Recipe of the Week: 3 Dips

I love dips! They can enhance many foods and are easy to make. So I combined two weeks worth of recipe challenges to give you a trio of dips for all occassions.

Chili's Salsa

4 tsp. fresh or canned (not pickled) diced jalapeno pepper
1/4 cup diced onion

One 14.5 oz. can tomatoes and green chiles

One 14.5 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, with juice

3/4 tsp. garlic salt, or to taste

1/2 tsp. cumin, or more to taste

1/4 tsp. sugar, or to taste

1. Place the jalapeno and onion in a food processor; pulse for a few seconds.

2. Add both cans of tomatoes and the garlic salt, cumin, and sugar.

3. Process all ingredients until well blended, but do not puree. You want the salsa to be chunky.

4. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

found in America's Most Wanted Recipes

From My Experience:

The author of this book takes restaurant favorites and creates a copycat version. I love Chili's salsa and decided to give it a try. Mine didn't come out tasting exactly like their version because it was alot spicier but it did have the same texture and appearance. I used a whole jalapeno seeds and all thinking my h usband would appreciate the heat. The salsa turned out so hot I couldn't taste much else; no complaints though from my husband.

Peanut Butter Dip

makes 1 1/2 cups

3/4 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt

1/2 cup reduced-fat peanut butter

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

In a small serving bowl, stir together all ingredients.

Found in September 2010 Family Circle magazine.

From My Experience:

This was printed in a section about after-school snacks and suggested serving it with apples, celery, and pretzels. I thought this dip was really good! I tried it with the celery and pretzels and liked it with both. I thought it would be a great after-school snack and it's super easy to make. The amount of yogurt required is about the amount in a single serving container and the amount of raisins called is a handfull. I will definitely make it again and I'm thinking about trying it with hazelnut spread in place of the peanut butter just to have another variety.

5-Minute Humus

makes 1 1/2 cups

1 15oz. can of chickpeas, rinsed

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for serving

2 Ttsp. fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp. tahini (sesame seed paste, optional)

1 tsp. ground cumin

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. paprika

In a food processor, puree the chickpeas and garlic with olive oil, lemon juice, tahini (if using), cumin, and salt until smooth and creamy. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of water as necessary to achieve the desired consistency. Transfer to a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the paprika before serving.

From My Experience:

I really like humus. The store-bought kind is awesome, but it is definitely more affordable to make it yourself and easy to do so. While you may not create the splendor of a name-brand version, you will be able to create a similar version of your liking. When I tried this recipe, I didn't use the lemon juice or paprika because I didn't have any. I also didn't add more olive oil because I thought it would be too oily. For my humus, I also added a red bell pepper, some green olives, and some of the olive juice instead of water; I like mine salty! I just threw them in the food processor. On the matter of the optional tahini, I used it. I think it helps the chickpeas become the creamy and smooth humus and adds a special flavor.