Have you heard about this big football game that’s coming up next week?  It’s this once-a-year excuse to go all out, throw dietary caution to the wind and eat massive quantities of wings, dips and chips.  Or is that only at my house?  From what I understand, this is a nationwide phenomenon.  In case you are suffering from a last minute panic about what to make for the big game, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite football appropriate recipes, starting with this so-good-you’ll-want-to-eat-it-with-a-spoon onion dip.

I know that it’s so simple to grab a packet of powdery nothingness to whip up a batch of onion dip, but who is excited about telling their guests that the dip they are consuming at a furious pace came from a powder?  Astronauts eat food that comes from a powder.  Us earth dwellers should expect better.  This dip is so far beyond powder-based dips that you will never go back.  This takes traditional onion dip and cranks the volume up to Irrationally Good.  You may have to hide your spoons.

Keep reading …

If you enjoyed this recipe, make sure you subscribe to receive free updates by email or RSS feed!

I don’t think I can remember a time when some form of spinach artichoke dip didn’t appear on every restaurant menu.  It seems to have become a standard American pre-meal munchie, a quintessential appetizer.  Not that I mind.  Who doesn’t love the thought of eating something healthy (spinach and artichokes) wrapped in mounds of cheese, butter and heavy cream?

This recipe is a healthier version of the restaurant stand-by that you can feel good about serving to friends and family.  Instead of pounds of butter and heavy cream, this recipe uses reduced-fat sour cream and ricotta, plus it ads in some cannellini beans (my current favorite) which ups the fiber content.  Truly a perfect party dish, this guilt-free dip lets you save some calories for where it counts … dessert!

Keep reading …

If you enjoyed this recipe, make sure you subscribe to receive free updates by email or RSS feed!

I have a confession to make.  I eat a lot of hummus.  The term ‘a lot’ probably doesn’t accurately depict the level of addiction I have to hummus.  I’m embarrassed to admit that there have been weeks where I’ve eaten nothing but hummus for dinner.  And lunch.  I practically buy it in bulk . . . yes, this clearly garners a variety of questioning looks from the grocery store employees when I deplete their entire stock of Tribe garlic hummus.

Perhaps the biggest problem of all is that I don’t see this hummus addiction as a problem!  Hummus is delicious, healthy, contains no weird chemicals or foreign substances and can stay in the fridge for weeks without going bad.  It is a perfect, no-effort required meal!

However, there are times when too much hummus is too much hummus.  My boyfriend’s mother recently asked me if I had ever made baba ganoush as an alternative to hummus.  I’ve eaten baba ganoush at various Middle Eastern restaurants but I had never ventured to make it myself.  Her suggestion inspired me to search around the internet for the easiest, tastiest, and most appealing baba ganoush recipe.  Success!

Keep reading …

If you enjoyed this recipe, make sure you subscribe to receive free updates by email or RSS feed!