Dip Recipes: Beet Hummus and Edamame Guacamole

DIPS!

We are a family that loves dips. I guess that’s not all that unusual. Dipping your food is just plain fun! I don’t make dips all that often, but we always have salsa in the house and my daughter LOVES to dip her chicken (or really any food) in mustard. We also use vinegar and hot sauce like it’s going out of style. I  make a killer Tzatziki that is surprisingly versatile – even better with fresh dill from my garden (will have to share that recipe sometime!) But every once and a while it’s fun to make something just a little bit different…

Mike swears he hates beets. But we were invited to my friend’s Dip Party recently and I had to come up with something different.  It was called a “Dip Off” and everyone brought a different type of dip that were judged by everyone based on different criteria: best over all and most unique.

So fun, right? I did a bit of searching for a good recipe to try, but I kept coming across all the usual stuff. Mostly mayo or sour cream-based. blech.

Then I found this amazing Beet Hummus Recipe but was reluctant to try it because Mike has so adamantly been against beets in the past. But when I told him about the recipe he said “You’re the one making it, so you should make what you want.” I kind of had to agree with that logic. And I really wanted to try out this fun (bright purple) dip. Plus, there would be all kinds of other dips there for him to enjoy. It wasn’t like I was forcing beets on him or anything.

So I went for it.

(I really wanted to post a picture of this amazing dip. But my photo just couldn’t compare to the one on Simply Recipes!)

Beet Hummus Recipe:

Directly from Simply Recipes.com

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound beets (about 4 medium sized beets), scrubbed clean, cooked, peeled, and cubed*
• 2 Tbsp tahini sesame seed paste
• 5 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 small clove garlic, chopped
• 1 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest (zest from approx. 2 lemons)
• Generous pinch of sea salt or Kosher salt
• Fresh ground pepper to taste

*To cook the beets, cut off any tops, scrub the roots clean, put them in a covered dish with about 1/4-inch of water in a 375°F oven, and cook until easily penetrated with a knife or fork. Alternatively, cover with water in a saucepan and simmer until tender, about 1/2 hour. Peel once they have cooled.

Method

Place all ingredients in a food processor (or blender) and pulse until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings and ingredients as desired.

Chill and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage.

Eat with pita chips, or with sliced cucumber or celery, or on a crostini with goat cheese and shaved mint.

Makes 2 cups.

The Verdict: I thought this was a really tasty dip. It had a very strong lemon flavor that was complimented by the sweetness of the beets. It was a hit with my 2 year old.  She kept saying “more purple!” And, believe it or not, it was a favorite of Mike’s too! Someone that hates beets! And while it didn’t win at the Dip Off, it was a huge hit with the three of us. I bought more beets after that so that I could make up a batch just for us

So speaking of unusual dips, this is another combination I never would have thought of. Sure soy beans are green, but they don’t exactly make me think of guacamole! I had considered it for the dip party (A friend actually came with this or a similar version! So it was a good thing I went with the beet dip)

So I didn’t make it for the party, but I did make it for the family (with homemade pita bread and baked falafel) a few nights later.

Edamame Guacamole:

also directly from Simply Recipes

Ingredients

• 12 to 16 ounces shelled edamame, fresh or frozen
• 1/2 cup, packed, roughly chopped fresh cilantro, including stems
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup lime or lemon juice
• 1-2 teaspoons salt
• 5 shakes of Tabasco (less or more to taste)
• 3 drops of dark sesame oil (more to taste)

Method

1 Bring 2 quarts of well salted water (2 Tbsp salt) to a boil. Add the shelled edamame. Return to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, or until cooked through and tender. Drain with cold water.

2 Place drained cooked edamame in a food processor. Pulse several times. Add the chopped cilantro. Pulse again. Add the remaining ingredients, and pulse until well puréed. Add more water if you want a smoother consistency. Adjust seasonings (salt, Tabasco, lime, sesame oil).

Serve with pita, chips, crostini, or crudités.

If you want to make pita chips, cut pita bread into triangles, and cook in a 350°F oven for 15 minutes or until crispy.

Yield: Makes about 2 cups.

The Verdict: we loved it. We spread it on our pitas with all the fixings and used it as a dip as well. I could have eaten it with a spoon. It’s actually better than guacamole (at least we think so). it has a satisfying texture that you don’t get normally. Highly recommended.

I would say that if you love a strong lemon flavor try the Beet Hummus dip. But the Edamame Guacamole probably appeals to a wider crowd. If you like guacamole, I can almost guarantee you’ll love this version.

And best of all, both recipes are SUPER healthy.

Can you think of any other fun dip ideas? Something our of the ordinary? I have  a caramelized onion dip from 101 Cookbooks on my cooking to-do list that looks pretty amazing.

Spinach Ice Cream and Garbanzo Brownies -Finding Yum in the Unusual

Ok, so I’ve already gushed about one of my all time favorite blogs, Chocolate Covered Katie. I recently did a post about my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe that comes from her site.

But recently I made some goodies that have the most unusual ingredients from her site and they were amazing. Too good to not share.  I’ve only made a few recipes from the site, but I’ve pretty much loved everything that I’ve made.

And here’s the kicker. They’re healthy recipes. Seriously Healthy Delicious Dessert recipes! What can be better than that? This girl comes up with the BEST desserts using things that I would never dream of putting together. Spinach in Ice Cream? And it’s good? It’s too good to be true.

