Recipes: Dips That Satisfy

Favorite party recipes to satisfy hearty appetites, including dips

Whether you’re taking something to an upcoming game-watching event, hosting a football or playoffs party yourself or heading to a college campus for some tailgating, Metro Detroit fans say dips are some of the tastiest — and easiest — dishes to bring. Some are even healthy.

Kalamata-Garbanzo Hummus

(from The Cooking Light Gluten-Free Cookbook)

Ingredients: 

1 large garlic clove

1/2 cup plain 2 percent, reduced-fat Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons fat-free milk

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

8 pitted kalamata olives

1 (151/2-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

chopped kalamata olives (optional)

Directions:

Drop garlic through food chute with food processor on and process until minced.

Add yogurt and next six ingredients; pulse 10-12 times or until desired consistency.

Garnish with chopped olives, if desired.

Roasted Sweet Onion Dip

(from The Cooking Light Gluten-Free Cookbook)

Ingredients:

2 large Vidalia or other sweet onions, peeled and quartered

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt, divided

1 whole garlic head

1⁄3 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1⁄4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon lemon juice (needs to be freshly squeezed) 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place onion in a large bowl and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with 1⁄2 teaspoon salt and toss to coat. Remove white papery skin from garlic head (do not peel or separate cloves). Wrap in foil. Place onion and foil-wrapped garlic on a baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 1 hour; cool 10 minutes. Chop onion. Separate garlic cloves and squeeze to extract garlic pulp. Discard skins.

Combine onion, garlic, remaining 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, sour cream, parsley, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Blue Cheese Cheeseball

(from Oakland University’s basketball coach Greg Kampe)

Ingredients:

4 oz. bleu cheese
8 oz. cream cheese
Juice of one onion
Worcester sauce
One small jar (4 oz.) of Roka cheese 
 
Directions:

Mix all ingredients together, form into a ball, keep refrigerated until ready to eat. Serve with crackers, toast, etc.

Low-Fat Dill Dip

(from Anne Hoef of Troy)
 
Ingredients:

3/4 cup low fat-plain yogurt
4 oz. Neufchatel cheese or low-fat cream cheese
juice from 1/2 a lemon
1 clove fresh garlic, pressed
1 tablespoon fresh onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon dill weed
 
Directions:

Mix together all ingredients until smooth. Chill. Serve with carrots, celery, peppers  …  whatever vegetable you like.

Guacamole

(from John Smyntek of Rochester, using the How to Cook Everything cookbook) 

Ingredients:

3 medium avocados

¼ cup minced shallots

½ to ¾ teaspoon of garlic (your taste will decide)

optional: 1 serrano or jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced, or cayenne, or 1 teaspoon chili powder

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon lime juice –squeeze it yourself

fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

Directions:

Cut the avocados in half. Peel, then mash the pulp in a bowl with all the other ingredients tossed in. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Because this is party fare, be wise about preservation.  “If you’re making it early,” Smyntek said, “keep it refrigerated in a container that’s as air-tight as possible.”

Tofu Dip

(from Janilla Lee of West Bloomfield) 

Ingredients:

2 12-ounce boxes soft tofu (Mori-Nu)

1 cup frozen green peas, thawed

1 cup diced red pepper (about the same size as the green peas)

½ cup chopped mushrooms (ditto)

1 stalk green onion, chopped

1 tablespoon cooking oil

¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce (light)

2 teaspoons sesame oil

Optional: 2-3 teaspoons Chinese hot chili sauce (or your favorite hot chili sauce)

Directions:

Transfer the soft tofu from the box to a flat plate to drain excess water. Prepare the red pepper and mushroom.

In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon cooking oil with green onion, covered for 1 minute and swirl to coat the pan. Then add green peas, red peppers, and mushrooms. Stir-fry for 2 minutes and add salt to taste.  Put on the side. 

Make a mixture of soy sauce, Chinese hot chili and sesame oil in a small bowl.

Slide the soft tofu into a shallow plate from the flat plate (make sure water doesn’t get into the shallow plate). Cut into ¾ inch cubes. Gently spread them to fill the plate. Pour soy sauce mixture over tofu evenly, and sprinkle the stir-fried mixture on top. Chill in refrigerator for about 30 minutes and mix well before serving. Serve with low-salt whole-grain crackers. This dish can also be served as a side dish or salad with or without crackers. 

Dill Dip

(from Honey Longo of Troy)

Ingredients:

3 cups sour cream

3 cups mayo (Hellman's is preferred)

4 tablespoons dried parsley

4 tablespoons dried dill

3 tablespoons Spice Islands Beau Monde Spice

3 tablespoons finely minced fresh white onion (must be fresh) 

Directions:

Gently mix together sour cream, mayo, dried parsley, dill, spice and white onion.