Appetizer

Layered Mediterranean Dip

February 9, 2022 by Christina Shoup 1 Comment

Who doesn’t love a layered dip? I’m 100% certain that saying the words “7 layer dip” is assumed to be of the Tex Mex variety – a legit, scoopable, sharable dip that is always a hit at any gathering. In fact, I’ve served and enjoyed that dish many times over the years. Makes a tasty leftover the next day, too!

However, this Mediterranean version is by far my favorite and has been for years now. It’s a healthy option with great texture and just beautiful to look at. It, too, is legit, scoopable and shareable – and it has 10 layers if you’re counting. It’s easily adaptable and I’ve changed the layers over the years based on what I have on hand, or forgot at the store. With this flavor and texture combination, you cannot go wrong.

A tip from personal experience – when not feeding a crowd, a shallow rimmed pasta bowl is a perfect vessel for these ingredients piled on top of each other. No precise spreading necessary or even sharing! It’s a dip that is balanced enough to call a meal. If you’re on the go, throw some or all of these ingredients into a lavash flatbread, maybe throw in some roasted chicken, roll it up and take it with you. Endless possibilities.

I hope you enjoy sharing this layered dip with your friends and family.

Cheers,

Christina

Layered Mediterranean Dip

This is one of my top 5 favorite appetizer dishes! It's always a hit with my family and friends and a welcome addition to any gathering. It's a beautiful, flavorful, healthy option for your Super Bowl spread, book club group or contribution to a potluck.

Course Appetizer

Keyword dip, mediterranean

Servings 12 servings

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

2 cups hummus
1 cup cilantro pesto
½ cup Persian cucumbers (or English cucumber, seeded) chopped
½ cup red onion chopped
½ cup Kalamata olives pitted, chopped
½ cup grape tomatoes chopped
½ cup mild pepperoncini slices chopped
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
¼ cup chopped cilantro
Optional: Aleppo pepper

Instructions

Spread hummus on a shallow platter – I like to use my 16” oval platter. Top with pesto and spread, leaving a half inch border of the hummus showing. Layer the remaining ingredients in the order listed. Top with Aleppo pepper, if desired.
Serve with pita chips or any scoopable veggies like cucumbers or bell peppers.

Recipe Notes

*To prevent a watery layered dip, be sure to drain any excess liquid from the cilantro pesto, olives, pepperoncini slices and tomatoes.

*Bolani brand has a cilantro pesto product that is delicious and can be found locally at Mollie Stone’s.

*If I have a little extra time, one of my favorite ways to serve this dip is with homemade pita chips. Simple to prepare: pita bread brushed with olive oil, cut into triangles, and sprinkled with garlic powder, cumin and salt – baked at 375 degrees for about 8-10 minutes or until toasted.

Spiced Rosemary Bar Nuts

June 9, 2020 by Christina Shoup 3 Comments

This snack is a house favorite! During shelter in place it’s been the perfect complement to Zoom cocktail hour with friends. In pre-COVID-19 days, it served as the most perfect bite to offer guests when they arrived at our home. The ingredients are ones I always have on hand – nuts in the freezer, salt/spices in the pantry, maple syrup and butter in the refrigerator, rosemary bush in the front yard. I highly recommend you keep these on hand as well! As for the rosemary bush, if you don’t have one yourself, I can pretty much guarantee a neighbor of yours does and wouldn’t mind a little container of these as a return favor.

Cheers,

Christina

Whisk melted butter and maple syrup that nicely coats the nut mixture

Quick toss to coat the nuts- best served warm

Spiced Rosemary Bar Nuts

Perfectly Spicy, Salty, Sweet snack to enjoy with a cocktail. An unexpected and delightful treat for your guests. These are best served warm but very delicious at room temperature as well. Adapted from Union Square Cafe

Course Appetizer, Snack

Keyword bar nuts

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

2 ½ cups unsalted raw mixed nuts walnuts, cashews, and pecans are a great combo; Trader Joe’s has Fancy Mixed Raw Nuts that would work well
1-2 tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
pinch Maldon salt optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°
Line baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Toast nuts on baking sheet in oven until golden, about 8-10 minutes.
In a medium bowl, combine rosemary, cayenne pepper, dark brown sugar, and salt.
Just before pulling the nuts from the oven, melt butter in a heat-proof microwave safe bowl. Immediately add the maple syrup to the butter and whisk together until completely combined. Pour butter mixture and toasted warm nuts into the spice mixture and toss to coat thoroughly. Sprinkle with a pinch of Maldon salt, if using.
Enjoy warm.

