Feeling Foodish

Dips

easy pineapple salsa

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Easy to make pineapple salsa - perfect with chips or as a topping for grilled fish or chicken!

Pineapple salsa – the ingredients

I love fresh homemade salsa – it’s just sooo different than what you get when you buy pre-made salsa at the store. It took me a while to realize that preservatives really do take away from the flavor of food.

Now, this might look complicated but I promise, it really isn’t.

There are six simple ingredients (plus salt and pepper): pineapple (fresh is best, but canned or frozen will work in a pinch), red or orange bell pepper, jalapeno (for a bit of spice), red onion, garlic, cilantro, salt, and pepper – that’s it!

easy pineapple salsa - healthy snacking or use as a healthy topping for grilled fishThe hardest part of this recipe is the chopping, but really – it isn’t so bad…and if you want to check out an easy way to cut a pineapple check out this article by Good Housekeeping.

Serving Ideas for Pineapple Salsa

My favorite ways to enjoy this salsa are with chips (as a dip) or as a topping for grilled fish or even chicken. Other ideas might be over fish tacos, over scrambled eggs, as a burger topping, or even in lettuce wraps.

Also instead of pineapple, try other fruits like peach, nectarine, or even mango.

 

This healthy pineapple salsa is perfect for snacking on with chips or is delish as a topping for grilled fish!
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Pineapple salsa

An easy pineapple salsa recipe, made from six simple ingredients plus salt and pepper. Use this to top grilled chicken, fish, or even a burger. Maybe some fish tacos or scrambled eggs? 

Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword pineapple
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 large pineapple (or 2 small pineapples)
  • 1 small red or orange bell pepper (or 1/2 medium pepper)
  • 1/2 medium red onion
  • 1 small jalepeno (seeded)
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 small bunch cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  1. Cut a fresh pineapple (core and then cut off the rind)

  2. Chop the pineapple into small pieces and place into a large bowl

    easy pineapple salsa - healthy snacking or use as a healthy topping for grilled fish

  3. Clean and chop the remaining ingredients (peppers [bell and jalapeno], garlic, onion, cilantro

  4. After chopping, add all the ingredients to the pineapple

  5. Add salt and pepper or season to taste

My Favorite Hummus

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Prior attempts at hummus

I’ve blogged about hummus before, but since then, I’ve tried a few different tricks to get my hummus smooth and creamy. Initially, my attempts at hummus focused on adding flavor like roasted peppers or in this more recent version, pesto. Since then, I’ve been more focused on improving the texture, which I think can make a good hummus an outstanding hummus.

Over at Smitten Kitchen, Deb wrote about peeling chickpeas (or popping them out of their skin) to add creamy goodness to her ethereally smooth hummus (don’t you love her recipe titles!).  And yes, I have tried that! If you are making a small batch and using canned chickpeas, it isn’t that difficult. And it works.  Provided that you have the patience, which I’ll admit, I’m sometimes lacking.

Origins of this recipe

But the current recipe comes from a book that a fellow bread-loving blogger, Karen (from Karen’s Kitchen Stories) recommended a while back. I had (and still have) visions of baking my way through a bread book and Karen recommended the book, Hot Bread Kitchen, named after the bakery in East Harlem that employs low-income minority women and uses recipes that have been passed down by generations of women. The bakery teaches life changing skills to these women and invests in educating and training workers.

I’ve made a few breads from the book and then noticed that they had an interesting recipe for hummus.

Secrets of a good hummus

At this point in my cooking life, I’ve come to realize that many successful recipes are about technique as much as anything else such as fresh ingredients. And for hummus, technique seems to be key.

As the book goes on to explain, an important part of making hummus (and this is using dried chickpeas) is that you must cook the beans with a bit of baking soda after soaking the beans. You will also skim away as much skin as you can, but you don’t have to go crazy. The final step is using ice cold water to thin out the consistency and add creaminess.

I ended up making a whole bag of chickpeas and then spitting the batch into two: one plain and one pesto-flavored (using pre-made pesto)
I love this hummus and have used it as an easy lunch when rolled into a pita, or as a dip for a fast snack with cucumber slices or even chips.

