Real Onion Dip with Spiced Chips

By Rob Carroll on July 24, 2017 in

Let’s talk dip! Summer brings pool parties, picnics, meet-ups, and potlucks, so there’s always an event or activity to look forward to on the calendar. Each one that asked for us to bring a dish would cause me to pour through cookbooks and recipes, looking for just the right appetizer for a crowd. Then a lightbulb went off in my head, and I never had a problem bringing a dish again.

Ever since I started making my own dips with baked flatbread chips, people ask me for the recipes all the time. And it’s just so easy! The beautiful thing about making your own chips and crackers using flatbread is that you can control the size, shape, flavor, and seasonings you use, if any. High quality crackers are all the rage at gourmet stores for upwards of $6/box, so making your own definitely pays off.

And the options are endless, in terms of flavor combinations. Got a jar of your favorite spicy hummus in the refrigerator? Kick it up a notch with Sriracha brushed chips, or take the heat down a bit with chips squeezed with lemon juice and chopped parsley. Flatbread can be savory, salty, spicy, or sweet.

It’s Vidalia onion season right now, so I bought a huge bag of fabulous onions for very little money at the market, and it’s got me thinking about…onion dip. Not the little packet you buy at the store, either. Real, honest homemade onion dip with smoky, spicy flatbread chips for this weekend’s summer block party. The chips bake up fast in the oven. The onion dip takes a little longer but the results are definitely worth it!

My only advice is to make more than you think you’ll need, because these babies go fast with a dip this good. The more caramelized onions the better, but if you made too many, use the rest on a burger or a pizza; it’d be a shame to let them go to waste.

Party on!

-Amy at Flatout

Spring Roll Chicken Wrap

By Rob Carroll on March 2, 2016 in

I made this recipe up because after a week of heavy crockpot meals and braised stews, I was craving something lighter, something with fresh, cold vegetables and bright flavors. I swore to myself if I saw another roasted brussels sprout I was going to flip out. Even salads in the winter have brussels sprouts, and while usually I’m all for them, there comes a time in the season when I hit my limit and am happy to give myself a bit of a break.

I consider this flatbread wrap to be the antithesis of the crockpot meal. It’s light, super flavorful, and is packed with fresh crisp vegetables and gently flavored chicken. It’s sort of a riff on a spring roll, or also sort of a take on a bahn mi, a Vietnamese sandwich, but it has my very favorite elements of each. It’s also the perfect foil to my carryout habit at lunch, meaning that I can make it myself from ingredients I’m in charge of, it travels easily, and it’s fun and exciting to eat at work. If I bring in a really fabulous thing for lunch, like this flatbread, then I don’t feel like I’m sacrificing. And that’s half the battle when I’m trying hard to stick to a tight budget.

This flatbread recipe is also the perfect vehicle for getting in some great raw vegetables! I’ve found that taking a vegetable peeler and using it to make long ribbons of carrot and cucumber works wonders in this wrap, and everything holds together nicely while I’m chowing it down. I’m crazy for cilantro, but I understand that some readers aren’t, so if that’s the case, mint substitutes nicely, too. If you have both, throw them both in! Get creative.

Flatbread is a bit heartier than spring roll wraps, so I drizzle a little hoisin sauce on the chicken for a little extra flavor; just go lightly here, barely coating the chicken. It’s quick work to roll up and wrap up, and a squeeze of lime seals the deal. If you have your own favorite peanut or satay sauce, by all means, find it and pour some into a little portable container and dip this flatbread wrap into it as you go. I promise you that the ingredients in this flatbread wrap work together magically to revitalize your week’s menu. I can’t say you’ll never eat stew ever again, though. It’s just nice to eat raw every once in awhile!

Amy at Flatout