Appetizers – Dips

Lisa’s Black Bean and Corn Dip

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Such a hit at the KOA planning party we did it for the campout in 2016.

Ingredients:

  • 2 15oz cans black beans
  • 1/2 can garbanzo beans
  • 3 bell peppers, seeded and diced
  • 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
  • Tabasco to taste
  • 8 oz red wine vinegar salad dressing

Directions:

  1. Mix it all together – early enough the flavors can mingle.
  2. Serve with corn chips – better than tortilla chips.

Serves:  3 cups

Source:   Lisa Kerfoot

Grilled Sweet Potato Baba Ghanoush

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Our foodie friend, Donna Barasch, shared this recipe.  Really tasty, especially with the smoky sweet potatoes.  Dip can be made 3 days ahead.  (I suspect a drop or two of smoke flavoring would work too – unless you are a purist.)
Ingredients:
  • ¼ cup olive oil, plus more
  • 2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 medium)
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • ½ garlic clove (more is better!)
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. Prepare a grill for medium-high heat; lightly oil grate.
  2. Grill sweet potatoes, turning occasionally, until skin is charred and flesh is fork-tender, 50–60 minutes. (Alternatively, you can tuck vegetables into coals left over from grilling something else. Wait until charcoal is completely covered with ash and no black spots remain. Shake grill to knock excess ash off coal, then rake them around and pile them up around vegetables.)
  3. Let cool slightly.
  4. Halve sweet potatoes.
  5. Scoop flesh into a food processor.
  6. Add lemon juice, tahini, garlic, and ¼ cup oil and process until smooth.
  7. Season with salt and pepper.
  8. Serve with flatbreads or pita bread.

Serves:  Makes about 2 cups

Source:  Bon Appitite

Tomato Basil Dip

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 If you are looking for an easy dip to bring to your next party, this Tomato Basil Dip tastes delicious and anyone could make it! It’s the very best in summer when the tomatoes are so great.  I added some green onions too.

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped very small
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
  • 2 tablespoons of shredded parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh basil

Directions:

  1. Spread cream cheese onto bottom of 9 inch pie plate or pretty shallow bowl.
  2. Mix tomatoes and dressing and spoon over cream cheese.
  3. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and basil.
  4. Chill until ready to serve.
  5. Served with Wheat Thins.

Serves:  About 2 cups of dip.

Source:  six sister’s stuff

Red Pepper Cheesecake

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Serve this savory red pepper cheesecake at your next cocktail party.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup ricotta cheese (4 ounces)
  • 1/2 cup cream cheese (4 ounces)
  • 1/4 cup goat cheese (2 ounces)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 egg
  • Pinch kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup thin strips roasted red bell peppers (Dry on a paper towel and do not chop them too fine – they will turn the cheesecake pink.)
  • 1/4 cup apricot jam
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons hot water
  • pita chips

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
  2. Wrap the outside of a  4 1/2-inch diameter) springform (cheesecake) pan with 2 layers of heavy-duty foil.
  3. Place the ricotta, cream cheese, and goat cheese in a food processor.
  4. Pulse to mix.
  5. Add the sugar, egg, and salt and pulse a few times until well mixed.
  6. Fold in the red pepper strips.
  7. Pour the cheese mixture into the cheesecake pan.
  8. Place the cheesecake pan in a roasting pan.
  9. Pour enough hot water in the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan.
  10. Bake until the cheesecake is golden at the edges and the center of the cake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 45 minutes (the cake will become firm when it is cold.)
  11. Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool for 1 hour.
  12. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.
  13. To serve, combine the jam and the water in a small bowl and stir until the jam is liquefied.
  14. Remove the cheesecake from the springform pan.
  15. Place on a serving plate.
  16. Drizzle the jam mixture over the top of the cheesecake.
  17. Serve with the pita chips.

Serves  4 to 6

Source:  Giada De Laurentiis,Everyday Italian, Sweet and Savory

Curried Goat Cheese Spread

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For Jackie.  You can substitute other seasonings – like Herbs de Provence.

Ingredients:

10 1/2 oz goat cheese

2 Tab good olive oil

2 tsp curry powder (more if you really like curry)

Directions:

Mix well.

Refrigerate until about a hour before serving.

Serve with crackers or pita chips.

Serves:  Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Source:  Margie Kleerup

Mushroom Paté

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Easy!  Use any mushrooms – cooked or raw.  I added a splash of cognac for good measure. It will keep for week in the fridge.