Smoky Black Bean Dip

April 15, 2020 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

I’m a sucker for a good bean dip, but then again, who isn’t? Good old fashioned 7-layer Tex Mex bean dip is one of my all-time favorites. But a hot bean dip? Move over friends… I’m diving in. I have a couple favorite recipes, but this one combines them into one — and like all respectable bean dips, it feeds a crowd.

Whether you are still making grocery store trips fairly frequently — albeit, all masked and gloved up during this pandemic, and can get all the ingredients, or you are trying your best to cook out of your pantry, this dip deserves a place in your cooking routine. You likely already have most of the ingredients or have a great alternative to successfully make this cheesy goodness. It would also be a great addition to your next Zoom cocktail hour, family game night or Netflix binge. Either way, enjoy!

Cheers,

Christina

Saute onion (shallot used here) in olive oil

Add garlic and saute until it smells delicious

Add spices, tomato paste and spice element- harissa paste is used here

Liquid added and combined- vegetable broth used here

Add beans and smash as many as you feel like!

Shredded cheese in the mixture and on top makes for cheesy goodness

Smoky Black Bean Dip

This crave-worthy dip is easily adapted to what you have on hand- feel free to experiment! Try swapping shallot for the onion, pinto beans for the black, harissa paste for the chipotle pepper and adobo sauce, or even adding in defrosted frozen corn after you smash the beans. This one makes enough for a crowd, or in my case, enough for a big family with teenagers, as well as leftovers. Serve with tortilla chips or over a baked sweet potato for a healthish meal.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword beans, dip

Servings 8

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 Tbsp smoked paprika
2 tsp cumin
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
4 Tbsp tomato paste
1 canned chipotle chile, finely chopped omit for less spicy dip
2 Tbsp adobo sauce
1 cup liquid (vegetable stock, chicken stock or water)
2 28-ounce canned black beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper, to taste
1 ½ cups shredded pepper jack cheese
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro
2 green onions, sliced

Instructions

In a cast iron pan over medium heat, heat olive oil and saute onions until golden.
Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
Add paprika, cumin, cayenne and a big pinch of salt. Saute for 30 seconds.
Add tomato paste, chipotle pepper and adobo sauce. Stir to combine.
Add liquid and combine.
Add beans. Using the back of a wooden spoon, gently smash about half of the beans.
Add 1 cup of the shredded cheese and mix to combine.
Top the bean mixture with the remaining cheese and broil until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
Top with cilantro and green onion. Serve hot.

10 Minute Hummus

March 26, 2020 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

Homemade hummus is too easy not to make at home and far superior to what you can typically find in the grocery store. Brands seem to vary widely on taste and texture and if you find one brand that you love, that’s a great one to pick up in a pinch. I like Sabra Classic Hummus as well as Trader Joe’s Original Hummus. Overall, I find that many pre-made brands of hummus either have a pungent garlic taste, a thinned out consistency with too much lemon, or have a strange gritty texture from poor quality chickpeas. My absolute favorite hummus recipe is an Israeli-style from Fine Cooking Magazine that takes a considerable amount of time. You soak the dried chickpeas overnight, cook them in a baking soda solution, and hand separate the skins. The end result is a creamy, thick hummus that is well worth the work, but you definitely have to build in time for all the steps!

A quicker, yet still very delicious alternative, is my 10 minute hummus. There are so few ingredients, it’s important to use the best quality you can get your hands on and you’ll have a wonderful dip for veggies or pita, a healthy spread for a chicken wrap, or a side dish for za’atar roasted veggies. Hummus is an excellent food project to knock out for your whole family to enjoy throughout the week.

