Without a doubt, my favorite party food is seven layer dip. With one deft swoop of a wide-brimmed tortilla chip, you can shovel a delectable and flavor-packed bite of seven unique tastes and textures into your open mouth. Also, since there is guacamole and salsa inside, you save on repeated trips to the party table!
Every family has their own version of seven layer dip, so you will definitely see many variations. I have had seven layer dips with both black beans and refried beans, with ground beef or turkey, and with plain chopped tomatoes instead of a piquant salsa. Some people use cilantro instead of scallions as their seventh layer. Others use lettuce, canned green chiles, or Mexican corn as one of the seven ingredients. In addition, you can use whatever proportions of the ingredients that you'd like, as long as no one ingredient eclipses the others.
Although there is room for creativity, it is generally accepted that there are six necessary ingredients that must be included in a seven layer dip. These are: (1) beans, (2) cheese, (3) sour cream, (4) tomatoes, (5) avocado, and (6) olives. (The seventh ingredient can be almost anything you would like. Well, maybe not pasta or chocolate, but you get my drift.)
This is my family's recipe.Seven Layer Dip (Salsa de Siete Capas)1 16oz can of refried beans1 4.25oz can of pre-sliced black olives1 cup of pico de gallo salsa (or 1/4 cup of jarred salsa with 1 large tomato, chopped)1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded1 cup of sour cream (or nonfat Greek yogurt)1 tbsp of cumin (or taco seasoning)2 scallion sprigs, chopped and with the root end removed2 large avocados, peeled, pitted, and roughly smashed4 cloves of garlic, finely mincedtabasco, to taste1 large bag of corn tortilla chips 
Layer a wide transparent bowl with the ingredients, starting with the refried beans (with the cumin and tabasco mixed inside). Follow the bean layer with a layer of sour cream, shredded cheese, smashed avocados and garlic, pico de gallo salsa, black olives, and finally, the chopped scallions. Use the back of a wide spoon or spatula to help you spread the creamy ingredients. Serve the dip with corn tortilla chips and voraciously enjoy the dip in front of the television and with friends.
Also, instead of serving the dip in a large bowl, you can use a plate, individual custard ramekins (if they are transparent glass or plastic), or lowball liquor glasses. If serving individual portions in ramekins or liquor glasses, garnish each portion with a white or blue corn tortilla chip. This way of serving seven layer dip will result in less mess (in the dip itself), but will require the washing of many more dishes! Either way, I hope you enjoy this dip, I know I do!
Whew, I'm still completely occupied by the NBA playoffs. But the good news is that I'm back for a quick post! But first, I need to get something critical off my chest...
Although I'll always be a "LakerGal4Life" (that's my screen name when Phoenix or New Orleans aren't playing), I have to say that the Houston Rockets were robbed last night by miserable officiating. Those NBA refs are about as anti-Ron Artest as you can get! Here's my post-game commentary: There's no way that Artest committed a flagrant foul, especially when Vujacic got away with a lot worse earlier in the evening. Thankfully, the Rockets aren't one of "my" teams, otherwise, I would probably be bed-ridden right now.
...But seriously, enough of the irrelevant ranting about corrupt NBA refs, I need to post already! This is called a food blog after all.
For today's post, I'd love to share one of my favorite salad recipes for Vietnamese green papaya salad. I actually don't consider this a "salad" per se, but a cooling, delicate slaw.
Vietnamese Green Papaya Salad (Goi Du Du)
1 large green papaya, with skin peeled away with a vegetable peeler
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded on the large holes of a grater
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 scallion, finely minced
1/4 cup of high-quality fish sauce
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1/3 cup of lime juice (or the juice from 2 to 3 limes)
1/4 tsp of lime zest
2 Thai bird chilies, sliced cross-wise (optional)
roasted cashews or peanuts, to garnish
basil or cilantro, to garnish
First, peel the hard green papaya with a vegetable peeler (if you haven't done so already). Then, cut the papaya in half, lengthwise, and use a spoon to scrape away all of the seeds from the inside. Now, you can either use a fancy mandolin or a knife to finely julienne the papaya into thin matchstick-sized strips. You want the strips to be as narrow as possible, so that they can absorb the bright salad dressing. However, I would advise against using a shredder here, because shredded papaya makes the salad look a tad sloppy and unrefined.
