Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 3/4 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips

1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Stir continuously, until the brown sugar dissolves. (You can also do this in the microwave but watch it closely. The butter/sugar mixture will boil over fast. Stir every 30 seconds or so.)
2. Remove from heat, whisk in the vanilla and set aside to cool.
3. Beat the cream cheese and confectioner's sugar for 1 minute.
4. Slowly beat in the cooled butter mixture and beat again for another minute.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts, if using.
6. Pour into a serving bowl and refrigerate.
7. Garnish with additional chocolate chips or nuts, if you choose.

My friend Victoria had a Dip-off in honor of the Seinfeld episode where Elaine's boyfriend asks the question "Why can't dip be a meal?" Turns out the answer is because eating one's body weight in dip is a bad idea, physically emotionally, spiritually... anyway this was one of the dip's I made, and I don't mind saying that it won the award for the best sweet dip. It tastes exactly like it sounds- cookie dough dip.

Sweet Potato Hummus

Ingredients
1 pound sweet potatoes
1 teaspoon cumin
1 large lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 teaspoons brown sugar
Zest of one orange
Pita slices, toasted, or bagel chips


Bake or microwave sweet potatoes until fully cooked. Allow the potatoes to cool, then remove the skins and discard them, retaining the flesh. Toast the cumin seeds on low heat, then crush by hand. (Seeds can be crushed by using a mortar and pestle or by smashing between a saucepan and cutting board.) Add seeds and sweet potato to the food processor, together with the lemon juice, salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, olive oil, brown sugar, orange zest and tahini. (Tahini is a thick paste made of ground sesame seeds that can be purchased already prepared from many supermarkets and specialty stores.) Blend until smooth and creamy. (You may want to add more salt or sugar, depending on the sweetness of the potatoes.)

Hello, deliciousness. I was a little unsure of this at first but then I pretty much wanted to eat the whole thing with a spoon- it helped to let it sit for a day to let the flavors meld.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Soup

Ingredients

1 pound dried black beans
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 Tbls olive oil
1 1/2 cups of sweet potato puree
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 Tbls Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sea salt

1. Rinse and pick over beans for rocks. Cover dried beans with water and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow beans to soak for 1 hour. Drain.

2. In a small skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and carrots and saute until onions are tender.

3. Combine beans, sauteed vegetables, sweet potato puree, broth and seasonings in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until beans are tender, about 1 hour. Serve with sour cream if desired.

For variation, add any of the following to the soup as it simmers:

* 1 can corn, drained
* 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
* 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped and 1 tsp fresh lime juice

White Bean and Kale Soup with Turkey Sausage
14 cups of soup or 9 1-1/2 cup servings

1 pound Italian turkey sausage (casing removed)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
2 stalks celery (chopped)
2 carrots (chopped)
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 14.5 ounce can white beans
1 bunch kale (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 bay leaf
1/4 red pepper flakes (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1 parmigiano reggiano rind (optional)
* chicken stock (I needed 7 cups of 99% fat-free stock and 2 cups of water. – Kris)

1) In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium-high heat until browned, breaking it up with the back of a spoon as you go. Remove to a plate when finished.

2) In the same skillet, heat oil over medium or medium-high heat. Add onion. Cook between 7 and 10 minutes, until soft, stirring occasionally. Add garlic. Cook about 30 seconds, until fragrant.

3) Add sausage and the remaining ingredients, ending with enough chicken broth to just cover everything. Cover, turn the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, drop heat to a simmer and cook between 30 minutes and 1 hour.

4) Fish out bay leaf and cheese rind. Serve. Garnish each bowl with parsley and grated parm.

Pasta with Kale and Chick Peas
(Serves 4-6)

3/4 box shaped pasta (I chose castellane, which looks somewhere in between large shells and rigatoni)
1/2 large bunch kale, chopped and thick stalks trimmed
1 can chick peas, drained
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tbspn olive oil
1 – 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbspn butter
1/2 cup grated parmiggiano
1/4 tspn red pepper flakes
Optional: fresh basil leaves
Sea salt, freshly ground black pepper

Boil pasta in salted water. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil, and add kale and garlic. Stir for a minute or two, and add chick peas. Add red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to taste. Slowly add cream and bring to a boil. Stir in pasta, butter, optional fresh basil, and parmiggiano, and season with a little more salt and pepper. After a quick toss, serve immediately. Add more parmiggiano on top if desired.