Potato Chip Dip

Whenever there's a holiday get-together, I usually find myself on appetizer duty, and I've had a lot of dip recipes on the brain as of late. Most of the dips I make are meant to be eaten with that master of multi-tasking, the tortilla chip. However, I got a request for a dip to accompany potato chips, which led me to this recipe. Potato chip dip recipes are surprisingly hard to find, and most involve some kind of soup packet. This recipe is similar to the familiar, pre-packaged french onion chip dip but with a fresher, nicer taste. Goat cheese is not usually my thing, but its tang is much appreciated in this dip. It's on the expensive side for an ingredient (I am no foodie), but if there were ever a time to splurge on dip-making materials, the holidays would be it.


CHIP DIP

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 garlic clove
1 c sour cream
4 oz goat cheese
1/4 c chopped chives

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add in the onion and season with some kosher salt. Cook the onion until it caramelizes and becomes soupy. This should take about 20 minutes.

2. Combine the caramelized onion, garlic clove, sour cream, goat cheese and chives in a food processor. Pulse until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Refrigerate dip for at least an hour before serving.

Source: Chow

This recipe is shared with Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Craft-O-Maniac, Made by You Monday, Tuesday Talent Show, This Chick Cooks, Full Plate Thursday, It's a Keeper, Foodie Friday, Sweet Tooth Friday, Sweets for a Saturday

Veggie Dip

In developing this recipe, I was inspired by Debbie Does Dinner. I love the idea of a low-calorie and low-fat veggie dip. It makes sense, doesn't it? If I'm going muster up the strength to bypass the cookies and snack on some carrot sticks, I don't want to ruin the effort with an unhealthy dip.

This dip uses Greek yogurt as its base, which has a similar taste and texture to sour cream but sports a much friendlier nutrition label. One batch of this recipe contains roughly 75 calories and 4 grams of fat, and makes enough to share with a couple of friends.


VEGGIE DIP

1/3 c fat-free Greek yogurt
1 tbsp light mayonnaise
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp dried dill weed
1/2 tsp freeze dried chives
1/8 tsp onion powder

1. Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Enjoy with cut veggies.

This recipe is shared with Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Craft-O-Maniac, On the Menu Monday, Recipe Sharing Monday, Made by You Monday, Tuesday Talent Show, This Chick Cooks, Full Plate Thursday, It's a Keeper, Foodie Friday, Sweet Tooth Friday, Sweets for a Saturday

Lighter Taco Dip

So the NFL has deemed us all worthy of another football season, and I couldn't be more excited. Every Sunday during the season, I make up a game day snack and watch the Eagles game with my husband (E-A-G-L-E-S!).

I've decided to make this Lighter Taco Dip for the season opener, because I want to incorporate some healthier snacks into our rotation. I enjoy traditional sports bar and tailgating food, but it's too much week after week. This year, I'm committed to having more of a balance. Of course, I want to accomplish this without sacrificing taste.

I love a good taco dip. It combines some of my favorite ingredients: salsa, lettuce, cheddar cheese. This Lighter Taco Dip has all the flavor I expect from a taco dip but healthier. I didn't miss any of the extra calories or fat grams. To make this dip, I used a fantastic recipe I found at the blog Skinny Taste. I changed a few things: used individual spices instead of a packet, added the flavor of hot sauce, and used regular cheddar instead of low-fat but used less of it. We loved this dip, and I'll be serving it again for sure.

Had to throw this shot in for the Pyrex fans out there. I love using this Butterfly Gold baking pan! It's so versatile.


LIGHTER TACO DIP

1 c reduced fat sour cream
8 oz neufchatel cheese (often marketed as 1/3 less fat cream cheese)
1 tbsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder (omit if your salsa has lots of garlic in it)
1 tsp oregano
2 c salsa
1 small head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1/2 c cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Using an electric mixer, blend together the cream cheese and sour cream. Add in hot sauce, chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Mix until combined.

2. Evenly spread the cream cheese mixture on the bottom of an 8 x 8 glass baking dish. Top with salsa, then lettuce and finally cheddar. Enjoy with some tortilla chips.

This recipe is shared with Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Craft-O-Maniac, On the Menu Monday, Recipe Sharing Monday, Made by You Monday, Tuesday Talent Show, This Chick Cooks, Full Plate Thursday, It's a Keeper Thursday, Cast Party Wednesday

Quick Queso

My husband loves dip. Loves dip. Loves dip for lunch. Loves dip for dinner. Loves to dip any food in any sauce available. I figure it's only a matter of time before he tries to dip dip in more dip. And of all the dips I've made over the years, this Quick Queso his absolute favorite. It's requires two ingredients and takes less than five minutes to make. That makes it my favorite dip, too.

Oh, and it also tastes really good. So there's that.

I realize Velveeta isn't very modern. Growing up, we had a piece of Tupperware designed specifically to hold blocks of Velveeta and a special cheese slicer to cut it. Back then, fewer people seemed to cringe in horror at the idea of eating neon orange cheese-like substances made of ingredients cooked up in a lab. Ah, the good old days. But even with my new-fangled pretentiousness toward fake non-foods, sometimes you need to let your hair down and live a little. So make some queso out of Velveeta. You won't regret it.


QUICK QUESO

1 lb. processed cheese-like loaf (Velveeta), cubed
1 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel), undrained (it's fine if you want to drain it; it'll make a thicker dip with a milder spice level)

1. In a 2-quart sauce pan, combine the Velveeta and Rotel. Heat over medium, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted. Serve warm with tortilla chips.

Source: Kraft Foods