Sweet Potato Dip

This sour cream dip pairs perfectly with Taylor's sweet potato fries. A cool and tangy alternative to the typical ranch dip.

Ingredients:

¾ cup sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
¼ teaspoon minced garlic
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon lime zest

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Yield: ¾ cup

Vegan Artichoke Dip

This is one we enjoy very much when watching movies. It is super creamy.

1 pound Fresh Spinach

3-4 Artichoke Hearts

1 Cup Cashews

3/4 Cup Water

2 Cloves fresh Garlic

1 tsp. Sea Salt

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

Pinch of Cayenne (optional)

Process Artichoke Hearts and Spinach until chunky. In a blender, blend the rest of the ingredients until smooth. Stir the two together and serve with your favorite tortilla chips.

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Crisps

I would like to first apologize that I do not have a picture of this recipe at the moment. However, I hope to be making it soon, so I'll edit this post and add one then.

This is one of my recipes that is one of those dishes I used to save for Munch N Mingle or Picnics in the Singles Ward before I got married, you ladies know what I'm talking about ;). Now I make it when strawberries are in season, or just on sale. I usually at least double this recipe, it goes quickly!

Friut Salsa:
1 pint strawberries, chopped
1 large banana, chopped
1 Red Delicious apple, chopped (I have used Gala, and it was great)
1 kiwi, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (I use bottled)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Combine first 4 ingredients. Stir together lemon juice, sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon; toss with fruit. Chill.

Cinnamon Crisps:*
4 (7 1/2-inch) flour tortillas
Vegatable cooking spray (I used cooking oil in one of those pump sprayers, pampered chef makes one)
2 tbsps sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon

Cut each tortilla into eighths. Arrange pieces on baking sheets. Lightly coat with cooking spray. Combine sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle over tortillas.

Bake at 350 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve with fruit salsa.

Yeild: 4 servings

*Note: these cinnamon crisps are soo good with just plain vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt. We also use them for sundaes, or with cooked apples. They are very very good with lots of desserts the more I think about it, and they only takes a couple of minutes to make!

Lettuce Wraps

A favorite in our household! It makes a great appetizer, or can be served with rice and a vegetable for a main dish.

Makes enough filling for 4-5 large lettuce leaves.

Ingredients for chicken mixture:
3 T. Oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (chopped finely)
1 8 oz. can water chestnuts, minced
1 cup mushrooms, minced
3 T. onion, minced
1 tsp garlic, minced (about 2 small cloves)
4-5 lettuce leaves*

Ingredients for special sauce:
1/4 cups sugar, or 1/8 cup honey
1/2 cup water
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. Rice wine vinegar
2 T. Ketchup
1 T. Lemon juice
1/8 tsp sesame oil
1 T. hot mustard
1-2 tsp garlic and red chili paste

Ingredients for Stir fry sauce:
2 T. soy sauce
2 T brown sugar
1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar

Directions:

1. Combine ingredients for the special sauce and bring to a boil; set aside.
2. Cook chicken breast in oil; set aside.
3. Mix together ingredients for stir fry sauce and set aside.
   
4. Saute water chestnuts and mushrooms.
5. Add garlic, onions, stir fry sauce, and cooked chicken. Saute for a few minutes, until the garlic and onion are tender.
6. Add special sauce.
7. Put some filling in a lettuce leaf, wrap, and enjoy!
   

*The typical lettuce used in this dish is iceberg. I prefer to use romaine though because iceberg has so little nutritional value.

Bunny Bread with Dip in Tummy

My mom made this one time and I have always remembered it. I wanted to make it for Easter this year but didn't have the recipe. Where to do you go to find just about anything you want? Google! I typed bunny, bread, veggies into a google search and the recipe was the first thing that came up. It is easier than it looks and everyone enjoyed it!

Ingredients

2 (1 lb.) loaves frozen bread dough, thawed

2 raisins

2 Sliced almonds, can sub 1 white jelly bean cut in half

1 egg, lightly beaten

lettuce leaves

ranch dip or spinach dip

assorted fresh vegetables

crackers

Directions

Cut a fourth off of one loaf of dough; shape into a pear to form head.

For body, flatten remaining portion into a 7x6" oval; place on a greased baking sheet.

Place head above body. Make narrow cuts, about 3/4" deep, on each side of head for whiskers.

Cut second loaf into 4 equal portions.

For ears, shape 2 portions into 16" ropes; fold in half. Arrange ears with open ends touching head.

Cut a third portion of dough in half; shape into a 3 1/2" oval for back paws. Cut two 1" slits on top edge for toes. Position on each side of body at bottom.

