We have all been there. You find out last minute that a friend is coming by to catch up or maybe you had something scheduled for weeks and you just completely forgot about it. Whatever the case may be, the situation leaves you scrambling for something that your guest(s) can munch on. After all, you don't want to drink that wine on an empty stomach. Here are two of my favorite go to dips. They both involve ingredients that you most likely already have around your home and they go great with whatever you have to dip in them. Pretzels, fresh veggies, pita, etc. The first dip is a lot like a hummus just with less ingredients, including no tahini. This makes it wonderful because not many people keep tahini in their house. The second dip is very flexible. You can use Greek yogurt or sour cream as the base if you don't have Ricotta. Then you can sub in whatever fresh herbs or spices you may have lying around. If neither of these dips works for you just get creative with what you do have in your fridge. I threw a party once and forgot about the dip. I had a small amount of green goddass dressing, a small amount of ranch dressing, some fresh basil and some cream. I mixed them all together and people loved it! The secret is to serve whatever you make with confidence and don't let on that you just threw it together.
Chickpea Dip Ingredients 1 tsp Ground cumin 2 cloves of Garlic, chopped The juice of 2 lemons 1 tsp of Lemon zest 2 cans of Chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1/4 cup Olive Oil 1/4 cup Water Salt Instructions Combine all of the ingredients except for the salt and olive oil and food processor. Pulse until the chickpeas have a creamy texture. While running the food processor, drizzle in the olive oil. If the mixture seems to dry add additional olive oil. Once you like the texture of the dip season with salt, transfer to a bowl and serve. You can top with some additional cumin, lemon zest, garlic or fresh herbs if you desire.
Whipped Ricotta Dip Ingredients 1 1/2 cups Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese 3 Tbsp Olive Oil 1 tsp of Lemon zest The Juice of 1 lemon 1/2 cup fresh Basil leaves (when in a pinch use 1 Tbsp of dried basil) 2 Tbsp fresh Thyme (if you need to use dried thyme use about 2 tsp) Salt Pepper Instructions Place all ingredients except for the salt and pepper in a food processor. Blend until it is light and smooth. This will only take about 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a bowl and serve. As I mentioned above you can sub any flavors into the whipped ricotta that you have on hand. Be creative and have fun.