And yet…

SPINACH ICE CREAM

I found this recipe here.

• 2 frozen bananas, as ripe as possible
• 2-3 drops pure peppermint extract
• scant 1/16th tsp salt
• 1/4 cup or more frozen spinach (I used 40g) (If you don’t like spinach, you can sub food coloring or omit completely.)
• scant 2T non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
• chocolate chips or cacao nibs

Blend everything together in the Vita-Mix. (If you don’t have a high-powered blender, just add more liquid; it won’t be as ice-cream-like, but it’ll still taste good!)

 

My changes: So when I reached for my frozen spinach I realized that it was actually turnip greens in my freezer and not spinach at all. So I used that. Also, I used more peppermint extract (it came out fast) and as always, I used regular skim milk. And I added 1 Tbs of sugar ( because I was afraid it was going to be awful!) Plus, I don’t have a Vita-Mix and just used my regular ‘ol blender. I did end up adding more liquid and it did come out liquid-y. I could have put it into the freezer for a while after I blended it to solidify it a bit more, but we all wanted to try it now.

I wont lie. I had my doubts about this. But…

…yes, that last picture is Anya crying because it’s gone. It was that good. And Mike loved it too! YAY!

The other fun recipe that I tried recently from Katie’s site recently involved beans. Again, BEANS? in a dessert? Get out.

CHOCOLATE CHIP BLONDIES

I found this recipe here.

• 1 1/2 cups chickpeas (1 can, drained and rinsed) (250g)
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• heaping 1/8 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup brown sugar*
• 1-2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup ground flax (20g) (see nutrition-info link below, for substitution ideas)
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (or other fat source) (see nutrition-info link below, for lower-cal options)
• optional: 1/3 cup chocolate chips (Not “optional” if you’re CCK!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend all ingredients (except chips) until very smooth. Mix in chips, and scoop into a greased (or tinfoil-lined) 8×8 pan. Bake for 38-40 minutes. You want the blondies to look a little undercooked when you take them out, because they’ll firm up as they cool, and you don’t want them to get hard. (Note: you can probably sub any white bean for the chickpeas)

My changes: I used half peanut butter and half almond butter, just for fun. Other than that, I followed this recipe exactly.

But sadly, I do not have a picture for this. I was in a rush and if I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t sure if they came out! I thought for sure they wouldn’t taste that great. Not picture-worthy and not share-worthy. Boy was I wrong!

I took them eto a morning play date at a friends house. They were amazing. loved by the kids and the moms. success! (Mike and Anya loved them too)

I will be making these again for sure, I’m even considering trying to replace dates for all or some of the sugar. What do you think?

These recipes were so fun to make. Who would have thought you could make brownies with no butter or even flour -with beans?? or to add spinach to ice cream and have it be delicious?

Love it.

What unusual recipes have you tried lately? I’d love to hear about them!

Recipe: Old Time Creamy Bean Soup

I have this book called “The Modern Family Cookbook” that I got from my wonderful grandmother. I don’t know when she got it, but the publication date is 1943. I love this cookbook. I love the glimpse into the past and the simple recipes.

It is written for “Mrs. Homemaker” which I thought was funny, but well, that’s me! It has a menu for a full year and all the recipes and tips to go along with it. So fun. And although I have no intention of tackling the Stuffed Beef Heart (ew!) there are some recipes in there that I can’t wait to try.

The first one, I made today. It’s called Cream of Navy Bean Soup and the recipe was simple and healthy. I changed a few things -adding vegetables etc., but the base is the same. My changes are in purple.

• 1 cup dried navy beans (I used great northern beans. They’re pretty similar, but here’s the difference if you’re interested)
• 4 cups cold water (I cooked the beans in 6 cups of water as directed on the bag, then drained. I added 1 cup of water when I pureed the beans and 3 more cups once I returned them to the pot)
• 2 Tbs diced onion
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1 tsp salt (I did 1/2 a tsp. but I almost always skimp on salt)
• 1/2 tsp celery salt (I don’t think I’ve ever seen celery salt. I used onion powder and a dash of garlic powder instead)
• Dash of Pepper
• 2 Tbs grated carrot (I put in a whole grated carrot, 1/2 a cup of frozen mustard greens, 1/2 a cup of frozen peas and 1/2 a cup of pureed zucchini)

Wash beans, cover with water and let stand overnight. Drain, cover with the 4 cups of water (I did 6 cups as stated above), add onion, cover, simmer about 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until beans are soft. (I cooked for 2 hours to make sure they were soft enough for my toddler). Put through a ricer or sieve (I drained the water and let them cool, then pureed them in my food processor with 1 cup of water), return to cooking water (I added 3 more cups of water instead) add milk, seasonings and carrot (I added all my veggies at this point,) and reheat. (I brought to a boil then turned down to simmer for about 20 minutes. Make sure to make sure it doesn’t boil over… I think next time I will just simmer for 1/2 an hour without boiling because it scorched the bottom. live and learn.) Serve hot. 5 servings

Verdict: Yum. Anya ate it up it and it was so healthy. I never thought of adding dried milk to soup before, but apparently its common (or at least it used to be) because a lot of the recipes in the book call for it. I don’t know how water and evaporated milk is different than just adding fresh milk though…maybe I’ll try it that way some day and see if there’s a difference. For today, the soup was good and I don’t think you can find a much healthier meal.

Let me know if you try this recipe -original or my adaptation or what changes you came up with!