However, you can shred the carrots with a regular grater because the green papaya is the star of this slaw, while the carrots are almost an afterthought.
Meanwhile, combine the lime juice, lime zest, fish sauce, garlic, scallions, Thai bird chilies, and sugar with a whisk, making sure that the sugar is completely dissolved. Drizzle the finished dressing over the shredded carrots and julienned papaya strips, and stir well to combine. You can serve this immediately, or marinate it in the fridge for an hour to allow the flavors to meld. This slaw keeps in the fridge for up to a week. When you serve it, just strain away the excess dressing.
Finally, serve the slaw with cilantro or basil, and roasted cashews or peanuts as garnish, and enjoy!
This is my special "ka-pow salad."
When I say, "ka-pow," I am referring to the tremendous, unstoppable force that knocks an evildoer or villain to the floor, while simultaneously causing the sudden appearance of a spiky yellow cartoon bubble with large block Lichtenstein font that reads, "KA-POW!"
Yeah, this salad is pretty special in my mind.
I previously posted about how I "need" my salad to be a protein and dressing bonanza. This salad is sort of an exception, because the only protein present is a few paper-thin shavings of intensely-flavored dry pecorino romano cheese and a supple soft-boiled egg. Also, there is no real dressing, but rather a light drizzling of balsamic vinegar and the dust of freshly crushed black peppercorns.
But it is still "ka-pow" in the utmost sense.
What I love best about this salad, is penetrating the luxurious egg and allowing the molten yellow yolk to spill forth, and watching it cascade over and coat the surrounding nest of verdant spinach leaves. I love taking a bite of the salad and discovering I hit the umami jackpot either with a joltingly salty bite of Syrian green olive or of pecorino romano cheese. I also love the subtle sweetness of the blood orange and its deep crimson hue, which stains the green spinach leaves and the salad plate.
There is no real recipe for you today though. Just a few images and words with a hope that they will inspire you to gussy up your salads with special ingredients that do a one-two "ka-pow" on your tastebuds, like a soft-boiled egg, segments of blood orange, shavings of dry pecorino romano, or ocean-kissed Syrian green olives.
I love hearty salads. Taco salad, salade niçoise, Caesar salad, chef's salad, Greek salad, the list goes on and on. A good salad could literally bring me to my weakened knees.
However, I'm pretty diva-licious about my salads. I have to have at least two things on my salad: (1) a honkin' portion of protein, in any form, and (2) salad dressing galore. However, my two salad prerequisites often mean that I'm defeating the purpose of eating salad--the health reason. Therefore, I decided to take one of my favorite unhealthy salads, the Cobb salad, and give it a "healthy" flair. This meant that I needed to omit the blue cheese, bacon, and perhaps chicken meat.
After whipping together the other Cobb salad ingredients, adding a sprinkling dried chives, and drizzling red wine vinegar over the greens, I felt that my ultimate version of the Cobb salad looked like the epitome of healthiness. I was satisfied. (However, after consulting my health-oriented macrobiotic cookbook, I discovered to my chagrin that avocados and tomatoes are not macrobiotic-savvy foods. Oh well, I can't do the macrobiotic diet anyway.)
Pretty pleased with myself on making a nutritious salad, I decided to taste my healthy twist on the traditional Cobb salad. One taste, and... It tasted like I was eating raw forest foliage. Perhaps it was because I ate a big bite of watercress with no dressing.
With vigor, I threw down my salad fork and angrily stomped my way to the cabinets and fridge for some bacon bits, garlic butter croutons, and blue cheese dressing. Salad should not taste like a compost pile of weed trimmings! It should taste like a deconstructed smothered chipped beef sandwich!
