I haven’t eaten EVERYTHING…but it’s on my list.

Food tourism is on the rise and eating one’s way around the world is a legit pastime. New flavours, ingredients, and cooking techniques are my favourite travel souvenirs to bring home. I love being inspired by cuisines from around the world and until my next overseas adventure, I bring little slices of the world into my kitchen through food.

Lisa’s new World of Flavours range takes iconic flavour combinations and re-imagines them as dips. Lisa’s Hummus is already a household name in NZ and the new range is made with beans instead of chickpeas and is gluten free and vegetarian. These dips make it easy to add an exotic touch to some of your favourite meals.

There are 3 flavours in the World of Flavours range (so far):

• Greek Yoghurt Dip – lightly creamy with the fresh taste of mint and lemon. Great on sandwiches or burgers, as a spread or topping, perfect for summer barbecues.
• Thai Sriracha Dip (my favourite) – with sweet chilli and roasted capsicum, this tastes like a mild red curry in dip form. Great for asian inspired salads.
• Mexican Chipotle Dip – smokey with a kick and made from kidney beans, this is a great alternative to refried beans and perfect with nacho chips or any Mex or Tex-Mex dish.

Thanks to Lisa’s, I’ve put together some easy vegetarian-friendly recipes inspired by the World of Flavours dips range. I’ve made use of the great produce that is available in warmer weather with bright-tasting herbs and punchy flavours. These recipes serve two for lunch or a light summer dinner but can easily be scaled up to feed more. Enjoy!

---

Halloumi and Eggplant Burger

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 4 thick slices of eggplant
• Salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 200g halloumi
• 2 burger buns
• Lisa’s World of Flavours Greek Yoghurt dip
• 1 small tomato, sliced
• Handful of baby spinach
• 1-2 red onion slices, rings separated
• A sprig of fresh mint

Preparation

1. Sprinkle eggplant with salt and let stand for 30 minutes, then pat dry.
2. Heat a frying pan and once hot, add olive oil and fry eggplant slices for 5 minutes per side.
3. Cut halloumi in half lengthwise and in half widthwise so you have 4 identical pieces. Fry for 2 minutes per side until hot and golden.
4. Toast or grill the buns and spread buns thickly with Lisa’s World of Flavours Greek Yoghurt dip.
5. Layer the ingredients onto the bottom bun, finishing with the eggplant, halloumi, fresh mint leaves and top of bun.

---

Pad Thai Salad

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 cucumber
• 2 carrots
• 1 red capsicum, sliced thinly
• Fresh mint, roughly chopped
• fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• 200g firm tofu, cut into cubes
• Lisa’s World of Flavours Thai Sriracha dip
• 1/2 a cup peanuts

Dressing

• 1 lime, zest and juice
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 cm piece of palm sugar, smashed with mortar and pestle

Preparation

1. Heat a small frying pan and dry toast peanuts for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until lightly golden and aromatic. Remove from heat and once cool, roughly chop and set aside until required.
2. Shred or spiralize the cucumber and carrots to create “noodles”, squeeze out any excess liquid from the cucumber and place noodles in a large bowl. Add capsicum, tofu, mint and coriander (reserving a little herb for garnish).
3. Put the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well until sugar is incorporated. Taste dressing and adjust if required. Pour into salad and combine gently to coat.
4. Top with a big dollop of Lisa’s Word of Flavours Thai Sriracha dip, toasted peanuts, a wedge of lime and herb garnish.

---

Chipotle Bean Quesadilla

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 4 flour tortillas
• Lisa’s World of Flavours Mexican Chipotle dip
• 1 to 1.5 cups grated cheese
• 1 avocado, skin and pit removed, sliced
• 1 tomato, thinly sliced
• Optional: a handful of fresh coriander

Preparation

1. Heat a frying pan on medium heat. Take a tortilla and evenly spread a heaped tablespoon of Lisa’s World of Flavours Mexican Chipotle dip on one half only. Place into hot pan (no oil).
2. Top with cheese, avocado and tomato (careful not to overstuff) and fold the tortilla in half.
3. Cook for 2 minutes and flip and cook the other side for a further 2 minutes until golden and cheese is melted. Remove from heat and place onto a serving board or plate.
4. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Once cooked, cut each folded tortilla into 2 or 3*, scatter with chopped coriander and serve immediately.

*Use scissors to cut quesadillas and coriander quickly without requiring a chopping board.

---

Giveaway

Warmer weather is coming and thanks to Lisa’s, I am giving away a beautiful Laguoile cheese knife and slate board set so you can entertain in style over summer.

To enter, simply follow Lisa’s Hummus on either Facebook or Instagram and fill in the entry form at the bottom of this post along with the answer to this question: What’s your favourite Lisa’s hummus or dip?

Answer can be found here: http://bit.ly/LisasNZ

This competition is closed. See who was the winner here.

Terms and conditions

• One entry per person.
• Open to New Zealand only.
• Prize consists of Laguoile spreader and knife set and slate serving boards. Value $100.
• Competition begins 16 November 2016. Entries close 18 December 2016 and winner will be drawn 19 December 2016, contacted by email and announced here and on Facebook.
• In the event that the winner is not contactable within 48 hours, Bunny Eats Design reserves the right to redraw a winner.

---

This post was made possible thanks to Lisa’s. All opinions are my own.