Banana Guacamole

Recently, I found myself standing in my kitchen holding a handful of very ripe bananas without a vision in mind as to how to wisely use them. What was a foodie chef to do?? Why get creative, of course! And thus Banana Guacamole was born last week.

Now before you wave around your wand of judgement here, follow my mother's very good advice and try everything once before you say you don't like it. This dip is unbelievably good, especially in the heat of summer! I can easily imagine it on top of a delicious piece of grilled fish (yes, I've been falling off my vegetarian bandwagon of late) or tropical tofu. If you are a spicy lover like myself, adding a hot pepper to it like a jalapeño would likely come out scrumptious! 

If anyone is curious as to what my creative process looks like when making new recipes, this is about as dazzling as it gets with my note taking. When drinking is involved, it becomes much harder to read my handwriting the next day (but I leave funnier notes for myself).

Another variation I would love to try one day is to add mango or even papaya to the mix. Mmmm, I'm craving a fruity drink with an umbrella and a pile of tortilla chips to go with this dip. Have fun, play around with the recipe until you find the version you like, and as always - enjoy!


Banana Guacamole

• 1 very ripe large banana
• 1 ripe large avocado 
• 2 tbsp sweet onion, diced 
• 1 tbsp elephant garlic, diced 
• 2 tbsp anaheim pepper, diced
• 1/4 tomato, diced and seeded (saved for the dip)
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1-2 tsp hot pepper oil (like sesame) 
• salt and pepper to taste 
• red pepper flakes to taste 

Mix the first two ingredients together until well mashed and incorporated. Using the back of a spoon or a fork works just as well as a potato masher. Next mix in the remainder of the ingredients, and tweak as desired for personal taste. Let chill for at least 15-20 minutes before serving. Double the recipe to make a four-person serving.

11 Layer Dip - Go Ducks!

Well, we didn't have the finish I was hoping for last night. However, the Ducks took us to a whole new level overall for the season. Way to go team! Needless to say the town is a bit somber today in mood. For those Eugenians out there - doesn't this guy look like Frog???

A friend was kind enough to let us overrun his house and have a game day party (thanks buddy, you know who you are). Besides the kickass Watershed IPA keg from another local brewery, Oakshire, we definitely had enough food to last us most of the night.

My contribution - 11 layer dip! Oh my gosh, was it good.

These are the team spirit color deviled eggs my buddy did! Obviously, I fell off the cleanse band wagon.

You know who inspired me to make this my game dish? None other than the witty (hot) man himself, Nathan Fillion. He is one circle away from my social circle, oh so close! Like any good tweet stalker, I follow his tweet feed. And if you are also fan, you would have read his tweets about his own 7 layer dip recipe. Of course I added a few layers, always have to make it Panda-style! If ever so lucky, one day I'll share some of my dip with Nathan. Food that is! Get you're mind out of the gutter, pervs. ;)


11 Layer Dip

• 1 can of Black Beans (you can refry these yourself at home with a little taco seasoning and chopped onion (1/4 of one)) or 1 can of Refried Beans
• 1-2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 small can of Green Chilies
• Guacamole (homemade tastes best)
• 1 container or Salsa (homemade tastes best, although store bought fresh works too)
• 1 container of low-fat Sour Cream
• 1 package of Shredded Cheese (Mexican style works) 
• 1/2 bunch of Cilantro, chopped
• 1 bunch of Green Onions, chopped
• 1 small can of Black Olives, sliced 
• 1 small can of Jalapeños, sliced (jarred kind works too)
• 1 packet of Taco Seasoning 

To make refried beans out of a can of black beans - over low-medium heat, add the can of beans to a small sauce pan. Mix in 2 tsp. of taco seasoning, 1/4 chopping onion, and cook for about  20 mins. As you continue to cook, remember to stir often and mash down the beans (wooden spoon works). Taste test and add more flavoring as needed. Remove from heat and spread over the bottom of a casserole dish. Let this cool before adding any other layers (unless you want to melt the cheese, see below).

If using pre-made refried beans, spread over the bottom of a casserole dish.

Next add the layer of diced tomatoes. If the tomatoes are too moist, de-seed prior to dicing.

Next add the small can of diced chilies. I sometimes also use part of this can to make the guacamole and/or refried beans.

Sprinkle a little bit of taco seasoning on top of these layers.

Next add the guacamole in one thick layer. Using the back of a spoon helps to spread the guacamole around.

Use most of the container of salsa to make the next layer.

Follow this up with the sour cream. The easiest way is to put little dollops all over the last layer and gently spread with the back of a spoon.

Sprinkle a tad bit more taco seasoning on top of this layer.

Next add the cheese. Go as crazy as you like. If you are serving the dish immediately and don't have time to cool the beans in step 1, then feel free to add the cheese on top of the beans to melt it.

Next add the chopped cilantro in one green layer.

Follow up with chopped green onions in another layer.

Sprinkle the black olives over everything in the next layer.

Add jalapeños as your personal taste allows (lots in my case) to the top of the dish. And presto - 11 layers!

Warm Artichoke Spinach Dip

It is definitely still winter in Oregon! A beautiful hike today proved true of this. Just check out the snow! You can barely see the trail.

Just had to throw in the waterfall shot. :)

Day 6 of my cleanse and I want food. All the time. Lots of it, the greasier the better. Seriously, what the hell was I thinking doing this thing? Note to anyone out there contemplating a cleanse - make sure you are in the right mindset to tackle something like this; and if you are a super active person, watch your calorie intake. Enough said!

Last month for the first round of the Beer Olympics, I made a batch of one of my most favorite appetizers - Artichoke Spinach Dip! Nom, nom, nom. Wow, my stomach is growling now... This is a perfect comfort food dish for winter. If I weren't on this stupid cleanse right now, I would be shoveling this into my mouth by the chip load!

It's a fairly easy recipe, with plenty of room to make modifications. I usually make mine the night before, let things stew, then pop it in the oven to serve. It's chalk full of cheese and other deliciously bad things for you, however you can opt for the low fat route by buying low fat mayo and cheeses. At this point though, I would go full steam!

After mixing all the ingredients together, you throw it in a baking dish.

Add more cheese, and bake until bubbly and scrumptious! Notice you don't see a fully cooked picture of this dish? Yeah, that's my fault. I was so eager to get it over to the Beer Olympics that I forgot to take a final shot! Bad Panda. However, I am sure you can imagine this slightly browned, crispy on top, and chalk full of cheese bubbles. Enjoy!

Artichoke Spinach Dip

• 1-10 ounce package of frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 1-14 ounce can of artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained, and chopped
• 1/2 cup of mayo, low-fat to reduce calories if desired 
• 1/4 cup of sour cream, low-fat to reduce calories if desired 
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. dried thyme 
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (more if you like extra cheesy dip)
• 1/4 cup grated romano cheese (more if you like extra cheesy dip)
• 1-3 cloves of minced or pressed garlic
• Shredded mozzarella for topping
• Red pepper flakes for topping 

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a baking dish with a lid, mix together everything except the last two ingredients. Lightly sprinkle the mozzarella and red pepper flakes over the top. Lightly salt and pepper to taste (remember the cheeses are fairly salty in flavor).
3. Bake until heated through and bubbly, usually 25-30 minutes. Remove the covering the last 5-10 minutes of baking to crisp the top. Cool for a few minutes and eat while warm! Tortilla chips or crackers good well with this dish.