Spinach Dip (Ben Johns Special)

Ingredients 

Spinach 
1 tsp minced garlic
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup parmesan
1 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup mozzarella

Cheese topping
3/4 cup mozzarella
goat cheese
parsley

Method:

1. Wilt spinach in medium heat.
2. Mix together wilted spinach with rest of dip ingredients.
3. Top with cheese toppings.
4. Bake in 180C oven for 20mins.
5. Once slightly cool, garnish with minced parsley & serve.

Guacamole

Ingredients 

8 ripe medium avocados
1-2 limes (juiced)
1 jalapeno (roasted & diced)
½ medium red onion (diced)
2-3 medium cloves of garlic (minced or crushed)
2 roma tomatoes (diced)
2 small or 1 large bunch cilantro (chopped)
salt & pepper to taste

Preparations

1. Cut Avocados in half and remove seed. With a small knife, cut squares in flesh of avocado, making sure to not cut through skins. With a soup spoon, remove squares into a mixing bowl by scraping with edge of spoon between skin and avocado flesh.
2. Squeeze lime juice over avocado squares.
3. Roasting jalapeno is an optional step but adds a wonderful smoky taste and mellows the heat a bit. To roast, place jalapeño over open flame using tongs and turning once skin begins to darken and pop, roasting all sides. Dice and add to avocado.
4. Cut and dice remaining ingredients, add to avocado. Stir to incorporate veggies well.
5. Serve with chips or along side any Mexican meal.

Sriracha Butter

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
1 cup Sriracha
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. sugar

Method:
In a saucepan, melt butter over low heat. In a blender, combine Sriracha, lime juice, salt and sugar. Blend on high 1 minute, slowly adding the melted butter. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 1 month.

Used as condiment drizzled over fried chicken, or slather it on burgers, put a little in scrambled eggs and dip fries in it.

Starfruit & Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

4 starfuit, chopped
1 mango, peeled and chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 scotch bonnet pepper, minced
1 Tbs fresh grated ginger
juice of 2 limes
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
2 scallion, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a glass or ceramic bowl, serve with chips over grilled fish.

French Dip Sandwiches

Ingredients:

approx 3 1/2 lbs beef chuck roast
16-oz. beef broth (1 1/2 cans)
1 10.5-oz. can condensed French onion soup
6-oz red wine
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste
4-6 French rolls
sliced provolone cheese, optional

Method:

1. Trim excess fat off of beef roast and season meat all over with salt and pepper.
2. Pour beef broth, condensed French onion soup, red wine and garlic powder into slow cooker and place beef roast into liquid.
3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Slow cookers have different time intervals that you can select, so work with your cooker. Depending on how the settings on your slow cooker work, the time will vary. Since this is cooking in liquid, you don’t have to worry about the meat drying out in the same way you might if you were roasting the meat in the oven. Mine took 7 1/2 hours and was falling apart tender.
4. Take beef out and rest it, covered with aluminum foil, for about 15 minutes. Slice beef and return to slow cooker on low or very low for 30 minutes.
5. Lightly toast the bread and evenly distribute cheese between rolls, if using. Divide beef onto rolls and spoon the beef juice* into ramekins or other small bowls and eat everything while it is hot. Serve each sandwich with its own dip.

Guacamole (Award winning)

Ingredients:

6 ripe, Fresh Hass avocados, seeded and peeled
1/2 onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, crushed
1 small tomato, diced
6 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, grated
2 green chiles, diced
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
3 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. seasoned salt

Method:

1. In a large mixing bowl, coarsely mash avocados, leaving some chunks.
2. Add remaining ingredients and mix to blend.
3. Serving Suggestions:
4. Serve with crisp tortilla chips.
5. To store Guacamole, place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the Guacamole and refrigerate.

* Large avocados are recommended for this recipe. A large avocado averages about 8 ounces. If using smaller or larger size avocados adjust the quantity accordingly.

Makes 12 servings