Update: Not-Guac Avocado Dip

Last spring I posted about a word-of-mouth recipe I got from my dad called "Not Guac Dip".  I rambled on and on about how you needed to embrace your adventurous side and give this recipe a shot because the flavors are out of this world.  It's been a little less than a year since I shared the recipe but so far, everyone who has tried it has loved it.

As we move into the season of grilling and sipping margaritas and cold beers on the deck, I wanted to share an updated version of this recipe along with a handy tip. 

This updated version uses a white balsamic vinegar instead of your regular dark balsamic.  It's an easy fix for those who are put off by the discoloration that the dark balsamic gives the dip.  Both my Mom and Roy prefer the taste of the white balsamic over the regular dark balsamic so it's a win-win for them.

And now for the tip... if you've ever made anything with avocado in it, you know how quickly it goes from green to brown when it's exposed to air.  Pressing plastic wrap onto the surface only helps so much.  However... if you hang on to the pit and add it back into the bowl after you're finished making the dip... it keeps the avocado from turning brown.  I tested it last week and the dip still looked fresh after 6 hours. 

This is great with tortilla chips but if you have leftovers, I highly suggest it over some undressed iceberg lettuce.  Add it to your list today. You won't be disappointed!

*****

"Not Guac" Avocado Dip
serves 4-6
2 ripe avocados
2 Roma tomatoes
Half a medium red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup Feta cheese, crumbled
Garlic salt
Olive Oil
White Balsamic Vinegar

Roughly chop avocados into chunky pieces.  Roughly chop tomatoes into chunky pieces (remove seeds and watery insides).  Finely dice half a red onion.

Combine avocados, tomatoes and red onion in a medium bowl.  Sprinkle in 1/2 cup of crumbled Feta cheese.  Give it a light sprinkle of garlic salt (remember, you can always add more).  Stir gently to mix.

Drizzle lightly with olive oil and then with balsamic vinegar adding a bit more balsamic vinegar than olive oil.  Again, go easy.  You can always add more later.  Stir gently to combine.

Test with a tortilla chip and add more olive oil and balsamic vinegar as needed.  I like my dip to have more balsamic than olive oil since it gives the mixture an unexpected but fantastic flavor.

Enjoy!  Know that the longer this sits, the more the flavor builds.  And definitely try your leftovers on a salad, you won't be sorry.

Super Bowl-worthy Pepperoni Bread

Here is the recipe for one of my FAVORITE football foods - pepperoni bread with banana peppers.  It was one of the highlights of this year's Super Bowl for me. 

The original recipe comes from our old Chicago friends Dave and AY (aka: the other Lindsay) who now live in Cincinnati with their beautiful new daughter Alaina.  Like all of the other AY recipes that pepper my recipe box, this does not disappoint! 

The most complicated part of this recipe is putting the process of making this bread into words.  Fortunately, I have photos to make the process easier :) 

Start by bringing some pre-made pizza dough up to room temp for 20 minutes so it's easier to work with (you can find pre-made dough in the deli/fresh foods section of your grocery store).  Then roll it out on a floured surface to be roughly the size of a cookie sheet. 

Starting in the top left corner lay down the pepperoni in rows leaving a half inch border around the edge.  As you can see from the photo below, this isn't like pizza.  Don't use the pepperoni sparingly.  Cover the dough, let the edges overlap a little.  I use turkey pepperoni because I think it's a little less greasey and I can't tell a difference between turkey versus real pepperoni.  Cover the pepperoni liberally with mozzarella cheese. 

Drain a jar of banana peppers, tear up the larger chunks and sprinkle them across the dough.

Then slowly gather the edge on the far side and begin rolling it towards you.

Your roll should look like this. You'll be able to see the pepperonis under the dough and you'll be worried it's going to bust but it won't, just be gentle.

Pinch the edges and ends closed and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Pair with warm marinara sauce, brownies (Duncan Hines chocolate chunk), beer, friends, a good football game, and enjoy!

