Share these classy dips with close friends or a crowd and they’ll never know they’re filling up on ingredients that are actually good for them. Serve them with your favorite cut-up crispy vegetables, whole-grain crackers or low-fat chips.
Roasted Eggplant Dip
Makes 6 Servings
If you find the raw garlic too sharp in flavor, try roasting the unpeeled garlic cloves in a foil packet along with the eggplant. With a sharp knife, cut off the tips of the roasted cloves, and squeeze to extract the roasted garlic paste.
2 small eggplants
2 (or more) cloves garlic, roasted if desired
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 black olives, pitted
1/2 cup (packed) chopped fresh parsley
3 pieces sun-dried tomato
2 cups canned cannelloni (white kidney) beans, drained
2 anchovy fillets (or 2 teaspoon anchovy paste)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1. Roast the eggplant (and garlic, if desired) in a 400-degree oven for 45 minutes or until tender. Allow to cool briefly.
2. Peel eggplant and garlic and place in bowl of food processor. Add olive oil, olives, parsley, sun-dried tomato, beans, anchovy fillets, lemon juice and salt.
3. Pulse mixture until smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve warm or cold.
– MONICA REINAGEL, a licensed nutritionist and trained chef and author of The Inflammation Free Diet Plan.
Spinach Spread
Makes 6 servings
A microplane grater is the easiest way to grate lemon zest, hard cheeses and fresh nutmeg. Originally designed as woodworking tools, inexpensive microplane graters are sold in kitchen supply stores.
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/2 cup water
1 cup low-fat (1 percent) cottage cheese
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
salt to taste
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook 6 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
2. Add spinach and water and cook until heated through.
3. Transfer mixture to food processor and add cottage cheese, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, pepper, nutmeg and salt. Puree until smooth.
4. Refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours before serving.
– MONICA REINAGEL
Easy Homemade Lentil Hummus
Makes 6-8 appetizer servings
Middle Eastern-style bean spread is easy to make at home. Scoop it up with chopped fresh vegetables or baby whole wheat pita bread. Tahini, the sesame seed paste used to flavor traditional chickpea hummus, is located near the peanut butter in most large supermarkets.
1 15-ounce can lentils, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup sesame tahini
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup water
Whirl all ingredients except water in a food processor on high speed until very finely chopped. Scrape the sides of the bowl down with a rubber spatula, add water, and process again until smooth. Serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator in an airtight container up to one week.
– JESS THOMSON, graduate of The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, awarded the Certified Culinary Professional (CCP) designation by the International Association of Culin
