I had a red pepper that needed to be roasted and I had half an avocado. I wanted to do something a little different that would make everything it touched taste better – and this little sauce, spread, dip, whatever you want to call it, does exactly that. It’s super creamy and the roasted bell pepper gives it great depth, but there’s a brightness to it too from the squeeze of lemon. It is just oh-so-good. I can’t get enough of it. So far, it has topped burgers, slices of cold chicken breast, hard boiled eggs, and I dipped a couple snap peas in too. I’m thinking of tossing it with some sautéed zoodles and might have to make another batch to experiment with a few other options. I am absolutely loving it.

Sometimes people mention that they’re bored with what they’re eating or that their meals lack variety. One way to avoid that is to come up with different toppers or herb combinations that keep your staples feeling fresh. Burgers really fall into this category for me because on a Paleo journey with a budget-conscious mind, ground meat comes into play quite regularly. There are all kinds of ways to dress up a burger and not all of them include bacon either! If you’re looking for something new, consider this lovely little spread – and let me know what you think!

Avocado-Red Pepper Spread

1 roasted red bell pepper

1/2 avocado

juice from 1/2 lemon

small clove of garlic

salt to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp.)

pepper to taste

Directions

1) Preheat a BBQ over high heat (or the broiler works too) and place the whole pepper on the grill. Close the lid and let the pepper get black. Flip the pepper and continue blackening all sides. It should also be getting a bit soft. Once all sides are black, place the pepper in a container with a lid and let it cool down, steaming and continuing to soften. Once cool, peel off and discard the blackened skin. Remove any seeds but try to avoid rinsing the pepper in order to maintain maximum flavor.

2) Place the roasted pepper in a blender or food processor (I used a Magic Bullet) and add the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings and then spread it on everything!

*Note: A jarred roasted bell pepper would probably work as well, but the flavor might be a little more astringent and lack some of the smokiness. You could try countering that with a tiny pinch of smoked paprika.