Skinny Dips: Give Your Veggie Tray a Makeover
| 3 min read
Whether you’re having people over for the big game or going to a football-watching party, it can be tough to find anything healthy to snack on. Fried chicken wings, loaded nachos and jalapeno poppers may be delicious, but they’ll leave you feeling so sluggish you’ll want a nap by halftime. The best choice is usually the veggie tray, but store-bought varieties can be super boring (and the accompanying dips can be not-so-nutritious). So create one yourself! Just load up a platter with radishes, cucumber slices, baby bell peppers, snap peas and other fresh veggies and serve them alongside these three good-for-you dips.
Pomegranate Guacamole
Adapted from What’s Gaby Cooking
3 avocados
1 lime, juiced
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
¼ cup chopped jicama
Combine avocado and lime juice in a large bowl. Mash together with a fork until slightly creamy but some chunks still remain. Stir in pomegranate seeds and jicama. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Nutritional information per serving (yields 6 servings) 154 calories, 13.4g fat, 1.8g saturated fat, 7.3mg sodium, 9.8g carbohydrates, 1.8g protein, 1.5g sugar
Adapted from What’s Gaby Cooking
3 avocados
1 lime, juiced
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
¼ cup chopped jicama
Combine avocado and lime juice in a large bowl. Mash together with a fork until slightly creamy but some chunks still remain. Stir in pomegranate seeds and jicama. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Nutritional information per serving (yields 6 servings) 154 calories, 13.4g fat, 1.8g saturated fat, 7.3mg sodium, 9.8g carbohydrates, 1.8g protein, 1.5g sugar
Skinny Spinach-Artichoke Dip
Adapted from Clean Food Dirty City
1 cup canned white beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup unsweetened almond milk
14-ounce can artichoke hearts
2 cups fresh baby spinach
Generous squeeze from ½ lemon
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Puree white beans and almond milk in a food processor or high-speed blender until creamy. Add artichoke hearts and spinach and blend until incorporated but still chunky. Stir in lemon juice, red pepper flakes and garlic salt. Spoon mixture into a baking dish and bake for about 20 minutes or until starting to bubble and warmed through.
Nutritional information per serving (yields 4 servings) 92 calories, 0.4g fat, 0g saturated fat, 625mg sodium, 10.8g carbohydrates, 5.9g protein, 0.8g sugar
Adapted from Clean Food Dirty City
1 cup canned white beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup unsweetened almond milk
14-ounce can artichoke hearts
2 cups fresh baby spinach
Generous squeeze from ½ lemon
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Puree white beans and almond milk in a food processor or high-speed blender until creamy. Add artichoke hearts and spinach and blend until incorporated but still chunky. Stir in lemon juice, red pepper flakes and garlic salt. Spoon mixture into a baking dish and bake for about 20 minutes or until starting to bubble and warmed through.
Nutritional information per serving (yields 4 servings) 92 calories, 0.4g fat, 0g saturated fat, 625mg sodium, 10.8g carbohydrates, 5.9g protein, 0.8g sugar
Spicy Pumpkin Hummus
Adapted from Half-Baked Harvest
15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
15-ounce can pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 chipotle chilies in adobo
1 clove garlic, grated
1 tablespoon honey
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cayenne powder
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
Pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds), for serving
Puree chickpeas, pumpkin and olive oil in a food processor until smooth and set aside. Finely chop chilies and place in a medium bowl. Add garlic, honey, cinnamon, cayenne, cumin, oregano and chili powder to chopped chilies; stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir half of the chipotle mixture into the hummus and pour into a serving bowl. Mound the remaining chipotle mixture on top. Drizzle with olive oil, if desired, and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.
Nutritional information per serving (yields 6 servings) 158 calories, 5.8g fat, 0.7g saturated fat, 229.6mg sodium, 23.9g carbohydrates, 4.6g protein, 5.2g sugar
Adapted from Half-Baked Harvest
15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
15-ounce can pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 chipotle chilies in adobo
1 clove garlic, grated
1 tablespoon honey
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cayenne powder
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
Pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds), for serving
Puree chickpeas, pumpkin and olive oil in a food processor until smooth and set aside. Finely chop chilies and place in a medium bowl. Add garlic, honey, cinnamon, cayenne, cumin, oregano and chili powder to chopped chilies; stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir half of the chipotle mixture into the hummus and pour into a serving bowl. Mound the remaining chipotle mixture on top. Drizzle with olive oil, if desired, and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.
Nutritional information per serving (yields 6 servings) 158 calories, 5.8g fat, 0.7g saturated fat, 229.6mg sodium, 23.9g carbohydrates, 4.6g protein, 5.2g sugar
Ready to be super healthy during the big game? Use the commercial breaks to break a sweat with these short bursts of exercises.
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Photo credit: Impromptu Kitchen