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My Favorite Hummus

Author [email protected]

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dried chickpeas (230 grams)
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 cup tahini (55 grams)
  • 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 large garlic clove , minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup ice cold water (55 grams)
  • extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling on top

Instructions

  1. Place chickpeas in a large pot and cover with cold water (by at least 4 inches/10 cm) and let sit at least 6 hours or overnight
  2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, add back to the pot, and then sprinkle with the baking soda
  3. Place the pot with the chickpeas over high heat and stir until the skins start to break and the chickpeas dry out (about 4 to 5 mins)
  4. Add enough cold water to cover the chickpeas by 4 inches and then bring to a boil
  5. Reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the chickpeas are tender
  6. As they cook, skim and discard skins that float to the top
  7. Drain the chickpeas and rinse with cold water. Pick out and discard any loose skins, but don't go crazy here.
  8. Add the chickpeas to a food processor and pulse until a thick paste forms. Add tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and salt and then process for about 2 minutes
  9. Then while the machine is on, add the water slowly and process until the hummus is completely smooth, about 2 minutes.
  10. Taste the hummus and adjust seasoning to taste.
  11. Serve drizzled with olive oil.

 

queso fundido

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queso fundido is such an easy dip to make and it's amazingly cheesy and delicious!

Two popular recipes for queso fundido are the Pioneer Woman’s recipe and also Rick Bayless’ recipe. Rick uses tequila is his recipe, which sounds great. First try, I added a splash of tequila to this queso, and I couldn’t taste it at all after it was cooked off, and so I left it out of subsequent tries. I also couldn’t detect the seeded and diced jalapeno peppers, and so I’m recommending not to seed the jalapenos if you’d like a spicy dip.

Pioneer Women’s queso looks absolutely amazing and probably tastes just as good, but I didn’t want to put meat in my version. I’m not against eating meat, but wanted to keep this dip meatless.

I wanted to pump up the vegetables a bit to add more flavor, fiber, and texture.

A simple queso loaded with tomato, onion, and peppers

Begin by chopping/dicing up an onion, a large tomato (or 2 medium sized ones), a poblano pepper, and jalapenos;

queso fundido

Saute the vegetables for about 5 minutes until softened and then lower the heat and fold in the shredded cheese, which will melt fairly quickly. Garnish with more tomato and some chopped cilantro and serve with tortillas or chips –  It’s as simple at that!

Recipe adapted from Rick Bayless Queso Fundido, Food and Wine

A simple queso loaded with tomato, onion, and peppers
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queso fundido

A simple and delicious warm dip with cheese, peppers, onions, and tomato.
Course Appetizer / Dip
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 7 minutes
Total Time 12 minutes
Servings 6
Author Marie

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small onion , diced
  • 1 poblano or cubanelle pepper
  • 2 jalapenos , minced (seeded if you prefer less/no heat)
  • 1 large tomato , diced (reserve about 2 tablespoons for topping)
  • 3 cups Mexican cheese grated (I used a preshredded combination of monteray jack, cheddar, asadero and queso bianco)
  • 1/4 cup cilantro , chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large saute or cast iron pan and add onion, peppers and tomatoes (reserve some tomatoes for garnish)
  2. Cook over medium high heat for about 5 minutes and stir frequently until vegetables have softened.
  3. Lower heat to low and then add cheese and stir until melted
  4. Top with reserved tomato and cilantro and serve with tortilla wedges or chips
  5. May keep warm in small crock pot or reheat later to re-melt

creamy artichoke dip

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creamy artichoke dip

Need a little dip for the Superbowl? As you might recall, one of my favorite dips is this great hummus, which I love, and of course my favorite guacamole in the world, which I have probably made more times than anything else on this site. Those dips are so much more than just dips though – hummus can be enjoyed as part of a sandwich on fresh pita  and guacamole is something I could eat daily on top of an egg white omelet in the morning or as a topping on a burger.

By comparison, this artichoke dip is so much simpler to make; in fact, it’s very easy to put together. If you use frozen artichokes, like I did, all you have to do is warm them, chop them and then combine all the ingredients. I envision that this artichoke dip would also be a great spread on sandwiches and even a wonderful topping for chicken breasts.

I served this dip with store-bought colorful vegetable chips, which are on my “things-I’d-love-to-make-someday” list. Do you have one of those lists? Mine keeps getting longer and longer and some days I think that I would need 10 other people to feed in order to get through that list (not to mention much more time to cook and experiment in the kitchen).

Well, 1 more down, and hundred and something left…

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creamy artichoke dip

A creamy artichoke dip with a hint of lemon and garlic
Course Appetizer
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Author [email protected]

Ingredients

  • 1 package of cream cheese , (8 oz)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1/2 chopped artichokes (I used frozen)
  • 1 garlic clove , minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/2 cup sour cream

Instructions

  1. If using frozen artichokes, boil the artichokes until warmed and then cool and chop
  2. Combine all ingredients
  3. Serve with chips (vegetable chips shown) or crudites

Homemade Guacamole

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Guacomole-1-3

Guacamole love <3

Guacomole-1-4

What can I say? This is another one of my all-time favorite foods. I find myself making a big batch of this fairly often. Sometimes, I have this for lunch. It also makes an amazing topping for omelets, salads, or nachos for your Superbowl Party. Healthy too! Guilt-free and delish? Sign me up!!

homemade guacamole-1

When I lived in NJ, there was a nearby small family-run Mexican restaurant that had fabulous guacamole. And, it was cheap. It was amazingly fresh and super chunky, not like the over-processed stuff that you find in the supermarket. With that guacamole in mind, I set out to recreate it.

