Pea Avocado Dip not totally unlike Guacamole

My sister posted these cute cranberry heart shaped cookies today. I couldn't let her one up me, so I decided to actually get this post done. What's that you say? Heart shaped cookies beat veggie guacamole any day. Well this is true. Next time...

This is an Everyday Foods recipe. I'm not sure what the original title was, but I'm sure it had guacamole in it. My Texas brother in law says it is good, but you shouldn't call it guacamole. It is good. But it is not guacamole. If you expect it to be guacamole, you won't like it. I agree. The taste is reminiscent of guacamole mixed with a fresh taste that comes from the peas. This recipe is good if you are trying to get a few extra veggies into your diet. It is also good if it is the time of year that avocados are quite expensive. I'm not one of those cooks that routinely hides veggies in food. I don't put spinach in my brownies and tell you it tastes the same. I've never tried it, but I"m pretty sure spinach brownies do not taste "just like regular brownies". This recipe is good in it's own right.

I suggest reading the recipe correctly. I chopped 2 jalapenos before I realized that the recipe called for 2 teaspoons. I hadn't mixed yet and could still pick out the excess. Good thing, because it would have been spi-cay.

PEA AVOCADO DIP NOT TOTALLY UNLIKE GUACAMOLE

yield 2 c

INGREDIENTS

1 package (10oz) frozen peas, thawed

1 ripe avocado

1/3 c cilantro

1/4 c minced red onion

2 T lime juice

2 tsp minced jalapeno chili

coarse salt

1. In a food processor, puree peas until smooth. In a medium bowl, coarsely mash avocado. Stir in cilantro, onion, lime juice, jalapeno, salt and purred peas. To store, place a piece of plastic directly on the guacamole, refrigerate overnight.

cilantro chutney

You know how you go to an Indian restaurant and they bring you bread (usually naan) with three dips. You eat all of them, but you mostly eat the green dip. Well, this is my sister Kristy's recipe for cilantro chutney (the green one). Since it is all pureed anyway, you can feel free to use the cilantro stems. It saves time. I also made naan on the grill. It was one part horrible, one part awesome, one part burned. If I decide to perfect the recipe for grilled naan and actually do manage to get it perfected, I'll post it.

Cilantro Chutney

1 cup fresh cilantro sprigs

1 to 2 jalapeño chilies, seeded and coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons well-stirred plain yogurt (preferably whole-milk, but 1% fat yogurt is still fine)

Purée the cilantro in a blender with jalapeño(s), water, brown sugar, lime juice, and salt. Transfer to a bowl and stir in yogurt. The chutney may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring
to room temperature before serving.

Ruben Dip

This recipe was a hit. It's a Ruben, but in dip form. What's not to like. You can pretend that the yogurt dressing makes it into health food too. It doesn't really, but it does cut out some fat. If you like, you can make half a recipe. Cut the loaf of bread in half. Slice a bit off the bottom so it will set flat (pictured). Go Vikings! (Caution: The Vikings have lost both times I made this. This recipe might be a jinx.)

RUBEN DIP

INGREDIENTS

2 recipes yogurt thousand island dressing

1 8-oz container pastrami, chopped (about 1 1/2 c)

3/4 c grated Swiss cheese + and extra 1/4 c grated Swiss

1 c sauerkraut with the water squeezed out

A round loaf of pumpernickel bread

Preheat oven to 350. Combine the thousand island, pastrami, 3/4 c of the grated Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut. Cut the loaf of pumpernickel into a bread bowl. Cut the extra bread into cubes. Fill the bread bowl with the Ruben dip mixture. Bake 30 minutes. Top the Ruben dip with the extra 1/4 c Swiss cheese. Return bread bowl to the oven and place bread cubes in the oven. Bake an additional 10 minutes. Serve the bread cubes around the Ruben dip bread bowl.

Guacamole

I use my fresh salsa (previous post) to make guacamole. You may want to omit the salt. I'm going heavy on the salt these days.

GUACAMOLE

INGREDIENTS

2 small avocados

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp lime juice

1/4 c salsa

Mash the avocados, salt and lime juice together with a fork. Stir in the salsa (I use my fresh salsa).

Salsa

I've been making salsa for years. There used to be a green house in town that grew fresh tomatoes. It was so awesome. I had an endless supply of cheap, fresh, vine ripened tomatoes. I miss you green house. Recently I received a few tomatoes from my gardening aunt and uncle that I turned into salsa. I actually took the time to write down some amounts this time. Now people who want the recipe have actual amounts, instead of just a list of ingredients. You will still have to adjust for seasoning because each batch of salsa is different. I've found that if you think your salsa needs something, what it usually needs is salt. My second guess would be more cumin. The salsa will end up watery when made from fresh tomatoes. Your instinct is to drain off some of the "water". If you do that, it will just make more "water" within a half a day. I serve it with a slotted spoon and call it good. My salsa is not very hot. If you want it hotter, you can add the seeds and ribs of the hot pepper (jalapeno) or just add more. You could also add more Tabasco. Also, each jalapeno is unique. To get the same amount of heat sometimes it will take half a jalapeno, sometimes two jalapenos. You'll just have to use your best judgement.

