A Katie classic

I'm back! I have no idea where my passion for cooking and excitement about new recipes went, but it was starting to worry me. I started this blog as an outlet for my uncontrollable urges to talk about food all of the time...and then poof! They were gone. Lucky for me and you, winter squash (flavors that I don't use year round) and sausage have brought excitement back. I'm going to be making some really good stuff this week!

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First, though, I had to go grocery shopping. I shop after work and usually don't get home until 7:00 pm or later. So dinner on grocery shopping night has to be fast. (To me, really fast means no cooking. When you have to chop and cook, it doubles the time.) But it should still be fun. I don't want to eat boring leftovers from the weeks before when I have all of this yummy, exciting new food! In that spirit, we had sprout sandwiches on chiabatta bread...mayo on both sides of the bread (plus Dijon mustard on mine) with layered cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado, and alfalfa sprouts. I told you that my sexy husband is a meat man (though he grew up vegetarian). Well, he LOVES these sandwiches. I highly recommend trying them on your grocery shopping night. The meat-lover in your house might just love them too.

Last night was also Monday night football, and my father-in-law was coming over to enjoy the game with us. When I'm loving food, everything is about the food. Sporting events are no exception. Sporting events are my excuse for dip. So to go with our sprout sandwiches, I made a dip that is fast becoming one of my signature party dips. It's really a white bean dip, but I put so much cilantro in it that everyone seems to think that it's cilantro dip.:) Outside of the taste, which is fantastic, the best thing about this dip is that the whole thing is made in the food processor or blender. No chopping. No cooking. Just fast.

Katie's classic cilantro dip

Dump all of the following into the food processor or blender (I actually prefer the blender because this recipe makes a lot).

2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 or 1 whole bunch cilantro. I'll let you choose. Just cut off the thick ends.
1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt. I've made it both ways. The taste is pretty consistent. The yogurt just makes the dip thin.
1 1/2 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
1/3 cup lemon juice
3 small to medium cloves garlic
2 green onions
1 Tbs cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Serve with Tortilla chips. Your friends will love you.