French Onion Dip in a Bread Bowl

Happy 420 y'all! Today we present to you: French Onion Dip in a Bread Bowl. Make it and let it satisfy all of your 420 day needs!!!

Ingredients:

4 yellow onions

3 garlic cloves

2 tbsp butter

½ veggie bouillon cube

2 tbsp white wine

½ cup cream cheese

½ cup Greek yogurt

½ cup swiss cheese

¼ cup Parmesan

2 tbsp thyme

3 large bread rolls (or whatever size you please)

Directions:

1. Roast garlic by cutting off the tops and bottoms then drizzling with olive oil. Wrap in aluminum foil and cook at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. 
2. Chop yellow onions, then caramelize by adding 2 tbsp of butter and thyme to a heated pan and reduce to medium-low heat. Stir frequently and cook until the onions turn a light brown caramel colour. 
3. Keeping the onions in the pan with the heat on low, deglaze the onions by pouring in the wine and stir in the veggie bouillon cube until dissolved.
4. Stir the cream cheese and greek yogurt into the pan.
5. Stir in most of the parmesan and swiss cheese (saving some to add on top).
6. Add the roasted garlic to the mix.
7. Prepare bread bowl by cutting off the top (just like a pumpkin!) and remove the insides of the bread portion, forming a bowl. 
8. Once all of the ingredients are nicely combined in pan, fill bread bowl with dip. 
9. Add the bread bowls to an aluminum foil lined pan and top with the remaining cheese and any other things you'd like to add (we added some fresh green onions).
10. Top with the bread bowl lids and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
11. Remove from oven, cool for 10 minutes and enjoy. 

Enjoy! 

xx Just The Dip 

Sun-dried tomato hummus

This hummus acts as both a dip and a great sandwich spread. It's great to make on the weekend and share with friends and then use the leftovers in your lunch for the week. It's also super easy to make (see below: 3 steps!) and you can make it ahead and keep it in the fridge for up to a week. 

Ingredients:

19oz can of chickpeas
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes
Juice of1 lemon
2 tablespoons tahini
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons of fresh basil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

1. Drain and rinse chickpeas
2. Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth
3. Serve and enjoy!

Beer Dip

Beer dip, it just makes sense. We feel that is all the explanation this dip needs but if you're still debating whether you should run out to grab the ingredients you need to make this tonight, here's a bit more food for thought: it's St. Paddy's tomorrow! it's spring! it's sunny! IT HAS BEER IN IT.

Ingredients:

3 oz. malty dark beer

1 package cream cheese

2 cups of grated jalapeño cheddar

4 green onions

2 garlic cloves

1 small yellow onion

1 tbsp. fresh chives

2 tsp. onion flakes

1 tsp. fresh dill (dry is ok too!)

2 tbsp. fresh parsley

1 tsp. black pepper 

1 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Melt the cream cheese in a microwave-safe bowl and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
3. Finely dice the yellow onion, mince the garlic and fresh herbs, and dice the green onions.
4. Add the veggies, herbs and spices to the mixing bowl, and stir to combine. 
5. Add the jalapeño cheddar and the beer, and mix well. 
6. Pour the mixture into a baking dish and bake until heated through and slightly thickened, about 30 minutes. 

Enjoy!

xx Just The Dip 

Easy Cheesy Jalapeño & Corn Beer Bread

This week we're celebrating St. Patrick's Day! Which is really another way of telling you we're getting day drunk and mowing down on this beer bread. And now you can too :) The prep for this recipe is ridiculously easy - the hardest part is waiting for the bread to bake and cool so you can dig in!

Ingredients:

12 oz. (354mL) malty dark beer 

3-4 jalapeños

½ cup corn

½ cup cheddar cheese

3 cups all-purpose flour 

1 tbsp. baking powder

3 tbsp. sugar

½ cup butter

1 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Dice 2 jalapeños and remove the seeds - slice one and set it aside (you will be putting this one on top of the bread).
2. Preheat the oven to 350F. Melt the butter and pour half into a 9x3 loaf pan.
3. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl (flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt). 
4. Pour the beer into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. 
5. Stir in the corn, jalapeños and almost all of the cheese (saving some to sprinkle on top).
6. Add to the loaf pan and smooth it out with the back of a wooden spoon. Pour the remainder of the melted butter on top.
7. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and top with the sliced jalapeño
8. Bake until golden-brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 1 hour.

Enjoy!

xx Just The Dip 

Rainbow Rolls with Creamy Peanut Dip

In case you missed it (like us), the Internet celebrated National Peanut Butter Day in January. And then March 1st rolls around and it's suddenly 'National Peanut Lovers' Day'. What gives Internet?! Maybe these national days are getting a bit out of control, or maybe we're just sad we missed out - whatever the case may be, don't limit your love of good ol' PB. Shout it from the rooftops, sing it from a mountain... or just quietly eat it by the spoonful. We're here to say that peanut butter should be celebrated erryday. And we have the perfect recipe for all you pb addicts! These ridiculously good-looking rainbow rolls are both beautiful and tasty. Refreshing, bright and crispy with a creamy peanut dip to bring it all together. Enjoy :) 

Ingredients:

For the rainbow rolls:

6-8 rice paper wraps

1 red bell pepper

1 large carrot

1 cucumber

 1 bunch cilantro (or cabbage if you're not a fan!)

