I don’t want to say that this winter was long but I ran out of my homegrown, canned tomatoes. (I was trying to think of a joke about long winters but there was nothing funny about this year!)

My go-to canned tomato is Red Gold. I like the texture and the various flavors of their product. It is simple as that!

Speaking of simple (ahhhh, I haven’t had an obvious segue way for a long time), Red Gold has come up with an almost foolproof method of zazzing up your spring and summer dips, spreads and sauces….aioli.

No…they didn’t invent aioli…the French get credit for that one.   Red Gold did find a way to brighten up mayo with different flavors of Red Gold Petite Diced Tomatoes.

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I was skeptical at first since I’m not a huge mayo fan but I love to accept a challenge. (Unless the challenge is from my husband and then I just belittle it until he throws his hands up in disgust.)

So tonight for dinner I made a wrap with some leftover chicken, fresh mozzarella, sliced red pepper, homegrown basil and prosciutto. I crushed it in the Panini press and served it with Red Gold’s recipe for Garlic Aioli. (I did make the aioli in the afternoon so that the flavors would marry.)IMG_5575

Gotta say…the aioli really gave the mayo some character and was a delish compliment to my sandwich. It wasn’t heavy at all and given all the Red Gold flavor options, I can see how you can change the whole flavor profile of the simplest sandwich or even a crab cake.

Essentially the recipes are effortless because there are not a lot of ingredients and odds are you already will have the ingredients in your house.

Here are 5 quick recipes:

Tomato Aioli: 14.5 ounce can Red Gold Petite Diced Tomatoes (drained) and ½ cup of mayo.

Garlic Aioli: 14.5 ounce can Red Gold Garlic and Olive Oil Diced Tomatoes (drained) and ½ cup of mayo.

Chipotle Aioli: 14.5 ounce can Red Gold Chipotle Diced Tomatoes (drained) and ½ cup of mayo.

Lime and Cilantro Aioli: 14.5 ounce can Red Gold Lime and Cilantro Diced Tomatoes (drained) and ½ cup of mayo.

Green Chili Aioli: 14.5 ounce can Red Gold Green Chiles Diced Tomatoes (drained) and ½ cup of mayo.

Do you want 5 more that are more complex?

Sriracha Aioli: 14.5 ounce can Red Gold Diced Tomatoes (drained), ½ cup of mayo, 1 Tbsp Sriracha, 1 lime juiced and zested.

Roasted Garlic Aioli: 14.5 ounce can Red Gold Garlic & Olive Oil Diced Tomatoes (drained), ½ cup of mayo, 10 roasted cloves of garlic roasted and mashed.

Pesto Aioli: 14.5 ounce can Red Gold Garlic & Olive Oil Diced Tomatoes (drained), ½ cup of mayo and 2 Tbsp pesto.

Horseradish Aioli: 14.5 ounce can Red Gold Diced Tomatoes (drained), ½ cup of mayo, 3 Tbsp prepared horseradish, 1 tsp thyme, salt and pepper.

Asian Aioli: 14.5 ounce can Red Gold Diced Tomatoes (drained), ½ cup of mayo, 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp brown sugar and juice of 1 lime.

There are a couple days left in Red Gold’s “How do you Aioli?” Facebook contest so see what you still have time to vote for your favorite. (Please see website for details.)

Thank you to Red Gold for letting me play around with this accessible recipe concept. Part of small town living is adapting to what is available in the stores. I am fortunate that Red Gold is easy to find and one of my favorites. Hmmm, I think we will have Pesto Aioli BLT’s for dinner next!