Cheesy Avocado Bacon Dip

Ever since I can remember, I’ve always been a real sucker for crudités: baby cut carrot, turnip and celery sticks, raw mushrooms, fresh radishes, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, bell peppers strips and EVEN raw broccoli florets.

I love them all!

So much so, I think you could even say that I often prefer them to crackers, potato chips and other party snacks.

IF they happen to be accompanied by a good, tasty dip, that is. Because otherwise, let’s face it, they are pretty boring and well… boring!

And don’t you go give me no cheap mixture of store-bought mayo and ketchup, seasoned with a few dried herbs and spices… no way, that just won’t cut it. When I eat crudités, I demand a real, tasty, chunky, creamy and  deliciously heavenly dip.

Yeah, I suppose you could say that I eat my DIP with crudités, not the other way around…

And when it comes to tasty, let me tell you, dips don’t get much better than this one. With the myriad delicious and nutritious ingredients that go into making it, it almost qualifies as a meal in itself.

Or well, okay, a side dish maybe…

Trust me, though, this dip is so good, it will probably have even the pickiest of veggie eaters wolfing down half the vegetable tray by themselves.

Seriously, you’re looking at a veritable explosion of flavors and textures with every single bite. There’s so much going on, your taste buds won’t know what to do with themselves, other than shed a few tears of joy and bow in total admiration.

The only drawback, if there is one, to this heavenly concoction is that avocados tend to brown when exposed to air, so if you leave it to rest for too long, it will take a rather unpleasant khaki-ish color.

The addition of lime or lemon juice will help curb that natural phenomenon, but you can’t really stop it from happening altogether. (That is until they come up with GMO avocados that won’t turn brown when exposed to air. Of course, I’m being sarcastic. But sadly, it will probably happen eventually… After all, they already did it to apples, didn’t they? AAARGH! Don’t get me started on that one!)

So, since avocados still DO brown when exposed to air, I strongly recommend that you assemble this dip at the last minute, when you are good and ready to serve it to your guests.

Just like you would any good, fresh guacamole.

You know what though? Even if the dip changes color on you, its flavor WILL keep you going back for more.

For seriously, did you take a look at the list of ingredients yet?

I mean, besides the fact that it’s got sharp cheddar cheese, crispy bacon and creamy avocado in it, which is already almost more than I can bear, this one is also loaded with chunks of artichoke hearts, bits and pieces of super crunchy water chestnuts and tasty morsels of tangy green olives.

All ingredients that I personally adore.

Honestly, I think I just found myself a new favorite dip! 

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Cheesy Avocado Bacon Dip

Servings: 12 ±3 cups

Ingredients

• 1 ripe avocado
• juice of half a lime
• ½ cup paleo mayo
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated (100g)*
• ¼ tsp pepper
• ¼ tsp smoked paprika
• ¼ tsp onion powder
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• 1 cup canned artichoke hearts, cut into small chunks (1 can, drained)
• 1 cup sliced green olives, chopped
• ½ cup sliced water chestnuts, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh basil
• 4 slices bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled

Instructions

• Mix avocado, mayo, lime juice, pepper, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder in food processor until smooth and creamy
• Add cheese, artichokes, green olives and water chestnuts and pulse a few times until well incorporated and the "add-ons" have gotten down to an acceptable scoopable size.
• Transfer to a mixing bowl and delicately fold in the basil and crispy bacon.
• The avocado will tend to turn brown, so this is better served immediately. However, the color doesn't affect the taste, so it can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days. Just make sure you restrict contact with air as much as possible.
• Serve with fresh crudités.
  

Notes

*Omit cheese for Whole30 or Strict Paleo

Author: Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

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