I know what you’re thinking: where was this dip a couple of days ago, when I was planning my Superbowl party?
Believe me when I say I really wanted to share this with you before now; but I couldn’t, because this month’s Secret Recipe Club reveal was not until today. Don’t wait until next year’s Superbowl to make this caramelized red onion dip, though- it’s much too terrific to put off for that long :)
This dip is just slightly adapted from Melissa over at my SRC blog for this month: A Fit and Spicy Life. Melissa blogs about food, fitness, travel, and wine from her home in Minneapolis, and I had a hard time choosing which of her recipes to try because there were so many tempting options.
As soon as I saw her onion dip, however, I was sold. I’ve never made homemade onion dip before and was curious how it would compare to the kind I used to make with packaged soup mix and sour cream way back when. I have to say that my whole family enjoyed this, and I love that it’s so easy to make and so much healthier than typical onion dip. Thank you Melissa: I’m definitely putting this into my party foods rotation.
Recipe for Caramelized Red Onion Dip
Ingredients:
*3 tablespoons olive oil
*1 large red onion, peeled and chopped
*3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
*1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
*fresh thyme leaves from 3 sprigs
*1/2 cup organic Greek yogurt
*1/2 cup crème fraîche (I make my own "diy" version) or organic sour cream
Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over low-medium heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger and thyme, and cook for 12-15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are nicely caramelized. Remove from heat and cool completely.
2. Place onions in blender or food processor and add yogurt and crème fraîche (or sour cream). Process briefly (you want the dip to stay a little chunky), then transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight (the dip will thicken up during this time).
3. Serve with raw vegetables (I like to use baby carrots, celery sticks, and endive), crackers, pita wedges, or all natural chips.
Dear Brandy,
It’s your birthday, and as you’ve probably gathered, a few of us “got together” to throw you a virtual bash.
It was my job to make the soup course. I thought it would be fun to cook a Moroccan lentil soup, since that’s what we ate when we had lunch together in December.
This soup, which I made in my crockpot, doesn’t really taste anything like the other, but it’s still really good, especially with some of the homemade Harissa on top.
Brandy: I hope we get to have soup together again soon, and I wish you all the best this year…I just know it’s going to be an amazing one for you :)
Recipe for Crockpot Moroccan Lentil Soup with Harissa
Yield: 10+ servings
Harissa is a Northwest African chili paste. You can buy it in in the international section of some markets, but I really prefer to make it at home (the storebought versions I've tried were way too salty). If you opt not to make the Harissa, you can add a bit of cayenne pepper to the soup recipe to give it a little more heat.
Ingredients:
For the soup:
*1 tablespoons olive oil
*1 large onion, peeled and chopped
*4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
*2 organic carrots, chopped
*2 organic celery ribs, chopped
*one 28 ounce can organic plum tomatoes, with liquid
*2 cups red lentils, rinsed, picked over, and drained
*1/2 cup organic raisins
*4 cups vegetable broth or water
*1 teaspoons ground cumin
*2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
*1 1/2 teaspoons ground tumeric
*2 teaspoons paprika
*2 teaspoons ground ginger
For the Harissa:
*1 ounce dried hot chiles (I used guajillo), soaked in hot water for about 30 minutes to soften
*1 fat clove of garlic, peeled
*pinch of sea salt
*1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more if needed to blend the harissa
*1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
*1 small handful of cilantro
Directions:
For the soup:
1. Place all ingredients in your crockpot. Turn it to the "low" setting, and cook for 7-8 hours (or even a bit more, if you like). Feel free to taste it and adjust the spice level and/or the amount of liquid while the soup is cooking.
2. Serve topped with a spoonful of the Harissa, which adds a nice little punch of spice.
For the Harissa:
1. Process all ingredients in a blender until a fairly smooth paste forms. Transfer to a small glass jar and top with a little more olive oil. Store the harissa you don't use up as a garnish for the soup in the refrigerator; it will keep for 3-4 weeks.
