Making Hot Dips

This post goes out to Adinosaurus, who made a foodwish for dips.

I completely aborted the fortune cookie plan for today because I feel like I need to do a recipe-run just to see if I can handle it. So instead we’ll have some dips!

Adinosaurus and I sort of go way back, because aside from him being a good friend of thebrownboy’s, I also used to be a disciple at the Shorinji Kempo dojo ran by his dad. Therefore I felt somewhat obligated to do this post, even though I don’t really like dips in general. Knowing what I do know, I know that he’s got a thing for delicious food that still has some health value and so I tried finding recipes that don’t include hefty cream cheese or a lot of cheese in general but to no avail, so I hope these don’t disappoint. I did have a few setbacks in deciding whether to do cold or hot dips, but in the end decided to go with the latter just because I personally don’t care much for cold dips and the food made here will ultimately still have to be consumed by yours truly…a little selfish, I must admit, but what’s a food blogger got to do?

Oh and before I forget, I want to give a shout out to the lovely Ellie at Vegan-FTW for her awesome vegan recipes (and that the last dip in this post goes out to her) and also an “I’m so sorry it’s late, but I’ll get to your foodwish tomorrow! Promise!” to Rubberbend. Seriously, tomorrow (fingers crossed) is cheesecake day.

HOT CHEESY CORN DIP (adapted from Closet Cooking):

[ 1 tablespoon butter + 1 cup corn kernels + 1/4 cup onion, chopped + 1/4 cup red and green bell pepper, chopped + 2 tablespoon chopped green onion + 1 jalapeno + 1-2 clove of garlic, chopped + 1/8 cup mayonnaise + a small handful of cheddar cheese + salt and pepper to taste + cayenne pepper to sprinkle on top ]

Preheat the oven to 350F

Melt 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a pan. Add the corn, season with salt and pepper and saute until the corn starts to turn golden brown, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Melt the rest of the butter in a pan. Add the onion, and pepper and saute until the onions are soft, about 2 minutes. Add the green onions, jalapeno and garlic and saute until softened, about another 2 minutes.

Mix the corn, onions, peppers and mayonnaise together.

Pour the mixture into a baking pan or ramekin and top with the cheddar cheese.
Bake in the oven until bubbling and golden brown on top, about 10 minutes.

Estimated Nutritional Information:

Makes 1 medium sized bowl, Serves approx 8-10

Per Serving:

Total calories: 247 kcals

Carbohydrate: 23g

Fat: 23.6 (10g saturated)

Protein: 11.8 g

Cholesterol: 38mg

JALAPENO POPPER DIP:

[ 1 cup cream cheese, at room temperature + 1/4 cup mayonnaise + 1/4 cup cheddar cheese + 2-3 jalapeno peppers, chopped + 1/2 tablespoon hot sauce + 1/4 tablespoon yellow mustard + 1/4 cup bread crumbs ] OPTIONAL: 1/4 cup grated parmesan.

Preheat the oven at 375F

Mix the cream cheese, mayonnaise, cheddar cheese, jalapenos and the condiments in a bowl and pour into a baking dish or ramekin.

Mix the bread crumbs and grated parmesan (if using) and sprinkle over the dip.

Bake in the oven until golden brown on top, about 10-20 minutes.

Estimated Nutritional Information:

Makes 1 medium sized bowl, Serves approx 8-10

Per Serving:

Total calories: 337 kcals

Carbohydrate: 11g

Fat: 38.2 (22g saturated)

Protein: 27 g

Cholesterol: 33mg

CREAMY SPINACH DIP (adapted from Steamy Kitchen):

[ 8 ounces frozen chopped spinach, defrosted OR 3 cups of fresh spinach leaves + 1/2 of a small onion, minced + 2 tablespoons olive oil + 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg + 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder + 1 cup of cream cheese + 1/4 cup grated parmesan or mozarella cheese]

Preheat the oven to 350F

If you’re using frozen spinach, take a handful of the defrosted spinach and squeeze and discard the water from the spinach. Squeeze as much of the water out as you can. Set aside.

If you’re using fresh spinach, wilt the spinach in a pan over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes and then do the same squeezing process to get the water out.
Don’t be alarmed by the seemingly large amount of spinach leaves because once it cooks down, this would turn to

this:

After squeezing the water out of the spinach, heat a saute pan over medium heat. When hot, add some olive oil and swirl to coat.

Add the onions and saute until soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes (be patient with this because if you do this over high heat, the onions will burn and become bitter).

Add the spinach and saute until the spinach is warm, but still bright green (about 30 seconds).

Season and toss with salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream cheese.

Pour into a baking dish or ramekins (or other oven-safe dish).

Scatter the grated parmesan or mozarella on top and bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbling around the edges. Serve warm with pita chips, bread or celery sticks.

Estimated Nutritional Information:

Makes 1 medium sized bowl, Serves approx 8-10

Per Serving:

Total calories: 217 kcals

Carbohydrate: 16g

Fat: 27.2 (7.9g saturated)

Protein: 15.1 g

Cholesterol: 32mg

SWEET POTATO & TAHINI DIP:

[ 1-2 small sized sweet potatoes + a bunch of spring onions, finely chopped + 1/2 teaspoon olive oil + 1-2 garlic cloves, minced + 2 tablespoons tahini + salt & pepper to taste ]

Scrub the potatoes and bake in a tray, covered with a sheet of foil at 200°C for 30-40 minutes or just boil them in some salted water until soft enough to be poked with a fork.

*** If you can’t find tahini, follow these steps to make some yourself :

TAHINI:

[ 1/2 cup sesame seeds + 4 tablespoons oil (olive, vegetable or sesame) + 1 tablespoon water ]

Put a frying pan on low heat and roast the seeds, frequently stirring with a spatula. Do not allow to brown. Cool for 20 minutes.

*** Back to the potatoes:

Halve and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir gently together, seasoning to taste. Add a bit of water or soymilk to thin out the dip if it’s too thick.