But before I made it to the pantry, the calming voice of reason sounded in my head. Based on the hypnotic voice in my head, I picked up the "low-fat" blue cheese dressing instead. When I arrived back at my place setting, I just added a bit of dressing to the salad, and could definitely say that this spruced up my meal significantly.
If you are interested in the way that I made this Cobb salad, check out the recipe below.
Pseudo-Cobb Salad, The Healthier Version
1 head of red leaf lettuce, washed and cut or ripped into bite-sized pieces
1/4 bundle of watercress, washed and cut or ripped into bite-sized pieces
1 large avocado (or 2 small avocados), peeled and diced
2 whole chicken eggs, boiled and diced
2 large tomatoes, cored and diced
1 pinch of dried chives, optional
1 tbsp of red wine vinegar, optional
several tbsps of low-fat or non-fat blue cheese dressing, to taste
In a medium to small bowl, whisk together the dressing, vinegar, and dried chives. In a large bowl, combine all the remaining ingredients, drizzling the whisked liquid ingredients over the greens. Toss well. Alternatively, you could arrange all of the salad ingredients on a plate into sections (e.g. egg section, avocado section, tomato section, greens section) and allow your guests to drizzle on the dressing to their own liking. Serve and enjoy.
For the best Cobb salad recipe, check out this link, for the inventor of Cobb salad's recipe! Do you have any healthy salad recipes? Feel free to share your link in the comments section!
Do you remember the Ronco infomercials for the Showtime Rotisserie Machine, where Ron Popeil casually indicated you simply needed to, "Set it, and forget it?"
I am not lauding the merits of any Ronco product in this post, but rather, explaining that you can actually "set, and forget" an excellent couscous. For a mouthwatering side dish worthy enough for an elegant, yet simple evening meal, try this nourishing sun-dried tomato couscous, where you can literally set it on the stove, and forget it until dinnertime!
Sun-Dried Tomato Couscous
1 cup of fine Moroccan durum wheat couscous
1 cup of chicken broth (or vegetable broth or stock)
2 heaping tbsp of sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, chopped and with oil
2 tbsp of dried raisins, optional
basil or Italian parsley, chopped, for garnish
green olives, for serving
Bring the chicken broth to a rolling boil in a lidded pot. Add the couscous, sun-dried tomatoes, and raisins to the pot, and immediately take the pot off the heat and cover the pot tightly, with the lid. After 10 minutes, fluff the couscous with a fork. Serve the couscous with parsley or basil as a garnish. This flavorful couscous is best served with chicken breast, salmon, and other moist and succulent fish fillets that have been baked or grilled. If you are a vegetarian, then try this with grilled zucchini and eggplant.
A sandwich can make an easy, quick, and immensely satisfying meal. Therefore, even for a busy working person, a great meal is just a few bread slices away. But you don't have to settle for a boring, uninspired sandwich made from plain white Wonder bread and cold cuts. Here is my favorite vegetarian sandwich recipe, for fabulous mozzarella and eggplant panini sandwiches.
Mozzarella and Eggplant Panini Sandwiches
1 large eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch slices and salted, to taste
2 tbsp of olive oil
8 slices of onion or rye bread (preferably onion rye bread, from Trader Joe's)
12 slices of mozzarella (or enough for two layers on each bread slice, and can use sundried tomatoes, instead, if you do not eat dairy)
1/4 jar of marinara sauce (if you have marinara sauce leftover from making pizza or pasta, this is the sandwich for you)
Parmesan cheese, optional
First, heat a non-stick skillet and fry the eggplant in batches on medium-high heat, coating skillet with olive oil before frying each batch. Place the eggplant aside.
Next, smear one side of each bread slice with a coating of marinara sauce. On four of the bread slices, place a layer of mozzarella cheese, eggplant, and mozzarella cheese. If using Parmesan cheese, sprinkle a little on the surface of the eggplant. Finish the sandwiches by topping it with the remaining bread slices, with the marinara sauce side down. (We're making sandwiches here, so this process is pretty self-explanatory.)
