish!

Lately, I have had a serious horseradish obsession. I will base an entire meal simply around horseradish being the main flavor. All of my sandwiches have vegenaise and horseradish on them. All of my dips are cheesy horseradish or mustard, dill and horseradish. I have even done horseradish for my pizza sauce (amazing with a little lemony roasted eggplant and pine nuts by the way). There are no limits to what I won't do with a little horseradish... well, I haven't had it with chocolate and ice cream yet, but I'm sure that idea is out there! Until then, parsnips and horseradish make a perfect pairing in my book!

The most painful thing about this dip is it was exactly what I wanted, but it was the last of my parsnips. I really wanted to take a picture so I could share the recipe with you guys, but Paul and I really really really wanted to eat it! So, what happened? Bad, dark pictures, Paul and I got to devour the dip and you get the share in the fun of my recipe creation. I hope you like it as much as we did and sorry for the bad pictures!

And if any of you have a secret horseradish recipe up your sleeve ... please, share it!

Roasted Parsnip and Horseradish Dip

Makes 1 cup

1 lb parsnips
1/2 T olive oil

1/4 c olive oil
1 T prepared horseradish
2 t tahini
2 t lemon juice
1 t garlic powder
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Preheat oven for 415º.

Peel and trim parsnips. Cut into 1 inch pieces so they are all about the same size. Toss. with the first listed olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes or until nicely browned.

In a bowl, add all ingredients. Puree with your hand blender or use a food processor if needed. Add more olive oil to get the consistency that you like. Also, add more horseradish if you want it a little spicier. From brand to brand, it's hard to tell the 'heat' of the horseradish that you're going to get!

Serve right away if you like it a little warm or refrigerate until cooled and serve.

Hot or Cold Vegetarian Crab Dip

I'm not a big fan of food labels. People always ask me what I am. I don't think many people eat by strong boundaries, unless of course if they have allergies or beliefs. For example, I am a vegetarian but have many vegan-tendencies ... I don't use cow's milk or regular mayonnaise, but will eat eggs, cheese and yogurt. I'm not gluten free but I try to use a lot of alternative flours in meals and baking. I think many people have those few exceptions in their life too. I like to consider myself a moderation eater (except no meat or fish), but even more importantly, I am a dipper. Anything that I can dip is a bonus in my book!

Labeling recipes can be so hard for me because almost in all situations, it only takes one substitution for it to go from vegetarian to vegan, gluten-filled to gluten-free, nut-filled or nut-free, dairy filled to dairy-free ... I think you get the idea. This is one of those recipes. A friend and I were recently talking about crab dips. she just had a really good one at a friends house and she felt bad for me since it's been so long since I've had crab dip. This quickly lead to the substitutions conversation about how easy it is to make any recipe fit your diet with a little bit of research.

For instance, I've seen a lot of recipes for jackfruit barbecue instead of using meat. I've always wanted to try one, but I just love my lentil barbecue so much I can't seem to pull the trigger. Since I am a dipper, I was ready to jump on this opportunity a lot faster than the barbecue (even though I use my barbecue as a dip too!). We did I quick google search and saw that a lot of people have used hearts of palm for a seafood substitution. To be honest, I've never used hearts of palm so I was pretty excited to try it. I've always seen it, usually by the artichokes in the grocery store so I knew it wasn't going to be hard or rare ingredient to find.

The hardest part of making this recipe was not hiding the hearts of palm. I wanted to showcase the vegetable amongst everything else I was adding to it. After trying a few different things out, I learned that the size of the hearts of palm was the deal breaker. Don't chop them too small, they should be, at the very least, twice the size as anything else so the texture really shines through. The first time I served this to people they were surprised and asked when we started eating fish again ... and this came from the biggest fisherman that I know! I knew I hit a home run.

Again, with this recipe, simply use vegenaise, vegan cream cheese and vegetarian worsteshire sauce and it's vegan! Now, the only thing that I have a hard time deciding is if this should be served hot or cold! Both ways are both so good so I have been doing hot dip on cold days and cold dip on hot days.

Next attempt ... a smoked 'fish' dip! If this worked out so good, I'm interested in using hearts of palm a bit more. Look for that recipe soon.

Vegetarian Crab Dip

Makes 2 cups

14 oz can hearts of palm, large chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c green onions, chopped
1/4 c red bell pepper, diced
2 oz diced pimiento, drained
8 oz cream cheese, softened (regular or vegan)
1/4 c vegenaise
1/4 red onion, chopped
1 T lemon juice
1/2 t worsteshire sauce
1/4 t paprika
1/4 t oregano
1/4 t onion powder
1/4 t garlic powder
dash cayenne pepper
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Heat a little oil in a pan. Cook the hearts of palm and garlic until hearts of palm are nicely browned on all sides.

In a bowl, add all ingredients and mix well.

Serve right away if you would like or refrigerate until ready. If you want a hot crab dip, preheat oven for 350º and bake for 15 minutes or until heated through (time may vary depending on serving dish).

Veggie Coconut Curry Sauce

I think I have said this about every curry meal that I have ever made ... 'Why don't I have more curry in my life?!' Every time I make it, I miss it. I guess that's a good thing. It always keeps me wanting more.

I also often talk about sneaking food in my kids meals. Truth be told, there are a lot of adults in my life that I have to sneak vegetables into their meals too! For instance, I always love when people tell me that they don't like onions. I simply replace the onions with leeks. I am not lying to them that onions are not in their meal! The flavor the the leeks is onion-like but so much calmer, especially when you caramelize them. I always get told, 'wow, these ... what do you call them again, leeks? They are great.' I smile, say thank you and have an evil chuckle on the inside, because I know they probably don't really hate onions as much as they say they do. I do caution you though, this doesn't work in all situations. Sometimes I have had people eating around the leeks too. Then, I chuckle to myself watching adults pick around their food like my four year old. Sorry to all of you pickers out there!

