::Smoked Paprika Shrimp & Lime Dip::

I COULD PROBABLY EAT SEVERAL POUNDS WORTH OF THESE BABIES. EVEN THE SHALLOTS LEFT ON THE EMPTY PLATTER MUST BE SCOOPED UP AND CONSUMED.

Lime Dip
¼ cup (50 mL) sour cream
2 tbsp (25 mL) mayonnaise
1 tsp (5 mL) grated lime rind
1 tbsp (15 mL) lime juice
Chopped fresh coriander or Italian parsley, optional

Shrimp
2 tbsp (25 mL) vegetable oil
1 large shallot, minced
1 tbsp (15 mL) smoked paprika
2/3 cup (150 mL) dry white wine
1 lb (500 g) jumbo raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tbsp (25 mL) chopped fresh coriander or Italian parsley

Preparation:

1. To make lime dip, whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, lime rind and juice in bowl. Set aside.
2. In large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat and sauté shallots and paprika for 2 minutes or until turning golden. Add wine and bring to boil. Boil for about 2 minutes or until reduced by half. Add shrimp and coriander and cook, stirring constantly for about 4 minutes or until shrimp is pink and firm.
3. Serve shrimp with dip. Sprinkle with coriander if desired.

Serves 8

Herbed Red Pepper & Goat Cheese Dip

1 red pepper
8 oz (250 g) soft goat cheese
4 oz (125 g) feta cheese, preferably goat's milk, crumbled
1/3 cup (75 mL) chopped herbs such as basil, oregano, parsley and chives
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Place pepper on baking sheet; broil, turning often, until skin is charred. Place in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. When cool, peel and seed; cut into strips. Drain on paper towels.

3. In food processor, purée pepper and cheeses until smooth. Transfer to a bowl; stir in herbs and season with pepper. Cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Makes 1 1/2 cups (375 mL)

Originally found here

Hot Spinach Dip

Rich and Cheesy
[Via Alanna-Thanks!]

1 pkg cream cheese
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup parmesian
1/4 cup Romano
1 clove garlic
1/2t basil
salt+pepper
1 pkg thawed spinach

1.Place all in an ovenproof dish, topped with mozzarella
2.Heat for 25 minutes at 350 degrees

Tortilla Soup with Avocado Salsa

Karin and I made this last weekend. I thought it would be a heavy meal. Instead, it was refreshing, yet full of taste. Apparently, this soup is a touted as cold remedy. "Healthful." None of us had colds at the time, so you can't take our word for it.
This provides enough for 4 main courses, or 8 appetizers.

Tortilla Soup with Avocado Salsa

Avocado Salsa:
1 ripe avocado
1 plum tomato
1/2 jalapeno
1 green onion
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
2 t lime juice
1/4 t salt
Note: Double this recipe if you want a chunkier soup. We did!

Tortilla Soup:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 T peanut or canola oil
8 large cloves garlic, peeled
8 cups chicken broth
2 sprigs cilantro
1/2 c green salsa
2 green onions
1/4 fresh chopped cilantro
Bag of tortilla chips
2 limes

SALSA:
1. Cut avocado into cubes and place in a bowl. Add: Seeded and diced tomato and jalapeno; chopped green onion and cilantro; lime juice and salt.
2. Stir and set aside.

SOUP:
1. Flatten chicken breasts with a meat mallet. (I put the chicken between two pieces of waxed paper, and use a rolling pin.) Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add chicken, and scatter garlic around the sides. Cook over med-low heat, flipping chicken once, until chicken is done. Take off the heat. Push garlic off to one side of the pan and mash it with a fork. Pull at the cooked chicken with a fork until it is reduced to shreds. Combine garlic and chicken. Set aside.
2. Prepare broth in a large soup pot, setting aside 1 cup of it. Heat broth over med-high heat along with sprigs of cilantro until boiling. Scoop out the cilantro, and discard. Add chicken mixture, green salsa, green onions, an chopped cilantro. Also, using the reserved cup of broth, deglaze the pan the chicken was cooked in, scraping up any browned bits. Add this to the soup pot.
3. Serve soup with a bowl of tortillas and Avocado Salso, (see below).

Notes: The tortillas and salsa are to be dumped right into your soup. The torillas add saltiness, while the salsa adds substance. Soooooo good.

Guacomole

This is one of the other recipes that I make quite often. This one I don't really have exact amounts - it's the kind where you just add until it tastes right - so definately start out adding less than you think because once you over do it with one ingredient it's hard to go back.

1 avocado (remove the pit and skin and mash it up)
1 clove of garlic
1/2 - 1 tsp of dried onion flakes (optional)
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
a dash of lemon juice to keep it from going brown too quickly.


I remember the first time I bought a avocado it was for a party at my parents and I had no idea how to pick out a good avocado - and since the brown ones felt mushy I figured the nice bright green ones must be the best. Wrong - the green ones are hard as rock and don't have much flavour - but they will ripen in a few days. So which avocado you buy depends on how soon you want to use it. A ripe avocado is more redish brown and when you press it - it will give a little bit. But not too soft or it will be over ripe by the time you get home and over ripe avocado is worse than the rock hard un-ripe ones.