Greek Layer Dip

Original Recipe HERE

I figured the kids wouldn't be big fans of this, and 50% of them were not.  I think it was the sharpness of the fresh garlic, since they both asked if there was horseradish in the dip.  I bet they would've liked it more if I left out the garlic completely.Also, fresh tomatoes aren't their favorite.  But *H* and I thought it was great: a very flavorful dip that had a good variety of textures.

I'll make it again, either just for us adults or to serve at a party.  It filled an approximately 8x10" baking dish, but the layers weren't deep.  I would double all ingredients (except the garlic, which was strong) when serving several people.  We scooped it with tortilla strip chips because I couldn't find pita ones.

Ingredients

8 oz hummus

1 cup 0% fat Greek yogurt

1 garlic clove, pressed

1/2 Tablespoon dried dill [or to taste]

1&1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

pinches of salt & pepper

2 to 3 Tablespoons red onion, finely chopped

1 cup English cucumber, diced small

1 cup Roma tomato, seeded & diced small

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese [I did not use]

1/4 cup sliced olives [I did not use]

Directions

(1) In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, garlic, dill, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

(2) Toss together cucumber and tomato pieces.

(3) Rinse red onion pieces in strainer.  Drain.

(4) In an approximately 8x8" dish, spread hummus. Top with yogurt mixture; spread evenly.

(5) Scatter red onion, cucumber, and tomatoes on top.

(6) Sprinkle feta and olives on top.  Press gently with flat hands to slightly settle vegetables into the yogurt layer.

Kid Participation:

* Whisk together yogurt mixture ingredients

* Spread each layer

* Press down if you trust them to have delicate hands

Two-Ingredient Cream Cheese Dip

Original Recipe HERE

Possibly the easiest dip ever.  I didn't make this with the brand and flavor that the recipe used...there was no need to make a special trip just for that.  I got a "caramelized onion & balsamic" jelly from the grocery store and figured it was close enough.  The dip was very good, although a little sweet - which would be easily remedied by using a more savory jelly (or just using a relish like the recipe called for).  

Really, you can't go wrong here.  Even a fruit preserve + cream cheese = tasty, especially if scooped with something like graham crackers.  And now this post is going off on a tangent and it'll take longer to read it than make the actual dip, so I will wrap it up.

Ingredients

2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, at room temperature [I used Neufchatel]

1 jar (10 oz) pepper and onion relish

Directions

(1) In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until light and fluffy.

(2) Stir in the relish until thoroughly combined.

Kid Participation: Run mixer.

Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

Original Recipe HERE

 

I never ate fruit with dinner as a child, other than my mom's homemade applesauce.  It was her go-to side dish with pork chops and pot roast.  I never make either of those in my house, so eating fruit after 12:00pm never really crossed my mind.  Until I had kids.  Since mine love it, I don't have trouble getting (most) fruits into them every day.  But I understand if they get burned out on eating the same kinds, in the same forms, day after day.  Enter dip.

I always have the ingredients with this on hand, so when I'm stumped for a side dish, I can whip it up (literally) in the stand mixer in minutes.  I also send it with *N* for school lunches.  So far, we can attest that it's great with pears, apples, bananas, pineapples, cantaloupe, and red grapes.  It certainly takes the health benefits of the fruit down a notch, but variety is the spice of life, and I'm OK with it.

 

It works better if you plan more than 5 minutes ahead so (1) the cream cheese has time to soften enough, and (2) the brown sugar has time to dissolve (I recommend making a batch, letting it sit about 10 minutes, and giving it another quick blending to break up any remaining clumps of sugar).

 

Ingredients

1 block (8 oz) reduced-fat cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup brown sugar [more or less, to taste]

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon [more or less, to taste]

 

Directions

(1) With a mixer or by hand, blend cream cheese until easily spreadable.

(2) Add sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon.  Blend until well mixed.

