4 Healthy, Crowd Pleasing Dips

It's that time of year when people get together for bar-b-ques and parties.  Maybe you've been invited to a pot luck or a picnic.  Maybe you are hosting a small group for your church.  Or maybe, you just really feel like dipping some of those fresh fruits and veggies you got from the farmer's market.  Whatever the occasion, a dip is always a great choice to pair with snacks and munchies.

These are my favorite dip recipes.  Enjoy!

Hummus

1 can organic garbanzo beans drained or 2 cups soaked and cooked garbanzo beans
4 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
olive oil to drizzle
pinch of paprika

Using a blender or food processor, mix together all but the olive oil and paprika.  I reserve some of the juice from the can in case the mixture gets too thick so you can thin it to your desired consistency   Top with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of some paprika.  You can put all sorts of spices in your hummus but garlic is my fav!  Serve with veggies, crackers, or bread.

Veggie Dip

1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
4 oz or 1/2 cup of cream cheese
2 tsp fresh cut chives
1/2 tsp dry parsley or 1 tsp fresh finely chopped parsley
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt

Mix all the ingredients well.  I like it best chilled for a few hours.  The thick consistency is perfect for dipping with crunchy veggies.  I am in LOVE with this stuff!

Fruit Yogurt Dip

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup honey
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
handful of berries

Pour the heavy whipping cream into an electric mixer.  Beat on high until soft peaks start to form.  Add in the honey.  Continue beating until firm peaks appear.  In a separate dish or using a mortal and pestle  mash the berries as small as possible.  Gently blend the berries and the yogurt together.  If you just blend it together it will get soupy.  Finally, add the yogurt mixture to the whipping cream and gently fold it all together.  Serve with fresh fruit.

*You can also save time by using a flavored Greek yogurt instead but make sure to decrease the honey as the flavored yogurt already has sugar in it.

Roasted Salsa

Who doesn't like chips and salsa right?  Sure to be a crowd-pleaser.  Check out this post for the recipe for Kristin's Roasted Salsa.