Avocado, Cilantro, and Feta Dip

I love dip.  So easy to throw together, and a good way to blend flavours. The heat can be easily turned up or down to your taste. You can also focus on one or two interesting ingredients. What's not to like? Well, they can kind of taste similar if you're not careful and they all look like a pile of mush. Mounding it up in a decorative bowl helps, and garnishes like parsley, olive oil, and those ubiquitous rustic triangle crisps can distract your attention.

Avocado, cilantro, and feta dip. I forgot to take a picture, so
I borrowed this one - it turned out pretty much the same.

In this case, avocado is the star ingredient. It has a healthy and tasty reputation, and is kind of fun to prepare. Who doesn't like thumping a knife into the pit to remove it?  Lately cilantro leaves have enjoyed immense popularity in our house - so fresh tasting, almost delicate. As far as I'm concerned, you can't go terribly wrong with feta in almost any application either. This dip also has some diced hot peppers, although just enough to knock on the door to let you know they're there.

Next Time: may try something other than cilantro, or turn it into a fiery avocado dip

Me: 8/10
SO: 9/10
SSO: n/a

Pasta with Shrimp, Feta, and Basil

We seem to be doing a lot of pasta lately.  But then again this blog is more about what we eat on a daily basis, and not so much about the special, planned-out exercises you might do on a weekend.  I have done a few themed small-plate dinners though, which I'll talk about another time. In any case, this is one of our favourite dishes - right up there in the top 10, if not top 5.  So easy to make, and great for leftovers as well.  This may sound crazy, but when I take it to work the next day I would put the pasta and shrimp in a tupperware, and the feta, basil, and lemon in a separate tupperware. Microwaving the whole lot ruins the fresh basil and the feta melts into gloop.

Spaghetti with Shrimp, Feta, and Basil. The lemon
garnish is not optional!

I'm not sure when we started making this or where we got it from. As usual, it likely was based on something found via web search and then modified for what ingredients we happened to have. I've seen similar recipes after a quick search, although some seem to add what looks to be random spices to differentiate.  I saw one that was loaded with dried oregano, dried basil, and garlic powder.  Seriously?  Gotta draw the line there.  This one really keeps it simple, focusing on just a few flavours that meld well together.

There are two absolute "must do" things with this dish, otherwise you might as well not bother. First, fresh basil leaves. We get these little basil plants from the supermarket for $2.99. That is the same price as a small plastic container of leaves, but it produces more and lasts longer. No brainer. The second must is the lemon wedge. The spritz of lemon just somehow ties it together. You could arguably substitute goat cheese, and pretty much any pasta really, but the lemon and basil just have to be in there. We only had boxed spaghetti on hand, but fresh linguine or fettuccine would be great. A bit of freshly ground pepper and you're good to go. Forget the tomatoes, never mind the garlic (well, maybe on that), chuck the salt (feta has you covered there), and certainly no parmesan.

Next Time: fresh pasta would be better

Me: 10/10
SO: 10/10
SSO: n/a, but would guess 3/10