Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Holy Brocamole!

Costco rocks. I mean, really -- where else can you find pounds of fresh produce on the cheap, not to mention a great selection of nutritious packaged foods? No where, I tell you.

There is one drawback to bulk stores, though: you have to eat said pounds of fresh produce before it spoils. Even though there are just the two of us, this is usually never a problem for the Best Husband Ever and I. Probably mostly because I'm a veggie fiend. Whatever the reason, though, we tend to make it through all of our Costco purchases before they expire.

Sometimes, however, that is not the case. This week I misremembered our broccoli stash at home and bought a second massive bag of the stuff. We've been making good headway, but the broccoli is now starting to go bad, and fast. What to do?

Well, I had seen a curious recipe floating about the blogosphere some time ago. I heard tell of a different kind of guacamole -- brocamole, if you will. My first sighting was of HEAB's Broc Guac, I believe, and when I went searching for inspiration this weekend I also discovered Kath's Fiesta Broccoli Dip. Armed with ideas, I hit the kitchen and revved up my blender. This was another I-got-no-measuring-cups concoction, but here's what I did, more or less.

Brocamole

1.5ish cups of broccoli
1/2 cup yogurt (I used super thick fat-free yogurt)
1 heaping T garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Mexican-style hot sauce
pinch of salt
lime juice to taste
cilantro to taste (I used dried because it's all I had, but I recommend fresh)

other veggies as desired

Place the broccoli in a microwave safe bowl. Add a little water (I used no more than 1/4 cup) and microwave for 1 minute. Transfer the broccoli and what water remains to a blender or food processor. Add the remaining ingredients, except for any additional veggies. Process until fairly smooth, adding more lime juice and cilantro as desired. If you would like extra texture, pulse in some corn (I used frozen, which was a mistake -- I recommend thawed/fresh), bell pepper, or tomato. I'd imagine that some black beans would not be amiss, either.


This dip can be served with tortilla chips, mixed into soups, with carrot sticks, or however your Mexican food-loving soul desires. I mixed my brocomole with the last of my mango peach salsa (from Costco) and a new food find, also at Costco -- Sandwich Thins! This is another item I have spied on other folks' blogs, but up until now I had only seen them in local stores for close to $4 for a package of six thins. As that's nearly a dollar a "bun," I did not indulge. Now that they're at Costco, home of thrifty bulk bargain love, you can bet these thins found a home in our pantry.


I'm not excited. No, not at all.

What about you? Do you have a favorite dip, guacamole-inspired or otherwise? Have you ever made an alternative version of a traditional dip, spread, or garnish? Do tell, because you know I'm always looking for new ways to torture -- er, use my blender.

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