Super Easy Skinny Minnie Chip Dip

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Skinny Minnie Chip Dip

A dip one can feel good about? Yeah, I’m all over that!
Potato chips are the conventional vehicle for consumption, but a multi-grain GF chip is nummy also.

The base for this yummy concoction is Penzey’s Spice Company: ‘Chip & Dip‘, which to my knowledge is Gluten Free. (Celiacs, check their website) Conventional chip dips have sour cream and mayo, loaded with fat and salt. Mine, however, is 0% non-fat, plain greek yogurt (I prefer Fage) and low fat cottage cheese. A nice little side benny to your enjoyment is the protein hit you’ll get.

Simply combine about 1 cup of yogurt with about a 1/2 cup cottage cheese. Add chip dip powder to taste. Mine took between 1-2 tablespoons. Let this sit in the fridge for at least an hour, up to 24 hours. This is a great make ahead appetizer.

If you are going for the no-carb plan, then use thick cucumber or radish slices instead of potato chips or GF multigrain chips.

Then sit down and manga, scarf, gobble, heck…go ahead and pig out! It’s as guilt free as one is going to get with food! When your loved one (or you) sits down for a movie, sports game or board game, set a bowl out of this guilt-free snacking dip. You’re family will never know they are eating something good for them!

The old saying is ‘You can have your cake and eat it too’. Maybe that should be modified to ‘You can have your dip, and eat it too’!!

Note: This dip would be a delicious topping for a grilled burger, turkey or beef. Served on a bed of lettuce, it reminds me of the old Diner ‘low-calorie’ meal consisting of a hamburger patty and cottage cheese!

Peanut Butter and Jam.

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Peanut Butter and Jam.

Finally!
The breath of spring is in the air after a dreadfully long and brutal winter, a winter I feared would never end!
But at long last, it is here.

Peanut Butter and Jam?

I know you are all thinking: ‘What does a Lilac tree and peanut-butter have in common?’

Well to me, Lilacs and Spring go together like Peanut Butter and Jam.

With the arrival of spring, the windows of my house are thrown open, blowing out the doldrums of winter and infusing it with the fresh scent of spring. And it is not spring without the pungent smell of lilac wafting through those wide open windows.

With the late snows my tree is not yet in bloom, but it soon will be. And soon my house will be steeped in the aroma of spring.

Maybe I’ll have a PB&J just to celebrate.

‘Grilled’ Onion Soup

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'Grilled' Onion Soup

This is one of my summertime favorites, because in the heat of the summer the last thing I want to do is turn my oven on. In the winter, it is a nice side benefit to have its’ warmth to heat the house. In the summertime, not so much!

We finally had a break in the never-ending snow blizzards and received our first taste of spring this weekend, so I was inspired to break out one of my favorite summertime side dishes. Grilled onion soup!

I’ve made these for so long, I can’t remember where I picked up the idea. I think it was Paula Deen. All I know is that they are easy, gluten free, and tasty. Here is what you do:

*Cut the top off a sweet onion (leave the root end intact) and carefully peel away the outer paper layer.
*Using a melon baller or a sharp spoon, core out a small opening in the center.
*Using your knife, slice down (but all the way through) to create petals. I usually do 4 cuts resulting in 8 leaves. (see photo)
*Stuff a beef boullion cube (I used Better than Boullion; 1 tsp) and about 1 tbsp of unsalted butter in the well you created in the center. (at this point you can grind some pepper on the onion)
*Wrap in tin foil, sealing tightly. Use a heavy duty tin foil, or a double layer of regular weight. You want to not have any juices leak.
*Place on the middle or top rack of your grill, over medium heat. If you don’t have a rack, you can place on the grates. Placing on the upper grate allows you to walk away and leave unattended until done. If placing directly on the grill, be sure to keep an eye out for burning…use an indirect heat or the lowest setting possible.
*Cook for approximately 40-55 mins, depending upon the size of the onion. The onion should give very easily when squeezed with tongs.

I usually do these first and then let sit while I grill the rest of my food. They will stay nice and hot if left in their foil and covered with a tea towel for at least a 1/2hr. (At least they do for me)

When serving, carefully open your foil from the top. Pour the juices in your crock or bowl and place the onion in the middle.

I hope you enjoy this as much as my family does. It tastes just like french onion soup, only there is no standing over a hot stove worry about burning onions.

(amount of ‘broth’ will vary depending upon the juiciness of the onion)