Divide fourth portion of dough into 3 pieces. Shape two pieces into 2 1/2" balls for front paws; shape the remaining piece into two 1" balls for cheeks and one 1/2" ball for nose. Place paws on each side of body at top of body. Place cheeks and nose on face.

Add raisins for eyes and almond for teeth. Brush dough with egg. Cover and let rise for about 30-35 minutes or til doubled. Bake at 350º for 25-30 minutes til golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Place bread on a lettuce-lined 16x13" tray. Cut a 5x4" oval in center of body. Hollow out bread from tummy leaving a shell. Cut bread into cubes for dipping. Line hole in belly with lettuce leaves, fill with dip. Surround entire bunny with bread cubes, fresh veggies and crackers for dipping.

I cut apart a cardboard box for a serving tray because it is hard to find anything else big enough. I baked some of the pieces seperately for the same reason (the ears and bottom paws). If you have a bigger baking sheet it would work.

Avocado Egg Rolls

This is a copycat recipe I found on the web, and it is EXCELLENT!!! It is from The Cheesecake Factory and these really do taste just as good right at home.

34 min | 30 min prep | SERVES 2 -4 , 3 eggrolls*

dipping sauce
3-4	teaspoons white vinegar
1	teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2	teaspoon tamarind pulp**
1/2	cup honey
1	pinch powdered saffron, opt.
1/2	cup cashews or peanuts
2/3	cup fresh cilantro
2	garlic cloves
2	green onions
1	tablespoon granulated sugar
1	teaspoon ground black pepper
1	teaspoon ground cumin
1/4	cup olive oil
egg rolls
1	large avocado, peeled, pitted, & diced
2	tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped***
1	tablespoon minced red onion or shallot
1/2	teaspoon fresh cilantro, chopped
1	pinch salt
3	egg roll wraps
1	egg, beaten (I use warm water. Works great. Not worth wasting and egg.)

1. Stir together vinegars, tamarind, honey, and saffron in a microwave safe bowl, and microwave for 1 minute.
2. Stir until tamarind is dissolved.
3. In a blender, Puree tamarind mixture, cashews, 2/3 cup cilantro, garlic, onions, sugar, pepper, and cumin.
4. Pour mixture into a bowl and stir in oil.
5. Refrigerate until ready to use.
6. Gently stir together avocado, tomatoes, onion, 1/2 teaspoon cilantro, and salt.
7. Distribute filling evenly onto center of each egg roll wrapper.
8. Position a wrapper so that a corner is pointing toward you; fold the bottom corner up, 1/4 of the way over the filling.
9. Brush remaining corners and edges of the wrapper with egg, roll up from side to side, fold top corner over all and press to seal.
10. Repeat with remaining wrappers.
11. Continue by deep-frying the egg rolls in 375 degree oil for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown.
12. Drain on brown paper bags.
13. Slice egg rolls diagonally across middle and serve with prepared dipping sauce!
14. ENJOY!

* If doubling (or more) the egg rolls, do not double the sauce. This recipe makes enough to triple (or more) the egg rolls. So you could even make a half batch of the sauce and have enough.*

** Tamarind pulp or paste is hard to find. I made this the first time without it and it tasted great. Then I found some and made it again with and didn't notice that much of a difference. So don't let that stop you from making these. The sauce really makes these though.**

*** You can buy sun-dried tomatoes at the dollar store. Yep, for $1! And if you make these when avocados are on sale for $1, it's a delicious, fancy, and cheap treat. ***

Smoked Salmon Roll-ups

This was one of my favorite appetizers my family liked me to make on special occasions. They look like a bigger version of sushi rolls only wrapped in a tortilla. I got this recipe out of a traditional Food and Wine festival I attended back in California. The creator of this recipe won $200 as a prized tested recipe. I like sushi and I like wraps so this is a great combination!

2 cups short grain or sticky rice, cooled.
2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
4 10 inch spinach flavored flour tortillas
2 3oz pkgs. thinly sliced smoked salmon
1 Medium avocado halved, seeded, peeled and sliced
1/2 Medium cucumber,halved lengthwise, seeded and cut into thin sticks

Combine rice and seseme seeds. Combine vinegar, sugar and 1 tsp. salt and stir to dissolve. Pour vinegar mixture over rice mixture. Stir together mayonnaise and cayenne; spread 1 tbsp. mayonnaise mix. over 1 tortilla.
Spread 1/2 cup rice mix. on half the tortilla; top with 1/4 each of the salmon, avocado, and cucumber. Carefully roll tortilla tightly, starting at the filled side. Wrap in plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Chill at least 1hour before serving. To serve, trim ends. Cut remaining roll crosswise into 1 inch thick slives. If you need to, secure with toothpicks to hold them together. This makes about 25 rolls.