Great onion dip for long weekend noshing

Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten, makes a very tasty pan fried onion dip. I know I have some good foodie readers who will eat this up, literally. For those of you who think you can just get the old Lipton onion mix, add sour cream, and call it good -- I challenge you to give this recipe a go. It is not hard and I belive the payoff is worth it! Slowly carmelized onions with a little something that makes you go hmmmmmm?!

One note of contradiction in case you read my earlier post on calcium....This is not dairy-free. There are times where even a strict mama must compromise (in case you are concerned, those are the moments I am sure we get a little extra probiotic, but that's another post.)



Ingredients:
2 large yellow onions (about 3 cups)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (you can cut this to 3 T. if you want to try for a healthier version)
1/4 cup vegetable oil (or 3 T. canola oil for low cal)
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (reduced fat)
1/2 cup sour cream (reduced fat)
1/2 cup good mayonnaise (reduced fat)


Cut the onions in half, and then slice them into 1/8-inch thick half-rounds. (You will have about 3 cups of onions) Heat the butter and oil in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Add the onions, cayenne, salt and pepper and sauté for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes, until the onions are browned and caramelized. Allow the onions to cool.

Place the cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add the onions and mix well.


Taste for seasonings. Serve at room temperature with chopped veggies, thick (kettle-style) chips, crackers, etc.