Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus

'Tis the season for appetizers and dips, yes? I feel like all I've been doing for the last two weeks is snacking. With New Years this week, let's cheers to one more week of snacking and then get back to meals and less eating. Who's with me? You will love this zippy hummus recipe if you like a little kick to your dips. It would even be delicious on a sandwich.

Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus
MAKES: 1 1/2 cups
PREP: 10 minutes           COOK: 0 minutes            READY IN: 10 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 15 ounce can garbanzo beans
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

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1. Place all ingredients, except for the salt and pepper, into a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.
2. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
3. Serve with pita chips, crackers, veggies, or bread.

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1/4 cup serving    53 calories   2.7g fat   6.5g carbs    2g protein    1.2g sugar   

Enjoy!

Shrimp Avocado Dip

Growing up, I always looked forward to Christmas Eve. We would kick off the evening at church and would have a candlelight service and sing Christmas hymns. Afterwards, my dad whipped up some of his favorite "special" traditions including steamed pudding (yum!) and oyster stew (um yeah...). There was always plenty of food which often consisted of appetizers, soups, and goodies like cookies or fudge.

This is the first year that we are doing Christmas Eve (and day) solo as our very own family. I am looking forward to creating our own traditions, and blending those which have been passed along to my husband and me. Though it feels a little overwhelming to decide what we should do, I will adopt my mother-in-law's favorite saying, "Keep it simple." I figure if I screw it up big time this year, I have a few years before all my kiddos leave the house to make things right. One thing I know for sure is that we will be having this dip. This is a tradition that comes from my husband's side, I believe, but we modified it to be a little healthier. For years we've made it with cream cheese instead of avocados as the base. My husband had the brilliant thought that we should try avocados instead because it has the same texture as cream cheese. (And the colors just scream holidays, right?!) This dip tastes amazing, and bonus: it's healthy! If you already have your holiday menu planned out, this would also be perfect for New Year's Eve.

Shrimp Avocado Dip
15 SERVINGS 
PREP: 5 minutes           COOK: 0 minutes            READY IN: 5 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 2 avocados
• dash of salt
• 4 tablespoons cocktail sauce
• 1 cup of small cooked & peeled shrimp (I purchased my shrimp in the frozen section and just thawed with cold water prior to making this)

DIRECTIONS

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1. Peel and pit the avocados. 
2. Place the avocados in a small bowl and add the salt. Mash the avocados until smooth. Place on a plate.
3. Put cocktail sauce on top of the avocados.
4. Sprinkle the shrimp on top.
5. Serve with crackers and enjoy!

NUTRITION FACTS

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(not including crackers)

    1/8 cup serving    61 calories   5.2g fat   1.8g carbs    1g protein    1.7g sugar   

Enjoy!

Low-Sugar Cranberry Salsa

I warned you that cranberries were coming! When fresh cranberries start appearing on produce shelves this time of year, I can never resist buying bags of them to try out new ways to use the tart red berries. They are such a beautiful fruit, and even though they have none of the sweetness of a typical berry, they are one of those awesome ingredients that can take you in so many directions. I love adding them into sweet things like cookies or scones. They add a fantastic pop of flavor to my morning oatmeal. They are wonderful in savory dishes and salads. And of course I love including them in my fruit smoothies. Here, I decided to take them in the spicy direction, and I'm loving the result! Instead of your traditional cranberry relish, this cranberry salsa is simultaneously sweet, tart, and full of spicy zing (which you can adjust according to your "heat tolerance" - I'll admit, I love to turn up the spice). It was fantastic served with sweet potato corn chips, as well as with cinnamon-sugar pita chips. And since I'm kind of one to push the envelope when it comes to all the traditional Thanksgiving flavors (i.e. salt, pepper, and butter) ... I'm positive it would also be an exciting substitute for cranberry relish on your Thanksgiving turkey (though I can't promise your grandmother would approve).

Cranberry Salsa
10 SERVINGS 
PREP: 10 minutes           COOK: 0 minutes            READY IN: 10 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 2 cups fresh cranberries
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/2-1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped (depends on how strong your jalapeño is, and how hot you want it)
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 apple, finely chopped (I used a Gala)
• 1/8 teaspoon stevia extract (or about 1 teaspoon honey or sugar)
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons orange juice

DIRECTIONS

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1. Place half of the cranberries, chopped green onions, jalapeño, and cilantro in a food processor. Blend until all are finely diced, then add in the remaining of each ingredient and pulse the food processor a few more times. You should have a nice mixture, with everything diced, but not completely pureed. 
2. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl with the diced apple pieces. Stir in the sweetener, lime juice, and orange juice. Mix well.
3. Serve with your preferred chips ... or over your turkey!

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1/4 cup serving    23 calories   0.1 g fat   6.2 g carbs    0.2 g protein    3.2 g sugar   

Enjoy!

Recipe Refresh: Chili Con Queso

I love a good challenge, and these recipe refreshes do just that. I've always found ways to make recipes healthier by adding in the reduced or non-fat ingredients. My husband is probably sick of it, but he'll thank me later, he just doesn't know it yet! :)  I'm a sucker for cheese dips, but knowing how much fat and calories they have just isn't appetizing to me. So I decided to "lighten" up one of the best dips, chili con queso! I can't test to see if my baby likes it yet, but it's been husband approved.

Chili con Queso
10 SERVINGS 
PREP: 5 minutes           COOK: 8 minutes            READY IN: 13 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 1 tablespoon butter (I used Yogurt Based Brummel and Brown)
• 1 tablespoon chopped onion
• 1 - 10 oz. can Ro-tel tomatoes with green chilies
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 cups lowfat evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt
• 8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS

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1. In a medium sauce pan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Saute the onion and tomatoes until tomatoes start to break down, about 5 minutes. 
2. Add in cilantro, evaporated milk, and greek yogurt. Stir to combine. 
3. Add in cheese and stir until it is melted. 
4. Serve warm with your favorite chips or crackers.

