As you know, one of my all-time favorite junk food, no-holds-bars snacks is chips and dip (Dean’s French Onion & Ruffle’s Potato Chips if I’m being specific).  But, I know better than to reach for the dip and chips on a regular basis, so lately I’ve gotten creative in the kitchen subbing in a few healthy, homemade options that still hit the spot and are perfect with fresh veggies and chips alike. 

First up my homemade hummus and black bean garlic dip.  I’ve always been a fan of hummus, but got tired of the limited organic options so I decided to begin Vita-mixing up my own versions at home since they’re both incredibly easy to make.   For traditional hummus the recipe calls for only three simple ingredients (plus salt), but you can add anything else you like such as garlic, roasted red peppers, or jalepenos for a little kick.  The black bean dip, is similar to the hummus but lends itself to a creamier texture and in my opinion is best with just a little garlic and fresh chives because fresh chives and/or green onions make everything better.  Both dips can be made in large batches and upon refrigeration will last for 7-10 days making them an easy mid-day snack.

The third dip, and star of the show, is my vegan onion and spinach dip.  It nails that creamy-Ranch-dressing taste we all secretly want, without all of the “bad” ingredients and highlights my very favorite local onion, the vidalia.  Vidalia onions are sweeter than your typical white or yellow onion and are great for just about anything (creamed vidalia bake recipe HERE), but my favorite was to enjoy a vidalia is simply smoked on the Big Green Egg with a little bit of olive oil, salt, pepper and cayenne.  Try it, you will not be disappointed.  And since we’re talking favorites here I’d be amiss if I didn’t mention my deep love of  Tofutti.  if you haven’t tried Tofutti yet, you’re in for a pleasant surprise because it tastes the exact same as sour cream in my book, but it’s dairy free and has less calories.  The Tofutti cream cheese is pretty fantastic as well!

Anyway, back to the actual dip.   Along with the Tofutti, I added chopped and sautéed vidalia onions and garlic mixed with fresh spinach, red onions, and jalepeno topped off with chives.  The vegan veggie dip’s texture should be a bit chunky, and each scoop will be better than the last.  I prefer the dip to be served room temperature, but you can also serve it straight out of the fridge if late night snacking is your thing(it’s addicting…don’t say I didn’t warn you!).  

Check out the recipes below, and I hope you’ll whip some up to enjoy this weekend and throughout next week.  TGIF Friends! Truly, MKR