Basic Party Dips

Jul 7, 2010
Ryan Lesnau

Basic Party Dips - myrecipes.com

Dips are an easy and fairly cheap appetizer for any party. Here are a number of basic dips that cover a variety of tastes.

When it comes to hosting a party, one of the easiest appetizers to serve is chips and dip. However, this doesn’t need to be a boring treat for guests to enjoy. There are a number of different, basic dips that are not only easy to make, but are also able to feed a large number of guests. Though they aren’t fancy, they are still crowd favorites.

Guacamole

Time 15 min.

Yield: 3 cups

Ingredients:

2 ripe medium avocados, halved, pitted, and peeled
2 ripe medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
½ teaspoon salt

Directions:

Place avocado flesh in medium bowl and mash avocados. Add tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, and salt; stir gently to combine. If not serving right away, press plastic wrap onto surface and refrigerate up to 4 hours. Stir before serving

Creamy Veggie Dip

Time: 25 min.

Yield: 4 cups

Ingredients:

1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into two-inch pieces
5 medium radishes
½ red pepper, cut into quarters
1 small stalk of celery, cut into two-inch pieces
2 green onions, cut into two-inch pieces
1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
½ cup light mayonnaise
1 container (16 ounces) reduced-fat sour cream
1 ½ teaspoons freshly grated lemon
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

In food processor with knife blade attached, combine carrot, radishes, red pepper, celery, and green onions; process until finely chopped. Transfer vegetables to medium bowl.
In food processor with knife blade attached, process cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Add to vegetables in bowl. Add sour cream, lemon peel, salt, and pepper; stir until well blended. Cover and refrigerate at least four hours or up to two days. Stir before serving.

Artichoke Dip

Time: 10 min.

Yield: 1 ¼ cups

Ingredients:

1 lemon
1 can (13 ¾ ounces) artichoke hearts, drained
¼ cup light mayonnaise
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

From lemon, grate ½ teaspoon peel and squeeze 2 teaspoons juice.
In food processor with knife blade attached, combine lemon peel and juice, artichoke hearts, mayonnaise, Parmesan, and oil; puree until smooth. Transfer dip to small bowl. Cover and refrigerate up to three days if not serving right away.

Hummus

Time: 15 min.

Yield: 2 cups

Ingredients:

4 garlic cloves
1 large lemon
1 can (15 to 19 ounces) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
½ teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Pita bread wedges
Olives

Directions:

In one-quart saucepan, heat two cups water to boiling over high heat. Add garlic and cook three minutes to blanch; drain.
From lemon, grate 1 teaspoon peel and squeeze three tablespoons juice. In food processor with knife blade attachment, combine beans, tahini, garlic, lemon peel and juice, oil, water, salt and ground red pepper; puree until smooth. Transfer to platter; cover and refrigerate up to four hours.
To serve, sprinkle with paprika and cilantro, if using. Serve with pita bread wedges and olives.