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#10DaysofTailgate: Hot Mexican Quinoa Dip

September 23, 2014September 25, 2014 Sarah

This cheesy, Mexican-inspired quinoa dip is packed with protein and veggies for a semi-healthy tailgating treat!

This week I’m sharing tailgate-style recipes as part of #10DaysofTailgate, the special blogging event I am participating in through the rest of the month. This event has been graciously organized by Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla. While you’re thinking about it, be sure to pop over here to read all about the event and enter the giveaway. You won’t regret it! 🙂

One tailgating [or homegating] staple for me is dips. Cheesy, creamy, delectable dips that I can dunk tortilla chips in are my favorite thing ever! Notice that I didn’t say I’d dip veggies in dip. I’m not above healthifying a cheesy recipe, but I AM above dipping veggies in a cheesy dip. That’s just weird. For dips, tortilla chips > veggies, imo.

This Hot Mexican Quinoa Dip is full of all my favorite things! It’s a twist off of seven layer dip, and it’s even more delicious because it’s hot, gooey, and bubbly. I don’t think there are quite seven layers: black beans [pureed with garlic, cayenne, cilantro, and cottage cheese–weird-ish I know, but adds protein and makes ’em creamy], quinoa, cheese, bell peppers, salsa, avocado, tomatoes, green onion, and cilantro. I guess that’s nine layers! Extra yum, huh?

Ben and I ate almost the entire pan of this one Saturday night while watching a movie–it is that good! It almost reminds me of a black bean quinoa casserole that I’ve made before, except you eat it with chips so it’s extra fun. For some reason I feel a bit uninspired writing about it… but know this: it is amazing and addicting and perfect for anything from tailgating to a girls’ night in! Enjoy!

one year ago: Sweet ‘n Spicy Apple BBQ Chicken & Slaw
three years ago: Homemade Chipotle Bowls
four years ago: Buffalo Ranch Chicken Dip

Hot Mexican Quinoa Dip

Servings: 16
Time: 50 minutes
Print

from The Lean Green Bean

Ingredients:

for the beans

2 cups black beans
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup cilantro
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup water

for remaining ingredients

1 cup quinoa, cooked
1 cup shredded cheese – cheddar, Mexican blend, etc. your choice!
1 bell pepper, diced
1 cup salsa
2 avocados, diced
1 large tomato, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
2 green onions, sliced
hot sauce, optional
tortilla chips, for serving

Directions:

Grease a 9×9 inch pan with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a food processor, combine all ingredients for the beans and process until mostly all ingredients are incorporated. It doesn’t have to be completely smooth. Add extra water if necessary to thin it out.

Spread half of the bean mixture on the bottom of the pan. Top with half of the quinoa, half the bell pepper, half the cheese, and half the salsa. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Let cool for a few minutes, then top with avocados, tomatoes, cilantro, and green onions. Serve with tortilla chips and hot sauce if desired.

Here’s what the rest of the team brought to the table…

Starters
Beer Battered Fried Pickles with Pickle Dipping Sauce by Debbi Does Dinner Healthy
DBLT Wraps by Miss Laura’s Kitchen
Jalapeno Beer Cheese Soup by From Gate to Plate
Bacon-Wrapped Potato Wedges by Making Miracles

Dips
Hot Mexican Quinoa Dip by The Pajama Chef
Deviled Egg Dip by From Gate to Plate

Mains
Pretzel Dogs El Diablo by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Carrot Habanero Duck Meatballs by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
Curried Maple Leaf Farms Duck Mini Meat Pies by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

Sweets
Quince Butter Thumbprint Cookies by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Appetizers, Recipes

#10DaysofTailgate: Baked Blueberry Pork Egg Rolls

September 20, 2014May 18, 2017 Sarah

Egg rolls are easier than ever when you bake them up with a savory-sweet blueberry pork filling featuring Blueberry White Pepper Not Ketchup.

These Baked Blueberry Pork Egg Rolls are a fantastic way to kick off [sorry, I had to do it] the #10DaysofTailgate blogging event that I’m participating in over the next [you guessed it] 10 days. For more info on #10DaysofTailgate check out my intro post from yesterday here. There’s also a giveaway on that post that you do NOT want to miss. Fourteen prize packs, people!!! Wish I could win! 🙂 But no matter what, we are all winners with this fabulous egg roll recipe I’m sharing today. That sounds cheesy but it is so true, folks.

