Veggie Chips and Creamy Avocado Dip

Growing up, my parents managed several different grocery stores, leaving my sister and I to build imaginary playgrounds in soup aisles, warehouse breezeways and loading docks. We built furniture from the displays of Coca Cola 12 packs, seating ourselves upon our red blocked thrones. We hid in the dairy freezer and squealed "moooo" every time someone grabbed a gallon of milk.  Obviously we were hilarious children. We passed shopping carts out to customers and, if we were lucky, walked away with tips (much to our parents' dismay). 

Spending my childhood in a grocery store inevitably led to certain quirks in adulthood. I posses unusual appreciation for the organization of stores, sensible layouts and small details which cater to children (like child size shopping carts). In addition, I am keenly aware of good quality, time tested brands of food. My parents intentionally taught us which names are a value for the quality. Without a doubt, Green Giant tops the charts on vegetable brands.

Ho Ho Ho. 

From when I first started cooking in college to now, my canned and frozen veggies are Green Giant. So when I heard that Green Giant introduced a line of veggie snack chips- made with real vegetables- I knew that I had to check it out! 

I received two 5 oz bags- Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips in Garden Ranch and Multigrain Sweet Potato Chips in Barbecue- and legitimately almost finished them both the day I got them. It took some serious self-control to save some for later! 

I am genuinely impressed with both flavors. Both stayed crunchy after I left the bags open overnight (oops) and both really do have "giant" flavor. I especially love the sweet potato chips and will definitely be checking out their other flavors! 

To complement the bold flavors of the chips, I whipped up some creamy avocado dip to go with them. It is full of healthy fats to go with a healthier chip! 

What You'll Need:

1 small ripe avocado

1/2 cup fat free sour cream or Greek yogurt

juice of 1/2 lime

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt 

What To Do:

Mash avocado in a bowl with a fork or immersion blender until smooth. Add sour cream/Greek yogurt, lime, garlic and salt and stir to fully combine. Serve with Green Giant veggie chips! 

With school fast approaching, I can see these being a regular part of my lunch routine. Just add a sandwich, infused water and sliced fruit and you've got a well balanced, quick meal! Or it could make the perfect snack for homework time! 

All in all, I was thoroughly impressed with Green Giant veggie chips and will definitely be purchasing them on the regular!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Queso Blanco

This Saturday is Cinco de Mayo! 

(my silly students)

Working at a predominantly Hispanic church , dating a Hispanic guy and living in Texas in general makes me really appreciate all the Mexican heritage around me. The culture is so vibrant and colorful... and the food is some of the best in the world!

(my love)

So I'll be sharing some of my favorite Mexican-influenced recipes between now and then to give you some fun ideas on how you can celebrate this weekend.

This queso blanco is the perfect dip for a Cinco de Mayo party or gathering because it's simple to throw together... and who doesn't like melted cheese?? Serve it with tortilla chips or warm tortillas. I've poured leftover queso over scrambled eggs!

I will note that I use quite a bit more milk/cream than this recipe calls for, probably about 1.5-2 cups as needed to keep it nice and smooth. However, if you can keep your queso dip warm in a crock pot or over a candle warmer, then there should be no problem!

The secret to this melty goodness is White American Cheese

(You can get it at the deli counter at the grocery store)

So make sure you don't substitute in a different white cheese

You can end up with a gooey mess! 

What You’ll Need:

1 tbsp cooking oil

¼ cup white onion, diced

1 large jalapeno, seeds and stem removed, diced

12 oz White American cheese, shredded (ask for 3 slices on 10 at the deli!)

4 oz Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded (but not pre-shredded)

¼- 2/3 cup heavy cream or milk

1 roma tomato, seeded and diced

1small bunch cilantro, roughly chopped

1 small avocado- optional

Tortilla chips 

What To Do:

Heat the oil in a sauté pan. Cook the onion and pepper until softened (about five minutes) and  reduce heat to medium-low. Add the shredded cheese and ¼ cup of the cream. Stir until mostly melted. Add the tomatoes, cilantro, and additional cream a little at a time until you reach desired consistency. Serve warm topped with sliced avocado, along with chips, tortillas or over tacos!

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Perfect for Game Day. 

Or gatherings of friends and family.

Or bridal or baby showers. 

Pretty much, just make up an excuse to make this dip.

There's nothing healthy about it, unless you serve it with celery or something. It tastes like a jalapeno inside out and is pretty much irresistible (as long as you like peppers!).

The best part is that it's super easy to make.

Here's what you do:

Take two 8 oz packages of cream cheese (I used the reduced fat version to make myself feel better)

Add 1 cup of mayo, 1 4oz can of chopped jalapenos (drained), 1 4 oz can of chopped green chilies (drained), and 1 cup of your favorite shredded cheese. I used a Mexican blend but you could use any combination of cheddar, colby jack, mozzarella, or whatever you like.  And maybe add in some Parmesan cheese for good measure.

Then, mix it all up with a spoon or spatula. It will take a little effort to break up the cream cheese. This may be a good time to take out your frustrations.

Just don't scare the small children in the 

church building while you're doing this.

Spread it in a baking dish. Mmmm. 

 In a separate bowl, mix together 1 cup of Panko bread crumbs and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese

Sprinkle the bread crumb topping over the mixture and spray lightly with cooking spray

Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown on top and bubbly. 

I would suggest serving with Pita Chips but I could not find any at HEB. So I served it with Kettle Cooked Potato Chips and Frito's. It would also be good with carrot sticks, celery, cherry tomatoes baguette slices. 

Enjoy!

(Yes I realize that hand looks gross. But I served the food to real people because I made this in my real life, and not just for the blog. Kthanks!)

Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats