Homemade Healthy Dips..

Beetlebum

Just wondering if anyone has any recipes for some healthy homemade dips.
I'm a big fan of spinach, red pepper, chilli type dips but am unsure whether you cook the garlic and onion first to soften or do you just chop everything up and blend?

Thanks.

Curry Addict

creme fraishe or sour cream with freshly chopped chives mixed in.

bonkey

Beetlebum wrote: »

I'm a big fan of spinach, red pepper, chilli type dips but am unsure whether you cook the garlic and onion first to soften or do you just chop everything up and blend?

I'd leave 'em raw, but be careful on the quantities.

Stuff I make...with varying interpretations of "healthy"....but no cooking involved...

Tomato salsa
Guacamole
hummus
raita
garlic & lemon yoghurt
homemade mayonaise / dijonaise

Beetlebum

bonkey wrote: »

I'd leave 'em raw, but be careful on the quantities.

Stuff I make...with varying interpretations of "healthy"....but no cooking involved...

Tomato salsa
Guacamole
hummus
raita
garlic & lemon yoghurt
homemade mayonaise / dijonaise

Thanks for the ideas above, they seem straight forward enough (i'd imagine dijonaise is just dijon mustrad spooned into mayo and guacamole is avocado and mayo?) I'm looking for a spicey red pepper dip...any idea how to go about this?
I was thinking of just finely chopping garlic, onion, a chilli and a red pepper and blitzing with creme fraiche....would that work?

bonkey

Beetlebum wrote: »

i'd imagine dijonaise is just dijon mustrad spooned into mayo

Its home-made mayo with a bit more mustard (cause my homemade mayo always has mustard anyway).

guacamole is avocado and mayo?

Nope.

Avocado, lime juice (or a chopped up lime), a crushed clove of garlic, a dash of tabasco, and some salt....all thrown together in a blender.

I'm looking for a spicey red pepper dip...any idea how to go about this?
I was thinking of just finely chopping garlic, onion, a chilli and a red pepper and blitzing with creme fraiche....would that work?

Sounds pretty-much how I'd go about it. Judge the amount of chilli on the heat it has and the heat you want.

Consider using spring onion instead of onion....particularly the green part of the spring onion. flavour isn't as intense as onion, and it looks better in a dip to boot (imho)

It'll probably need salt, too....but not too much. A squeeze of lime-juice might also set it off a treat....lemon would also work if you don't have lime to hand.

Paprika would be good in there too...just for another "red pepper" dimension. At home, I have hot smoked paprika, which would probably be what I'd use.

I'd blitz / chop everything without the creme fraiche, then mix in spoonfuls of same by hand until I had the consistency and heat that I wanted. I say chop, because I'd prefer a dip of this type to have plenty of texture....so I'd probably practice my knife skills instead of taking out the machinery. If you prefer smooth dip, then absolutely go for the blender.

Beetlebum

bonkey wrote: »

Its home-made mayo with a bit more mustard (cause my homemade mayo always has mustard anyway).


Nope.

Avocado, lime juice (or a chopped up lime), a crushed clove of garlic, a dash of tabasco, and some salt....all thrown together in a blender.



Sounds pretty-much how I'd go about it. Judge the amount of chilli on the heat it has and the heat you want.

Consider using spring onion instead of onion....particularly the green part of the spring onion. flavour isn't as intense as onion, and it looks better in a dip to boot (imho)

It'll probably need salt, too....but not too much. A squeeze of lime-juice might also set it off a treat....lemon would also work if you don't have lime to hand.

Paprika would be good in there too...just for another "red pepper" dimension. At home, I have hot smoked paprika, which would probably be what I'd use.

I'd blitz / chop everything without the creme fraiche, then mix in spoonfuls of same by hand until I had the consistency and heat that I wanted. I say chop, because I'd prefer a dip of this type to have plenty of texture....so I'd probably practice my knife skills instead of taking out the machinery. If you prefer smooth dip, then absolutely go for the blender.

Thanks a million for that...fair play to you making your own mayo!!
Can't wait for the weekend...knocking back cold beer while snacking on bread and dips...heaven:)

This is a nice red pepper dip.

http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/vegetables/r/ajvar.htm

bonkey

Beetlebum wrote: »

Thanks a million for that...fair play to you making your own mayo!!

Well, now, to be honest I don't do it all that often. Still have the regular processed stuff in the fridge.

For that special occasion, though....its the absolute bomb.

bonkey

Moonbaby wrote: »

This is a nice red pepper dip.

http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/vegetables/r/ajvar.htm

Nice.

Actually...the idea to roast and then peel the peppers really makes a lot of sense for a sauce.

Hmm...now I'm thinking of making something like this at teh weekend. There's a pack of tortilla chips in the cupboard. If I don't go skiing, I may just play around in the kitchen instead

Dinkie

Roast aubergine
Yoghurt/creme fraiche
garlic
lemon juice
sale/pepper
smoked paprika


Blend together! Its absolutely yummy! and really, really healthy.

jam_mac_jam

hummus

http://humus101.com/EN/2006/10/14/hummus-recipe/

bonkey

So I didn't go skiing, and did play around in the kitchen.

I roasted a pepper, some (deseeded) chillis, and some garlic.

I blitzed those up, added a spoon of cream cheese, some salt, a goodly splash of lime-juice, and then plenty of paprika (both regular and smoked).

Worked pretty well.

I'd use a bit less lime-juice next time, add some chopped spring onion green, and probably go with creme fraiche instead of cream cheese...but all in all I was pretty happy with the results.