THE BEST Lebne Garlic Dill Dip

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This is the best dip ever for everything.  That's quite a bold statement but I stand by it.  And I'm sure some of you are wondering if I think its better than Muhammara, since I'm so passionate about that.  To that I say, it's like a mother of multiple children, her love for each child is different and cannot love one over the other.  And that's how I feel!  But all jokes aside, I am obsessed with this dip.   Usually I serve it with roasted baby potatoes and it's usually all done before I even officially set it on the table.  I have also served it with baked salmon, also a hit.  I've made it with chicken wings, a hit again.  So clearly, the winner is the dip although I'm sure the potatoes, salmon and chicken were great too haha. 

This is another one of those dips that I'm pretty sure my mom invented because I think she invented everything.  Quite a culinary genius that one.  The genius of mixing fresh dill with dried dill creates such a unique flavor, combine it with the garlic and creamy lebne makes it a winner.  Be warned, the dill flavors need a few minutes to really settle and release their flavor.  Thank me in the comments below! :) 

INGREDIENTS

2/4 cup Lebne

1/4 cup sour cream (or yogurt if you want to be healthier!)

4 garlic crushed

4 tablespoons lemon juice

1 1/2 tablespoons tahini

1 tablespoon fresh dill

1/2 tablespoon dried dill

Salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix all the ingredients together

Let it sit for at least 5-10 minutes before serving so the fresh dill flavor can shine through

How I entertain with Saffron Roads

How cute are these!!!  Who knew "chips" aka Saffron Roads BeanStalks could be so good looking! I think I mentioned before that Ayla, my almost 3 year old daughter eats based on the color and shape of the items she's eating.  So of course, these bean stalks were on the top of list of things she approves eating.  Although I completely approve of her eating these Saffron Roads bean stalks, because they are made from three different types of beans and have 3 grams of plant-based protein in every serving—but with 50% less fat than potato chips, I had to continue the mind games with her and tell her she's allowed to have some only if she's a good girl.    Mothers of toddlers, you know what I'm talking about with the mind games, right?

These Saffron Roads bean stalks are so pretty I wanted to do something extra with them.  And what better way then to entertain with them!  For me, the hardest thing about entertaining is timing.  I always want to make so many different dishes and hor d'ouvers that I end up overwhelming myself.  What I love about these Bean Stalks is they are so effortless.  I can basically just present them in a pretty ceramic bowl and they would automatically elevate my party from zero to hero.  Which is exactly what happened when our friends called us at 7:30 pm and told us they are stopping by because they're in the area.  I sprinkled fresh dill on top of the lebne and BeanStalks and also put some fresh dill in a bowl for that extra pop of color.  

In the top pictures I used lebne (which tasted amazing with the barbecue flavored Saffron Roads bean stalks but feel free to substitute with sour cream or greek yogurt if you don't have access to lebne) I used the lebne as a nice bed for the bean stalks BUT I do warn that they should be consumed immediately because the lebne will make the BeanStalks soft if kept on there for too long.  

Put lebne in a ziploc bag and cut the corner so you create a piping bag and pipe the lebne inside the Beanstalk

There are SO many things to do with these BeanStalks.  They're just the perfect tube shape, it allows for more flavor on the inside and out.  The interesting shape also makes it fun to use in multiple ways to entertain.  In these pictures I used some parchment paper in a french fry cone holder and served the BeanStalks that way.  Such a great party idea to give out to kids and also feel good about feeding it to them.

5 Ways to Entertain with Saffron Roads BeanStalks

1. In parchment paper served as "fries"

2. Loosely topped on a bed of lebne, greek yogurt, or sour cream

3. Insert string cheese into Beanstalks

4. In a bowl along side barbecue sauce

5. Top each Beanstalk with an olive

This post is sponsored by Saffron Roads, all opinions are my own.

Falafel Crunchy Chickpea Granola Bars

Crunchy chickpeas are my moms all. time. favorite. snack!  Whenever my mom has an upset stomach she swears salty roasted crunchy chickpeas will “adjust” her stomach and make her feel better.  She lives off of them.  And only until recently, she would ask anyone coming from the middle east to bring some back with her because they were just different from over there she would say.  Until of course, Saffron Roads came out with their crunchy chickpea lines.  They’re so perfect and so flavorful.  I actually always have a bag in my car, because I live in Southern California, and because there is always traffic, and because I "healthy snack" in my car all the time.  

You all know what a huge fan I am of Saffron Roads, there has not been a single product that I wasn’t absolutely in love with.  Beyond my love for their products, I fell in love with the company when was first starting mine.  I was fortunate enough to meet the founders of Saffron Roads and have been lucky enough to call them mentors.  Knowing them personally and seeing firsthand the great lengths that they go to to in order to ensure their products are made with only the highest quality ingredients makes me the huge fan that I am.  It's just getting so much more difficult these days to consume quality products and feed my daughter whole food ingredients but thankfully there are more and more companies that are passionate about this cause, and this is one of those companies.  

I played around with the falafel flavored crunchy chickpea recipe and I thought it would be fun to make a falafel inspired granola bar.  The crunchy chickpeas give it that nice crunch and the falafel seasoning is already there, the dates and tahini make it chewy and yummy and the oats make it extra healthy.   They were so perfect!  Ate a few with a hot cup of coffee, yummy!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Saffron Roads crunchy falafel chickpeas

1/3 cup tahini

10 dates

1/4 cup old fashioned oats (also known as rolled oats)

Optional:

Pistachio

Dried cranberries

Any additional nuts and seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350

In food processor mix oats until they are powdery

Add dates and mix in food processor until they are pasty

Hand mix chickpeas and tahini together with oats and dates

Place parchment paper on the bottom of a baking pan

Spread mixture in pan

Put in oven for 7-8 minutes

Cool down completely before cutting and serving

This post is sponsored by Saffron Roads, all opinions are my own.