avocado-mayonnaise spread

from christine...

i love ranch. i love avocados. i had some avocados that ripened way faster than expected, so i set out to find a way to make them into a spread. i found a recipe on allrecipes.com, but i would suggest tweaking it until you find the combination you like best.

2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted, and mashed
1 packet ranch dressing mix
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon light mayo (or olive oil mayonnaise)

mix everything together! chill if wanted.

if you make it this way, it will be very salty. i would recommend at least halving the ranch packet; i made the mistake of using the whole packet. however, if you like salty things, it's not too bad.

i only used 1 tablespoon of lemon juice but added more mayo (4 tablespoons total). i did this because i intend to use it as a mayo substitute instead of a veggie dip.

comment if you find winning combination!

hawaiian haystacks

This recipe comes from fellow Great in 8 member Leslie...

My family LOVES Hawaiian Haystacks and I found this delicious recipe! Once I started doing FGI8, I couldn't eat this because of the flour, so I changed it up a bit.  It is still the most delicious recipe I have ever tried.

Here is a link to the original:

http://picky-palate.com/2012/04/01/homemade-hawaiian-haystacks/

And here is my healthified recipe:

32 oz reduced sodium chicken broth
2-3 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
2 tsp dry ranch seasoning
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic salt
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

In large sauce pan, bring broth and cornstarch to a boil, until it thickens. Add sour cream, ranch, pepper, salt, garlic powder. Serve over brown rice with cheese, tomatoes, pineapple, mandarin oranges, olives, green onions, craisins, chow mein noodles, coconut, whatever else you like!!!