Cranberry Jalapeno Dip

I got this recipe from Poksil Goodwin , who brought it to the high school office last Christmas. So delicious, and I absolutely love the colors. Very Christmas-y, with the deep red and green. Enjoy.

Cranberry Jalapeno Dip

1 12 oz. package fresh cranberries
1/4 c. green onion
1/4 c. cilantro
2-3 small jalapenos
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 t. cumin
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
dash salt

Rinse, sort, and chop the cranberries (I use a hand-cranked food chopper. I'm sure a food processor would be fine. Just be careful not to over process.) Finely chop green onion, cilantro, and jalapenos (wear gloves and discard seeds). Toss all chopped ingredients in a bowl. Add sugar, cumin, lemon juice, and salt. Refrigerate for 4 hours (or more).

Serve the cranberry salsa over the following cream cheese mixture: 1 c. mayo/1 c. sour cream/16 oz. cream cheese, well-blended. This makes a nice, soft cheese layer that can be served straight from the refrigerator. (You can serve over plain cream cheese, but bring the cream cheese to room temperature before serving). Don't pour the cranberry salsa over the cheese mixture until just before serving. Serve with crackers or chips.

Broccoli/Cauliflower Salad (a la Cleopha)

I made this for a 'plant-based' potluck and omitted the bacon. I have also substituted dried cranberries for the raisins before. You get to decide how much of each ingredient you want. I like it better if the broccoli and cauliflower florets are cut very small, but I've seen it with larger florets, as well. Depends on how much time you want to spend chopping vegetables. :) It's a very forgiving salad.

Broccoli-Cauliflower Salad

broccoli (florets)
cauliflower (florets)
bacon (cooked and crumbled)
onion (finely diced)
cashews
raisins
sunflower seeds

Dressing:
1 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. sugar (or honey)
1 Tbsp. vinegar

Assemble ingredients. Toss to mix. Serve chilled. (If you are assembling this very far ahead of time, don't add the bacon and the nuts until fairly close to serving time.)