Next, place the assembled sandwiches into a panini press or grill for less than 5 minutes on a medium low setting, depending on the strength of your panini press or grill. The sandwiches should be oozing with cheese, and warm, toasted, and golden-crisp on the outside.
And c'est tout! Serve the sandwiches with warm marinara sauce for dipping.
And if you liked this sandwich idea, check out some others from this site:
There are several unspoken, fundamental, and "sacred" rules in our home.
First, you must take off your shoes before entering the house.
Second, if you use up the last of the toilet paper, then you must replace the roll and make sure that the toilet paper dispenses from the top (frontwards), and not the bottom (backwards).
Third, during football season, the salsa bowl in the fridge must never be less than 2/3rds empty. Otherwise, any and every household member is responsible for replenishing the salsa, employing whatever means necessary.
I am an Arizona native, the beau is a football fanatic, and thankfully, we both resoundingly agree that pico de gallo is a critical refrigerator staple during the football season.
Although you most likely know how to make pico de gallo, I would like to share my family's recipe, play-by-play, and just in time for the football season.
Play-by-Play Pico de Gallo
4-5 large tomatoes
4-5 large cloves of garlic
1 small or medium lime
1/2 yellow onion
1/4 bunch of cilantro
1 tsp of salt (or more, to taste)
1 jalapeno, de-seeded (optional)
First, using a fine grater, gently zest the peel of the lime. You don't need a lot of zest, a little bit goes a long way. Juice the lime into a large bowl, using a spoon to scrape off the pulp from the peel. Reserve the juice, pulp, and zest in the bowl. Next, remove the papery skins from the onion and garlic, and chop the onion, garlic, and cilantro finely. If you can stand the heat, also de-seed finely chop one green jalapeno, removing the tissue-like membranes inside.
Then, core the tomatoes (removing the inedible naval-ish stem area) and dice the tomatoes into small 1/4 inch pieces. Place the tomatoes in the lime juice.
Combine all the ingredients, and serve with tortilla chips.
The last step, is to enjoy the salsa in front of a thrilling football game. Bon appetit!
It was a great ride.
The NBA Playoffs are prematurely over for me now, but I am not disappointed. I am beaming with pride at how hard the Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors played this season. I am heartened by their staggering efforts, the sincere collegiality they share with their teammates and with the entire NBA, and their abiding spirit of competitiveness.
I was on the edge of my seat in anticipation for every adrenaline-filled minute of every game.
The Golden State Warriors exceeded everyone’s expectations. And the Phoenix Suns always friggin’ incredible. They came together in the face of adversity and put up a great fight, even when the odds were clearly stacked against them.
Okay, enough @$$-kissing on my end. In celebration of the efforts of these NBA players, and for those of you who will continue to watch the Playoffs, I want to share with you a delectable game day recipe that will be sure to get your trash-talkin’ vocal cords all geared up.
Pita Wedges Topped with Warm Goat Cheese and Roasted Squash
2 medium rounds of pita bread
1/2 bulbous squash (or 3 slender squashes, such as zucchini), sliced thinly
1/2 onion bulb, sliced thinly, and separated into rings (red onion adds more color)
5 tbsp of pesto (or 4 tbsp of freshly grated parmesan cheese and 1 tbsp of fresh thyme)
1/2 of an 11-oz pkg of chevre (goat cheese)
First, preheat an oven to 400 degrees. With a paper towel lightly dampened with vegetable oil, wipe down the surface of a cookie sheet. Lay the two rounds of pita bread on the cookie sheet. Next, layer the pita rounds evenly with the thin slices of squash and rings of onion. You do not want to overwhelm the pita bread by adding so many ingredients so that the ultimate pita pie will be soggy, so only lay one layer of squash on top of the bread. Add the chevre and pesto next. Rather than directly smearing pesto onto the pita bread, add it onto the squash slices in clumps. Adding the pesto visibly on top of the squash slices (as opposed to burying the pesto underneath of the other toppings) adds an appealing dimension of color to the pita pie. I usually freeze leftover pesto, so when I want to make these pita wedges, I just break the frozen pesto apart into rough chunks and scatter the pieces over the pita bread. When the pita wedges are finished cooking, I spread the warmed pesto over the surface of the pie and the exposed slices of squash.
