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Lemony Cheese Dip

5 Dec

It’s the Holiday season, so here’s another dip for you to try at your next party.  This is my take on Giada De Laurentiis’ Crostini with Ricotta and Goat Cheese. 

I personally don’t particularly enjoy the taste of raw lemon rind in my recipes.  I find it too bitter, even without the pith.  So for this version of the dip I used lemon juice instead of lemon rind.  The lemons in Puerto Rico are quite different from the ones in the States.  The taste of “limones criollos” or criollo lemons is closer to a lime  than to a yellow lemon.  But you can add the one you prefer.

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LEMONY CHEESE DIP

4 ounce packet of cream cheese
1/2 cup of ricotta cheese
half a log of goat cheese
the juice of 1 lime or criollo lemon
salt and pepper to taste
  1.  Mix all ingredients in a food processor.  DONE!! 

Enjoy with whole-wheat crostini… recipe follows.

WHOLE-WHEAT CROSTINI

1 whole wheat baguette
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
  1. Cut whole-wheat baguette in slices, on a bias.
  2. Place on a cookie sheet.  Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Toast in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown.

The dip is lemony and delicious.  It would work great in a sandwich… however, I did not have the chance to try it because it was gone in a flash.

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Sweet Red Bell Pepper Dip

3 Dec

This is the first dip I learned to make that was not just a mix of stuff I had bought.  I have to thank my friend Aniette for giving me the recipe 10 years ago.  This has become a staple dip in my parties… even my friend Ana Yolanda requested me to bring it to all her parties too.

When I first tried this dip, it was served with a chunk of cream cheese and the dip drizzled over it.  With a spreader, you would get a bit of cheese with some pepper dip on top of a chip and enjoy.  The thing is that the dip, as good as it is, will not look very appetizing after a while.  So after many tries later, I came up with a fool proof way to retain the flavor and integrity of the mixture, while still making it look appetizing no matter what.  This is the version right here.

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SWEET RED BELL PEPPER DIP

1 red bell pepper, cut in pieces
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 8oz. pack of cream cheese
  1. Place bell pepper, sugar and vinegar in a blender.  It might seem there’s little liquid to blend, but it will.  Believe me.
  2. Transfer the blended mixture to a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil – watch it, because it could boil over.

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  1. Reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes.
  2. Let it cool a bit.
  3. Place cream cheese and most of the pepper mixture in a food processor.  Blend until smooth.  It will turn a nice shade of pink.  If the pink is too pale, keep adding pepper mixture.  Just watch out that the mix is still creamy and does not become too runny.

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Enjoy with Wheat Thins or Ritz Chips. 

 You could also enjoy this dip without mixing the cream cheese.  It makes a great addition to a sandwich.  If you’re too lazy or the market is out of red bell peppers, my friend Ana’s mom does it with jarred red bell peppers.  If using those, you can omit the boiling part.

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Roasted Garlic, Parmesan & Pepper Breadsticks

8 Nov

Roasted Garlic, Pepper & Parmesan Breadsticks

This is a great recipe as an appetizer or as a snack.  I do them with store-bought dough from the supermarket.  Unfortunately in Puerto Rico, where I live I can’t find this dough in a whole-wheat version, but if you can find it I highly encourage it.  As soon as I learn how to make the whole-wheat dough from scratch, I will share it with you.

So here is the easy version:

1 tub of store-bought breadstick dough (whole-wheat prefereable)
6 roasted garlic cloves
shaved or grated parmesan cheese
freshly-cracked pepper
  1. Pre-heat over according to manufacturer’s directions.  Usually, it’s about 350 degrees. 
  2. Open the package of breadstick dough and lay open on a cutting board.
  3. I cut the breadsticks in half so the breadsticks are not too long and can fit better on a cookie sheet.
  4. Take the roasted garlic cloves and rub them all over the dough.  See below to make Rosted Garlic.
  5. Crack fresh ground pepper on top of dough and sprinkle with parmesan.  Press pepper and cheese into the dough so its sticks.
  6. Twist each breadstick dough and place in a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
  7. Bake in oven according to manufacturer’s directions.

To make Roasted Garlic: 

  1. Cut the top from a garlic head.
  2. Place cut garlic head in a foil with a piece parchement paper – the parchment is for the garlic not to touch the foil paper
  3. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper over garlic
  4. Close the foil/parchment papers to create a pouch.  Before closing completely,  drizzle a bit of water to create some steam.
  5. Roast in a 400 degree oven for about 40-50 minutes.  The smell will tell you when it’s done.

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And even though this is a savory breadstick, even kids love them.  Here’s a picture of my niece eating one of the many she had a few nights ago.

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