SALSA

INGREDIENTS

3 tomatoes (3 cups), chopped

1 hot pepper, chopped 1 T + 1/2 tsp (mine was from the farmers market)

1 slice of onion, finely chopped onion 2 1/2 tsp

1 clove of garlic, pressed through a garlic press

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

a shot or two of Tabasco

a few grinds black pepper

hot sauce

1 T + 1/2 tsp cilantro, chopped

1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
1 1/2 T chopped fresh parsley

Combine all the ingredients.

Tzatziki

Tzatziki is the yogurt dill sauce served with Gyros. To drain the yogurt, place a sieve over a bowl. Line the sieve with cheese cloth or coffee filters or a paper towel. Put the yogurt in the lined sieve and cover it with plastic wrap. Put this in the refrigerator overnight. If that makes not sense, see my video. Serve tzatziki with pita chips or on gyros. You may also be interested in my post on homemade yogurt.

As an interesting aside, I prefer tzatziki to tahini on falafels. I've always wondered why tahini was traditional. Turns out falafels are a food traditionally eaten during lent when Greeks don't eat meat or animal products. Tahini, a sesame paste, could be eaten during lent and tzatziki made from dairy could not. This recipe is from "The frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines."

TZATZIKI

INGREDIENTS

32 oz container plain yogurt (not vanilla)

2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and grated coarse

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 T olive oil

2 T red-wine vinegar

1 T minced fresh dill

White pepper to taste

Let the yogurt drain in a very fine sieve set over a bowl, covered and chilled, overnight. Squeeze the cucumbers to remove as much of the excess liquid as possible. I wrap the grated cucumber in a clean tea towel and squeeze. In a bowl stir together the ingredients and salt to taste. Serve with bread or crackers. Makes 2 cups.

Hummus

Hummus is the bean dip you get at Greek restaurants. It is good as a dip for veggies or pita chips. It is also good as a vegetarian meat substitute in a veggie sandwich. Mashing the garlic and salt to a paste helps to distribute the garlic flavor throughout the Hummus. Tahini is a sesame seed butter made from sesame seeds in the same way that peanut butter is made from peanuts. Buy it from a place where you think they have good turnover because it can go rancid (like all things with nut oils). I'd look in the health food section of the supermarket or a heath food store. Tahini is the sauce usually served on a falafel. This recipe is from "The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines".

HUMMUS

INGREDIENTS

2 large garlic cloves, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/2 tsp salt

A 16 to 19 ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

1/3 cup well stirred tahini (sesame seed paste)

2 T lemon juice

2 T olive oil

1 tsp ground cumin

3 T water

3 T minced fresh parsley leaves

In a food processor blend together garlic paste, chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, oil, cumin, scraping down sides, until smooth. Add water, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste and pulse until just combined. Makes 2 cups.

Yogurt Chive Sauce

This sauce can be served as a dip to eat with tortilla chips or as a substitute for sour cream when served with Mexican food. This dip has the spice of the Tabasco and has the cooling effect of yogurt in the same bite. You may be interested in my post on homemade yogurt. This recipe comes from the "Mayo Clinic/Williams Senoma Cookbook'.

YOGURT CHIVE SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ cups plain yogurt (not vanilla)

¼ c chopped fresh chives

Tabasco to taste

¼ tsp salt

Chopped cilantro (optional)

Mix ingredients and serve with Mexican food or as a dip.

Chinese Peanut Sauce

This isn't a Thai peanut sauce with fish sauce in it. That is the style of peanut sauce people either love or really hate. This style is more universal. To my knowledge, everyone I've served it to has liked it. You can serve it as a veggie dip (I'm not a fan), or as your sauce on stir fry, or on a cold noodle salad. I use jarred garlic and chili puree in place of the cayenne and garlic. I always have this on hand anyway. I add a dash to any stir fry to make it a hotter Szechuan style. It's sold in the Asian foods section of the supermarket. This recipe comes from the Moosewood cookbook.

CHINESE SPICY PEANUT SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

½ cup peanut butter (I use natural style, made of peanuts and salt)

½ c hot water

2 T soy sauce

2 tsp sugar

3 medium cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp cider vinegar

1-2 T fresh minced cilantro

cayenne to taste

(I omitted garlic and cayenne and used garlic and chili puree)

Whisk all ingredients except cayenne together in a small bowl until uniformly mixed. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Let come to room temp before serving.

Noodle salad with peanut sauce

INGREDIENTS (off the top of my head)

Whole wheat (or regular) spaghetti or ramen noodles

been sprouts

cucumber, peeled, split lengthwise and seeded, then sliced

radishes

pea pods

thinly sliced carrot sticks

celery

chopped peanuts

cilantro