Next, firmly clutch a spoon in between your fingers and shovel out moist clumps of goat cheese from the package onto the pita bread. Twist your wrist as you spoon out the cheese from the plastic package. "Twisting" your wrist helps to separate the goat cheese into relatively uniform morsels and prevents the chevre from sticking to the spoon.
When the toppings are evenly distributed, put the pita pies on the top rack in the oven, and let the pies heat for about 10 to 15 minutes. Make sure that the bottom of the pita bread does not burn. When you remove the pita pie from the oven, test the pita bread quickly with your finger to make sure it is crispy, otherwise, you might have to put it in the oven for a few more minutes. You can also leave the pita pie in the oven longer so that the squash and onions obtain a nice "roasted" look during the cooking process.
If you have leftover slices of squash, you can store them in a Ziploc bag for use later or cut them into triangles and serve them with 1) marinated artichokes or 2) spongy mozzarella balls that have been marinated in extra virgin olive oil and an aromatic blend of Italian spices. These tiny squash snacks perfectly compliment the roasted pita wedges.
I hope these pita snacks give you a burst of energy to cheer for your favorite team! Go fill-in-the-blank-team!
When I think of tea parties, I think of women dressed in outdoorsy, flapper ensembles sitting underneath spotless, wide-brimmed umbrellas. I think of starched linen tablecloths, tabletop wicker baskets brimming with freshly-baked scones, and ornate glass containers holding sugary fruit preserves. I think of pinkies saluting upward and long and tapered fingers delicately holding the handles of porcelain tea cups.
Recently, I was inspired by Wandering Chopsticks to throw my own tea party, because I wanted to sit back and relax from the hurried and vexing stresses of this week.
Similar to Wandering Chopsticks, I also made tea sandwiches for my party, but I added a uniquely Californian flair to the classic sandwiches. In doing so, I transformed a traditional, sophisticated tea sandwich into one worthy of the Mad Hatter. The images conjured up by my odd tea sandwich creation, were garish, gaudy, and clown-like, akin to the polka-dotted bow tie and purplish, elephantine top hat donned by Lewis Carroll's Mad Hatter.
I started with a soft loaf of multi-grain bread. Using a tea cup as a stencil, I cut into the bread with tip of my knife, tracing a circular cutout into the wholesome bread. Being as frugal as possible, I used the bread ends as well.
On the bread rounds, I smeared a gentle coat of freshly-pureed pesto.
Then, I sliced creamy avocados into thin crescent-shaped half moons and interlayered the slices on top of the bread rounds.
Next, I topped the sandwiches with crimson-colored beet slices,
And thin squares of chilled brie.
As I finished making the sandwiches, I couldn't help but to smile like the Cheshire cat at my odd creation. This tea sandwich was definitely worth of a Mad Tea Party!
Deviating from those tasty food blogs that are featuring recipes on how to make steaming loaves of freshly-baked soda bread or hot corned beef brisket and cabbage, today, I am going to post up some "green" non-Irish foods to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day!
In school, I was one of those kids who always forgot to wear green and instead ended up wearing purplish, silver-dollar-sized bruises on my forearms from being pinched the entire day. I quickly learned to say, "I am wearing green underwear!"
Nowadays, I no longer say, "I am wearing green underwear!" Instead, I say, "I ate green today for lunch," and thus I successfully avoid the onslaught of stubby little pinching fingers. Today, I really did eat green today: green tortellini and lentils! . . . I guess you can say I have a thing for green food.
Happy St. Pattie's Day everyone!