*****

Super Bowl-worthy Pepperoni Bread

1 pre-made pizza dough

1 package of turkey pepperonis (or about 15 medium thickness slices of regular deli pepperoni)

8 ounces of shredded mozzarella

1 jar of mild banana peppers

flour

Let refrigerated dough come to room temp for 20 mins.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll out dough on a floured surface until it is roughly the size and shape of a cookie sheet.  Starting in the top left corner lay down the pepperoni in rows leaving a half inch border around the edge. 

Cover the pepperoni with mozzarella cheese. 

Drain a jar of banana peppers, tear up the larger pieces and the sprinkle over the pepperoni and cheese. 

Slowly gather the edge that's farthest from you and begin rolling it in.  Gently place the roll on a cookie sheet and pinch the edges and ends closed.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden and crispy. 

Banana Nutella Toast

I've recently started making this banana Nutella toast concoction as an afternoon snack.  I'm actually a wee bit obsessed with it and I've started craving it for breakfast as well! 

The idea stems from the food I ate when I backpacked through Europe after college. It was a pretty standard trip... Eifel Tower, cheap wine and museums in France... beer and brats in Germany... singing on the Sound of Music tour in Austria... history and wine in Italy... and extreme sports and gorgeous mountains in Switzerland. 

Like all cheap college-grads, my travel buddy and childhood friend Liz and I got creative with meals.  We ate crepes from the street vendors in France, brats from the German version of 7-eleven (yes, I'm ashamed of that in case you're wondering), loads and loads and loads of pizza in Italy.  And a bunch of picnics in between.  Usually made up of a baguette, some sliced meat, cheese and fruit that we bought fresh each morning.

At some point in Italy, we got creative and picked up a whole loaf of bread and a bunch of bananas to go along with the jar of Nutella we'd been toting across the world.  I don't remember how it happened, but all of sudden we were spreading Nutella on bread, adding banana slices and calling it dinner (I'm pretty sure Liz was the mastermind behind the idea).  Now I make it a few times a year when I'm craving chocolate but in need of something healthier (hey, there's grains and fruit, it counts!). 

This latest version includes toasting the bread and adding in peanut butter in place of some of the Nutella.  I've also swapped out the white bread we used in Italy for some whole grain bread to make it more filling.  I use Brownberry 12 grain (Brownberry goes by Arnolds in some parts, just an FYI). 

I'm not posting a recipe because it would only insult your intelligence.  All you do is toast the bread, add a thin layer of peanut butter followed by a thin layer of Nutella and then slice up a banana and lay it over the toast. 

Make sure you pause to give your begging dog a few slices of banana as well.  It's the least you can do after accidentally exposing him to bananas which turn out to be the 4th love of his life right behind you, squirrels and bacon.  Seriously, that dog can hear me peel a banana from 3 rooms away.  

Once your four-legged friend has been appeased, go enjoy your snack!

My New Favorite Snack

I have a new obsession these days when it comes to food - yogurt and berry parfaits with Cascadian Farms oats and honey granola.

Let me tell you, that granola is life changing.  The little clusters of granola have a light coating of honey.  When you add the granola to the yogurt, the honey coating mixes into the parfait and it's amazing!  You can see the beginning of what happens when the yogurt and oats and honey granola start to mix in the bottom of the picture above.  It's so sweet and delicious it's hard to believe it's actually healthy for you (just gotta watch the serving sizes!)  And it's surprisingly filling.

More proof:  Blogger Amanda calls it her favorite desert, snack, and lunch (really, insert any meal here).  She specifically describes it as an every day alternative to cupcakes.  I'll try anything that's described as a fix for supersized sweet tooth cravings.

So in case you're keeping score at home, we've got...
      Delicious
      Healthy and guilt-free
      Filling
      Something that satisfies even my enormous sweet tooth craving 

All that adds up to a winner in my book.  Here's Amanda's original blog post about the parfait.  I switched it up and used Stonyfield organic non-fat vanilla yogurt (trying to avoid the high fructose corn syrup). 

There's really no recipe... just a suggested ingredient list.  Mix it together in a bowl or layer it in a glass.  Below are pictures of everything I use but switch things up so it works for you.  I love it equally with blueberries and raspberries. Enjoy!

Happy Eating!