1 block firm tofu

2 nests of ramen noodles
1 avocado
1 mango

For the creamy peanut dip:

¾ cup peanut butter
¼ cup water
1 tbsp. sesame oil

2 tbsp. tamari

2 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. brown rice vinegar
1 tbsp. honey
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp. chopped peanuts (optional garnish)

Directions:

1. Prepare veggies: thinly slice the carrot, red pepper and mango into matchsticks. 
2. Peel, de-seed and slice the cucumber into strips. Slice the avocado and chop the cilantro. 
3. Cut tofu into thin strips and cook it in a large pan with sesame oil until heated through, and browned on the edges. 
4. Remove from heat and let cool. 
5. Prepare the ramen according to the package directions (we used black rice ramen).
6. Lay out a clean dish towel and make sure all of the filling ingredients are on hand nearby.
7. To assemble your wraps, fill a shallow dish or rimmed plate with warm/hot water. Immerse a piece of rice paper fully in the water for about 20-30 seconds - until it has softened. Transfer it to your dish towel and place a little bit of each filling ingredient in the centre. 
8. Fold one side of the wrap around the filling, and then both sides. Roll it so that all of the filling is fully wrapped up and place, seam-side down, on a plate while you finish with the rest of the rolls. You can watch a video tutorial here on how to roll rice paper wraps if it's new! 
9. Make the dip: add all of the dip ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. 
10. Garnish with freshly chopped peanuts to serve.

Enjoy! 

xx Just The Dip 

Apple Crumble Dip with Apple Chips

Some days you just want to stay home, look out your window while the snow falls and cuddle up next to a fire. But since some of us can't afford that luxury (hi, work), this apple crumble dip with homemade apple chips is the perfect way to accompany that warm fuzzy feeling! The baked chips are local apples so that means they're healthy, right? Plus they're the perfect vessel for this apple crumble dip! Try it, love it, and as always, you can thank us later. And while snow, cuddles and filling dips are wonderful things, we have to admit to counting down the days until summer and sangria!

Ingredients:

7 medium Ontario apples

2 tsp. cinnamon

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup butter, melted

¼ cup cream cheese, softened

½ cup heavy cream

1 orange, juiced

¼ cup flour

½ cup oats

½ tsp. ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°F.
2. Slice the apples as thinly as possible, reserving the apple tops and bottoms. The thinner your slices, the more quickly they'll bake.
3. In a small bowl, mix together 1 tsp. cinnamon and 2 tbsp. brown sugar. Place the apple slices on a baking sheet and sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
4. Bake for an 90 minutes. Remove from oven, flip, and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon-sugar. Return to the oven for another 60-90 minutes, until the apple chips are crisp with no moisture remaining (they will harden slightly as they cool).
5. Increase the heat of the oven to 350°F. Dice the reserved apple tops and bottoms.
6. In a large bowl, combine the butter, cream cheese, heavy cream, orange juice, diced apple bits, flour, oats, nutmeg, and remaining brown sugar and cinnamon. Mix well. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish (we used a glass pie pan, it worked nicely!)
7. Bake for 30 minutes.
8. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl and use your apple chips or something sweet for dipping!

Enjoy! 

xx Just The Dip 

Carrot & Red Lentil Dip with Zucchini chips

This carrot and red lentil dip is perfect for those evenings that have an extreme cold warning issued. When you need a filling snack but couldn't be bothered to bundle up and mission to the grocery store. Lentils are a great source of fibre, iron and folate, so for all you mothers-to-be and health conscious bbys, this one is for you! Not only is this delicious dip easy to make but it also keeps for up to a week in the fridge (just in case you get snowed in). All you have to do is heat it up in the microwave and you're ready to go! This dip also tastes especially delicious with baked zucchini chips. Try it yourself and let us know what you think! Would we ever steer you wrong? 

Ingredients:
Dip

1 cup of red lentils
2 carrots
1 small chopped yellow onion
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup water

Zucchini Chips
4 zucchinis
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:
Dip

1. Add one cup of water to a pot along with one cup of lentils, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer stirring constantly
2. Chop the carrots and add to a pan over medium heat with some oil, stir until cook
3. Add the cooked carrots, lentils, and the rest of the ingredients to a food processor

Chips

1. Preheat oven to 250F
2. Thinly slice the zucchini (about a quarter inch) and toss with olive oil and salt and pepper
3. Line an aluminum pan with aluminum foil
4. Spread the zucchini and add to the oven, bake for an hour to an hour and a half, keep an eye on them! 

Enjoy! 

xx Just The Dip