Don’t Hate Me Cause I Cook (and make Cilantro dip)

Hi everyone! I had a great dinner with some friends at home tonight. We spent the afternoon into the evening in the kitchen, chatting and preparing food. What a great way to spend a Saturday.

One guest, however, told me she was relieved when she saw my bag of “Stacey’s Whole Wheat Pita Chips” because it proved I was human; I had made so many dishes and she “feared” I had also made the chips. I made her feel bad! She is a working Mom of two and struggles with getting meals on the table that she, her husband and two kids like. She is going home with the recipe for the Mongolian BBQ Chicken I made and swears she will make it for her family when she returns to D.C., believing it will be a hit for all four of them. She helped clean up and we pretended we were on a commune so it all worked out. She’s not so mad at me now.

One of the items I served was a dip/sauce I had replicated from a Peruvian restaurant called Pio Pio in Manhattan where we had all eaten together earlier this year. It was almost the same as in the restaurant and everyone loved it. Here it is:

Cilantro Dip/sauce:

2 cups cleaned, dried cilantro leaves (no stems), loosely packed
1/2 jalapeno pepper with seeds
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup mayo (or try plain yoghurt)
1/2 cup sour cream
10 grinds of black pepper from a pepper mill
2 cloves garlic

In a food processor, blend until smooth. Adjust seasonings (that means add a little more of a particular seasoning that may be lacking!) Put on fish, chicken or tofu, can use as a dip for vegetables. Enjoy!