Corn and Black Bean Relish

The perfect side for your favorite main dish, like my carne asada tacos. I love this recipe because it can be served as a side or a dip.

Corn and Black Bean Relish

Ingredients:

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 red pepper, diced small
1 small red onion, diced small
1 jalapeno, minced
1 avocado, diced small
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced small
8 ounce bag of frozen corn kernels
2 limes, zested and juiced
2-4 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and stir gently to combine. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving for flavors to meld. Great as a side dish for a Mexican meal or as a dip with tortilla chips.

Serves 8-10

Source: Adapted from Cooking with Michele

Super Bowl Munchies Round-Up

Don't they all look super yummy?



Peanut Butter Popcorn





Strawberry Goat Cheese Bruschetta





Guacamole





Spinach Artichoke Dip



Queso Blano Dip



Pizza Bites





Soft Pretzels



Queso Blanco Dip

Ok, I have a (not so) secret love affair with chips and queso. Seriously I’d have the stuff for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I could… When I lived in Albuquerque I’d get chips and queso at Taco Cabana (menu item #21) often and this recipe comes pretty close to theirs.

Queso Blanco Dip

Ingredients:

1 lbs Kroger brand Queso Blanco with Jalapeños*

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies

1 T milk

Directions:

Cut the brick of queso blanco into ½ inch cubes.

Place the cheese cubes, green chilies, and milk in a microwave oven-safe bowl. Cook on high for 2 minutes. Stir at the end of the 2 minutes.

Continue to heat and stir as needed until the mixture is smooth.

If being served shortly after preparation, allow the cheese mixture to stand 1 minute before serving to allow the mixture to thicken to the desired consistency.

If being prepared to be served at a later time, transfer the mixture to a crock pot and hold at warm-low temperature until serving time. Stir before serving.

*I’ve been able to find the Kroger brand Queso Blanco at Fry’s and Safeway grocery stores.

Source: A Food Folks and Fun original

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Happy New Year everyone! I don’t know about you, but I am dog-tired this morning. Mia decided to ring in the New Year by waking up every hour on the hour from midnight until 7 am(teething stinks)…so you can imagine it was a long night! In any event, I am so excited to share this recipe with you! I made this last night for a New Year’s Eve party and it was a hit! It tastes just like the dips you get in restaurants without using mayonnaise (yuck!). Enjoy!

Psst…everyone make a wish today, it’s 1/1/11! J

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

4 cloves garlic

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 (10 ounce) container Alfredo-style pasta sauce

1  C shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

¼ C shredded mozzarella cheese

Chopped tomato and fresh spinach for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place garlic in a small baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven 20 to 30 minutes, until soft. Remove from heat. When cool enough to touch, squeeze softened garlic from skins and chop.

In a bowl combine all the ingredients minus the ¼ cup of mozzarella and the garnishes.

Pour the mixture onto an 8x8 inch baking dish.

Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven 20 minutes. Then remove the foil, add ¼ of mozzarella cheese to the top and place back in the oven, uncovered for 10 more minutes, or until the mozzarella is lightly golden. Top with you garnishes and serve warm.

Yields 12 servings.

Source: Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Guacamole

I’m not gonna line, I make a mean guacamole! My secret ingredient is salsa verde; it adds the extra element needed to bring out the rich avocado flavor without overpowering it. This recipe can be doubled, tripled, quadrupled, etc. Enjoy!

Guacamole

Ingredients:

4 large ripe avocados, halved, pitted, and peeled

1 T lime juice

1/3 C bottled salsa verde

1/3 C chopped cilantro leaves (or less according to your taste)

1 t ground cumin

1 t garlic powder

Directions:

Halve, pit, and peel the avocados and place in a bowl. Add in the remaining ingredients and mash with two forks. This will give you a chunky consistency. If you’d like it smoother beat the mixture with a hand-held electric mixer on medium speed until your ideal consistency is reached. Serve immediately.

Source: A Food, Folks, and Fun original!