Taco Dip -- Totally easy and awesome

Also known to some people as Taco Crack Dip because of its addictive properties.

This is not a whole foods, healthy recipe by any measure. It is, however, one of my more requested dips for parties. It's so easy.

Ingredients
One 16 ounce container of sour cream
Two bricks of cream cheese
One package Old El Paso brand taco seasoning mix (no substitution)
Four medium sized scallions

In a generous mixing bowl, soften the cream cheese and stir until smooth. Slowly add taco seasoning mix until there are no lumps. Fold in sour cream and incorporate completely.

Dice the scallions, green and white parts, and fold in to the mixture.
You may substitute finely diced red onions if scallions are not your thing.

Sprinkle top with cumin and cilantro. Chill and serve.

Word of warning: This is a very delicious dip, however, because of the hydrogenated and processed ingredients in the taco seasoning dip this recipe cannot be recommended for anything other than special occasions.

Also, it's almost 100% fat. But that's OK, it' a party dip!

Olive Tapenade & Goat Cheese in Asiago Cradles

Delightful hors d'oeuvres that can be served at a holiday cocktail party or as an accent to a tossed spring mix salad.

Asiago Cradles
One Pound of Asiago Cheese (extra sharp provolone or another hard cured cheese may be substituted)
One 8 ounce package of plain goat cheese.
Several shot glasses or small tumblers. All should be the same size.

Olive Tapenade
6 ounces pitted Lindsay Black Olives
6 ounces pitted Lindsay Calamata Olives
1/4 cup pine nuts
3 or 4 cloves of garlic
One medium shallot
One Tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
One Tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mint leaves for garnish.

To make the Asiago Cradles
Shred the cheese into strings, like shredded potatoes. Do not grate into a powder. Take 1/4 cup of shredded cheese and place in a hot, nonstick skillet. As the cheese melts, use a spatula to keep it shaped in a circle about 2 to 3 inches across. You may also use a cooking ring to keep the cheese shaped in a circle. When the cheese has a brown surface on the bottom, flip the cheese and finish cooking. Cheese should be lightly brown on both sides and be flexible but not runny.

Remove cheese from pan and place over an upside down shot glass or tumbler. The cheese should droop over the sides and create a small bowl. Let the cheese cool and remove from glass. It should retain this shape. Repeat this procedure until all the cheese cradles are finished.

To make the Olive Tapenade
Place the pine nuts in a hot, dry skillet and lightly toast for a few minutes, keeping them moving in the pan. Once they begin to turn lightly brown, remove them from the heat. Be careful not to burn them.

In a toaster oven or conventional oven, loosely wrap the garlic and shallot in aluminum foil with a few drops of olive oil. Roast the cloves for 15 to 25 minutes at 300 degrees. This mellows the flavors of the cloves.

Place all Tapenade ingredients in a food processor and pulse until all the ingredients are incorporated. The consistency should be diced with different sized chunks, do not puree.

Presentation:
In each cradle, place about a teaspoon of goat cheese in the bottom. Top with a teaspoon of Tapenade , leaving some cheese visible. Place one mint leaf on top. Arrange cradles on a platter surrounding a small bowl of extra Tapenade for your guests.

Or when serving a first course spring mix salad, place one cradle on the side of the salad as a flavorful garnish and topping.

Eric's Recipe for Humus

Originally posted on Eric's Blog on September 24, 2004.

Eric's simple and ever-changing recipe for Humus
If you ask me for my humus recipe again in two months, it will have no doubt changed as I experiment with new ingredients and techniques. Recipes are living things.

You'll need a food processor for this recipe, unless you have an exceptional blender.

Ingredients:
Two 16 ounce cans of Progresso Chick Peas (I like this brand best)
Three or four cloves of garlic (not bulbs, cloves)
One lemon
Eight to twelve sprigs fresh parsley
Two tablespoons of tahini (sesame paste, most grocery stores have it in the "ethnic" isle)
Half teaspoon salt
Half teaspoon ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

Optional ingredients:
One medium shallot (this is a new variation to my recipe. Yummy!)
Half teaspoon ground cumin
Half teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Teaspoon Chili powder

In the food processor add the garlic, parsley and the juice of the lemon. Remove any seeds from the lemon and remove the fibrous stalks of the parsley. Add the shallot if you are including it. Pulse the processor until any large pieces of garlic are gone.

Open and rinse well the two cans of chick peas. Add them to the processor along with the tahini, salt, black pepper and the other spices. Add about 1/4 cup of olive oil.

Turn on processor and let the blades begin to puree the mixture. As it thickens, very slowly add more oil so that the consistency is smooth and creamy. This way you can control the amount of oil in the recipe. The more oil you add, the creamier and richer the final product will be.

Occasionally stop and taste. Adjust the spices to your liking, if necessary.

Serve the humus in a bowl with pita bread wedges for dipping. Garnish with chopped scallions or parsley.

OR

Serve in a sandwich wrap: If I had a hollow leg, I could eat this all day.
Tortilla wrap
Several tablespoons of humus
Sliced tomato
Sliced cucumbers
Crumbled feta cheese
Onion slices
Sprigs of lettuce or spring mix
A few dashes of a hot sauce of your choice

This first one is a joke. Please don't try this at home.

I entered this recipe in a contest for French's Fried Onions. Since I don't use the product, I thought it would be fun to enter a fake recipe to see what would happen. I never heard from them. I didn't even get the free can of Fried Onions they promised each participant. -- eric

Hearty Carrot and Gum Soup
A hearty and satisfying soup for those long winter evenings by the fire. Easily adjusted to a vegetarian soup by substituting vegetable stock.

Ingredients
5 cups of quality chicken stock
3 cups diced carrots, washed but un-peeled
1 cup of cube-shaped cinnamon flavored chewing gum, stick gum not a substitute
1 cup of French's Fried Onions – reserved for garnish
2 diced scallions – reserved for garnish
1 cup diced onion
3 large cloves of garlic
1 medium shallot
1/4 cup EV olive oil
1/4 red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon parsley
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger or diced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Salt to taste

In a large stock pot or soup pot, add olive oil and wait until the oil is hot. Add raw onions and sauté for 5 minutes, or until the onions have cooked down a little and become translucent. Add crushed or minced garlic and diced shallot to the mix and quickly stir in. Push mixture to the side of pot, making room for the gum cubes. Add more oil if necessary.

Brown each side of the gum, making sure the cubes don't lose too much of their shape. Add carrots and stir together mixture. Let simmer for a few minutes, then add the rest of the spices. After one minute more add the stock and vinegar bring to boil. Taste for salt and season as necessary.

Cover and let simmer on stove for at least one hour, but can cook longer if necessary.

To serve, ladle soup into bowl. Place a few raw carrot strips across top, sprinkle a generous amount of French's Fried Onions and diced scallions on top of carrot strips and serve immediately.

Serves 4 to 6.