Today: Please excuse my garlic breath.

I whipped up a few easy appetizers for my brother’s graduation party yesterday.  What these recipes lack in imagination and effort, they make up for in garlic.  My grandmother described the white bean dip as “Strange looking,” “Unpleasant,” and “Oh, youuuu made it?”  But you don’t have to take her word for it.

Garlicky white bean dip

• 2 cans of garbanzo beans
• 2 large cloves of garlic
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon milled flax seeds
• a smidge of cayenne pepper
• fresh basil
• salt and pepper to taste

Rinse the beans thoroughly (what is all that stuff?!) and finely chop your garlic.  Mix all ingredients and mash like crazy.  If you’d prefer a smoother dip, throw everything in the blender and add additional oil, if needed.  If you’d like to keep your self-esteem intact, do not entertain your grandmother’s opinions. 😉  For the record, I found the dip to be spicy and delicious.

Pita chiplets

• Whole wheat pita bread
• A very sharp knife
• 1 large clove of garlic
• Dried herbs
• Salt and pepper

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees and cut 3-4 medium sized pitas into squares.  Arrange the pita pieces on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil, if you so please.  Season with your favorite dried herbs or spices (I used a blend of oregano, basil, parsley and crushed red pepper) and bake for 15-20 minutes until crisp.

Easy on the effort and heavy on the garlic.  Just the way I like it.  Dragon breath, rawrrrr!

Also On Tap for Today:

• Bittersweet: The chocolate factory in Mansfield is closing!
• A burger even a vegetarian could love…
• Must write my overdue Beauty Guru post on makeovers 🙂

What are your favorite easy recipes?  And how to you combat garlic breath?