Now y’all know that I love me a good dip. This fact has been well-documented.
But for the last year or so, I’ve been in a little bit of a dip desert. There hasn’t been anything new (or new-to-me, at least) that’s grabbed my interest or struck my fancy. And that’s been fine, of course – there are plenty of old dip faithfuls that have been more than able to meet our dip-related needs. Even still, I’ve occasionally wished for something fresh and exciting to liven up the dip landscape.
Well, last week Melanie went to Dallas, and when she got home from her trip she told me all about a really great dip she’d had while she was there.
“I NEED TO KNOW MORE,” I screamed excitedly.
“WELL I WILL SEND YOU THE RECIPE,” she replied enthusiastically.
(We tend to talk in caps when we’re on the phone.)
(This is really no different than how we write blog posts, you understand.)
I made the dip this past weekend for an anniversary party we had for Sister and her hubby, and while I don’t want to overstate it (clearly someone who uses the caps lock a lot would NEVER, EVER OVERSTATE THINGS), I’m pretty sure that this new dip is the best thing that I’ve eaten in recent memory. And keep in mind that we experience the wonder of Chuy’s jalapeno ranch and deluxe tomatillo sauce almost every single weekend, so, you know, HIGH PRAISE.
Last night I asked Mel when she was going to post the dip recipe so that I’d know when to link to it, and she encouraged me to go ahead and share it with the wide world interweb since she already had a post written for today. That was very convenient indeed since I haven’t had a post written in advance in approximately four months.
So here you have it.
Southwestern Tossed Salad
2 cups fresh, frozen (and thawed) or canned corn kernels
1 can of black beans, rinsed
2 roma tomatoes (or a carton of grape/cherry tomatoes halved or quartered)
4 green onions, chopped
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 avocado, diced
4 ounces of feta or cotija cheese, crumbled (I used tomato & basil feta, and it was perfection)
Dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime zest
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Combine all of the dressing ingredients and set aside. Combine the salad ingredients and pour the dressing over it. It tastes even better if you let it all marinate for a few hours (wait and add the avocado right before you serve if it’s going to marinate awhile). Serve as a salad or with tortilla chips as a dip.
IT IS SO GOOD. The feta makes it interesting, but it’s the dressing that sends it way over the top in terms of its deliciousness. I can tell you right now that I’ll be making BATCHES of stuff this summer – it will be perfect for lunch. Or breakfast. Or a snack. Or whatever.
Enjoy, y’all!
Yum — sounds incredible. And your timing is perfect. I’m throwing a little birthday party in a couple weeks and was just thinking that I need something new and deliciously different to make. This will fit the bill very nicely. Thanks!
Sounds sooo good! I can’t wait to make it. Already added it to my grocery list.
Thanks,
the wanna be country girl – Caroline
Just took a screen shot of this recipe and placed it happily in the recipe folder on my iPhoto. I was gonna mark your post as unread, but that would put a little (1) in my Google Reader and I don’t think my OCD can handle that kind of renegade activity.
YUM YUM YUM! I SPEAK FLUENT CAP LOCK!
That sounds delicious! and fresh! and southwesternish!
Perfect for summer- I must admit, I am a bit leary because it has more than 5-6 ingredients. That is usually my limit, but you sure are being convincing!
THIS DIP JUST SCREAMS SUMMER!!!
I make that, except with black-eyed peas instead of black beans. We call it Texas Caviar.
Yes, it looks like good old Texas Caviar with the Feta surprise. yum. Have you tried the Red Pepper jalapeno jam that Costco sells? It’s the easiest spread to serve when poured over some cream cheese. Tastefully Simple also has some.
Thank you for sharing; I will def try this! And since you love dips so much, I’ll share this one. I made it 2 times last week (double batches)!
Black Bean and Mango Salsa
Ingredients:
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 mango, peeled and chopped
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
4 green onions, chopped
¼ cup Italian vinaigrette dressing
1 Tbls fresh lime juice
2 tsp chopped fresh cilantro
½ tsp garlic salt
½ tsp seasoned pepper
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp hot sauce
Directions:
Stir together ingredients in a medium bowl; cover and chill 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
I will definitely make this. In our house, there is NOTHING that cannot be turned into a dip by my husband. Really, it’s a gift. We would have been better off registering for a truckload of tortilla chips instead of our everyday silverware. This salad/dip will really fit the bill.
That sounds YUMMY! It shall be made in my New Mexico kitchen and served proudly.
Ah yes, very Texas caviar-esque. Should be great!!
Hey Boo’s Mama! What happened to your American Idol posts? Loved Scotty and Lauren and Haley and James tonight. I bawled when James sang—had to stop the treadmill. I think Jacob is g.o.n.e. Actually, I don’t want him to be but I forgot to vote after the show, as if my vote would save him. I had to walk home from the treadmill cause my car was broken, so I was preoccupied. I think Lauren will win it all and Scotty will be runner-up—-but what do I know? I did think Casey was leaving last week and now Jacob. And Haley will be in the bottom 3. Sorry, this is suppose to be about dips.
That certainly does look delish!
Also, PW posted a recipe for a dip today… here is the link.
http://chaosinthekitchen.com/2009/12/roasted-jalapeno-tomato-salsa-baked-goat-cheese/
Looks yumy!
I just made that dip for Cinco de Mayo and it is indeed DELICIOUS. Thank you for sharing!
That sounds so fresh and, umm, not heavy (the only way I can describe it), which sounds delicious right here at the brink of Summer!
Well, yum! I will just have to make that for Nick’s welcome home cookout! Thanks for a new idea!!
Hey Sophie!
I made this last week and remembered your dip affinity. It WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE!
I used more ranch dressing because 1. They call it hot sauce for a reason. 2. I am a wimp.
If you need another reason to try it…you serve it with Chicken in a Biscuit crackers! I mean, come on! :)
2 (10 ounce) cans chunk chicken, drained
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup Ranch dressing
3/4 cup pepper sauce (such as Frank’s Red Hot®)
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
Â
1 bunch celery, cleaned and cut into 4 inch pieces
1 (8 ounce) box chicken-flavored crackers
Directions
Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook on Low setting until hot and bubbly. Serve with celery sticks and crackers.
Umm, yeah. That recipe is for Buffalo Dip. Someone needs a Diet Dr. Pepper and it’s me.