RECIPE: Onion dip, or "come on in for a dip, the water's fine"

This is one that I just recently discovered and I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. In my efforts to eat better and still enjoy great tasting food, I am having to discover new ways to make things I love to eat. One of my guilty pleasures is sitting down with a bag of plain potato chips and a bowl of onion dip. I usually have made it from “scratch”- a container of sour cream and a bag of instant onion soup mix. My only problem with this now is that the instant soup mix has several thinks I am trying to avoid- MSG, salt and preservatives. So I sought out ways to make it from many of my cookbooks. I have a good collection of cookbooks from WAY back to the 60's and 70's as well as new ones. What was funny was that many of the old ones said to use instant onion soup mix. I decided I had to develop it myself and I think you will find the ease and simplicity of it is good too.

Recipe:

16 ounce container of REAL sour cream (one with only milk, cream and cultures- no gums, thickeners,etc.)

Dried chopped onions (I bought a container at the dollar store)

pepper

soy sauce

Empty sour cream into a bowl. Add 2T of the onion. A pinch of pepper. Add about 3-4T of the soy sauce. Mix thoroughly together. You may recognize the familiar off white/tan color at this point. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding a bit more soy sauce if a fuller flavor is wanted. Refrigerate for about an hour so onions can rehydrate. Mix before serving.

Variations:

I have not tried it yet, but I don't see why scallions or chives can't be added for a different take on it. Crisp cooked bacon. A dash of garlic powder.