 

Kid Participation:

* Mush up cream cheese

* Add other ingredients & stir

* Neglect other parts of dinner in favor of eating just fruit and dip

Tangy Meatballs

Original Recipe HERE

 

I had bought some meatballs with the assumption that I'd make a sauce and serve it all over rice. Which is exactly what I did.  This was super easy, and 90% of the dinner was eaten in one sitting, leaving me very little for lunch the next day.  Success comes back to bite me.

 

I put in the half-cup of vinegar that the original recipe called for, and the sauce had a bit too much "bite" or sourness to it.  I will reduce the amount next time (reflected below) and/or return to the original full cup of brown sugar.  I prefer my barbecue-type sauces to be sweeter.

 

Ingredients

1 cup (8 oz) ketchup

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 green bell pepper, finely chopped [optional]
2 to 3 garlic cloves, pressed

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons mustard [I used dijon]

1/4 to 1/2 cup vinegar [I used cider vinegar]

pre-cooked meatballs, fresh or frozen

 

Directions

(1) Add all ingredients to large sauce pan; stir to combine.

(2) Add meatballs; stir to coat.

(3) Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat for 30 minutes to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

 

Kid Participation: None.

 

Peanut Butter & Yogurt Dip

Original Recipe HERE

 

I served this as part of a "Dip Dinner," which was my inspired meal born out of desperation.  I made two homemade dips to be served with vegetables as well as this one to be served with banana slices, apple wedges, and red grapes.  The kids loved both the concept and its execution.

 

Ingredients

1 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 Tablespoon sweetener, such as brown sugar, maple syrup, or honey [optional]

 

Directions

(1) Soften peanut butter slightly by microwaving in short intervals.

(2) Mix sweetener into peanut butter.

(3) Thoroughly combine yogurt with peanut butter.  Refrigerate until serving. 

 

Kid Participation: Whisk dip and then dig in.

Roasted Peaches with Yogurt Sauce

Original Recipe HERE

 

My mom brought several peaches to us during her last visit.  I can always use fresh fruit to make meals for *P*, but I figured we all should enjoy the bounty this time.  I was going to serve these post-dinner one night, but my meal planning skills failed me and I was left without enough food to serve.  I decided that these weren't too dessert-y and made them as part of the main meal.  They were a hit, and in the future I think they'll be a good way to get some fresh fruit and protein and calcium into my kids.

 

Also, the yogurt sauce can stand on its own as a great fruit dip.  Hence why this recipe has the labels "dip" and "appetizer" applied. 

 

Ingredients

4 peaches, ripe but firm

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 cup low-fat Greek yogurt [or whatever type you have]

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon [or to taste]

1/2 to 1 Tablespoon honey [or agave syrup]

 

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 450 F.  Line a baking sheet or casserole dish with foil.

(2) Wash peaches.  Cut in half; remove pits.  Place cut-side up in pan.

(3) Mix together cinnamon and sugar.

(4) Brush butter on peach halves.  Sprinkle each with pinches of cinnamon-sugar mixture.

(5) Cook peaches about 10 minutes, or until they are softened and easily cut.

(6) Meanwhile, mix together yogurt, vanilla, cinnamon, and honey.

(7) Serve peach halves in individual bowls.  Pour several spoonfuls of yogurt sauce over each.

 

Kid Participation:

* Brush butter

* Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture

* Whisk yogurt sauce ingredients

Creamy Dill Dip

Original Recipe HERE

This is a handy recipe to have because, while I always have all of these particular ingredients on hand, it's extremely forgiving and can be tweaked to suit preferences.  One could use different seasoned salt or fresh onion and dill.  I wonder if it could be warmed in the microwave and served as a hot dip - maybe with a little shredded mozzarella added to make it more melty?

We ate it with baby carrots and raw broccoli.  Husband and I both thought it was good, but my kids started out enthusiastic and then lost steam.  Neither finished their portion.  My guess is the dill flavor was too strong; next time I will ease up on it.