For me, football is all about the food. I’m not a football fan, even though my husband and my dad are obsessed. I’m super thankful that my husband Ben is willing to watch quite a bit of his games at home with the sound turned off. The announcers just drive me crazyyy with all their babbling, and I do try to sit with Ben while he’s cheering on his teams or just enjoying a good game [side note: I don’t understand this concept. Why watch a game where you don’t care who wins or loses? #makesnosensetome]. During these times, I always have a good book, my laptop, and a snack on hand to keep me occupied. I actually made these egg rolls a few weeks ago for the first football Saturday of the year [woohoo] and just couldn’t wait to share them with you! They’re incredibly tasty–the filling is a mix of leftover carnitas, though you could also used ground pork, coleslaw mix, and some seasonings… most notably Blueberry White Pepper Not Ketchup. This fruit-based sauce [sans tomatoes] has a ketchup-like consistency with tons of sweet, smoky, fruity flavor. It plays very well with soy sauce for a fun and easy dip for the egg rolls.

I’ve had homemade egg rolls before, but haven’t ever made them myself. It turns out they are super easy to roll up. Just follow the photos below! Just place the filling in the center, roll up the bottom, fold in the sides, and roll up! Some of mine looked a little wonky, but that’s part of the fun of homemade, right?! It’s how they taste that matters. 🙂

I baked my egg rolls for an easy/healthy way to enjoy this app, but if frying is your thing they could totally be fried. I was surprised how much crunch the baked egg rolls had. We even had a few leftover that I refrigerated and heated up in the oven later in the week. Boom! Back to crispy perfection. This is such a great snack, you guys! I hope you give it a try! If you’re interested in checking out more about Not Ketchup, be sure to follow them on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram. Enjoy!

Baked Blueberry Pork Egg Rolls

Servings: 6-8
Time: 30 minutes
Print

Ingredients:

for egg rolls

16 ounces cole slaw mix [shredded green and purple cabbage, carrots]
8 ounces cooked pork [leftover carnitas or cooked ground pork]
3 green onions, green and white pieces, sliced
2 tablespoons Blueberry White Pepper Not Ketchup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 package egg roll wrappers [approximately 20 wrappers]

for dipping sauce

3 tablespoons Blueberry White Pepper Not Ketchup
2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with foil and spray with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine cole slaw mix, cooked pork, green onions, Blueberry White Pepper Not Ketchup, soy sauce, and ground ginger. Stir and taste–season if necessary. I used leftover carnitas so I didn’t need more seasoning but salt, pepper, etc. may be necessary.

To fill egg rolls, consult the back of the package. 🙂 But seriously, directions should be there. The pictures above can help too. You’ll want to have a small bowl with water and a brush handy, along with a towel to dry your hands and work surface.

Set the egg roll wrapper as a diamond on your work surface. Put 2-3 tablespoons of filling in wrapper at a diagonal. Roll the bottom portion tight over the filling, then fold the left side and then right side over so it looks like an envelope. Brush with a little bit of water to hold everything together, then gently roll the rest of the way, brushing over the seams with water.

Mist with cooking spray, then bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

While egg rolls are baking, stir together ingredients for the dipping sauce.

Let egg rolls cool for 5-10 minutes before serving with dipping sauce. Enjoy!

Note: If you don’t have any Blueberry White Pepper Not Ketchup on hand or can’t find it locally, I’d recommend using blueberry jam/preserves instead.

Here’s what the team brought to the table…

Starters
Loaded Baked Nacho Supreme by Cheese Curd In Paradise
Baked Blueberry Pork Egg Rolls by The Pajama Chef
Gazpacho Shooters with Spicy Shrimp by OnTheMove-In the Galley
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Meatball Sliders with BlueCheese Aioli by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventure

Dips
Soft Pretzels and Buffalo Cheese Dip by Things I Make (for Dinner)
Cheesy Bean Dip by Making Miracles
Garden Fresh Salsa by Eliot’s Eats
Pineapple Salsa by The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
Devilish 7-Layer Dip by Miss Laura’s Kitchen

Sips
War Eagle Sangria by Sew You Think You Can Cook
Spicy Strawberry Bourbon Shooters by CafeTerraBlog
Iowa Sunrise by From Gate to Plate

Sides
Deviled Egg Potato Salad by Cooking In Stilettos

Mains
El Diablo’d Lamb Lollipops by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Ginger Chicken Kabobs by Summer Scraps
Chili by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Spiced Fig and Garlic Chicken Wings by girlichef
Baked Mac and Cheese with Bacon Pretzel Topping by Debbi Does Dinner Healthy
Asian Duck Sliders by Curious Cuisiniere
Pineapple Chile Lime Wings by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches by Love and Confections

Sweets
Peanut Butter Pretzel Brownies by The Spiffy Cookie

Disclosure: I received a complementary bottle of Blueberry White Pepper Not Ketchup to try as part of my participation in #10DaysofTailgate. I was not compensated in any way–for my time, to create a recipe, or to publish positive comments. I was not required to use this product as part of my recipe. My opinions are my own.

Main Dishes, Quinoa, Recipes, Sides, Turkey

Mystery Dish: Minty Turkey Meatballs with Quinoa + Cookbook Giveaway

August 29, 2014August 30, 2014 Sarah

These Minty Turkey Meatballs with Quinoa are tied together with a creamy mint-almond pesto. An easy, healthy dinner that comes together quickly!

I had a really tough time with this month’s Mystery Dish. I’m not sure why–pretty much ALL the ingredients on the list are things I love. I was just uninspired I guess. But I don’t think my recipe reflects that… this meal was pretty darn delicious. Andi from Weary Chef was our host and she asked us to use three ingredients from this list: pistachios, wine, mint, gluten-free flour, red pepper flakes, fish, agave nectar, applesauce, blueberries, parmesan cheese, milk, and corn.

A couple weekends ago, we were going to grill turkey burgers [Ben makes a to die for turkey burger with Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper] but we were rained out and I had some ground turkey thawed in the fridge. We could have grilled indoors, but instead I decided to make some Mystery Dish magic with these Minty Turkey Meatballs with Quinoa. And you guys… they are so good! I love a good turkey meatball anyway, but add some fresh mint to your typical garlic and onion mixture and they’re definitely amped up a notch. To fulfill the ingredient requirement, I used gluten free flour to help hold the meatballs together and red pepper flakes instead of normal black pepper. In hindsight, I wish I would have used more flour because the meatballs didn’t hold together super well. Though that was three ingredients, I decided to make the flavors even more apparent by making a mint pesto to serve over the meatballs and to toss with the quinoa I decided to serve on the side. If quinoa isn’t your thing, try rice, pasta, or some other grain/starch. Though my pesto wasn’t a true pesto it was still pretty addictive and a great sauce that was nutty, minty, and creamy all at once.

The mint in this dish balances perfectly with the crushed red pepper. I was somewhat generous with the red pepper flakes, but it was definitely an approachable level of spiciness so if you aren’t a spicy person you’ll be okay here. I was supposed to tell you that that description was Ben’s idea, and I was threatened with a lawsuit if I didn’t. 🙂 Ha ha, a lawsuit from my husband. Moving on… I loved how minty this dish is… enough flavor to make things interesting but not so much you think you’re eating toothpaste. I love having a great repertoire of healthy, easy dinners and I know this dish will go into my usual rotation. Hope you give it a try!

And, as a special treat since we’ve been Mystery Dishin’ it up for a YEAR now [whoa], we have a special giveaway for our lovely readers… copies of cookbooks from MasterChef Season 3 Winner Christine Ha and Season 4 Winner Luca Manfe! I wish I could win! Go HERE to enter.

Enjoy!

one year ago: Roasted Peach Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel
two years ago: Brown Rice, Feta, and Tomato Salad
three years ago: Healthy “Fried” Rice –> I make this ALL the time with different veggies, meat, and/or tofu. A must try!
four years ago: Cornmeal Pizza Dough in the Breadmaker

Minty Turkey Meatballs with Quinoa

Servings: 4
Time: 40 minutes
Print

Ingredients:

for meatballs

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green onion, diced
3 sprigs fresh mint, finely chopped
3 tablespoons tapioca flour [or other flour, gluten free or otherwise + more if you need it]
1 egg
1 pound ground turkey
crushed red pepper flakes, about 1/2 teaspoon or to taste

for quinoa

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water [or stock if preferred]
1 cup prepared pesto [above]

for pesto

1 cup loosely packed fresh mint
1/3-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2-4 tablespoons half and half
1/4 cup almonds
2 tablespoons parmesan
crushed red pepper flakes, about 1/4 teaspoon or to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat a large skillet with 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for the meatballs–garlic, green onion, mint, flour, egg, turkey, and crushed red pepper flakes, to taste. Mix well with your hands, then shape into 16 meatballs. Place half the meatballs in the preheated skillet and cook on each side for about 2 minutes per side until browned all over. Remove meatballs from skillet and place in a large oven safe dish, misted with cooking spray if not nonstick. Repeat with remaining meatballs then bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.

