Sour Cream, Chives and Onion Dip

You're probably as astonished as I am. I don't know if it was Lenten fasting that did it to me, or the influx of sweet, sticky, melty goodness that engulfed me over Easter, but I've been a little more interested in savory things of late. Imagine my amazement to find something delicious enough to blog about that wasn't sweet and was made by my own hands. I never thought I had it in me.
Like lots of amazing things, this delicious dip was created by chance. My mind does not think in savory ways (my thoughts are not too unsavory, I hope), so anything invented by myself that isn't sweet, and tastes good, is surely a fluke.
It's very simple really, and utterly, ridiculously addictive. I stumbled upon it while creating my last Secret Recipe Club post, and, on licking that spoon, discovered that I had indeed invented another recipe at the same time. I almost had to make another batch, as I instantly whipped out the rice crackers and my son and I sat on the floor and dug in with glee. Between bites he sang out "Mumm mmum mmmum!" I take that as pretty high praise. "Yum" has become "Mum", oh that's how I like it!

SOUR CREAM, CHIVES AND ONION DIP

4-5 stalks fresh chives, chopped (2 tbsp)
1 cup thick sour cream
2 tsp french onion soup powder
1 tsp crushed garlic

Place the sour cream in a small bowl, and stir the garlic through. Finely chop the chives and add to the sour cream. Sprinkle the onion powder over the chives and stir to combine.
Refrigerate if not serving immediately. Enjoy with crackers.

Mango Chilli and Lime Aioli with Prawns

 My husband is an amazing cook. I'm not just saying that because he's my husband, it's a fact, and a sweet one at that. A man that can cook and will cook and enjoys it! There should be many more of them.
Anyway, we've decided to get the family over for Boxing Day celebrations. As seafood lovers, my husband and I have decided to have prawns for appetizers before dinner, and we found the most amazing accompaniment for those orange and white babies. We jut had to try it before hand to make sure of the fact. This recipe has been adapted by my husband from Curtis Stone's Christmas Magic. So tasty!

MANGO CHILLI AND LIME AIOLI

1 small mango, peeled, stone removed
1.5 tsp fresh peeled ginger, chopped finely (we used Gourmet Garden Ginger paste)
1 tsp chilli garlic sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped

Place mango, ginger, chilli and lime juice in the food processor and blend until a puree forms. Add egg yolk and pulse until combined. With the motor still running, add the oil until you reach a smooth creamy consistency. Season with salt and pepper if desired, and add coriander.

NOTES: This aioli can be made a day ahead as the flavours develop over time. You can also use sweet chilli sauce instead of chilli garlic sauce. Serve with prawns.