SUPER BOWL BREAKFAST - BEAN QUESO DIP

Okay so maybe BRUNCH!!!! It's the Super Bowl...seriously....no eggs and bacon here...You have to go for it...start with a nice dip...any dip....and a beer with your GB cheesehead hat or your PS towel....

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
2 shallots minced
5 garlic cloves minced
1/3 cup flour
2 cups milk
16 oz shredded cheddar cheese (or more)
2 (15 oz) cans black beans rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz) can Herdez Mexican salsa
1/4 tsp red pepper flake (or more)

Melt butter in a sauce pan and add garlic and shallot. Saute for about 8 minutes. Add the flour to incorporate. Add milk and cook until sauce thickens. Add cheese and stir until it melts. Add the remaining ingredients and heat through. Serve with tortilla chips.

SUPER BOWL!
ENJOY!

NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY - EGGPLANT AND BEAN DIP

Party Time Again!!!!!!
This is a luscious dip that just says party and elegance. You can make it a couple hours ahead and just keep it covered until you are ready to serve.

New Year's Eve is all about easy dishes that bring your menu up a notch and leaves plenty of time for you to visit with guests...get your resolutions in order and count down to next year!

Ingredients:

1-1/2 lb small eggplant and cut in half lengthwise
1 cup canned cannellini beans drained and rinsed
5 tbs olive oil and a bit more for the pan
2 anchovy fillets
2 cloves garlic
3 tbl fresh lemon juice
1 tbl fresh mint chopped and a few sprigs for garnish
2 tsp fresh chopped oregano
2 tbl toasted pine nuts
salt
pepper
toasted pita or tortilla chips


Preheat oven to broil and place rack about 4 inches from element

Foil a baking sheet and lightly grease with olive oil. Rub the eggplant with 2 tbl olive oil and dust skin side with salt and pepper and place on the baking sheet flesh side down. Broil until skin is charred and flesh is tender about 20-20 minutes. Set aside to cool.

On a cutting board, mash anchovies and chopped garlic into a paste. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Add this to a food processor with the beans, 2 tbl olive oil and 1 tbl water. Puree until smooth.

Scrape the eggplant flesh from the skin and add the flesh, fresh lemon juice, mint and oregano to the food processor and pulse briefly until chunky and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.

Serve with toasted pine nuts and mint sprigs for garnish and pita/tortilla chips.

Elegant!
ENJOY!

WHITE BEAN AND EGGPLANT DIP

So many bean dips lack any true flavor to me..this one adds eggplant but also pine nuts, mint and oregano to really "kick it up a notch". You can serve with sliced crusty baguettes, toasted flour tortillas or pita chips. Again, very easy and quick to make and it makes for a very elegant starter!

Ingredients:
2-3 small eggplants, cut in half lengthwise (about 1-1/2 lb)
2 anchovy fillets (yes you can opt out of this ingredient)
1 garlic clove
1 cup cannellini beans drained and rinsed
2 tbl toasted pine nuts
6 tbl olive oil
3 tbl fresh lemon juice
1 tbl fresh mint chopped and a few pieces for garnish
2 tsp fresh chopped oregano
salt
pepper

On a foil lined baking sheet greased with a little olive oil, toss eggplant with 2 tbl olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Broil until the skin is charred and eggplant is tender about 20-30 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Mash the anchovy fillets with a knife to make a paste and chop garlic and season with salt and pepper....more salt if you are avoiding the anchovy.

Transfer the paste to a food processor and add beans, 2 tbl oil and 1 tbl water. Puree until smooth. Remove the skin of the eggplant and discard. Add the remaining eggplant flesh to the bean mixture with the lemon juice, mint and oregano. Pulse until it is slightly chunky. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with topping of toasted pine nuts and mint leaves.


Makes a meal for ME!
ENJOY!

ROASTED TOMATO SALSA

Salsa is great on so many foods...from anything Mexican to steak to egg frittatas! You can freeze this for 3-4 months or it lasts in the refrigerator for about a week. Salsa is very low in calories and can easily spice up your otherwise blander meals.

Ingredients:

1 lb ripe tomatoes

1 clove garlic

1/2 of a chipotle from a can in adobo sauce (more if you like)

1 tbl olive oil

2 tbl cilantro or italian parsley

1-1/2 tsp fresh lime juice

salt

Preheat broiler

Place tomatoes and garlic on a baking sheet and broil until they are charred on the outside about 5 minutes, turning once. After the tomatoes cool, peel the skin off and discard. In a blender puree tomatoes and their juice along with the garlic, chile and 1/2 tsp salt. It can be a little chunky. Heat olive oil in a pan and add puree. Simmer, stirring frequently until reduced to about a cup about 8-10 minutes. Let cool and add lime juice and cilantro or parsley and season with salt.

Super Easy!

ENJOY!

ELANA'S BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP

Today is a special day on Year of the Blog. We have a guest blogger! Since my mom is cooking away in the kitchen this morning I, Rachel am going to blog for her. One of my dearest friends, Elana and I are sitting in the York Beach Maine house trying to think of something to blog. For those of you who don't know... Elana and I met in Scotland when we studied abroad and just clicked right from day one. We had many amazing adventures and helped each other learn and grow so much throughout the whole experience. Elana is here this week with me in Maine and it is the first time we have seen each other since that trip almost 2 years ago...

So back to the food. Elana has a special party dip that is always a huge favorite. Buffalo Chicken Dip is today's recipe... and here's how you do it.

1 large can of canned chicken (next to the canned tuna)


1/2 Franks Red Hot sauce (pepper sauce)


1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese


1/2 cup of bleu cheese or ranch salad dressing


add all ingredients into a large bowl and whisk together, then pour mixture into a slow cooker on medium heat. Cook for about 30-45 min.

Serve hot with tortilla chips and fresh veggies!!
I hope everyone is having a great summer! Love, Rachel and Elana

As my Mom would say...ENJOY!

PINEAPPLE AND RED CHILIE SALSA

It's Day Two for Grilling Sauces. Today's salsa should be paired with nice grilled pork chops. Remember when using wooden skewers soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before putting the ingredients on them and placing them on the grill. This salsa can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. This salsa is delicious and the combination of the sweet pineapple and the spice of the red chile compliment each other perfectly!!!

Ingredients:

1 small onion quartered

1/2 lb plum tomatoes halved lengthwise

4 garlic cloves peeled

1/2 lb fresh pineapple cut into 8 pieces

1 red pepper quartered

1 fresh red chile like cayenne

Place all the ingredients on the skewers and brush them with olive oil. Cook on your grill at high heat. Turn occasionally until the fruit and vegetables are charred in spots. Let cool and place ingredients in a blender or food processor.

Add:

12 mint leaves

1/4 cup water

2 tbl fresh lime juice

Puree all the ingredients until smooth and season with salt and pepper. Serve alongside nice thick grilled pork chops.

Happy Grilling!...Keep Cool!!!

ENJOY!