Additional courses made for Brandy’s Virtual Surprise Party:
Salad: Michigan Salad from Living Mostly Meatless
Pasta: Quinoa Linguine with Cherry Tomatoes and Bacon from Cooking with Books
Meat: Beef Machaca Tacos from Farm Girl Gourmet
Cheese: Cheese Plate from Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Body
Dessert: White Chocolate Mascarpone Cheesecake with Caramel Glaze from Creative Culinary
I am going to make this post short and sweet, because I’ve given you an awful lot to think about in these two One Simple Change posts recently.
This week, my challenge to you is simple: let it go.
What do I mean? What is it? Well, that depends. For me, it right now is something that’s been on my mind for more than a week…something that got me quite fired up in emails and on the phone with friends…something that even kept me up at night a few times.
But you know what? This it wasn’t worth any of my time/energy in the first place. So I am letting it go.
How about you? Is there something you are stewing over that isn’t worth your time and energy? Something you can’t change or control no matter how much you dwell on it? I suggest you let it go.
Don’t have any emotional baggage to dump right now? How nice for you! How about you clean out your pantry, then? Or your refrigerator? What about your clothes closet? We’ve all got things we don’t need…clutter in our minds, homes, cars, etc…stuff we can let go.
Along with letting go of what I’ve been dwelling on lately, I spent some time this week taking stock of what was in my pantry and my refrigerator. I tossed everything that was past it’s prime, along with, ahem, a few unhealthy items that had found their way into my house. The result was a cleaner, more organized kitchen, of course, and I also found a few things I didn’t even know I had…like a package of organic medjool dates.
With those dates in hand, I recalled a recipe I’d seen from Molly O’Neill in the The New York Times archives: I was really quite intrigued by the idea of adding dates and rosemary to cornbread (the bacon sounded great, too, but I decided to leave it out).
I changed up the recipe a bit, and decided to make it in my cast-iron skillet (a technique I learned from Deborah Madison’s The Savory Way
). I was very pleased with the results, and I think it would be just perfect with a bowl of this black bean chili on Superbowl Sunday or on any day, really.
Recipe for Skillet Cornbread with Dates and Rosemary
Yield: serves 8-10
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
This recipe is pretty versatile: add a bit more rosemary and cayenne if you like, or leave out one or the other. I found the taste of the dates to be subtle; their natural sweetness plays nicely with the maple syrup, but if you don't have any, they can be omitted.
Ingredients:
*1 cup organic cornmeal
*3/4 cup organic all-purpose flour
*1 teaspoon baking soda
*1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
*3/4 teaspoon sea salt
*1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
*1 cup buttermilk
*2 eggs, preferably organic and free-range
*1/2 cup pitted and chopped organic dates
*4 tablespoons pure maple syrup (or honey)
*2 tablespoons organic unsalted butter
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Combine cornmeal, flour, baking soda, rosemary, sea salt, and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl. Stir together with a fork.
3. In another bowl, stir together the buttermilk, eggs, dates, and maple syrup.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir with wooden spoon until combined.
5. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over low-medium heat. Add butter to the skillet and allow it to melt (but not brown). Tilt the pan so the entire bottom and the sides of the skillet are covered with the butter. Pour the batter into the skillet.
6. Place skillet in preheated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the edges are starting to brown and a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center of the cornbread comes out clean. Serve slices warm...they're delicious when spread with just a little more butter.
So what do you think? Are you “in” to this week’s One Simple Change? Ready to let go of one piece of emotional baggage? If not, how about cleaning out your pantry? Take the opportunity to toss out any processed foods and unhealthy oils. Take stock of items you may have hidden away: can you put them to use? Or should you let them go? If you have time, do the same with your refrigerator. Then move on to your clothes closets. There’s no point in keeping things around you never wear: it’s better to give them away to someone who might actually be able to use them.
I love the feeling of getting rid of clutter in my mind and in my home. If you are comfortable sharing what you are letting go of, please do. I love hearing about how One Simple Change is making a difference in your life :)
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