Fuzzy’s queso, Chipotle’s guacamole and Bison Witches’ spinach and artichoke dip are some of my favorites that can be found around Norman. In my opinion, chips and dip is one of the tastiest ways to start a meal, which has led me to share some easy recipes to make these dips at home.
Recipe number one is a chorizo mushroom queso dip. This dip will take about 15 minutes total to prepare and will serve four to six people (or you for a week). The ingredients include ½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, ½ pound Spanish or Mexican chorizo, ½ pound mushroom caps (quartered), 1 cup diced Mexican melting cheese or Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese, 2 scallions (thinly sliced), and 1 bag of corn tortilla chips.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Dice the chorizo and add it to the pan to render the fat. If using fresh Mexican chorizo, remove the casing and crumble while it’s browning.
Add the mushrooms to the skillet and cook them with the sausage until just tender, 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer the sausage mixture to a small casserole or baking dish and top with the cheese. Bake it until it’s nice and bubbly. Remove from the oven and top with the scallions, then serve with the chips for dipping and indulge!
Next is a recipe for guacamole, my second favorite dip (after queso, of course). This recipe will only take about 20 minutes and yields one batch of dip. You will need 3 avocados (the ones with the stickers that say they’re from Mexico are my favorite). These will need to be halved, seeded and peeled. If you don’t know how to open an avocado, there are plenty of videos on YouTube.
The other ingredients include 1 lime (juiced), ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon cayenne, ½ medium onion (diced), ½ jalapeno pepper (seeded and minced), 2 Roma tomatoes (seeded and diced), 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, 1 clove garlic (minced).
Although the recipe above is probably just as tasty, I prefer to add garlic salt to replace the garlic clove, which also might be easier than mincing. I also leave the dicing and mincing up to my dad, but you can buy precut pico de gallo at the grocery store and toss it in. It won’t be as fresh tasting, but might be helpful until you get your knife skills down.
Now for the directions: in a large bowl, place the scooped avocado, pulp and lime juice to toss and coat. Drain it and reserve the lime juice for after all the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher or large fork, add the salt, cumin, cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, jalapeno, tomatoes, cilantro and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice and let it sit at room temperature before serving or chill in the refrigerator if you prefer it cool.
Final dip recipe is for the classic spinach artichoke dip. This recipe will take about 25 minutes and serves four to six people.
You will need kosher salt, 2 10-ounce bags spinach (stems removed), 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons minced onion, 1 clove garlic (minced), 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour, 1 ¼ cups whole milk, ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 ¼ cups grated parmesan cheese, ¼ cup sour cream (plus more for serving), ½ cup shredded white sharp cheddar cheese, ½ cup frozen artichoke hearts (thawed, squeezed dry and roughly chopped), and tortilla chips and salsa for serving.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Stir in the spinach and cook until bright green, about 30 seconds. Drain and rinse under cold water; squeeze out the excess moisture, then finely chop.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and ½ teaspoon salt and cook until the onion is soft, about 2 minutes. Next, add the flour and cook, stirring until lightly toasted, which will take about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cook, whisking constantly until it thickened (about 1 minute). Remove from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, parmesan and sour cream.
Return the pot to medium heat. Then add the spinach, cheddar and artichokes until the cheese melts and the dip is heated through. Serve it warm with tortilla chips, salsa and sour cream.