This recipe is fairly simple and includes the usual ingredients but I think the difference is that it is not overmixed. I like to use 6 nice sized avocados so the dip lasts longer than one day:) And, I like the ingredients to complement the avocado but not overpower them in any way, a perfect balance.

Some tricks I’ve read about for preventing the guacamole from darkening/oxidizing: save the pits and put a few in your dip and/or place plastic wrap directly on top of the dip. I’ve also read that putting a layer of sour cream on top of the dip will help, but I’ve never tried it. I’ve had the most luck with putting plastic wrap right on top of the dip.

 

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Homemade Guacamole

Heaven on a plate
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 12
Author Marie @FeelingFoodish

Ingredients

  • 6 avocados , pitted and roughly chopped
  • 2 tomatoes , chopped
  • 1 lemon , juiced (I always use lemons not limes)
  • 1 small red onion , finely diced
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro , finely chopped
  • 2 serrano chile peppers , finely diced (optional or use a few drops chili sauce)
  • salt , 1 teaspoon or to taste
  • pepper , 1/4 teaspoon or to taste

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
  2. Do not overmix; leave plenty of chunks throughout.
  3. To store, cover the guacamole with plastic wrap, ensuring that the plastic comes in direct contact with the dip.
  4. Store in refrigerator.

Recipe Notes

Supposedly, authentic guacamole uses red onion, does not contain any garlic, and uses jalapeno in place of serranos. I use lemon in place of lime. You will love this guacamole!!

 

My Favorite Hummus with Red Pepper and Sundried Tomatoes

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red pepper hummus

I’ve made this recipe so many times, I’ve lost count. I’ve always been a big fan of plain ole hummus but it’s hard to go back to the supermarket variety after you’ve eaten this version. Sure – you can purchase flavored hummus but it’s never quite as flavorful, and this is a combination that I’ve never seen sold at the market. Even so, I never realized the impact that preservatives and other additives had on the flavor of our foods until I began making dips like this.

Now, I’ll admit that I’m a bit spoiled because my mother roasts and freezes her own red peppers every year, a few times throughout and she shares (they are incredibly delicious and taste SO much better than store bought – no  surprise, I guess). In this recipe, using homemade roasted peppers will lend a smoky flavor that adds a subtle note to the smokiness from the chipolte seasoning. Of course, this is not required, and so using the jarred version is fine. This is where I cheat: the original recipe called for the addition of one chipolte pepper in adobe sauce (canned), and I tend not to keep those on hand, although I do stock most of the other ingredients. As a result, over time,  I’ve adapted the recipe include chipolte chili powder. I also don’t stock tahini, and quite frankly, I can’t tell the difference when the dip is made with or without it,  but maybe it’s just me? The reason I don’t miss the tahini may also be attributed to the very bold flavor of this hummus, wherein the subtle flavor of tahini may be lost…I’m not sure. Either way, I realize that it is a required ingredient in most hummus recipes, and so I’ve included it in the recipe below and will leave it up to you to decide on whether or not to include it.

This hummus can be served as a dip or wrapped up in a pocketless pita. I plan to add a recipe for my favorite pocketless pitas sometime soon.  Once you try the homemade pitas, you will never go back to the store bought ones, I promise. They are that good. And so is this hummus.

Recipe adapted from AllRecipes.com

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A smoky and spicy hummus flavored with red pepper and sun-dried tomatoes
Course Dip
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Author [email protected]

Ingredients

  • Garbanzo beans , 2 (15.5 ounce) cans (drained) or 4 cups fresh cooked
  • Water , 1/2 cup
  • Tahini (sesame-seed paste), 1/4 cup
  • Fresh lemon juice , 1/4 cup
  • Olive oil , 2 tablespoons
  • Garlic , 2 cloves
  • Roasted red bell peppers , 1 cup
  • Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes , 6 pieces (drained)
  • Cumin , 1.5 teaspoons
  • Chopped cilantro , 1/2 cup (or about 2.5 tablespoons dried)
  • Chipotle chili powder , 1 tablespoon
  • Salt , 1/2 teaspoon
  • Ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Combine the first 8 ingredients in a food processor and mix until smooth.
  2. Season with the last 5 ingredients as noted in recipe or to taste.