FRUIT & VEGGIE DIPS w/ Variations

What goes better with fresh fruit and veggies??

DIPS!

My kids LOVE to eat anything with dip! There are a lot of things that make a good dip already prepared:

Hummus
Peanut/ Almond/ Cashew Butter
Ranch Dressing
Yogurt
Salsa


OR you can make up some dips ahead time too. Here are a few recipes:

Basic Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

1 8-ounce package cream cheese,softened
3 tablespoons sugar or Agave Nectar
1 cup sour cream or Mascarpone
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth and creamy.

Variations:

Almond Fruit Dip:

Add 3 tablespoons finely chopped almonds and 1 1/2 teaspoons almond liqueur to the basic recipe. Garnish with 1 tablespoon finely chopped almonds, if desired.

Raspberry Fruit Dip:

Puree 1 cup sweetened raspberries (aprox. 1 10-ounce package). Spoon half the basic recipe into a serving dish and smooth. Top with half the raspberry puree and smooth. Repeat.

Lemon Fruit Dip:

Add zest of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1 extra tablespoon sugar to the basic cream cheese fruit dip recipe.

Marshmallow Fruit Dip:

Add 1/2 cup marshmallow creme to the basic recipe.

All recipes: Chill and serve with assorted fruit dippers such as bananas, grapes, kiwi, apple, pineapple, strawberries, raspberries, and papaya, cut into bite-size pieces, if necessary. Bagel bites are good, too. Makes 2 to 3 cups.

Honey-Yogurt Dip

• 2 cups vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Coconut Fruit Dip

1/2 C. softened cream cheese (4 oz., or half a block)
1/2 C. sour cream
1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. sweetened shredded coconut

Combine all ingredients well.

Veggie Dip


1 8oz container of Greek style yogurt (1 cup)
2 tablespoons grated onion (sweet preferred)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoon fresh chopped mint
2 teaspoons of honey
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, stir all ingredients together and serve immediately or chill in refridgerater.