Ingredients

1 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/2 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon seasoned salt [I used Jane's Krazy]
1/2 Tablespoon dried minced onion
1/2 Tablespoon parsley flakes
1/2 Tablespoon dill weed

1/4 cup grated Parmesan [optional]

Directions

(1) Combine sour cream, mayonnaise, and Worcestershire sauce until smooth.

(2) Whisk in seasonings until thoroughly mixed.

(3) Work any lumps out of Parmesan.  Whisk into dip.

(4) Store in refrigerator until ready to use (ideally several hours).

Kid Participation:

* Whisk ingredients

* Try it, tell me you like it, and then don't eat it when it's served to you

Peanut Butter & Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

Original Recipe HERE

This is based on the recipe linked to above, but I have a similar recipe bookmarked that is peanut butter-based.  I added the yogurt and peanut butter of that one to this guy, and this is the end result.  It's a good fruit dip because the cream cheese and peanut butter ensure it won't be too sweet (unlike popular ones that involve Cool Whip or marshmallow fluff).  I thought it was a success, and my kids ate all of theirs and asked for more.

We dipped apple slices and grapes in it and would've used bananas next.  Also, I served carrots and broccoli with a separate dip alongside this, and my kids both dipped their vegetables in this one instead.  Whatever...as long as they're eating the green stuff, I don't care about the unorthodox fashion.  I think this would be good with graham crackers and Nilla wafers, in which case I might throw in some mini chocolate chips to make it more of a dessert dish.

Ingredients

1 package (8 oz) reduced fat cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup plain or French vanilla yogurt

3 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Fruit for serving

Directions

(1) Cream together cream cheese, yogurt, peanut butter, and vanilla extract until smooth.

(2) Add brown sugar and cinnamon.  Whisk or stir until sugar is dissolved. 

Kid Participation: Combine all ingredients.

Veggie Pizza Appetizers

This is a dish for which I pulled inspiration from several sources...several years ago.  It's a "make it up as you go to suit your own taste" kind of thing.  But it's always a hit at parties because people feel good about themselves for eating something loaded with vegetables.  It justifies going back for seconds (or fifths) of the queso dip or barbecue meatballs.  Using a variety of colorful vegetables - and chopping them very small so no one veggie dominates a particular slice of the pizza - draws attention to this appetizer.

Ingredients for "Sauce"

2 tubes crescent rolls

8 oz low-fat cream cheese [or to taste]

4 oz low-fat sour cream [or to taste]

bottled ranch dressing [or powdered ranch dressing mix]

1/4 cup salsa [optional]

grated parmesan [optional]

seasonings [garlic powder, salt, pepper, chili powder, cayenne, smoked

paprika etc.]

Ingredients for Toppings

green onions

broccoli

carrots

red onion

radishes

peppers [red, green, yellow, or orange]

shredded Mexican cheese [optional]

Directions

1) Put cream cheese in mixing bowl and allow to soften slightly.

2) Unroll crescent rolls and spread onto baking sheet.  Distribute as evenly as possible and seal all seams.

3) Bake crescent rolls according to package directions.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely or until just slightly warm.

4) Add sour cream and ranch (and optional salsa) to cream cheese in several increments.  Mix thoroughly each time until desired consistency is reached (should be spreadable but not runny). 

5) Mix in optional parmsean and seasonings.  Evenly spread cheese mixture over crescent rolls.

6) Finely chop vegetables into smaller-than-bite-size pieces.  Toss together to mix well.

7) Scatter chopped vegetables over cheese mixture.  Top with shredded cheese (optional).  Gently press toppings to ensure they stay in place.

8) Cut pizza into pieces of desired size.  Refrigerate until serving.

Notes: None.