*Best if kept warm when serving so it doesn't 'harden' up

NUTRITION FACTS

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  1/4 cup   108 calories  5g fat  6g carbs   10g protein   1g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

Recipe Refresh: Spinach Artichoke Dip

Thanksgiving is coming, which means we dust off some of our favorite comfort foods. Of course there are all the traditional meal dishes, sides, and desserts, but there are also the pre-dinner foods that inevitably make a showing.

When I think of one of my favorite appetizers, a nice, creamy spinach-artichoke dip always comes to mind. While the traditional version of this decadent dip is often made with mayonnaise, butter, lots of cheese, and filled with fat and calories, this skimmed-down version is much healthier. With the addition of flavorful ingredients such as feta, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, though, this refresh will still satisfy!

Spinach Artichoke Dip
16 SERVINGS 
PREP: 15 minutes           COOK: 20-25 minutes            READY IN: 35-40 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 10-oz box of chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess moisture
• 1 10-oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1-2 dashes of hot sauce (e.g. Tabasco)
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt or low-fat sour cream
• salt and pepper 
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

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1.  Preheat the oven to 375ºF. 
2. Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized skillet and add the onion, cooking until translucent. Add the garlic, spinach, artichoke, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Stir together about one minute, until heated through. 
3. Remove from heat and stir in the feta and yogurt, and season to taste with salt and pepper. 
4. Spread the mixture into an 8x8 (approximately) baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with Parmesan. 
5. Bake 20-25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the mixture is hot and bubbling.
6. Serve hot with sourdough baguette slices or crackers. 

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1/4 cup serving of dip    53 calories   3.2 g fat   3.9 g carbs    2.9 g protein    .9 g sugar   

Original Recipe	Refresh Recipe
2 tablespoons butter,                           4 ounces cream cheese,   2 1/4 total cups cheese	2 tablespoons olive oil,                               4 ounces (1/2 cup) Greek yogurt, less than 3/4 cup cheese
In 1/4 cup: 106 calories 7 g fat (5 g saturated) 302 mg sodium	In 1/4 cup: 53 calories 3.2 g fat (1.2 saturated) 107 mg sodium

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Latin D'Lite cookbook by Ingrid Hoffmann.

Jalapeño Pesto

This last month I entered into a competition at my gym to lose the most body fat in 30 days, which means a limited diet. I always look for new ways to cook my meat so that I don't get bored with the same thing. This sauce is so delicious and healthy! I paired it with some ribeye, seasoned with salt and pepper, and this was the perfect topping to the dish. If you've never cooked with jalapeños before, the heat is in the seeds and core (white stuff). I like a little heat, so I keep a few seeds in my mix, but if your taste buds aren't a fan then you'll want to remove them all.

Jalapeño Pesto 
18 SERVINGS 
PREP: 5 minutes           COOK: 3 minutes            READY IN: 8 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 1/2 cup roasted, unsalted macadamia nuts
• 1 cup packed fresh parsley
• 1/3 cup packed cilantro leaves
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 jalapeños, coree, seeded, and chopped (if you like spice, keep some seeds) 
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS

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1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and purée until smooth.
2. Add more olive oil if the consistency isn't how you like it. 

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 tablespoon   100 calories   11.2g fat   0.8g carbs    0.3g protein    0g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Make Ahead Paleo
Linking up here

Fluffy Pumpkin Apple Dip

Have you noticed the lovely chill in the air? I'm super excited for the cooler weather. It seems like as soon as fall approaches so do apples, scarves, soup, pumpkins, hot chocolate, and the heater... which I cannot wait to turn on!

This apple dip is a great, quick treat to whip up for those cooler days spent indoors. The peanut butter and pumpkin pie spice gives it a mouthful of flavor that I'm sure no one can resist!

Fluffy Pumpkin Apple Dip
8 SERVINGS 
PREP: 5 minutes           COOK: 0 minutes            READY IN: 5 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 1 package (8 ounces) fat free cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme
• 4 - 5 apples, sliced

DIRECTIONS

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1. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, and pumpkin pie spice until blended. Fold in marshmallow creme. Serve with apple wedges.

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1/4 cup serving    119 calories   1.5 g fat   21.7 g carbs    4.8 g protein    11.9 g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home

Fresh Salsa

With an abundance of tomatoes coming from neighbor's gardens, it's high time we make some fresh salsa. I don't think I want to admit how often we make this in our house, but it's something that tastes especially good with locally grown produce. When I made this, I was swatting out hands just so I could take a quick picture.

Fresh Salsa
2 SERVINGS
PREP: 15 minutes           COOK: 0 minutes            READY IN: 15 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 2 large tomatoes (if you are using roma or smaller tomatoes, add a couple more)
• 1 stalk of green onion
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper (deseeded)
• dash of sea salt

DIRECTIONS

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1. Dice the tomatoes.
2. Cut off the root from the green onion stalk and chop.
3. Cut the jalapeno into small strips and mince.
4. Place all the ingredients into a serving dish and give it a dash of sea salt, or a little bit more if you'd like. 

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 cup serving    34 calories   0.3g fat   7.3g carbs    1.7g protein    4.9g sugar   

If you'd like a little variety, feel free to add avocado or substitute red onion for the green onions. You can also be flexible on the peppers depending what level of spiciness you like in your salsa. Enjoy!