While meatballs are cooking, prepare quinoa according to package directions. Bring rinsed quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 15 minutes until all water is absorbed.

Prepare pesto by combining mint, 1/3 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons half and half, and almonds in a food processor. Pulse until combined, adding more oil and/or half and half if desired. Stir in parmesan and red pepper flakes to taste. Pesto yields about 1 cup.

When quinoa is ready, pour about 3/4 cup pesto in the quinoa and stir to combine. Serve meatballs with quinoa and reserved mint pesto, along with sides like green beans or crusty bread.

Be sure to check out what my Mystery Dish pals whipped up this month:

Tuna Tacos with Avocado Corn Salsa by The Weary Chef
Blueberry Scones by Yummy Healthy Easy
Parmesan Crusted Tilapia by Culinary Couture
Minty Berry Fruit Roll Ups by I Want Crazy
Baked Blueberry Donuts by Chez CateyLou
Hearty Minestrone Soup by Joyful Healthy Eats
Blueberry Lemon Pannacotta with Pistachio Tuilles by Flavor the Moments
Minty Turkey Meatballs with Quinoa by The Pajama Chef
Blueberry Crumb Coffee Cake by I Dig Pinterest
Pistachio Drop Scones with Blueberry Compote by The Well Floured Kitchen
Grilled Corn & Blueberry Flatbread with Whipped Goat Cheese, Pistachios, and Basil Vinaigrette by Baking a Moment
Pistachio Crusted Tilapia and Peach Salad by Blahnik Baker

Linked up with: Weekend Potluck.

Appetizers, Recipes

Layered Asian Dip

July 21, 2014July 25, 2014 Sarah

This layered dip is chock full of crunchy vegetables and chicken drenched in a yummy Asian-inspired sauce. The creamy peanut butter base adds a fun twist! Enjoy with crackers at your next party!

There’s nothing like a good appetizer to get the party started, right? I have a confession to make: I am terrible at appetizers. Most seem so finicky. If I’m hosting, I can totally make some hot little bites in the oven. But as things have it, in this stage of life, I rarely host [even though I’d love to]. We’re usually tasked with bringing x, y, or z to a gathering…and it’s just a pain to try to transport a hot dish, and sometimes those cute little bites just get gross if they sit for awhile. So cold dips are my go-to appetizers. Hummus, guacamole, salsa, I love them all. But they aren’t very fancy.

This Layered Asian Dip takes a normal dip up a notch! It’s a play off of Mexican Seven Layer Dip, even though it’s only a three layer dip. But it’s three layers of awesome: a creamy base of peanut butter and cream cheese; a wonderful medley of chicken, carrots, peanuts, cilantro, scallions, and aromatics like ginger and garlic; and last but not least–a slightly sweet, slightly spicy Asian dressing on top. This dressing is really what makes the dip, imo. Sure, chicken and peanut butter are staples of my diet, but the sauce brings everything together in a nice package. It’s tangy and delicious!

This dip is perfect for a party because you can make all the components ahead of time and chill them in the fridge, then go get ready, and then assemble at the last minute. I love it when things work out that way so I don’t have to worry about the dish losing its beauty while we’re waiting for things to get started. This dip is best enjoyed the day it is made, but the leftovers are still tasty the next day. By the way, you’ll have some extra sauce leftover–it’s perfect for tossing with some plain white rice and cooked veggies [I love those bags of frozen Asian vegetables] for a quick side dish during the week. Enjoy!

one year ago: Grandma’s Banana Nut Bread
two years ago: Jamaican Jerk Chicken & Pineapple Black Bean Rice
four years ago: Butterscotch and Chocolate Yellow Cake

Layered Asian Dip

Servings: 8
Time: 2-4 hours but only about 20 minutes active time
Print

from The Sweets Life

Ingredients:

for sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons rice wine or white vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 drops hot sauce [like Sriracha]

for topping

3/4 cup cooked chicken, shredded
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/4 cup chopped unsalted peanuts
2-3 sliced scallions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced

for base

8 ounces softened cream cheese
2-4 ounces creamy peanut butter [depending on how strong of a peanut butter flavor you like]
2-3 tablespoons milk
crackers for serving

Directions:

First, prepare sauce. Whisk brown sugar and cornstarch together in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Pour in water, ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire, and hot sauce. Cook for 5 minutes or until mixture thickens. Transfer to a small bowl to cool. When cool, cover and refrigerate to further thicken for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours in advance.

