Beer Cheese Dip

Beer Cheese Dip (slightly adapted from Kraft Recipes, Servings: 15, Total Time: 3 hours, 5 minutes)

Ingredients

·         1 pkg. (8 oz.) Neufchatel cream cheese, softened

·         ¼ cup ranch dressing

·         1 cup shredded taco/nacho cheese

·         ¼ cup beer

·         2 green onions, chopped (white parts only)

Directions

1.)    Beat cream cheese and dressing in medium bowl until well-blended.

2.)    Stir in remaining ingredients.

3.)    Refrigerate until chilled.

I was a little hesitant to try this recipe after reading some of the reviews, but I’m glad that I took the plunge.  It was delicious!  I normally would have used fat-free or light ranch dressing, but I didn’t want to mess up the recipe, so I stayed with full-fat.  I also used taco/nacho cheese instead of shredded, I thought that a little Mexican-flavor couldn’t fail.  Finally, I used Yuengling Light beer to keep the dip from being overpowered by a beer taste.  In the future, I’ll probably stick with this, although I’d be tempted to try something else a little more full-bodied (maybe regular Yuengling or an Amber Lager).

The taste was mostly ranchy Mexican – a little hint of spice, a lot of cheese, and a good bite of ranch.  I couldn’t taste the beer, but it did make it very creamy and easy to spread on crackers.  I chopped the onions very small and I think that added just a hint of onion flavor – I don’t even think that I’d notice them if I hadn’t made the dip.

This went over really well with my party attendees. My mom even asked for the recipe!  Awesome!  Unfortunately, there were no leftovers.

Chickpea & Feta Dip

Chickpea & Feta Dip (from Kraft Recipes, Total Time: 15 minutes, Servings: 24 servings of 2 Tbsp. each)

Ingredients

·         2 cans (15 oz. each) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed

·         2/3 cup  crumbled Feta Cheese, divided

·         1/3 cup drained roasted red pepper strips, divided

·         1 clove  garlic

·         3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

·         1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

·         Juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions

1.      Place chickpeas, ½ cup cheese, ¼ cup peppers and next 4 ingredients in the bowl of a food processor; blend until smooth.

2.       Spoon into serving bowl. Top with remaining cheese and peppers.

I made this as an appetizer for a Progressive Dinner in my neighborhood.  I served with various crudités (celery, carrots, pepper strips, etc.) for a healthy option during our Dinner; I also used fat-free feta to help cut back on some fat and calories.  I find the consistency to be more of a spread than a dip, and it was a little dry and clumpy, not creamy like hummus.  It tasted overwhelmingly like chickpeas, I would have liked a little more of a feta or red pepper taste.  I do not plan to make this dish again, but feel free to try your hand at it!

Cookie Dough Dip

Cookie Dough Dip (from Add a Pinch, Total Time: 10 minutes, Servings: 24)

Ingredients

·         1 8 oz. package cream cheese

·         ½ cup butter (I used margarine with no issues)

·         1 cup powdered sugar

·         2 Tbsp. brown sugar

·         1 ½ tsp. vanilla

·         2 cups chocolate chips

Instructions

1.      Cream together cream cheese and butter.

2.      Add all remaining ingredients and mix until well-combined.

3.      Serve with graham crackers.

Another easy recipe that I made for the neighborhood Progressive Dinner.  Since this uses cream cheese, I didn’t think that I would like it all that much, but it was so much better than I expected.  The dip does not have an overwhelming cream cheese taste – in fact, when I eat it, I taste more of the chocolate chips than anything.  It is very sweet!  I used 2 cups of chocolate chips instead of the 1/1 chocolate/toffee combo recommended in the recipe.   I think that I could have downsized that to about 1.5 cups – 2 is a bit too much and overwhelms the dip.  I don’t think that it  tastes like cookie dough, but that’s OK.   I received a lot of compliments on this one and somebody asked for the recipe!  My husband is a cream cheese fan, but he did not like it.  He didn’t tell me if it was taste or texture, but I expect it is the texture of the chips paired with the creaminess of the cream cheese dip.  I was surprised that he didn’t like it, but oh well.  I plan to make it again for my mother and step-father – I know that they’ll love it!

BBQ Black Bean Salsa

BBQ Black Bean Salsa (slightly adapted from Kraft Foods, 24 servings – 2 T servings, Total Time: 15 minutes)

Ingredients

·         1 can  (15 oz.) black beans, drained, rinsed

·         4 ears of corn on the cobb, husked and de-silked

·         ½ cup  Barbecue Sauce

·         ¾ cup  Medium Salsa

Directions

1.      Put corn in a large pot of water.  Bring to boil and cook for 4-5 minutes.

2.      Let cooked corn cool, then cut kernels off cobb.

3.      Mix all ingredients until well blended. Serve with tortilla chips.

A hit at a picnic that I went to recently.  A great low calorie, no fat option (at least without the chips!).  I have made it before with canned and frozen corn, but nothing tastes better than fresh corn.  A great mix of healthy ingredients that mix together to make a tasty, slightly spicy dish.  You can play around with the BBQ to salsa to chili powder ratio to meet your personal tastes.  If you do want to kick things up a notch, I suggest Hot Salsa or cayenne pepper.