I saw a great recipe from the Minimilist Baker for a Coconut Curry. It is an amazing looking recipe, but I was making dinner for people and I knew the sight of these vegetables would send them running. I decided to use her idea, but turn it into a sauce to serve over quinoa, sautéed mushrooms and kale ... the few vegetables that I knew would be okay with my guests. They had no idea that they were eating onions, broccoli and onions!

The flavor and consistency was spot on. A little spice and a ton of flavor coming though!! I was also happy about the amount that it made with so little effort. Always a bonus in my book. I now have made this recipe a couple times for just Paul and I (a little too much heat for my kids right now) and I have frozen the leftovers for another day. I use about 1 cup for our two meals.

Another option, instead of freezing the leftovers, is to add some cream cheese for a tasty appetizer dip!

Yeah! I finally found an easy way to get more curry in my life! If you need a little more curry too, don't forget to try my Roasted Vegetable Coconut Curry Quinoa!

Veggie Coconut Curry Sauce

Makes 2 cups

1 T coconut oil
3 garlic cloves
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 c broccoli florets, chopped
1-15 oz can coconut milk
1 cup vegetable stock
1 T curry powder
1 t lemongrass, dried
1 t turmeric powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
a dash of cayenne if you need a little more heat!

In a pot, heat up the coconut oil. Add in garlic and onions and cook for 4-5 minutes until onions are translucent. Next, add in all of your remaining ingredients. Cook over a medium heat for 15-30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.

Using an immersion blender, blend until all the vegetables are puréed. I cook for another 10 minutes just to let the flavors come together a bit more.

Serve over your favorite vegetables and grains.

It even makes a great dipping sauce! If you want a thicker dip for an appetizer, add cream cheese (vegan or regular) to get the thickness that you want. Serve with raw veggies.

Garlicky Kale and Avocado Dip

This past Sunday I didn't really feel like making a meal. I just wanted to snack. The problem was, I didn't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. It was sunny, 75º and a slight breeze ... gorgeous! I had two avocados, but we already had guacamole twice in the past 4 days. Usually never a problem for Paul and I, but I wanted something different.

I had some great garlic bulbs from our CSA so I decided to make Avocado Garlic Cream Sauce, but just make it more of a dip and less of a sauce. I checked on the family, as they were in the back yard enjoying their shenanigans in the hammock and I saw the kale. Perfect! That will make it more of a dip. Since I didn't want to have the oven going for awhile roasting a garlic bulb, I simply cooked it with the kale.

The outcome was amazing. A little too amazing. I ate almost the whole thing, sharing a touch with Paul, and didn't want to eat anything else I made that day because I was too full! Oh well, my taste buds were happy.

Garlicky Kale and Avocado Dip

Makes 1 1/2 cup

1 T olive oil
2 avocados
5 stalks of kale
2-3 garlic cloves, depending on your garlic likeness, minced
1/2 t lemon juice
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Remove stems and chop kale into smaller pieces. Heat up olive oil in a pan and add the garlic and cook for a minute until it starts to brown. Add in kale and cook until it is nicely wilted.

Add all ingredients into your food processor and puree until smooth. Serve immediately or cover tightly and put in the refrigerator until ready.

Garden Fresh Chimichurri Sauce

I'm in food love. The end of last summer, my sister-in-law made the most unbelievable chimichurri sauce. I was dipping everything that I could find in it! Not only was it completely delicious, but she used mint. I don't know about you, but my mint plant is out of control every year and every year I'm trying to find things to do with it besides drinks. The problem is, I don't love mint that much!  Almost every time we got together, she had a batch of this sauce. Maybe mint is starting to grow on me ...

I always like putting a little chopped mint on my fruit salads. I love the little extra flavor that it gives the fruit. Recently, I hosted a baby shower and made a fruit salad. The mint in the garden is just starting to sprout so I sadly had to buy some. For me, mint is the hardest thing to buy because for six months out of the year, I can't seem to get rid of it!

After my salad, I still had plenty left in the container. After about 10 minutes of complaining that I just spent money on mint, I remembered my sister's chimichurri sauce. Any annoyance that I was carrying around was quickly whisked away as I rushed for the fridge to see what other herbs I had. I wanted to call her for the ingredients, but she was on her tropical honeymoon ... didn't think she'd want me to call her for this, but I couldn't wait. I would have to figure it out on my own.

I remembered that she used mint, parsley, cilantro, garlic and a little crushed red pepper and I went from there. I did use a little veggie broth instead of straight oil which many recipes use. Feel free to play around with the ratio that works for you. It was strictly personal preference not to do a 100% oil sauce. This was such a fun recipe to make. I was full by the time I got done making it. I couldn't stop myself from taste testing for salt and spices!

Garden Fresh Chimichurri Sauce

Makes 1 1/4 cups

1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, packed
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, packed
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, packed
4 cloves garlic
1 T fresh oregano leaves, packed (1 teaspoon of dried)
2/3 c extra virgin olive oil
1/3 c veggie broth
2 T lemon juice
1 T red wine vinegar
1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Put all ingredients in your food processor or high speed blender and mix until it is a nice sauce with no chunks.

I have been putting this on EVERYTHING! Below is it pictured with some black bean and sweet potato empanadas but the house favorite has been putting it over Walnut Meatballs! I've used it as dressings on my salads and dipping my vegetables in. This chimichurri sauce is so versatile you can seriously use it for anything. I am so excited for my herbs to start growing because I'm pretty sure you will find this sauce in my refrigerator all summer long!