Last weekend, I had a MAJOR Mexican food craving. It was my lucky night on Saturday as we were out for drinks in Logan, and I had been itching to check out this new Mexican spot nearby, Dos Urban Cantina. I somehow managed to grab a table of 6 last minute (it was meant to be!), and a group of us indulged in a delicious Mexican cuisine. Although I’m not usually one for upscale Mexican, this place was absolutely worth the visit. The chef used to work with Rick Bayless over at Frontera Grill , another one of my favorites. Every dish they brought out was bursting with flavor and the presentation was impeccable.
One of our favorite items on the menu was this pumpkinseed dip they brought out as an appetizer along with chips & salsa. We loved it so much that I Googled the recipe on Sunday afternoon, determined to replicate it. I managed to find Rick Bayless’ recipe that was pretty darn close (it’s got to be the same, minus a few tweaks here and there). We ate so much of the dip we ruined our appetite for Sunday’s dinner – I’m pretty sure we nailed the recipe. Boom.
Not only is it super tasty, but it’s easy to make and a perfect dip for entertaining. Your friends will be impressed that you went above and beyond the normal chips & guac situation. Enjoy!
Yields ~2 cups
Ingredients:
- 1 small white onion, peeled and sliced into thick pieces (1/4-inch)
- 1 3/4 cups (about 8 ounces) toasted & salted hulled pumpkinseeds (aka “pepitas”)
- 5 oz. of canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained (1/3 of a 15 oz. can)
- 1/2 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice (recipe calls for 1/3 cup but I found it a little too sweet)
- 1/3 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice (~4 limes)
- 2 heaping tbsp tahini
- 2 to 3 tsp habanero hot sauce (I put 2 and it was just the right amount of spice)
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
- Salt to taste
Either line a heavy skillet with foil or use a non-stick skillet and lay in the onion slices. Cook it over medium heat for about 4 mins (until onion is brown & soft on one side). Flip the slices and brown the other side for 4 mins as well. I used a toaster oven and that worked fine too.
Cool the onions to room temperature, and place them in a blender or food processor. Add the pumpkin seeds, tomatoes, juices, sesame seeds and hot sauce and process until completely smooth. Stir in the cilantro, then taste and season with salt. That’s it! I prefer the dip with cucumbers, but you can also eat it with tortilla chips or raw jicama (or just with a spoon, because it’s that damn good).
