Rabbit Food Sandwich a.k.a. Smashed Chickpea & Avocado Salad Sandwich Spread

Did you know that the USDA no longer uses the "Food Pyramid" as a guide and instead uses the "My Plate" reference? Until this post, I didn't. Here is the plate for dietary recommendations for adults:

Whenever I try to feed my husband fresh vegetables, he says, "That's not food; that's what food eats!" or "That's rabbit food!" I haven't given up, though, and when I saw this recipe (like egg salad, but without eggs or mayo), I thought it would be a great way to beef up a neglected portion of Mr.4444's diet.

Outside of hummus, I've not eaten chickpeas much, and Mr.4444 never even eats hummus when it's an appetizer, so I didn't let him see what the ingredients in this recipe were when I was preparing it. His verdict, "It's a really great sandwich, Hon!" (It also makes a great dip!)

For a simple, no-nonsense, printable version of this recipe, click here.

Ingredients:

1 large, ripe avocado

1 15-oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

Juice from one lime

1/4 cup freshly-chopped cilantro

Salt and pepper to taste

Bread (of course)

Sandwich toppings of your choice, such as lettuce/spinach, tomatoes, alfalfa sprouts, etc.

FYI, I ended up using a different bread than that in the photo, simply because I realized I had half a loaf of other bread to use first. I've never had the "Sprouted Grains," bread, and I'm hoping it's good!

First, drain and rinse the garbanzo beans. The recipe recommended removing the skins, which until that moment I hadn't realized existed! Who knew garbanzo beans had skins?! I did this in the colander, in the sink, gently rubbing them to reveal the skins. Full-disclosure: The original recipe says that it takes ten minutes to prep, but this part of the prep took me ten minutes!

Pretty interesting!

There's only a subtle difference between garbanzo beans with or without skin, but I agree that this recipe is better without that added texture.

(Skinned on the left, unskinned on the right)

I was so distracted by my new garbanzo-skin knowledge that I failed to read the directions that said to drain them, rinse them, and then lay them on a paper towel to dry them. I did this after my de-skinning in the colander process and learned that the gentle rubbing with a paper towel sloughs the skins off, too. (I had missed some!)

Place all of the ingredients in a flat-bottomed bowl 

and smash with a potato masher until you have the desired texture. (If you missed any skins, they'll appear during this process.)

Looks just like guacamole, doesn't it?!

Assemble your sandwich

 and enjoy!

I really liked the cilantro and lime juice flavors in this sandwich! It was a nice, 

guilt-free alternative to mayo, and the texture was nice.

 I'm not sure rabbits enjoy limes, but I actually did think that rabbits would love this sandwich, too.

Too bad there wasn't any extra (Makes 3-4 sandwiches).

Beer Dip

An often-requested dip around here is made with Weaselmomma's favorite ingredient: beer. I know she's a Coors fan, but I usually just use whatever random beer I find in the fridge when I make it. This time, I had my choice of three (since we've had company lately, and everyone has different taste, I guess.)

I make this dip whenever Kyle has a gang of kids over, which he did last night. It's SIMPLE to make, has ingredients usually found in most kitchens, and never lasts long.

Ingredients:
1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch dip
2 pkgs cream cheese, softened to room temp
1 cup grated cheese
1/2 cup (1/3 of a can) of beer
pretzels for serving
Now, if you haven't taken the time to soften the cream cheese, just throw it in the microwave to soften it (I usually do 15 seconds per package).

Then, throw everything in your mixer like so:Now Weaselmomma, just because you like beer does not mean that "a little extra" beer will make this recipe even better. It does not; it just makes it soupy and upsets the balance of flavors. Since you have to open a can of beer and only use 1/3 of it, there's plenty extra to suck down to satisfy your cravings; leave the dip recipe alone.

Back to the mixing...Be careful not to turn it to the "Fling" setting right away, or your cupboards will be immediately spackled with whitish, wet muck. Start out slowly, and mix until blended well.Put in a 2-3 cup bowl and serve with pretzels. It's that simple.

"Party Cheese Terrine"

Do you have any idea what a terrine is? Neither did I, and I'm still not sure what a terrine has to do with this recipe, from my co-worker, Laura. It's a dip that you layer in the container and then flip onto a plate to serve. It called for a special "cheese server" container that Tupperware no longer sells (apparently) so I had to be creative. When I Googled "terinne," I came up with some fancy ceramic containers and terms like "pate" and "duck foie gras." Don't let that scare you; I didn't think the dip would know the difference, so I decided to use two to-go containers that I happened to have, and my dip tasted every bit as good (and better) than some shee-shee-froo-froo fancy-schmancy restaurant fare. In fact, be careful, because this dip is so good, you will have a hard time pulling yourself away from it.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup pecans, finely chopped
1 3/4 cups snipped parsley (get rid of the stems)
3 pkgs. cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 1/2 pkgs Buddig ham, chopped small
1 tsp prepared mustard
1 2-oz jar chopped pimiento, drained
Optional garnish: cucumber or water chestnut slices
Assorted crackers to serve with the dip

First, lube up the container you're going to layer the dip in with vegetable oil. Mix the pecans and 3 tablespoons of the parsley; sprinkle evenly into the bottom of the container.
Beat the softened cream cheese, butter, and milk until creamy.
Take 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture and spoon it onto the mixture in the pan. Carefully spread it around with a knife. (It will slide around a bit, but don't worry about it.) Next, chop the green onions. (For years now, I've been a big fan of Veggie Wash, so I always clean them first. In fact, I wouldn't think of eating a single veggie or fruit without having cleaned it with Veggie Wash first.)
This is my favorite pic of the bunch, so I'm making it bigger. Isn't it pretty?Mix the onions with the remaining parsley
and add 1/2 of the remaining cream cheese mixture to the bowl and mix it up.
Plop this over the first layer (and spread it.)
Next, prepare the ham. I suppose you could use Buddig beef, too, but this being Easter, I chose the ham (Just kidding, Silly! I was just following the recipe.) The package is a 2-oz size, so you'll need a total of 5 ounces.
Chop it up small...
Mix the ham, drained pimiento, and mustard.
Stir and spread this mixture over the 2nd layer.
Here's how much this recipe made (the smaller container is a Ziplock sandwich-sized container.) If you're the fancy type, feel free to put it into your terrine :)
Now, here's where I read the directions that read "Cover and chill overnight,"(about three hours before we had to leave for the party at my brother's house.) Guess what? I broke the rules; I chilled it in the freezer for about 30 minutes and then put it in the fridge for 2.5 more hours. (No one was the wiser!)

Shortly before you need to serve the dip, invert the container onto a plate and cover with a hot, damp cloth to help the dip slide out of the container. If you're in the mood to channel Martha, garnish the dip with a few slices of cucumber or water chestnuts. Isn't it pretty?! Serve with crackers (or eat it with a spoon--Just kidding!!)

*Note: This recipe is copyrighted by Meredith Corporation and Dart Industries.