10 Minute Homemade Hummus

My favorite go to hummus is one that highlights the chickpea and tahini flavors and is quick and easy. The key to a clean and delicious hummus is to use really good ingredients. Goya chickpeas, the star ingredient, is a great product with flavorful chickpeas and liquid and available at most grocery stores. For the other main ingredient, it's worth seeking out Soom Sesame Tahini, a brand easily found on Amazon. However, don't let these specific brands stop you- any brand of ingredients will still be better than store bought hummus, promise!

Course Appetizer

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

1 can chickpeas, drained and liquid reserved I like Goya and S&W brands
¼ cup sesame tahini Soom brand is excellent
1-2 Tbsp lemon, squeezed
¼ tsp cumin
¼ tsp garlic powder
½-1 tsp Kosher Diamond Salt

Instructions

In a food processor, add the chickpeas and about 2 Tbsp of the reserved liquid and pulse till smooth. Stop a few times to scrape down the sides, adding more reserved chickpea liquid if needed.
Add the lemon juice, tahini, cumin, garlic powder and salt. Process until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add more reserved chickpea liquid if needed.
Season to taste by adding more of any of the above ingredients until you have your desired taste preference. I often add another pinch of salt as well as another spoon of tahini.
To serve, scoop the hummus into a bowl and with a spoon make a well using a swirl motion. If desired, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with smoked paprika and coarse salt.

Easy weeknight meals anyone?

September 11, 2016 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

Anyone worried my family didn’t eat this past week due to a lack of post? I’m not going to lie, it was just one of those weeks. A busy holiday weekend, followed by a busy week with a big school event, followed by all kid activities/sports in full swing as well as weekly games now in the mix all while having several headaches and migraines… the fact that we ate anything at all is a wonder. Beyond a few planned meals, I went to the store more than my standard two times, we ate frozen Trader Joe’s stuff, had Door Dash deliver our favorite Mediterranean salads, and grabbed food after a game and at a school event. Needless to say, I’m happy to get back in the kitchen this week.

Also, I realize it’s becoming harder for you to navigate through the blog with all the recipes in links as well as not having them indexed. Trying to find a recipe in a previous post is probably not super easy. Know that I want to make this easier on you, and me. As soon as I get time with my favorite IT guy, I will make the website/blog more user friendly. For now, I hope you enjoy the recipes below. Have a great week!

White Chicken Chili (Crockpot)

http://iowagirleats.com/2016/01/11/crock-pot-white-chicken-chili-recipe/

*Trying a new recipe* We are going to have this tonight after my son’s late afternoon baseball game and I know we are going to come home hungry! I’m going to prep it in the morning, let it cook, do the final simple step about an hour before we leave for the game and let it sit on the warm setting so when we get home it’s ready to go. I think it’s going to be tasty and hope it’s good enough to go in my recipe binder- only the best make their way in there!

Mexican Lasagna

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/mexican-lasagna-recipe.html

This is a great recipe to make-ahead and cook later, or make/cook ahead and reheat an individual portion when you need to eat dinner in waves. It’s adaptable because you can use ground beef, ground turkey, or no meat at all. You can also change out whatever canned beans you like or have on hand as well as make it gluten-free and use corn tortillas. Most importantly for families with younger kids- you can control how mild or spicy you want to make it depending on which salsa/taco sauce you use. We like to top ours with sour cream and sliced avocado and serve it with tortilla chips. This week I am planning on leftovers the following night. It might even be served on paper plates for a truly easy dinner- score!

Salmon with Honey Mustard

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017244-roasted-salmon-glazed-with-brown-sugar-and-mustard

This is a tasty recipe and with 3 ingredients it couldn’t be an easier dinner to throw together. This particular recipe calls for Dijon mustard and brown sugar, but I also like whole grain mustard and honey mixed together, spread on top of salmon and grilled on the barbeque (on a sheet of foil with the edges turned up to make a “pan”). Basically, whatever you have on hand works and whether you want to turn on the oven or fire up the grill. Personally, I like to keep the fish smell outside if I can help it! I often like to serve salmon with roasted broccoli, Brussels sprouts or sweet potatoes and either a mixed green salad or kale salad with lemon vinaigrette. Easy, tasty, healthy dinner!

