Opa! Dip (7 layer Greek Dip)

I tried making this dip more than once.  The first time I made it the first layer was made with Greek yogurt and roasted red peppers.  The whole dip looked like a pink porridge, NOT appetizing.  I found two other recipes, combined them and came up with this.  I NAILED it.  This dip will be devoured by all Greek food lovers.  Great for those upcoming tailgate parties!

Ingredients:

• 1) 1 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
• 1) ½ T. Greek seasoning
• 1) 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1) 1 T. fresh lemon juice, or juice of ½ of a lemon
• 1) ½ t. lemon zest
• 2) 1 ½ C. hummus (I use a 10 oz. container)
• 3) 1 medium cucumber seeded and diced (1 C.)
• 4) (4 oz.) feta cheese, crumbled (1/2 C.)
• 5) ¼ of a medium red onion, finely chopped (1/3 C.)
• 6) (4 oz.) Kalamata olives, chopped (1/2 C.)
• 7) (2 oz.) sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (1/4 C.)

Directions:

1. Combine the 1) ingredients with a large bowl with a mixer until light and fluffy. 
2. Spread in the bottom of a pie plate or a small shallow baking dish.  The cream cheese mixture should cover the bottom of the dish.
3. Layer each of the other ingredients, in order, to create the 7 layers.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours before serving.
5. Serve with pita chips, fresh vegetables, or flat bread.

Tips and Tricks:

• I like to serve this dip with the BIG Wheat Thins.  You need a chip that has a flat edge to scrap the dip up and out of the dish.
• I use 1/3 less fat cream cheese for this recipe.
• If you don’t have Greek seasoning, you can use dill weed instead.
• The cup measurements after each ingredient are approximate.  Don’t stress about it being exact.

Watermelon, Tomato, and Feta Salad

This is a great Spring and Summer salad.  The crunch from the watermelon and the tartness from the tomatoes all get mellowed out by the Feta cheese.  Pretty as a picture!  Oh, here's the picture.

Ingredients:

• 6 C. watermelon, cut into bite size cubes
• 2 pts. Sunburst tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 T. sugar
• 1 t. kosher salt
• 1 small red onion, quartered and sliced thin
• ½ t. black pepper, fresh cracked
• ¼ C. red wine or apple cider vinegar
• ½ C. olive oil
• ¼ lb. (4 oz.) feta cheese, crumbled

Directions:

1. Combine the watermelon and tomatoes in a large bowl; sprinkle with sugar and salt and toss.  Set aside for 15 minutes.
2. Drain the excess juice; add the onions, pepper, vinegar and oil and toss.
3. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours; sprinkle the feta into the bowl before serving.

Tips and Tricks:

• If you can’t get the Sunburst tomatoes, you can use Roma tomatoes cut into cubes.  The yellow tomatoes give the salad a great color contrast, but it is not necessary.
• The seeds in a Roma tomato are sometimes bitter; I usually squeeze the tomato and remove the seeds, before cutting them for this salad.