Perfect Pairing Brunch Was Dip-tastic!!

This weekend was the dreaded weekend of CARMAGEDDON here in Los Angeles (they shut down a large section of one of the main freeways in L.A. which also happens to be one of the busiest freeways in the entire US) so everyone was in a tizzy about that, but when I was asked to drive over an hour south to Yorba Linda to eat Frito-Lay chips and homemade dips with 5 of the coolest mom-bloggers in SoCal, I said, "Traffic be damned... let's head out on the highway!"


OK, the truth is I committed to go before I realized it was happening on Carmageddon weekend, but it all worked out great! Almost NO traffic because everyone (except us) listened to instructions to stay off the roads if at all possible, and the food and company was outstanding.

The fine folks from Frito-Lay provided each of us with chips and a grocery credit to make a homemade dip and pair it with a Frito-Lay chip and then get together and EAT THEM! Hello! This was pretty much my dream meal. I have been a long time chip and dip fanatic and I was really excited to see what my fellow bloggers came up with. 


Here's what we had and here is the recipe for what I made:


- @rockinmama / http://rockinmama.net made a mango salsa
- @thoughtsofamomy / http://thoughtsofamommy.com made a cheese fundido dip
- @daytrippingmom / http://www.daytrippingmom.com made a pico de gallo
- @OCMomActivities / http://www.OCMomActivities.com made a bruschetta dip
- @LA_Story / http://www.LosAngelesStory.com made a spinach artichoke dip


and I made a SPICY BLACK BEAN DIP and here's the recipe:

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 green pepper, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained & rinsed & 1/4 cup liquid reserved

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon chili powder (more or less as you like)

1) Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat2) Add the pepper and onion
3) Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened (about 5 minutes)
4) Add beans with reserved liquid to the skillet
5) Simmer covered for about 10 minutes
6) Place mixture with remaining ingredients into a food processor (I used my blender, cuz I ain't got not food processor. Do I look like Martha Stewart to you people?!)
7) Pulse to combine, but do not puree
DONE! I served it hot - it's healthy and DELICIOUS!


We noticed that the Hint of Lime and Hint of Jalapeno Tostitos really brought out the flavors in the Mexican style dips and I also learned that a 1-oz serving of Tostitos tortilla chips have less sodium than a cup of plain yogurt! That's food for thought. 


It was a really fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon and I also got some awesome new recipes. If you'd like to get the rest of our Perfect Pairing dip recipes, just click on the other bloggers' links and get dipping! 


(Oh, and I also made a dessert to share which were Hamburger Slider Cupcakes... recipe here!)