Winter is here! So, get your party shoes on and your bowls ready for whipping up a lip-smacking dip for your parties. Having a get-together? Perhaps a friends’ reunion or maybe inviting over your new office colleagues. Whatever might be the occasion, parties, picnics or get-togethers call for plenty of snacks in a casserole and amazing dips in insulated food jars. But aren’t we all tired of serving the same boring dips to our guests? So, why not ditch the old bland dips and up your dip game.
How to Make the Best Dips?
1. Use Veggies as Dippers
Skip the old-fashioned crackers and make your dips healthy and tasty. Use Veggies like cherry tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers and celery sticks as dippers. You can cut the veggies before and store them in a food containers. Later, serve them with the dip. The best dips that go with veggies are guacamole, tzatziki, white bean dip, Greek yoghurt ranch dip, goat cheese dip and of course hummus.
2. Use Fat Free Milk
How about we talk about our new year goals of shedding a few pounds? How can that possibly happen with all that fat infused in the dip? A dollop of cream cheese has enough fat to tilt the scales. A good amount of cream cheese is enough to make your dip have that gooey flavor. So, balance it by using some fat free milk to go along with it.
3. Make Your Onion Dip at Home
Talk about the easiest to make dip in town. Onion dips are simple, easy and take 5 min to whip up! So, why go for the store-bought ones? Get some fresh onions, sauté them till soft, sweet and caramelized and done! Your fresh homemade onion dip is ready. You just saved money while being super smart and can also flaunt your cooking (which it is) skills to your friends!
4. Get Your “Guac” Right
Ah! Isn’t Guacamole an absolute favorite Mexican invention ever? The key to get your guacamole right is to use fresh ripe avocados. Another helpful tip is to fold rather than mash the other ingredients like the sweet onions and corns into the guacamole. Who would’ve thought that making your guacamole taste better would be THAT easy?
5. Make Your Hummus Taste Better
Hummus can often taste quite bland. So here are 3 key ingredients that can magically up your hummus game. Salt, ground cumin and rich olive oil. If you’re still not satisfied. Add some roasted garlic and fold it in. This gives the hummus that little extra kick. Now lock it away in an air tight storage containers and serve it fresh at the party.
6. Make Your Store-Bought Salsa Taste Like Homemade
How can you possibly resist a fresh salsa? It’s so tasty! But often store-bought salsas let us down. They taste like unseasoned tomato sauce. Sauté a teaspoon of finely minced garlic in olive oil and add it to the mix. You can also add some finely chopped cilantro and sweet onions. Give a quick mix and you’re done! Lock away the mixture in a food jar and mix it with the salsa before serving.
7. Preserve Your Dip
Garlic is the answer! A clove of garlic or minced garlic can keep your dip fresh for a long time and avoid formation of bacteria. Also, Himalayan salt can act as an amazing preservative. Mix some with your dip, store it in an insulated food jar. Or you could use an air tight containers to refrigerate it.
8. Add the Heat
If you’re looking for more than just a simple cream cheese-based dip then why not crank up the heat a notch. Add that kick with chili sauce, pepper and chili flakes to your fresh cream cheese dip. If you’re REALLY into spicy food then feel free to add in jalapenos, habanero, Serrano and more. A bit of freshly chopped green chilies can add that oomph factor to your dip.
9. Go with the Season
Anything that is chilled and yummy provides immense relief during summers. So here are a few “cool” suggestions for keeping the temperature down. You can go for a mint yoghurt dip, the classic sour cream and corn dip or a mango salsa dip. These are super easy to make and take 10-15 min. As for the winter, you can go for a warm Mexican chicken dip, feta honey and date dip, cob dip and more. With its bright green color, a simple mint pea dip sings “Spring”. Fresh peas are at their sweetest in early spring, but even frozen peas will work wonders when blended with some lemon zest, fresh mint, and a little tahini to make it creamy. So, just have fun, play around with the ingredients and make them all, lock them up in a preserve and serve them at your party. Variety is always good!
10. The Healthiest Dip in Town
Tzatziki is one of the healthiest dips in town. It has a yoghurt and cucumber base and is perfect for summers. It has less than 30 calories per serve and only 1 g of fat. It has a negligible amount of sodium and is clearly healthier than the sodium rich hummus. In fact, it is healthier than ranch. It can even be stored in an air tight container and refrigerated for up to 3-4 days. It can help reduce appetite, control weight, regulate hunger hormones and increase metabolism. Serve it with pita bread and a variety of assorted meats.
Final Words
Dips are the highlight of a party. Gone are the days of boring old dips and chips. People want more! They want that oomph factor. Try the above tips to add that extra little zest to your dip game and wow your guests. A little extra chili here, a dash of lemon zest there, some spicy kick, a dollop of Greek yoghurt or some a whole lot of olive oil can make all the difference to your dip. So, what are you waiting for? Up your dip game this party season!