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summer recipes

Summer Staples: Super Simple Nacho Dip

May 30, 2014 By Lena

I firmly believe that everyone needs a super simple nacho dip in their repertoire of summer recipes. I dare you to suggest another appetizer that equally appeals to cavemen-like beer sloshers on fight night; posh friends in wedge sandals on the patio; or ravenous teens on a long summer night. A layered nacho dip is the perfect make-ahead starter that is both simple to assemble and guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser.

Lena's Nacho DipAfter tasting a similarly delicious concoction at a party years ago, my BFF’s uncle simply rattled off a list of ingredients with the ambiguous instructions: “Use what you like and layer it in a serving dish.” So that’s what I’ll share with you today –  my version of a layered nacho dip, which is hit every single time.

1 (8 ounce) package low fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup low fat mayonnaise
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
1/4 cup chili sauce (I like Maggi Sweet Chili Sauce or Frank’s Red Hot Sweet Chili Sauce)
1 cup medium salsa, drained (can substitute mild if you’re averse to a little heat)
1 cup diced green pepper
1 cup diced red pepper
1 cup diced green onion
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (can substitute 1 cup cheddar, 1 cup Monterrey Jack)
1 cup sliced black olives (optional)

In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, mayonnaise and sour cream until well blended. (If your cream cheese hasn’t softened to room temperature, this will be quite the chore.) Spread the mixture evenly on the bottom of a serving dish, about 9 x 13″ in size, or 8 x 8″ if you’d like deeper layers.

Layer by layer, top the cream cheese mixture with chili sauce, salsa, green pepper, red pepper, green onion and shredded cheese.

If using black olives, sprinkle on top. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving. Recipe treats 6-8 lucky friends to a scrumptious summer dip. (Warning – there are never any leftovers.) Enjoy!

Filed Under: Food Tagged With: Easy Appetizers, layered nacho dip, summer recipes

LMD: Hot Summer Trends!

July 31, 2011 By Lena

Permit me to state the obvious: this summer has been HOT. In fact, we gave up BBQ’ing (gasp! I know!) a few weeks ago, because hubby couldn’t stand to be beside a 400-degree fire pit in 120-degree summer heat.

Alas, now that it looks like most of the stifling humidity is behind us, I decided to search for a few delicious summer recipes that I could share with friends and family. Of course I went straight to Life Made Delicious, and they didn’t disappoint! I found recipes for 10 summer trends that had me drooling at first glance.

Here are a few of my faves:

Banana Fudgy Pops: Who can resist the sweet combination of chocolate and banana? And popsicles just happen to be my sons’ favourite summer treat! These flavourful frozen goodies are made with soy milk – perfect for tackling dairy intolerance and for an extra punch of protein. A bonus: the prep time is only 15 minutes!

Green Garden Fries: At this very moment, I have asparagus and zucchini in my fridge just begging to be consumed. Separately, I was uninspired to eat my greens. But thankfully I came across this recipe for crispy green “fries” made from fresh garden veggies. Oven fried and served with a lemony Greek yogurt dipping sauce, they are the perfect summer side dish!

Mini S’mores Hand Pies: While the name of this recipe leaves much to be desired, I can’t deny that I am loving the combination of crunchy graham crackers, melty chocolate and ooey-gooey marshmallows. There’s even cream cheese listed as an ingredient – how can you go wrong? I have fond memories of stacking S’mores as a child; this seems to be a less messy, yummy alternative!

Click here to see the Top 10 Summer Recipes and trends.

I plan on making the Green Garden Fries this weekend, so I’ll be back with an update on their degree of yumminess! Until then!

I am part of the Life Made Delicious Blogger program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Filed Under: Food Tagged With: easy recipes, Life Made Delicious, summer recipes

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Lena Almeida

Toronto Blogger, Social Media Strategist for Listen to Lena Inc. Television & Radio Personality, Columnist and Speaker. Family Travel Expert. Star Wars Fanatic. Perfecting the Art of Conversuasion. Read More…

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