7 Layer Dip

Got some avocadoes? Why make guacamole when you can make 7 layer dip. Of course, I prefer my dip without the sour cream or guacamole. Many people do like all the layers, and this was pretty good. It's also very versatile. Pick whatever ingredients you like. Refried beans or black beans. Cheddar cheese or monterrey jack. Yum.

7 Layer Dip

2 cups of refried beans, either from one 15-ounce can or homemade

1 teaspoon (or more) of bacon fat (or 1 strip of bacon, cooked and minced) optional
1 teaspoon of chipotle powder, Tabasco chipotle sauce, or adobo sauce, more to taste (or plain chili powder to taste)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt
1 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup chopped green Anaheim chiles (canned) OR a Tbsp of chopped pickled jalapenos (more to taste)
1 avocado, peeled and chopped
1 hot house tomato, cut in half horizontally, seeds and juice gently squeezed out and discarded, chopped
1/3 cup of sour cream, or if you can get it Crema Mexicana (Mexican sour cream)
1/2 small can of sliced ripe black olives
Heat the refried beans in a medium sauté pan or cast iron skillet. Stir in enough water to get a creamy, easily dip-able consistency, about 1/4 of a cup. The taste of refried beans is greatly enhanced by bacon fat; we'll add a teaspoon to canned beans or a tablespoon or more to taste if we are making the beans from scratch. If you don't have bacon fat, you can cook up a strip of bacon, chop it up fine and add that to the beans. If you are trying to avoid pork, note that most canned refried beans are made with added lard, so check the ingredients. You can use olive oil instead, to help the consistency of the beans.

Mix in the chipotle chili powder (or Tabasco, or adobo, or regular chili powder) and cumin to taste. Note that the avocados and the sour cream will cool down the spiciness of the beans considerably, so you can afford to be a bit more spicy than you might think. Stir in salt to taste, depending on how salted your refried beans are to begin with, and depending on how salty the tortilla chips are that you are serving with the dip.

Once the beans are hot and bubbly, spread them over the bottom of a warmed serving dish. Immediately add the shredded cheese so that the heat from the beans helps melt the cheese. (The cheese doesn't need to be completely melted, but even if it is just a little, it will help the dip stay on the chip.)

Layer on the chopped green chilies, chopped avocado, chopped tomato. Spoon on the sour cream (or crema Mexicana, crema fresca, or even cream fraiche). Top with sliced green onions and olives.

Serve immediately with tortilla chips.

White Bean and Roasted Eggplant Hummus

I'm not a huge fan of hummus, so I am going to say that this recipe is only okay. If you really like hummus, you may like this. I had some eggplants to use and brought this to a family function.

White Bean and Roasetd Eggplant Hummus

1 (1 1/2-pound) eggplant or 3 Japanese eggplants, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

Olive oil, for drizzling, plus 1/3 cup
Kosher salt, for seasoning, plus 1/2 teaspoon
Freshly ground black pepper, for seasoning, plus 1/4 teaspoon
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
1 clove garlic
1 hothouse cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and place an oven rack in the middle.

Place the eggplant on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. Set aside to cool.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the cooled eggplant, beans, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped. With the machine running, gradually add 1/3 cup of olive oil until the mixture is creamy. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Place the hummus in a dipping bowl and serve with the cucumber slices. Alternatively, spoon the hummus over the cucumber slices and arrange on a serving platter.

West Indies Guava Barbecue Sauce

I got 5 little yellow guavas in my basket this week. Never had a fresh guava before. This one had a bunch of inedible seeds in it. After taking the seeds out, there wasn't much fruit left. So I made something easy that didn't require a lot of guava flesh. Barbecue sauce. Can't say that I tasted the guava, but the sauce was good. I forgot to get some liquid smoke, but it had a nice sweet, tangy, and a little spicey flavor.

West Indies Guave Barbecue Sauce

1 guava - peeled, seeded, and chopped

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons liquid smoke flavoring
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon habanero hot sauce
1 teaspoon molasses
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

In a large saucepan over low heat, stir together the guava, tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, and brown sugar until well blended. Stir in liquid smoke, fresh lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, habanero sauce, and molasses. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Cover, and cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.

Sweet Basil Tapenade

This is a recipe from my sister's present to me. She gave me an extra copy of the book Veganomicon so that I could make vegan stuff for her. She's so thoughtful. The tapenade is so good that my dad has even made it. Not just liked it. He made it himself. That's impressive. Normally, we just serve it on baguette slices--toasted is better-- and it's great that way. This time I had some extra and decided it would taste good on grilled chicken. And it does. So I used the chicken recipe from Giada and just switched out the basil dressing for the tapenade (the basil dressing is also tasty--makes a nice lemony grilled chicken). The slightly tart lemon on the chicken was a perfect compliment to the sweetness of the tapenade.

Sweet Basil Tapenade

3 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves

1 cup walnut pieces or halves

2 to 4 cloves garlic

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup walnut oil (can use more olive oil)

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

1 tsp grated fresh lemon zest

1&1/2 tsp  salt, or to taste

Black pepper

Chop the basil, walnuts, and garlic in a food processor until chunky. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the processor bowl frequency. Add the oils, maple syrup, and lemon zest, and process until thick and creamy. Season with salt and pepper. Store in a glass jar with a thin layer of olive oil on the surface and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Grilled Chicken With Basil Dressing

2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus 1/4 cup
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds, coarsely crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
3 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
1 large garlic clove
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Whisk 1/3 cup of oil, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, fennel seeds, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper in a resalable plastic bag. Add the chicken and seal the bag. Massage the marinade into the chicken. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day, turning the chicken occasionally.

Meanwhile, blend the basil, garlic, lemon peel, remaining 1/4 cup lemon juice, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a blender until smooth. Gradually blend in the remaining 1/3 cup oil. Season the basil sauce, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Prepare the barbecue for medium-high heat or preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from the marinade. Discard the marinade. Grill the chicken until just cooked through, about 8 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to serving plates, drizzle with the basil sauce and serve.

Olive Oil Pasta Sauce

Okay, I know you are thinking "Wow, that ravioli looks awesome. I can't believe you made that." I didn't. It was pretty tasty though. I did make the sauce for it. I wanted something that would highlight, not overpower, the ravioli. It was successful.

Olive Oil Pasta Sauce

1/2 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic

Black pepper

Basil

Parmesean cheese

Warm oil and garlic on medium heat for a few minutes until turns golden. Take off heat and add remaining ingredients. Add to pasta. If you want, you can add the cheese separately so it doesn't clump in the sauce. I was going to add some pine nuts, but I didn't have any. Try it!