7.
No-fuss spreads: Flavored
boursin cheese (a soft, spreadable cheese; look for it in the
fancy cheese section at supermarkets), flavored cream cheese
(buy at a bagel shop or mix your own), goat cheese and brie all
make excellent instant toppers for bread or crackers. You can
also make a tasty feta spread by mixing crumbled feta with a bit
of water until you get a nice, smooth consistency. Want to turn
these spreads into dips? Just mix in a little milk and/or water
and stir until well combined.
8.
Low-fuss dips + spreads: The
easiest "homemade" dip in the world involves little
more than mixing sour cream with powdered soup mix (onion is a
favorite). For a lower-fat dip, you can substitute some of the sour
cream with yogurt instead. Soup mix dip is cheap, fast, and
basically tastes okay. But if you can read a recipe, open
some cans, and stir things around, you can make a good
dip from scratch. If you’ll dare to adjust proportions
slightly according to taste, you can make a truly superlative
dip.
Some easy dips to try:
- Creamy Artichoke Dip (good with
veggies or bread)
see sidebar
Tapenade (good with
bread)
Hummus (good with
veggies or bread)
Veggie Dip (good with
veggies) see sidebar
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Creamy
Artichoke Dip
Drain a 14 oz. can of artichoke hearts (NOT the marinated
kind). Roughly chop up the artichokes, then toss them in a bowl.
Add half-cup mayonnaise, half-cup light sour cream, half cup
grated romano cheese (substitute parmesan if you prefer), and 1
tsp. dried tarragon. Combine well, then transfer the mixture to
a preheated 350F oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until the dip is
nice and warm.
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Veggie Dip
Mix 1 cup light sour cream, 2 tbsp.
mayonnaise, 1 tbsp. lemon juice, then add any of the following:
minced scallions OR red onions OR chive OR fresh
chopped dill; and minced cucumber/ pepper/ carrot if desired. Add
salt and pepper to taste. Too watery? Stir in some cream cheese
to give it more body. Let the dip sit for a few hours, or
overnight, to give the flavors a chance to mix.
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