Ingredients:

  • 25o g mushrooms (1 cup – 1/2 lb)
  • 30 g butter (2 Tab)
  • 3 – 4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
  • 250 g cream cheese (1 cup -1/2 lb)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Clean and trim the mushrooms and chop them finely.
  2. Heat the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat.
  3. Drop in the mushrooms and garlic and sauté , stirring frequently for 10 minutes, or until all the moisture in the mushrooms is released and evaporated.
  4. Leave to cool for a few minutes.
  5. Blitz the mushrooms in a food processor until smooth.
  6. Add the cream cheese and blitz again util well blended.
  7. Season to taste then leave to cool completely.
  8. Refrigerate for at least an hour for the garlic flavor to develop.
  9. Serve in generous dollops on crostini or triangles of toast.

Serves:  10 – 12 as a canapé.

Source:  River Cottage Mushroom Handbook

Note:    Here is what really happened.  We had sauted mushrooms (little button ones) in the freeze.  I put them in the food processor, blitzed until smooth, added garlic,  a dollop of butter and some cream cheese (about equal to the amount of mushroom stuff.)   It needed something so went for the cognac.  It was terrific!

 

Cowboy Salsa aka Hillbilly Caviar

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More good stuf to dip fritos in!

Ingredients:

  • 1 15oz can black beans, drained and lightly rinsed
  • 1 1/2 c (2 pounds) fresh corn kernels
  • 2 medium tomatoes, diced
  • 1 small red pepper, diced
  • 1 small green pepper, diced
  • 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 jalapeno or Serrano pepper seeded and chopped
  • 1/3 c lemon juice
  • 1/3 c olive oil
  • 1/3 c cilantro
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/3 tsp ground red chili pepper
  • 2 avocados, chopped (not too small)

Directions:

Mix in a large bowl and chill

Serves:  A lot

Source:  Joan Jackson, Vi Highlands Ranch

 

Alaska Salmon Spread

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Friends brought this from Alaska – and they do know salmon in Alaska!

Ingredients:

  • 2 lb salmon
  • 1 c water
  • 1 c wine
  • 4 oz soft cream cheese
  • 1/4 c sour cream
  • 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tsp dill weed
  • dash of green Tabasco
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

  1. Heat wine and water over medium high heat in a large non-stick skillet for 5 minutes.
  2. Slide salmon pieces into poaching liquid.
  3. Bring to a slow boil, reduce heat to medium and poach until salmon flesh is firm, about 10 to 15 minutes.
  4. Drain salmon and cool.
  5. Mix cream cheese and sour cream.
  6. Add lemon juice,onion, dill, Tomaso, salt, pepper
  7. Add crumbled salmon.
  8. Mix with a mixer until smooth.
  9. Adjust salt and pepper.
  10. Place in bowl or shape into log on a platter.  (You know, the one that looks like a fish!)
  11. Refrigerate.
  12. Serve with crackers.

Serves:  Plenty, about 2 cups.

Source:  Chuck Jackson, Vi Highlands Ranch

Note:   To serve as an entre, do steps 1 – 4. In a bowl mix cream cheese and everything else.  Serve over warm salmon.

Halibut Ceviche

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Great do-ahead dish for a party.  Serve it with tortilla chips or, even better, fritos.

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs halibut, cubed
  • 2 c lemon juice
  • 2 c chopped onion
  • 2 firm tomatoes, seeded, chopped
  • 1 Tab canned green chiles, chopped (mild)
  • 16 green olives with pimento, sliced
  • 2 Tabs cilantro (or parsley) chopped
  • 1 c tomato sauce
  • 1 Tab Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp green tabasco

Directions:

  1. Marinate cubes of fish in lemon juice for 6 hours in the refrigerator
  2. Combine remaining ingredients.
  3. Pour off 1 cup lemon juice from the fish.
  4. Add mixture.
  5. Adjust tartness with juice if needed.
  6. Mix.
  7. Refrigerate overnight.

Serves:  A lot!  About 4 cups.

Source:  Joan and Chuck Jackson, Vi Residents

 

Crab Delight

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Put this in that pretty copper mold you never use.  Quite fancy for that party!

Ingredients:

  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 envelope Knox gelatin (1/4 oz = about 2 1/2 tsp gelatin)
  • 3 Tab cold water
  • 1 c mayonnaise
  • 8 oz cream cheese (block kind – have not tried the soft in this recipe)
  • 1 c crab meat (about 1/2 lb)
  • 1 small onion, grated

Directions:

  1. Disolve gelatin in cold water.
  2. Heat soup to boiling point and add gelatin.
  3. beat cream cheese until smooth.
  4. Add mayonnaise.
  5. Add gelatin mixture and rest of ingredients.
  6. Mix well.
  7. Rinse the mold with cold water to facilitate unmolding.
  8. Pour into 1 quart mold.
  9. Chill – several hours, overnight is best.
  10. Unmold and serve with crackers

Serves: 12

Source:  Karen Eckardt