Kid Participation:

* Seal crescent roll seams

* Mix sauce ingredients together

* Spread sauce over crescent rolls

* Add toppings to pizza

Honey Garlic Meatballs

Original Recipe HERE

I can't stay away from cocktail meatballs at any party, so I'm always happy to try a new recipe in the comfort of my own home.  Where I can eat as many as I want (in the name of quality control, of course) and no one will judge me.  These are versatile in that they can be made smaller and served in a crock pot as an appetizer, or they can be served as a main dish over rice or pasta.  I also liked that the meat mixture could be made ahead of time and just kept in the fridge - because working with raw meat around curious little ones with grabby hands makes me nervous.

Ingredients for Meatballs

1 ½ pounds lean ground beef [or turkey]

¼ cup shredded parmesan

½ cup dry breadcrumbs

3 Tablespoons dried parsley

¼ cup tomato sauce

1 teaspoon dry mustard

¾ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed

thinly sliced green onions [optional]

sesame seeds, toasted [optional]

rice or pasta [optional]

Ingredients for Sauce

2 Tablespoons butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

¾ cup ketchup

½ cup honey

¼ cup soy sauce

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 400°.

2) Combine the meatball ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

3) Prepare a broiler pan by coating with cooking spray [or line a baking sheet with foil and grease it]. Shape mixture into 30 (1 1/2-inch) meatballs.

4) Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until done. Drain the grease and set them aside.

5) While meatballs cook, melt butter in saucepan and saute garlic until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds.

6) Add ketchup, honey and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer five minutes.

7) Add meatballs to the sauce. Return to a boil and simmer uncovered until sauce glazes meatballs.

8) If serving over rice or pasta, garnish with green onion and sesame seeds.

Notes: None!

Kid Participation

* Measure dry ingredients for meatballs

* Practice eating with toothpicks

White Bean Dip

I dusted off this oldie-but-goodie the other weekend when Husband told me at 8:00pm that he needed an appetizer to take to a work party the following afternoon.  Isn't that the sort of stunt your kids are supposed to pull ("I need 48 cupcakes for the fourth-grade bake sale tomorrow morning!"), not your full-grown Husband?  He offered to just buy something at the store on his way, but I told him I'd rise to the occasion.  This dip is easy because I always have the ingredients on hand.  I've doubled the original amounts since it didn't make that much, but exact measurements aren't necessary. You can be careless and taste-test throughout.  This dip can be served hot, cold, or room temperature.  So what I'm really saying is that there's no real way to mess it up.

A note about the garlic: when deciding how much to include, err on the side of less.  I'm a garlic fanatic, but I've been played for a fool by this recipe in the past.  It will sneak up on you, and all of a sudden you have wicked Garlic Dragon Breath.  Also, I like to do use both roasted (for a deeper, more subtle flavor) and fresh (to provide a little sharpness).  The original recipe just called for fresh, so any combination would work.

Ingredients

2 or 3 15 oz cans cannellini or great northern beans, rinsed and drained [any white bean could work]

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

4 tablespoons plain yogurt

4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley [or substitute a few big shakes of dried]

1 teaspoon black pepper [approximate]

1 teaspoon kosher salt [approximate]

Hot pepper sauce [Tabasco], to taste

4-6 garlic cloves

olive oil [if roasting the garlic]

Pita bread, chips, or vegetables for dipping

Directions

1) To roast garlic, separate desired number of cloves from bulb, leaving them in their peels.  Make a packet out of aluminum foil, put the cloves in, and drizzle them with olive oil.  Seal packet and put on the middle oven rack at 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

2) Add beans, lemon juice, yogurt, parsley, pepper, salt and hot sauce to the food processor bowl.

3) Take whatever garlic you're using, fresh or roasted, and remove peels from each clove.  Smash so they're slightly broken up and add to food processor bowl.  Process mixture until it's a smooth consistency.

4) Do a taste test and adjust ingredients accordingly for desired result.

Kid Participation:

* Add ingredients to food processor bowl.

* Smash garlic cloves.

* Push buttons on food processor (if you're so inclined).