Dip into a Healthy Game!

It’s Superbowl Weekend, which means it’s time for football friendly snacking!  Even though parties are still on the backburner, I’m offering up a few yummy and super healthy crowd-pleasing dips that are a convenient and delicious way to consume a wide variety of anti-inflammatory vegetables, spices, and healthy fats. While we love the convenience of purchased dips like packaged hummus, many brands contain unnecessary levels of fat and preservatives. Making dips yourself allows you to control the flavor and quality – and it’s easy!

The best dips begin with a creamy base made from foods such as beans, lentils, avocados, edamame, and roasted vegetables [eggplant, carrots, squash, zucchini, peppers, cauliflower] that are blended with oil or another liquid. Add flavor boosters such as tahini, garlic, hot sauce, nut butters, nuts and seeds, lemon or lime juice and zest to add dimension. Finish by seasoning with fresh and dried herbs, spices, salt and pepper and your dip is complete. Here are some of our favorite combinations with healthy “vehicle to your mouth” ideas:

Ingredient and flavor combinations

• Chickpea hummus [and other beans] – The classic chickpea base is very versatile and can be made with any bean. Add tahini, garlic, lemon, and cumin to chickpeas for a traditional version. Variations include [but are not limited to] roasted red pepper, lemon kale, Moroccan carrot, roasted zucchini, kalamata olive, spicy sriracha, and creamy pesto. Try this crowd-pleasing version for Lemon Dill Hummus!
• Avocado, AKA guacamole! We love the healthy fats in avocado, but the calories can be intimidating. Cut the amount of avocado in half by adding defrosted edamame beans – you will decrease the calories and increase the protein. Win, win. Add some greens to keep your dip bright and fresh. This Kale and Avocado Guacamole is a team favorite.
• Roasted vegetables – Baba ganoush is the ultimate example here – a combination of roasted eggplant, tahini, lemon, and garlic. Other roasted vegetables that work well in dips are butternut squash, cauliflower, zucchini, carrots, and peppers. Roasting them allows you to process vegetables until creamy. Start with store-bought for this nutrient-dense and super flavorful Roasted Red Pepper Walnut Dip.

Vehicles: (GET IN MY MOUTH!)

• Carrot chips or sticks – You can purchase prepared crinkle cut carrot chips or slice carrots on angle. Baby carrots work too.
• Cucumber chips – Slice cucumbers on an angle to maximize surface area for scooping.
• Broccoli or cauliflower – Lightly steam these vegetables to bring out their sweetness – you want them to still have the firmness necessary to dip.
• Green beans – Remove stems, rinse, and dip. If you prefer, you can lightly steam these as well.
• Endive – This nutrient dense vegetable is the ultimate chip – perfect shape, size, and sturdiness.
• Peppers – Red, yellow, and orange peppers provide a variety of phytonutrients and are milder than green peppers.
• Celery sticks – Firm and crisp, celery is a go to vehicle.
• Snap peas – These can be consumed raw or lightly steamed.

Cherry tomatoes – We love using grape tomatoes on our crudités platters, but dipping them can be tricky. Using toothpicks can help keep your fingers free of dip.

I hope you get a chance to try them while watching the game. Go Team!!!

Ingredients

4 roasted red peppers, If jarred peppers, drain and rinse (fresh roasted red peppers work too)

1 Tbs olive oil


3 Tbs balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp cumin, ground

1 lemon, juiced (for 2 Tbs juice)

1 clove garlic, chopped


1 cup walnuts, raw


1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

salt, to taste

Directions

Prep

Drain and rinse roasted red peppers. If using freshly roasted red peppers, you can leave the skin on. 


Chop garlic. 


Make

Add all ingredients to a food processor and process until creamy with a bit of texture. 


Garnish with some additional walnuts and a drizzle of olive oil. Season with salt to taste. 


Serve with fresh vegetables like endive. 


Servings 4

Calories  242

Fat 22.6g    Saturated Fat 2.3g

Carbohydrates 8g   Dietary Fiber 2g     Sugars  4g

Protein 5g

Ingredients

4 avocados


4 cup shelled edamame, defrosted (peas work well too)


2 cup kale, spines removed and chopped


1/2 cup lime juice


2 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped


1/4 cup red onion, chopped


2 Cloves garlic, pressed or minced


2 tsp ground cumin 


1 tsp salt


hot sauce, as desired

Directions

Prep

Remove spines and chop kale. 


Juice lime. 


Chop cherry tomatoes. 


Press or mince garlic cloves. 


Make

Cut avocados in half, remove pit, and scoop flesh into food processor. Add beans, kale, and lime juice and pulse until creamy. Add some water if you need some more creaminess or more lime juice to increase tartness. 


Add tomatoes, onion, garlic, cumin to processor and pulse until just combined 


Stir in hot sauce and salt to taste. 


Serve with baked chips and raw vegetables. 


Servings 12

Calories  196

Fat  13g   Saturated Fats 2.3

Carbohydrates    15g     Dietary Fiber  9g     Sugars   5g

Protein  9g

Ingredients

1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 Tbs tahini paste


1 lemon, zested and juiced


1 Clove garlic

1/4 cup olive oil


2 Tbs dill, fresh, chopped

1/4 cup scallions, chopped

salt, to taste


pepper, to taste

Directions

Prep

Drain and rinse chickpeas. 


Zest and juice lemon. 


Chop dill, scallions, garlic. 


Make

Add chickpeas, tahini, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, juice of lemon [about 3 tablespoons], and garlic to a food processor. Pulse until combined. 


Run processor while adding olive oil and continue running until hummus is smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add more lemon juice if desired. 


Add dill and scallions and pulse to combine. Do not run too long or the dip will turn green. 


Serve with your favorite vegetables. 


Servings 8

Calories 117

Total Fat 8.5g   Saturated Fat 1g

Carbohydrates 9g   Dietary Fiber  2g   Sugars 1g

Protein  3g