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

Fresh Winter Salsa

There comes a time in every dippers life when you want to indulge your dipping desires, without over-indulging. This fresh winter salsa is the answer. Not only will you fulfill your daily fruit and veggie intake (with seasonal produce no less!) but your dipping urges will definitely be satisfied. Go ahead -- have the best of both worlds. You deserve it.

Ingredients:
2 roma tomatoes
1 avocado
1 pear
½ cucumber
½ small red onion
1 jalapeño
1 pomegranate
¼ cup fresh cilantro
1 lime

Directions:

1. Finely dice the tomatoes, removing the juice and seeds. 
2. Dice the avocado, pear, cucumber, red onion and jalapeño (removing the seeds). Add them to a large bowl.
3. De-seed the pomegranate and roughly chop the cilantro, adding both to the bowl. 
4. Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice over the ingredients in the bowl. 
5. Stir everything together to combine. Season with salt and pepper if desired. 
6. Serve and enjoy! 

Enjoy! 

xx Just The Dip 

Jalapeño Popper Dip-Stuffed Baguette

Happy Super Bowl Sunday! We're settling in for a real cozy day of sports n' chill. We're talking robes, slippers, furry companion for cuddling and of course, dips. This jalapeño popper dip-stuffed baguette is probably THE perfect Super Bowl dip. I mean, just look at it. Just take this all in for a second. Creamy cheese + spicy jalapeño's STUFFED INSIDE BREAD. It's everything a dip should be and more. No matter what happens today, we all know who the real winner is. It's us. Eating this dip.

Ingredients:

1 baguette (we used an Italian one because it's extra wide!)

For the jalapeño dip:

3-4 jalapeños, diced with seeds removed (use more if you like it extra spicy!)

1 bunch of green onions, rinsed and diced

¾ cup cream cheese, softened

2 cups Greek yogurt

½ cup cheddar cheese, grated

½ cup mozzarella cheese, grated

2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, rinsed and roughly chopped

For the topping:

2 tbsp. butter, softened

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeño, thinly sliced

¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

½ tsp. cayenne pepper

½ tsp. sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. To hollow out your baguette: cut the ends off and then cut the baguette in half. Use a long bread knife to cut a circle in the middle of the baguette dough - leaving about 1-inch crust around the edges.
3. In a large bowl, combine all of the jalapeño dip ingredients and mix well.
4. Use a spoon to stuff the dip inside the hollowed out baguette halves. 
5. Place each stuffed baguette half on a large piece of aluminum foil.
6. Spread some of the butter on top of each baguette half, and top with minced garlic, jalapeño slices, and Parmesan. 
7. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper and sea salt.
8. Wrap the baguettes in foil so they are completely covered and place on a baking sheet. 
9. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, and then open the foil packets and return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes until the cheese on top is fully melted.

Enjoy!

xx Just The Dip

Guacamole...Yes, Guacamole

Guacamole? Really, you guys? You may be asking yourself why we would be covering such well-worn territory. WELL AREN'T YOU JUST JUDGEMENT. But in all honestly, as dip aficionados we hold things to a higher standard and guacamole is no exception. Quite simply put this is the best freaking guacamole you'll ever taste. It really has it all: perfectly ripe avocados, tangy onion and a hint of sweet and spicy flavour. And if you haven't added fruit to your guacamole, well quite frankly, you haven't lived.

Ingredients:

4 ripe avocados

Salt & pepper

1 tsp. ground cumin

½ mango

1 small red onion

1 roma tomato

2 garlic cloves

1 jalapeño

¼ cup black beans

¼ cup fresh cilantro

1 lime

Directions:

1. Dice and mash the avocados in a large bowl with a fork. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add the cumin.
2. Finely dice mango, red onion and tomato (discarding the juice and seeds).
3. Mince the garlic and jalapeño, removing the seeds.
4. Rinse and drain the black beans in a colander.
5. Add the diced tomato, onion, jalapeño, mango, black beans, and garlic to the bowl and mix together with the avocado until well combined.
6. Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice over the mixture. Roughly chop the cilantro and add it to the bowl, stirring everything together.
7. Serve with tortilla chips. 

Enjoy! 

xx Just The Dip