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Category: Appetizers

Roasted Garlic and Beet Hummus

Roasted Garlic and Beet Hummus 1

Hot on the heels of summer is this rosy-hued snack: Roasted Garlic and Beet Hummus!

How rad are you going to be when you enter the next soiree you’ve been invited to with hummus in hand that is a) homemade; b) bright magenta; and c) totally delish TIMES INFINITY? You’re going to be the coolest kid up in that joint!

Packed with a roasted beet, a whole head of roasted garlic, gobs of tahini, and of course – the star of the show – chickpeas (that mighty legume!), this Roasted Garlic and Beet Hummus is not just vibrantly hued: it’s also vibrantly flavored.

Ricotta Bacon Date Dip

Ricotta Bacon Date Dip 1

We’ve got a good one today, guys: a Ricotta Bacon Date Dip that is creamy, sweet, and savory all in one! Better yet, it’s a snap to make.

It’s not the time for elaborate meals right now. It’s Big Game weekend here in the U.S. (am I as a lay person not even allowed to use the term “Super Bowl”? I never know.)! Time for beer and wings and nachos, silly TV ads and Gaga’s halftime show, betting games like squares! And football, of course.

For many of us, the football is incidental. I am not a football person. But I like having an excuse to loll on the couch in my sweatpants eating insanely rich foods – like dips!

Spicy Cheesy White Bean and Sausage Dip

Spicy Cheesy White Bean and Sausage Dip 1

It’s bowl game season! The Big Game is only a little over a week away!

Confession: I could give a crap. I’m not a football gal (too long and tedious to me – I can’t get into all of the starts and stops). If my hometown Lions made it all the way, I would be ecstatic for my family, who have stood by them for decades, through all the disappointments, mediocrity, and downright atrociousness. But since they made it nowhere near the Big Game this year, I don’t have a ton of interest in it. I’ll be rooting for Denver, because I have family out there who roots for the Broncos (Hi, Aunt Ria!).

The only reason I do care a little that the Big Game is coming up (I keep saying “Big Game” because I think none of us is really supposed to say “Super Bowl,” right? I find that utterly ridiculous.) is for game-time snacks! I love game-time snacks! And this dip is everything you want in a game-time snack: rich and cheesy and spicy and fatty and probably not all that good for you.

White Bean Lemon Dill Dip

White Bean Lemon Dill Dip
In case you haven’t noticed yet, I love making dips! Specifically, I love making dips from beans; they’re just such a great base! They’re healthy and a great source of fiber and protein. And white beans, such as northern or cannellini or navy beans, are so mild that they are quite versatile in dip-making; you can pair them with so many different flavors.

Parmesan and Pine Nut-Studded Beef Meatballs

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These meatballs are so, so, so addictively delicious, if I do say so myself! Try not to stand there and eat several right out of the pan when you first take them out of the oven like I did!

Bacon-Wrapped Date-Stuffed Jalapeños

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I got the inspiration for this recipe from, of all things, a TGI Fridays commercial.

Mozzarella and Roasted Garlic White Bean Dip

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Eating this mozzarella and roasted garlic white bean dip is like jumping into a vat of cheesy-gooey-garlicky deliciousness that you never want to leave.