Healthy Party Dips

Dips are an easy, crowd-pleasing party food, but the problem is they usually aren’t good for you – full of fat, calories and salt. So we took a two of our favorite dips, and cut out more than 40% of the fat. They’re still super tasty – and there’s a good chance your guests won’t even know the difference!

Both of these can be eaten with crudites or, for a little splurge, some pita chips.

Warm Spinach & Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon canola oil (low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat)
• 1 onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 9-oz package frozen artichoke hearts – defrosted, rinsed and dried
• 1 10-oz package frozen chopped spinach – defrosted, excess liquid squeezed out
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) Neufchatel cheese (1/3 the fat of regular cream cheese)
• 1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat
3. Add onions and cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
4. Add garlic and cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes, or until onions are light golden color. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
5. In food processor, combine artichoke hearts, spinach, sour cream, mayonnaise, Neufchatel, mozzarella, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.
6. Add onion-garlic mixture (cooled) to the food processor and pulse a few times to thoroughly combine.
7. Lightly spray (with cooking spray) an 8-inch glass square baking dish and transfer mixture to it
8. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes
9. Serve!

Makes 12 servings

Per serving (dip only): 100 calories, 7 g fat, 5 g carbs, 4 g protein, 202 g salt, 1 g sugar

Creamy White Bean Dip

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup reduced-fat, 2% cottage cheese
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• One 15.5-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
• Pinch smoked paprika (1/4 tsp or less)
• Chopped chives or fresh parsley for garnish

Preparation:

1. Combine cottage cheese, apple cider vinegar, thyme, cannellini beans, salt and pepper in a food processor.
2. Puree until smooth.
3. Chill 30 minutes to 1 hour
4. Transfer to a serving bowl and drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with smoked paprika and top with fresh parsley or chopped chives

Makes 12 servings

Per serving (dip only): 51 calories, 1 g fat, 7 g carbs, 4 g protein, 127 g salt, 0 g sugar