3 Must-Try Dip Recipes

Who doesn’t love mouth-watering fresh salsa with a perfectly salted corn chip? What about smooth, flavorful hummus over freshly chopped veggies? Skip the costly pre-made dips and whip-up one of these dolce-approved recipes!

Cottage Cheese, Avocado & Black Bean Salsa

NUTRITION HIGHLIGHTS: Rich in protein, calcium and healthy fats
Serves 10
Ingredients
• ½ cup sweet corn
• 15 oz. reduced sodium black beans
• 4 cups organic cottage cheese (1% fat)
• 1 avocado (peeled, pitted, and diced)
• 2 plum tomatoes, diced
• 2 cups organic salsa
Directions
• Cook the black beans in a small saucepan over medium heat until warm and tender, about 10 minutes. Strain, and rinse under cold water to remove liquid and excess sodium. Set aside.
• Place the cottage cheese in a mixing or serving bowl. Peel, pit, and dice the avocado into bite size pieces, and add to the cottage cheese. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise, remove seeds, and dice into bite size pieces. Add to the cottage cheese along with the corn, black beans, and salsa. Stir until well blended. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Source: modified from yummly.com

Homemade Hummus

NUTRITION HIGHLIGHTS: Balanced with protein and carbohydrates; made with heart-healthy olive oil versus pro-inflammatory sunflower or soybean oil
Makes 1 ½ cups
Ingredients
• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas
• ¼ cup well-stirred tahini
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp. ground cumin
• Salt to taste
• 2 to 3 Tbsp. water
• Dash ground paprika (for serving)
Directions
• Prepare the Hummus: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the tahini and lemon juice and process for 1 minute, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then process for 30 seconds more.
• Add the olive oil, minced garlic, cumin, and a ½ tsp. of salt to the whipped tahini and lemon juice. Process for 30 seconds, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then process another 30 seconds or until well blended.
• Add chickpeas: Open, drain and rinse the chickpeas. Add half of the chickpeas to the food processor and process for 1 minute. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl, then add remaining chickpeas and process until thick and quite smooth; 1 to 2 minutes.
• Create the Perfect Consistency: Most likely the hummus will be too thick or still have tiny bits of chickpea. To fix this, with the food processor turned on, slowly add 2 to 3 Tbsp. of water until you reach the perfect consistency.
• Serving and Storing: Taste for salt and adjust as needed. Serve hummus with a drizzle of olive oil and dash of paprika. This recipe makes about 1 ½ cups of hummus. Store homemade hummus in an airtight container and refrigerate up to one week.

Source: inspiredtaste.net

Healthier Seven Layer Dip

NUTRITION HIGHLIGHTS: Balanced with protein, carbohydrate and fat; rich in calcium
Ingredients
• 3 medium-sized ripe avocados
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. pepper
• 1 ½ cup organic plain Greek yogurt
• 1 package organic taco seasoning
(Homemade: 1 Tbsp. chili powder, ¼ tsp. garlic powder, ¼ tsp. onion powder, ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, ¼ tsp. dried oregano, ½ tsp. paprika, 1 ½ tsp. ground cumin, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. black pepper)
• 2 cans Amy’s organic refried beans
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped (optional)
• 3 medium-sized ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cans (3 ½ oz. each) pitted ripe sliced olives, drained (optional)
• 1 package (8 oz.) organic grated sharp cheddar cheese
Directions
• Peel, pit and mash avocados in a bowl with lemon juice, salt and pepper (or put in blender).
• In another bowl, combine yogurt and taco seasoning mix.
• To assemble:
• Spread bean dip/refried beans on a LARGE shallow serving platter.
• Spread avocado mixture over bean dip.
• Spread yogurt-taco mixture over the avocado mixture.
• Sprinkle with the chopped green onions, then the tomatoes, and finally the olives.
• Cover with the grated cheddar cheese.
• Serve chilled with your choice of corn chips. Enjoy!

3 Must-Try Dip Recipes