Caramelized Onion Dip

I feel like I've been talking in superlatives but this is the BEST dip ever. Like holy cow it's amazing. I've made it three times in the past month. It also was eaten so quickly I actually "had" to make it again so I could take pictures of it. The secret is in the onions. There are very few things that can compare to the deliciousness of a caramelized onion. That incredible melt it your mouth flavor is totally worth the hour it takes to make them. 

It is also officially 4 days until the end of my college career. It definitely hasn't hit me yet. Maybe it will during the 14 hour drive back to New Orleans....I also feel so unprepared. I keep forgetting I actually have to figure out how to move in to an apartment in New York. - not to mention finding an apartment in general. At least I already have roommates though...finding those would be a doozy at this point 

Caramelized Onion Dip

Ingredients 

*2 Vidalia (sweet) onions, chopped and caramelized

1 16 container of sour cream

1 container of nonfat greek yogurt

2 tablespoons light/low fat mayo

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon of salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

*to caramelize the onions, drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet with the chopped onions and add about 1/3 cup of water. Cook over medium low heat for about 40 minutes or until the water has evaporated, string occasionally. (during this time feel free to watch TV, take a shower, fold laundry, and check on it every now and then - thats what I do). Turn the heat up a bit and turn it every few minutes or so when the bottom onions start to change color. When the onions have dramatically reduced in size and have changed to a dark golden color, remove from the heat and let read room temperature.

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and boom - you're done. Try not to eat it all at once...

Edamame Hummus Dip

Recently I've been doing a lot of daydreaming about what I want to do after culinary school. Maybe because people keep asking me, or because graduation day is approaching way too quickly, but I have so many ideas I don't know what to do with them all. I have an ongoing list of restaurant names on my iPhone that I wake up in the middle of the night sometimes to jot down (those aren't usually the best ones, but at the time they seem beyond brilliant) One of my dreams is to open a super girly spot (not aesthetically though of course, just conceptually) where people can go to actually get a light and healthy meal. Surprisingly these places are really hard to find. I would have less healthy/ heartier items to appeal to the hungrier folk, but a place like this really needs to exist everywhere. We kind of have one at Elon, and it does really well; always filled with girls too of course, but it doesn't have the ambiance I'm looking for.

It's a fact; girls love appetizers. We love dip, and small things that you can pop into your mouth. Just snacks in general really. I think its safe to say that girls snack/graze significantly more than boys, right? Anyway, I want to open a spot that has killer brunch and lunch (we would serve dinner too. can't expect to stay open without dinner) and an amazing terrace or outside seating paired with an extensive app, salad and wine list with small and light desserts. (because every girls WANTS dessert, but only wants a bite, right?)

Thus, I have made it a new goal of mine to try and invent and test out as many different dips as possible. It also helps that I bought a mini food processor over the summer when I was having a bad day and have been loving it ever since. I have made three kinds of hummus so far, and all of them have been really good, but I think this edamame hummus has been my favorite because it's so light.

Edamame Hummus Dip

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups low sodium chickpeas/garbanzo beans 
1 1/2 cups cooked edamame (I used the frozen kind)
1 1/2 cloves of garlic

3 tablespoons tahini

2 tablespoons lemon juice

6 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon salt 

1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil 

Start by mincing the garlic in the food processor and then add the tahini and blend until smooth (you will need to constantly scrape down the sides of the processor to make sure nothing gets left behind. You want it to be as smooth as possible). 

Then add the lemon juice, some of the water and salt and blend. Add the cooked edamame and blend until fine. 

Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans (I do it right in the can. No need to dirty a bowl or strainer)

Add the beans, rest of the water and olive olive and blend until you can't blend anymore. If you think you are done blending, you aren't. Keep going. and going. Unless you like it less smooth (which, for the edamame hummus, is actually kinda nice. I did it two ways, smooth and less smooth, and I couldn't decide which I liked best). - for a more hummus-y consistency though - blend until you think your machine is going to break from the bleeding. Then take a break and then turn it back on again. You want it to be as smooth as possible. 

Spoon into a dish and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. The dip is 1000x better when it's cold for some reason....

Drizzle good quality olive oil on top and serve with pita bread. I also LOVE this dip with sliced mini sweet peppers (you can find them in a pastil ziplock-like bag by the regular ones usually) I even tried it with carrots...and I was kinda into it. Which is saying something because I generally hate raw carrots. 

Queso Dip

It's no secret that my roommate Courtney and I LOVE Mexican food. We also happen to love any kind of appetizer, and would actually prefer them over eating a real meal. I mean who doesn't love dip? We sure do. I had been gawking at this recipe for queso for a pretty long time and finally I decided to give it a try (it also didn't hurt that there was a buy one get one free cheese deal at Harris Teeter - I can't resist buy one get one free I just can't). All I have to say about this recipe is HOLY QUESO this dip is soooo good. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Not only is it amazing right after it is made, but it lasts so well in the fridge. Popping that hot cheesy goodness in the microwave after a late night out (during chilly winter term no less) is the most heavenly midnight snack you will ever eat. That and maybe a hot-dog from kangaroo, but there is really no comparison.

recipe adapted from Let's Dish 

Queso Dip

Ingredients 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup white onion, finely chopped

16 ounces white American cheese, shredded or cubed

4 ounces Monterrey and Colby Jack Cheese, shredded 

3/4 cup cream or half and half 

half a can of diced tomatoes and green chilies

1 Roma tomato, seeds removed and diced 

1 small bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped 

Directions 

Sauté the onions and olive oil together over medium heat until the onions are pretty much transparent. Pour the cheese and cream over the onions and let melt, stirring occasionally. Add the half can of diced tomatoes and chilies, the diced Roma tomato and the chopped cilantro. Stir and serve hot. (if it gets to cool and starts to stiffen at the top, just pop it in the microwave and it will go right back to the way it was. I mean it’s not velvetta, it can’t stay melted forever!)