Two Scrumptious Party Dips
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Whew! We made it through Thanksgiving… we’ve eaten more than we thought humanly possible, and now we’re ready to diet move on to football party food!! Weehoo! Yes, people, it’s the best time of year… football games on practically every night of the week and countless opportunities to throw a party, which brings me to today’s post…. What’s a football party without scrumptiously delicious finger food-y munchies?
First of all, let’s define “party”. Of course, it’s ever so fun to have 15 people in your living room grinding potato chips into your carpet and dripping onion dip in between your couch cushions, but my definition of “party” extends as well to those intimate little gatherings of one or two or even as many as three people, in which at any given moment there is at most, only one hand blocking the dip bowl or grabbing that meatball or deviled egg you had your eye on.
I will confess that football parties happen with alarming frequency around here. We have an extensive repertoire of favorite finger foods, but I have recently discovered two new dips to add to the list. First, we have a cheese-y, mustard-y beer dip that is amazingly incredible with little meatballs and chunks of sausage. It also makes a fabulous dip for pretzels and/or breadsticks.
This is an easy one to throw together and is now a regular on our munchy table.
The other dip that we are loving right now is my favorite hummus that I recently discovered is even more scrumptious if you whiz it up with some toasted pine nuts. Why isn’t all hummus made with pine nuts? I will never again make it any other way. You will not believe the deliciousness of this addition.
So there you have it, folks. Two new dips to add to your holiday snack table. Invite as many people as you want to the party…and by that I mean having a bowl of dip all to yourself might be the best party of all! Here are the recipes…
TOASTED PINE NUT HUMMUS
I have recently found that using freshly cooked chickpeas (from dried beans) creates a creamier, more luxurious hummus. I encourage you to grab some dried chickpeas and see for yourself. So much better than canned.
Update April 14, 2020
While this is one very tasty hummus, I have, since posting this one, continued to refine my hummus game and come up with what I feel is a pretty spectacular hummus, and it’s the one I’ve been making for some time now. It’s a bit more traditional and ethereally smooth and creamy. If you’d like to give it a try, here’s the link to my recipe.
Click here for a printable recipe
2 cups of freshly cooked chickpeas or 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (plus more for serving
¾ cup silken tofu (soft)
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 ½ Tbsp tahini
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ t ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Blend all of the ingredients, except for the parsley, in a food processor until very smooth. Stir in the chopped parsley and transfer to a serving bowl and cover. Le sit at room temp for 20-30 min. before serving. Garnish with a sprinkling of additional toasted pine nuts.
Cheese-y Beer and Mustard Dip
Click here for a printable recipe
Recipe courtesy Countryliving.com
1/4 cup dark beer (such as stout or porter - I used a dark Guinness)
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 1/2 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups)
Combine the beer, mustard, butter, and cayenne in a small saucepan over medium heat. Gradually whisk in the cheese. Continue cooking until smooth and all the cheese is melted -- about 5 minutes. Serve warm.
