Creamy Kale Dip

Do you like spinach dip? I'm a total sucker for it. I have had spinach dip as the main course for some of my eat-alone meals (with sides of tortilla chips, crackers, and carrots).

But as good for us as spinach is, it has been trumped. Move over Spinach; Kale is the new Super Food in town.

I don't know about you, but I've had a harder time with kale.  Spinach is delicious with virtually no work. It can hold it's own in fresh salads. Kale tends to be bitter and tough. It kind of HAS to be cooked or steamed. I've tried making kale "chips"--where you drizzle fresh kale leaves in olive oil and roast them in the oven. They were edible, but hardly competition for any other "chips" I've eaten. 

So I am SUPER excited to share a version of kale consumption that is not just tolerable, but down-right enjoyable. And it is super easy to make. You don't even need to tell anyone it is kale until they've raved about how yummy it is. 

My idea began with this. Look for it in your grocer's freezer section. It is inexpensive and cuts so much work out of preparation.  All you need to do is cook the kale according to package directions. Drain and cool.

Add one package of Knorr Vegetable Recipe Mix, 1 cup of mayo, and one cup of sour cream. Mix well and store in the fridge for about an hour before serving.

We ate ours with chopped veggies (red bell peppers, cucumbers, jicama, and carrots), and tortilla chips.

 It doesn't taste exactly like spinach dip. But it doesn't taste like any kale recipe I've ever had either. It is better. It is perfect to serve at football game parties, book clubs, baby showers, or just to snack on for the heck of it!

Creamy Kale Dip

Makes about 4 cups

Ingredients:

1 12oz package chopped frozen Kale

1 1.4 oz package Knorr vegetable recipe mix

1 cup mayonnaise 

1 cup sour cream

Directions:

1. Cook kale on stove according to package directions. (Note that it cooks longer than most veggies--about 20-25 minutes of simmering). Drain well, and cool.

2. Mixed drained kale with remaining ingredients. Cover and put in fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving. 

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Blackeyed Pea Salsa

How many of you grew up eating blackeyed peas every New Year's Day for good luck?  I think it must be a Southern tradition, because I mentioned it to my neighbor, and she'd never heard of such a thing. 

Well, wherever the tradition came from, (I searched the tradition on Google, and didn't find a certain origin), I am continuing it with my family. 

This year, instead of traditional blackeyed peas with bacon over cornbread (as it is usually served in the South), I made Blackeyed Pea Salsa. Super delicious, easy, and very healthy! Perfect for your New Year's health resolutions!

I pulled a bowl of it together in about 15 minutes. We devoured it during the afternoon football games! Lots of good fortune for us this year....though apparently our favorite football team didn't eat their blackeyed peas before the game. :(

Here's the recipe:

Blackeyed Pea Salsa

Ingredients:

1 (15.5oz) can blackeyed peas, drained and rinsed

1 (15.5oz) can corn, drained

5 Roma tomatoes, chopped small

1/3 cup red onion, chopped small (about 1/4 whole onion)

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped small

1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro

Juice of 1 lime

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cumin

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Let sit about 30 minutes before serving. Store covered in refrigerator. 

Serve with tortilla chips, tacos, fajitas, or just a spoon. :)

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Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Dates

Father's Day is this Sunday, which naturally makes me think of bacon. So I decided to take action.

Dates are starting to show up in the produce department. I found mine at Costco last week. And I bought their big brick of Raskas Cream Cheese (to use in another recipe, but it is a BIG brick). It is THE BEST cream cheese I've had.   I also had some cashews leftover from my trailmix recipe.  Adding some thick-cut bacon and honey to the mix, and I was ready to rock.

Pit the dates. Make a thin slice lengthwise to open, then the pit is pretty loose in there. Pull out each pit and discard it.   

Next, put a 1-2 teaspoon slab (depending on the size of the date) of cream cheese in each opened date. Then push a cashew into the cream cheese on each one.

Now pre-cook the bacon a bit by placing it between a couple of paper towels on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on high for 1 minute. 

Here is the bacon after the pre-cook step. It is not crispy at all. It should be just starting to curl up at the ends.

Cut the strips of bacon into halves or thirds. I did mostly halves, but thirds for some of my skinnier dates.  It isn't an exact science. Wrap the dates in the bacon and secure through the middle with a toothpick. 

Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. You can skip the parchment, but I recommend it if you have it.  Makes clean-up much easier.

Put a squirt of honey on each bacon-date roll.  This glaze is SO yummy when it bakes.

Bake for 7 minutes at 450°. Turn over each one and return to the oven to bake 5-7 minutes more, until crispy on the edges.

Tastes divine. And has a fair amount of redeeming value--that's whole fruit in there...whole milk in the cheese... a whole nut... and a whole bunch of yummy. 

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