Saturday, December 8, 2012

Fresh Berry Salad


This is a good salad in the middle of winter to fight off all the heavy foods and baked goods. It is a little more pricey to make in the winter. I like to add mangoes  if you can find them too. 

8oz baby spinach or mixed greens
¼ cup cilantro chopped
¼ cup chopped green or red onions
½ cup strawberries
½ cup blueberries
½ cup raspberries
½ cup black berries
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup toasted hazelnuts or pecan chopped fine
Raspberry vinaigrette dressing

1            1-  Toss in bowl and drizzle with dressing.


* To make ahead and put in fridge top with dressing right before you eat.

Printable recipe: Fresh Berry Salad

Mexican Bean Dip

Very good flavor bean dip and much easier than making a 7 layer dip. We love to make quesadilla's with the leftovers. You could really use it as a spread on any Mexican dish.  Top with fresh chopped tomatoes, cilantro, and onions mix. 


Mexican Bean Dip

2 c shredded Mexican cheese blend
½ 8oz cream cheese, softened
½ cups sour cream
1 16oz can refried beans
¼ onion chopped
2 tsp garlic (fresh minced)
1/8  cup chopped green onions
1/8 cup chopped cilantro
1 TB parsley
3 TB salsa
5 drop hot sauce
Tortilla chips

1-  Mix everything well in a bowl minus ½ cup of cheese
2-  Pour into a 1.5 qt glass dish and top with remaining cheese.
3-  Bake at 350° for 40 minutes

* To make ahead and put in fridge at step 2, then just bake an hour before you eat.

Printable Recipe: Mexican Bean Dip

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

This is a really yummy version that rivals that found in restaurants. I use the whole bag of spinach, but I really like it you can cut down if you like it less. Make sure you put the artichokes in a small food processor  it really helped not to have chucks of them and spreads the flavor. I like to bake it till the cheese is crispy on top. We never have enough bread so we eat the left overs with tortilla chips.


Spinach and Artichoke Dip
2 ½ tsp garlic (fresh minced)
16oz frozen spinach, thaw and drain liquids
14 oz Artichoke pieces, chopped fine
1 ½ c shredded mozzarella cheese
1 ½ c shredded parmesan cheese
½ 8oz cream cheese, softened
1 jar alferedo sauce, (I like Bertolli)
2 baguettes, sourdough is good too

1-     Mix everything well in a bowl minus ½ cup of each cheese
2-     Pour into a 2 qt glass dish and top with remaining cheese.
3-     Bake at 350° for 40 minutes

* To make ahead and put in fridge at step 2, then just bake an hour before you eat.
*Adapted from allrecipes.com

Link to printable recipe: Spinach and Artichoke Dip