dip » Living Lou

Avocado Feta Dip

While people go nuts over the Superbowl in February, I prefer The Oscars. It’s a time to look back and celebrate a great year of film. I usually love to throw an Oscar Party and last year I shared my menu leading up to the big day. Unfortunately, this year I have a bunch of midterms and papers due which means I will be watching the Oscars from my couch, in sweat pants, going over flashcards during commercial breaks. Does it get any more glamorous?

Instead of a delicious spread like last year, my snack of choice is this healthy Avocado Feta Dip. Midterms means stress, and stress can also mean eating. A lot. When I have this dip in my fridge and some carrot sticks and celery, I’m not worried about the midnight snacking because it’s not like I’m eating a whole row of Oreos… This dip is delicious, my whole family devoured it within seconds and I had to make another batch for tonight. It would also make a great after school snack for kids, just leave out the jalapeno. You can serve it the way I have in the photo above, with some celery, carrot sicks and crackers. It would go really well with red peppers also. Yum.

Avocado Feta Dip
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

2 avocados
3/4 cup diced or crumbled feta
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil

Directions

In a food processor, pulse avocado, feta, onion, garlic, cilantro and jalapeno.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add lemon and olive oil. Pulse again until smooth.

This Avocado Feta Dip is so easy and healthy, I can foresee this dip having a constant presence in my fridge from now on.

- Lou

5 Ingredient Guacamole

I am obsessed with 5 Ingredient Recipes. And I’m obsessed with avocados, so this 5 Ingredient Guacamole is a natural progression.

Avocados on toast, avocado salad, avocado tossed with a little soya sauce, I could go on and on. While all of those preparations are divine, my favourite way to eat avocado is in its simplest form; plain and scooped right out of the peel with a spoon. People think I’m a little weird because I will literally just bring an avocado to class and eat it straight out of its peel. Sue me!

It’s kind of like the way I like to eat guacamole; made with just a few ingredients to really allow that avocado to shine. Plus it’s way easier and faster. A little onion, garlic and lemon go a long way. And please, don’t skimp on the salt, it’s one of avocados one true loves.

If you’re not really feeling making an extravagant, time consuming Super Bowl party this year (because let’s face it maybe you want to actually enjoy the game (Beyonce half time show) too?) this 5 Ingredient Guacamole is so simple and it will please the crowd. They’ll never know how easy it was.

5 Ingredient Guacamole (serves 4-6)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

3 avocados, peeled, pitted and smashed
1/4 cup chopped white or yellow onion, chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
coarse salt to taste

Directions

In a bowl, combine avocados, onion, lemon juice and garlic. Season with salt and mix to combine. Serve with your favourite chips.

If you are a fan of a simple, flavorful guacamole (and are in the camp of “what the heck are tomatoes doing in my guac!“) then this is the recipe for you. It couldn’t be easier or faster than this, my friends.

Roasted Eggplant Dip

When I received my July assignment for The Secret Recipe Club I was a little bit nervous. You see, I was assigned the lovely blog Smells Like Brownies which would normally be the perfect fit because I love brownies, but…

I’m in Greece! And baking on a small island in Greece is completely different from baking in Toronto. The flours are different and the sugar is different. What if I didn’t have the right tools? What kind of impact would the change in altitude have? Luckily, Melissa from Smells Like Brownies has such a variety of recipes on her blog that I found the perfect recipe, a popular Greek dip, Melitzanosalata, also known as Roasted Eggplant Dip. The best part – eggplants straight from the garden.

My grandparents grow a ton of vegetables. Talk about a food bloggers dream, literally having a farmer’s market in your own backyard. Typically a Melitzanosalata uses just parsley instead of rosemary, but I loved the addition of rosemary – plus we have about three massive bushes of rosemary growing in the garden. If you’re looking for another one of my favourite eggplant recipes, checkout my Eggplant Salad – it’s too good.

Roasted Eggplant Dip (Melitzanosalata) (serves 2-4)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

1 large eggplant
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/4 onion
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary
2 tbsp fresh parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400.

Poke the eggplant all over with a fork and roast for 40 minutes or until tender.

Once eggplant is done, slice in half and scoop out the inside.

In a food processor, combine the eggplant, garlic, onion, rosemary, parsley and olive oil. Pulse until desired consistency.

Serve with crackers or pita, I served mine with melba toast and it was delicious.

Have a great Monday everyone!

Lou

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

I love red peppers, especially when they’re roasted. As the colour becomes a deep, gorgeous and enticing red, the flavor becomes rich, and slightly sweet. Roasted red peppers make for great appetizers, pasta sauces and my most favourite of all – dips. For about four years now, along with hummus, roasted red pepper dip has been my absolute favourite dip. I know that a lot of people are often searching for healthy snacks, because well, I’m one of them and from one healthy-snack-searcher to another, this dip makes for a great, healthy snack, pairing well with crackers or vegetables, my favourites are celery, broccoli or sugar snap peas.

If you have roasted red peppers on hand (either the jarred variety or homemade) this dip takes a few minutes to whip up and can be eaten right away. I like to pack mine and bring it to school for lunch, or like yesterday, munch on some veggies and dip whilst I spend the majority of the afternoon vegging out in front of the TV watching All About Eve. Have you ever seen All About Eve? It’s a stellar movie that’s extremely entertaining and all I can say is that Bette Davis and Anne Baxter both give performances of a lifetime. Such a shame neither of them won an Oscar.

As for tonight, I still have some dip left so I’ll eat it while I watch the season 6 premiere of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Also known as, the polar opposite of the cinematic beauty and genius that is All About Eve.

Roasted Red Pepper Dip (makes 1 cup)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients
2 roasted red peppers
1 small clove garlic
1/2 cup white beans
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp hot sauce (more to taste)

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until ingredients are combined and dip is your desired consistency.

Well, I’m off to get some studying done. Finals are killing me.

- Lou