Next, stir together all topping ingredients in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours.

Just before serving, beat together cream cheese, peanut butter, and just enough milk to make mixture smooth. Spread on the bottom of a 10 inch pie pan or serving dish. Sprinkle topping over cream cheese mixture, then drizzle 1/2 cup sauce [there will be leftovers] on top.

Serve with crackers immediately.

Linked up with: Weekend Potluck.

Main Dishes, Pasta, Pasta, Recipes, Sides

Spicy Peanut Noodles with Kale and Edamame

July 9, 2014July 8, 2014 Sarah

Spicy peanut sauce, noodles, kale, and edamame meet in an addictive, easy pseudo-takeout meal that can be enjoyed hot or cold–what’s not to love?!

This spring/summer Ben and I have been eating sesame or peanut noodles all. the. time. [Side note: is there an actual difference between them? I’m sure there is. The librarian part of me is itching to google this up and see what I find out, but I’ll restrain myself.] They have replaced our easy mac & cheese from a box dinners. I have a hard time telling you what recipe I’ve used because a) I have many pinned on Pinterest and b) don’t really measure ingredients for sauces like this because I’ve never taken the time to take a few pictures to share the recipe here! But this time I did. Measure and photograph. 🙂 And this time I didn’t use any recipe except what sounded/looked/tasted good to me. It’s a good thing I did, because my noodles were utterly amazing.

Inspired by the lovely Amy of fearless homemaker and HER spicy peanut & sesame noodles, I added mix-ins to my noodles for the first time ever. What a good choice! Adding some kale and edamame made the textures of everything just pop and look pretty. Dontcha just love all that green?! 🙂

Ben walked in the door just as I was mixing everything together and was like, “what in the world is that fabulous smell?! You must be the best wife ever for cooking such an incredible dinner.” Okay, maybe his words didn’t come out exactly like that, but the sentiment was there. I know it. But seriously–these noodles DO smell fabulous. The sauce is the perfect balance of spicy, sweet, and fresh flavors. I used ground ginger in the sauce but if I had had fresh ginger… oh man. Use that if you can.

Though I served these noodles as a vegetarian main course, this is a great base recipe to add some meat. I think grilled chicken or thinly sliced steak would be great. Or even shrimp or tofu. This could even be a side dish if you like. We loved every last one of these yummy noodles, and like all good Asian-ish recipes…you can enjoy them hot or cold. They’re great both ways. In the recipe below I included notes about how to prepare them to be more picnic friendly, but no matter how you make them, I’m sure you’ll love ’em! Enjoy!

one year ago: Ginger Banana Waffles
two years ago: Minty Asian Slaw
three years ago: Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Spicy Peanut Noodles with Kale and Edamame

Servings: 8
Time: 20min
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Ingredients:

16 ounces thin spaghetti noodles [any sort of thin noodle would work–Asian of any type, linguini, etc.]
3 cups kale, tightly packed & thinly sliced
1 cup Thai basil, loosely packed & chopped
1 cup edamame, shelled & room temperature
green onions, sliced, for garnish

for sauce

1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
juice of half a lime [roughly 2 tablespoons]
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon Sriracha
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger [use 1 inch grated fresh ginger if you have it]
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
~1/2 cup pasta water, to thin sauce

Directions:

Prepare noodles according to package directions. Be sure to reserve about half a cup of pasta’s cooking water to thin the sauce.

While noodles are cooking, whisk together all ingredients for sauce except for the pasta water.

When pasta is ready, drain, and return to pot [or a large bowl]. Add kale, basil, and edamame and toss. Thin dressing with 3 tablespoons of pasta water, whisk, and the pour over noodles and vegetables. Toss well to coat. If necessary, add additional pasta water to thin sauce further, up to a full half cup.

Serve noodles with green onions for garnish.

Note:

Can be enjoyed warm or cold, but the dressing does really absorb into the noodles after refrigeration [which doesn’t bother me but does affect presentation] so if you’re making these noodles for an event and want to serve them cold, be sure to rinse well after draining to get rid of starch, toss with a bit of sesame oil, and then refrigerate separately from the sauce and veggies. Toss together before serving. I haven’t tried this technique with this recipe, but I have done similar things for other dishes so I assume it’d work well! Using rice noodles [that you don’t boil to cook, thus, they stay cold] might be a good option too.