This week I’m serving it with this kale salad and adding dried cranberries and chopped green apple. It’s very similar to one made at our local Urban Bistro and my kids and gobble it up. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/kale-brussels-sprout-salad-368295

Grilled Shrimp Tacos

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/grilled-drunken-shrimp-tacos-recipe.html

*Trying another new recipe* You may want to wait for the update after our family eats it before you waste your time and money on expensive shrimp. Let me waste my time and money! I think it’s going to be good though. One thing I’m not great at is making up my own recipes. One thing I am pretty good at is finding tasty recipes. That’s why my family thinks I’m a great cook- I rarely have a dinner flop because I spend a lot of time pouring over recipes online and through my cookbook collection that I can easily spot a bad recipe. Another great resource and where I’ve learned a ton about how ingredients grove with each other, is the show America’s Test Kitchen. It’s a PBS show and it’s a bit geeky, but they really talk through recipes and all the different ingredients and methods they test until the recipe is the best it can be. I generally don’t trust much of what I see on Pinterest- although my mouth waters when I look at all the yummy dishes, it’s such a random mix of sources. It’s so discouraging to spend time and money on ingredients for a recipe only for it to not turn out. I love to try new recipes, but once inspired by Pinterest, I often stick safely within my trusted websites and cookbooks. #recipesnob?!?

Since this is a weekend meal, it will also be served with chips and salsa/guacamole and a side of black or refried beans. There’s also a pretty good chance it will be served with a nice cold Corona with a slice of lime.

Wait, there’s more! Because we are having leftovers one night this week and frozen beef and cheddar hand pies another, I thought I’d share a few extra non-dinner recipes that I made last week or will be making this week. Hope you enjoy!

Apple Spice Cake

http://www.marthastewart.com/351254/apple-spice-cake

September always signals apple season for me even though I feel like I can get great apples year-round. Some of my friends from other parts of the country have fond memories of the changing seasons and apple picking with their families- I cannot tell you how many times we’ve talked about apple picking, apple cider and donuts in the fall. And since I grew up in California where we are lucky to get a passing cloud, I can only imagine bundling up and trouncing though the apple orchards, steamy cups of hot cider and sweet puffy donuts. In honor of my friends’ fond memories, and because it’s officially apple season somewhere- I’m baking with apples, dammit!

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve made this bundt cake. It’s super easy to make and makes a tasty snack or dessert. I have never made the caramel sauce but I can imagine it’s delicious. The cake is perfectly sweet even without the additional sauce.

Confession- last time I made this, I went to flip my bundt pan over to get the cake out and only half of the cake released from the pan! Speaking of wasting time and money!!! What a mess. Even worse, I was taking it to a friend with a new baby and there was no way I could deliver that pile. I greased the pan properly, but I had been thinking my pan was on its last leg and now I know it’s time to get a new pan.

PS- This is my absolute, never has failed me yet, line of nonstick pans and I have several sheet pans and loaf pans. http://www.williams-sonoma.com/shop/bakeware/bakeware-williams-sonoma/bakeware-usa-goldtouch/ Unfortunately, they don’t make a bundt pan in the Goldtouch line, but I have also had luck in the past with this line: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/anniversary-bundt-cake-pan/?& When I get a 20% off with free shipping coupon, I will own this bundt pan!

Layered Mediterranean Dip

http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2012/02/layered-mediterranean-dip/

I brought this dip with pita chips to a barbeque last weekend. As expected, it was a hit, just like the other 5 or 6 times I’ve made it. Not many dips are very healthy, but this one really is! It’s easy to make, (just a lot of chopping) and impressive to look at. Your friends will ask you for this recipe!

French Toast Waffle Sticks

http://thebakermama.com/recipes/french-toast-waffle-sticks/

These are a fun change to the weekday morning breakfast routine. It does require me to get up a few minutes earlier and throw on a hat for morning drop off, but my kids love this treat and it’s worth the minor extra effort every now and then. They are very quick and easy, and are a great way to use up that dry loaf of bread that even peanut butter and jelly cannot save. I give the kids each a tiny bowl with warm (real!) maple syrup to dip and they are all pretty happy. So far, sourdough bread and whole wheat have been favorites. A fruit smoothie with Greek yogurt and we’ve got a pretty yummy breakfast!

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