Mr Minx and I have been on the Whole30 diet off and on for a couple of years. While it's fairly strict about the carbohydrates allowed, it's much more generous with fats. Mayonnaise is not an enemy--except if it's made with soybean oil. Soy products are verboten on the diet.

It's fairly difficult to find a commercial mayo not made with soybean oil. We've tried a couple of fancy ones procured at Whole Foods, but didn't enjoy them. One was made with avocado oil, and it was pretty awful. So when Better Body Foods asked me if they could send me some of their Avocado Oil Mayo to try, I almost said no. I am glad I didn't! Their mayo, made with 100% avocado oil, tastes like the best commercial mayonnaises on the market, without the funky flavor of other brands we've tried.

When asked to create a recipe for Avocado Oil Mayo, I could think of no better way to use it than as an accompaniment to steamed artichokes. Mayo with a bit of lemon juice makes a perfect dipper for a vegetable that we don't eat nearly often enough. Of course the mayo is also great in things like chicken salad, as a sandwich spread, in deviled eggs, etc.

Better Body Foods Avocado Oil Mayo comes in three flavors, chipotle lime, lime, and original, and can be purchased at Amazon.

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

Posted on Minxeats.com.

I think I remarked some months ago that this was turning into a dip blog because so many of the recipes I put up here seem to be for something to spread on a cracker or carrot stick. But who doesn't need the occasional dip recipe? Especially this time of year, when the approaching holidays can mean entertaining family and friends. I attempt to entertain friends at the end of every month when I host a stitch and bitch. It's not always possible that all of us can make every meeting, but regardless of the number of people I'm expecting, I always provide homemade snacks.

Most recently, I made spinach artichoke dip. I've always enjoyed this classic veg-and-cheese concoction but didn't want to make the traditional cream cheese and instant vegetable soup-based version. Not to disparage that recipe - I certainly ate plenty of it in my youth and much preferred it to that other soup mix dip, French onion (bleurgh!) - but I wanted to do something different, and just as easy.

Rather than seasoning cheese with soup mix, I bought ready-seasoned cheese. A convenient cheat. Mashed up with veg and a few seasonings, it was pretty tasty. As always, I was too lazy to make crudite, so I served it with Keebler Townhouse Flatbread crackers.

Artichoke Spinach Dip

1 (6.5 ounce) container garlic herb cheese (Alouette or Boursin or whatever)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon mayo
1 14-ounce can or jar of artichoke hearts
1 box frozen spinach, thawed
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 scallions, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Pepper

Stir together the cheese and sour cream. Mix in the mayo. Chop the artichokes finely and add to the cheese mixture.

Squeeze out all of the moisture from the spinach by placing it in a tea towel and wringing it. Chop the spinach and stir into the artichoke cheese mixture. Stir in cheese and scallions, and season with salt, lemon juice, and pepper.

Serve with crackers, flatbreads, crudite, etc.



Posted on Minxeats.com.