Another great new appetizer: Not your ordinary cheese dip

Again last weekend, we were trying to hold out until  our “Sunday Evening Grill Fest” but we definitely needed a snack between breakfast and our grilled chicken dinner.  (Our last midday appetizer experiment was the Great Northern Bean Dip.)

Luckily, the Sunday paper featured a story about the  NW Arkansas Cheese Dip Classic which leads up to the World Cheese Dip Championship.   Who knew?   I just know that we may have to make a road trip to Fayetteville, Arkansas next weekend!

So, these festivals and championship are not about day-glo colored liquid cheese out of a can or jar.   Oh, no.   The tend to be a bit fancier and more gourmet (and have a cult-like following).

Case in point:   This recipe was printed in the paper along with the Cheese Dip Championship article and I made it for our midday Sunday snack.     OMG!     You can’t just take one bite of this stuff.    Seriously, it is addictive.   I finally had to hide the Wheat Thins (and then we resorted to just using spoons and eating it out of the food processor!)

Avocado Goat Cheese Dip
Printed in the Tulsa World (April 29, 2012), courtesy of  Libbie Summers, FoodNetwork.com.
Slightly adapted by me.

3 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
3 T. fresh lime juice
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t. ground coriander
1/4 t. fine sea salt
4 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese
4 oz. goat cheese
pinch of smoked paprika

Place avocados and lime juice in a food processor and process until smooth.   Add the remaining ingredients (sans the paprika) and mix well.

Whir it up until smooth.

Place in serving dish and sprinkle with smoked paprika.   Serve with baked chips, Wheat Thins, or (as the original recipe suggests), toasted pita triangles.

If you need more of cheese fix, check out this video:   In Queso Fever:   A Movie About Cheese Dip.   (This short video is hilarious AND sheds a lot of light on the queso phenomenon.)

Please leave me a comment regarding cheese dip.   Is it indigenous to your area?   Have you ever heard of it?   More importantly, what’s your favorite?

Also, Happy May Day!

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