almond butter & greek yogurt fruit dip

I have a confession. I really like dips. I think they are fun to make, you can make a ton of different kinds for a ton of different things. The possibilities are endless...truthfully. Have you searched "dips" on pinterest? My latest search turned up a red velvet cake batter dip, a Butterfinger fruit dip, a mint chocolate chip cookie dough dip and a pickle wrap dip (what!?) without even scrolling half way down the page. I stumbled upon my latest dip without a specific search. I was poking around in the 'food and drink' category and happened upon a peanut butter greek yogurt fruit dip. Check it out here... It is a fit-sugar recipe so I knew it would be on the healthy side.

When I made my grocery list this weekend, the only item I didn't have that was listed was the vanilla greek yogurt. I had maple syrup (not organic, but since I wasn't sure I would even like the dip, I didn't want to waste money that I don't have) and I had cinnamon on hand (although I kinda really don't like cinnamon but...) and I had peanut butter (not natural but again with the spending unnecessary money thing...). However, while I was playing around in the kitchen today and busting out a bunch of different things, I started thinking about the dip and how I could switch it up with other stuff I had around the house.

Here's what I did.

Ingredients:
6 oz. non fat vanilla greek yogurt (I used one that was on sale 10 for $10... can't pass up a good deal!)
~ 1 tbsp local honey (I really like honey and don't use sugar in my tea anymore. I always have local honey on hand b/c it's tasty and the local kind is supposed to be good for people with allergies)
~ 2 tbsp. homemade almond butter
few dashes of cinnamon
(I used a regular kitchen teaspoon so when I say about a tbsp, I really eyeballed it)

I decided to use almond butter for a few reasons: the first is that I had some on hand that I made myself. I roasted off some raw almonds for 5-7 minutes with a TOUCH of salt, then threw them into the food processor for what felt like FOREVER with a little bit of coconut oil to get them going. If you decide to try making your own almond butter, know going into it that it literally takes a gazillion hours (ok, not quite but for someone who is impatient like me, it seemed that long!) The second reason I decided to use almond butter is because I have a co-worker who I wanted to share my dip with and she has a peanut allergy (although she is in denial about it). Plus, since I am going to bring it to school w/ lunch, it can't hurt to have it peanut free just in case. I have no kids w/ allergies in my classroom (thank god b/c they eat peanut butter like it's going out of style) but it never hurts to be safe!

Anyway...

I took the yogurt, honey and almond butter and stuck it in my magic bullet. In hindsight, I probably should have used the food processor but it was already being used for something else (I cooked/prepared/made about 15 different things today so I used a lot of my gadgets). So I threw it all in there and let it go, stopping to open it up and scrape everything off the sides a few times. When I was happy that everything was mixed together, I threw in a few dashes of cinnamon, screwed the top back on and gave it a few shakes to incorporate the cinnamon. I poured it in one of my cute mini mason jars (I'm a little addicted to them) and stuck it in the fridge. I really liked the almond flavor it has and since I'm not HUGE on peanut butter, I think it was the right choice. I'm going to pair it with some apple slices and maybe even some banana.

The true test will be to give my students a little bit and see what they think. Anything I think they will hate, they usually love (quinoa chips were a huge hit the week before vacation), but then again, boys will usually eat anything... unless it's healthy...

Have you tried any new dips lately?

Happy Fooding!

avocado "dressing"

I love avocado. Who doesn't? You can do a lot with it; put it in salads, use it as a spread, grill it, eat it out of the peel... You get the picture. This time, I decided to use it in a dressing. I will use the term dressing loosely, given that the consistency is somewhere between a dip and a nicely flowing dressing. But as I type this I am realizing that it has a similar consistency to blue cheese dressing: sans chunks of aged moldy cheese. I found my recipe here. Be advised that when you click on that particular pin, it doesn't give you the same recipe as it does on the actual pin. I didn't realize that until AFTER I made the "dressing". I ended up making a few little changes because well, why not?! Turns out, the linked recipe is much more of a dressing than what I ended up with. Here's what I did:

Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado
Fresh lemon & lime juice- 1/2 the lemon, whole lime
2-3 cloves of garlic depending on size (I used 2- they were big)
A few dashes of hot sauce (personal preference: Frank's)
Salt and pepper to taste
6 oz. plain Greek yogurt (I used non-fat because it was what I had and went with this brand)

What to do (Sorry, I forgot to snap some photos mid-recipe):
Peel the stuff that needs peeling (garlic, avocado) and open the things that need opening (yogurt)
Put everything in the food processor. Turn it on. Let it go.
Scrape the sides part way through and then give it another mix.
Store in a mason jar or other jar suitable for fridge storage.

I tried mine as a dip for some beet chips I made earlier in the day and used it with some of those real thin pretzel crisps. I'm excited to try it on a salad with some chicken or steak and love knowing that I controlled everything that went into it. I also threw the avocado pit into the jar to keep it green, although I'm not sure if it would have turned or not given the other ingredients. I think I could probably use another avocado and less of the liquids and have a twist on guac (yummm) and I may try it with a little cilantro and skip lemon next time, just to switch it up (a la guac style).

While Mr. Picky did not try it,  I'm pretty happy with my new "dressing"!!

What's your favorite homemade dressing?
Happy Fooding!

(The brands I used are strictly personal choice. You can use what you like best of course!)