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We love creative uses of spices at our house. What is really a winner is that munching all night long on these combinations and a glass of wine or beer will keep you under 1,000 calories - and that's if you stuff yourself silly. Considering most hamburgers come in at 1,200 calories at most restaurants, well, this is good news.
The Sesame Pita Chips employ the wonderful taste sensation of dark sesame oil commonly used as a finish for Chinese dishes just before serving. It tends to excite the appetite and smells and tastes heavenly. It may be expensive to purchase a bottle but you only use very small amounts like a few dashes per dish. She pairs this oil with the Indian spice blend of garam masala which completes the full flavor needed when using whole wheat pitas.
The Seeded Tortilla Chips use three kinds of tasty seeds - flax, sesame and chia - with chili powder to give full flavor as well as adding some protein to the chips.
The Old Bay Chips are very simple to create. You make your own potato chips from russet potatoes, spraying them first with flavorful olive oil, then sprinkling them with the Old Bay seasoning commonly used for seafood boils. All you do is arrange them in single layers, shove in the oven and bake to golden brown perfection.
The Green Goddess Dip uses fresh green herbs like basil, chervil, chives, and tarragon - along with fresh green onions.
The Clam Casino Dip is the only dip where your diet might get in trouble as it has the most calories. It is comprised of reduced fat cream cheese, low fat sour cream, turkey bacon and clams along with seasonings.
The Spiced Carrot Dip is unusual in its tasty blend of toasted fragrant spices, using cumin, curry powder and mustard seeds, then blended with Greek style yogurt and sour cream.
The Spanish Red Pepper Dip combines roasted red bell peppers (jar is fine), toasted sliced almonds, salty pungent feta cheese, fresh chopped garlic and red pepper flakes to kick it up a notch.
The Wasabi Pea Dip is yet another interesting taste sensation comprised of frozen green peas that are never cooked so they retain the bright green and sugary sweetness, silken tofu, lime juice, a lot of fresh chopped cilantro, a bit of wasabi paste and some chopped scallions. This is a high protein dip to enjoy with a fresh herb taste along with some onion searing heat. It's a perfect complement to chips.
Lori pairs the seeded tortilla chips with the Spanish red pepper dip. She coupled the Old Bay chips with the clam casino dip but you can try any combination that suits your taste buds.
These dips and chips are some innovative uses of spices, the forgotten foods - but that's yet another series of posts to explain all the benefits of these incredible spices used in these recipes.
Menu:
Sesame pita chips
Seeded tortilla chips
Old Bay chips
Green goddess dip
Clam casino dip
Spiced carrot dip
Spanish red pepper dip
Wasabi pea dip
Sesame Pita Chips
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon garam masala (Indian spice blend)
- 4 whole wheat pitas, split
Preparation
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk together oil, garam masala, and ½ teaspoon salt. Brush rough sides of pitas evenly with oil mixture. Cut each half into 12 wedges. Arrange cut side up on 2 large baking sheets. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven until golden brown and crisp, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer to cooling racks.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
NUTRITION (per serving; about 12 chips): 101 cal, 3 g pro, 18 g carb, 2 g fiber, 2.5 g fat, 0.5 g sat fat, 316 mg sodium
Serving Size
Makes 96 chips, 8 servings
* * * * *
Seeded Tortilla Chips
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup flax seeds
- 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 large egg white
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 6 flour tortillas (8"–10")
Preparation
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Stir together seeds. Whisk together egg white, chili powder, and 1 teaspoon salt. Brush tops of tortillas with egg white mixture and sprinkle evenly with seeds. Cut each tortilla into 12 triangular pieces. Arrange half of chips, seed side up, in single layer on 2 large baking sheets. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven until golden and crisp, about 15 minutes. Cool on racks. Bake remaining chips and cool.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
NUTRITION (per serving; about 6 chips): 108 cal, 3 g pro, 13 g carb, 2 g fiber, 5 g fat, 0.5 g sat fat, 354 mg sodium
Serving Size
Makes 72 chips, 12 servings
* * * * *
Old Bay Chips
Ingredients
- 3 russet potatoes (1 1/2 pounds total), scrubbed well
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
Preparation
Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat 2 large sheet pans with olive oil spray. Using a mandoline, cut half of potatoes (with skin) into very thin (16") slices. Arrange in single layer on prepared pans. Lightly coat tops of potatoes with olive oil spray. Using a small sieve, sprinkle half of the seasoning over top. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven until crisp and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to cooling racks. Repeat process with remaining ingredients.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes
NUTRITION (per serving; about 12 chips) 67 cal, 2 g pro, 15 g carb, 1 g fiber, 0 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 124 mg sodium
Serving Size
Makes about 96 chips, 8 servings
* * * * *
Green Goddess Dip
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 1/2 cups fresh herbs (such as basil, chervil, chives, and tarragon), coarsely chopped 2 scallions, green parts only, chopped
- 1 tablespoon anchovy paste
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Preparation
Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until smooth and green in color. Transfer to serving bowl and season to taste.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes
NUTRITION (per 1/4 cup serving): 110 cal, 2 g pro, 4 g carb, 1 g fiber, 9.5 g fat, 3 g sat fat, 373 mg sodium
Tips
Recommended to be served with Old Bay chips or sesame pita chips.
Serving Size
Makes 1 1/2 cups, 6 servings
* * * * *
Clam Casino Dip
Ingredients
- 2 ounces turkey bacon, cooked until crisp and chopped
- 2 cans (6.5 ounce each) whole clams, rinsed, drained, and chopped
- 8 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel), softened
- 1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
- 1/4 cup finely chopped shallot
- 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Preparation
Stir together all ingredients until well combined. Season to taste. Chill, covered, at least 1 hour or until ready to serve.
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes + chill time
NUTRITION (per 2 Tbsp serving): 67 cal, 4 g pro, 2 g carb, 0 g fiber, 5 g fat, 2.5 g sat fat, 179 mg sodium
Tips
Recommended to be served with Old Bay chips.
* * * * *
Spiced Carrot Dip
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
- 3/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1 cup 2 percent Greek-style yogurt
- 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Preparation
Steam carrots until tender, about 20 minutes. Put in food processor. Heat oil in small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add mustard seeds, curry powder, and cumin. Toast, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add to food processor with remaining ingredients and pulse until smooth. Season.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
NUTRITION (per 1/4 cup serving): 44 cal, 2 g pro, 5 g carb, 1 g fiber, 2 g fat, 1 g sat fat, 34 mg sodium
Serving Size
Makes 4 cups, 16 servings
* * * * *
Spanish Red Pepper Dip
Ingredients
- 1 jar (10–12 ounce) roasted piquillo or red bell peppers, rinsed and drained
- 2 ounces feta, crumbled
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
- 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Preparation
Combine all ingredients in food processor. Pulse until smooth. Transfer to serving bowl and season to taste.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes
NUTRITION (per 2 Tbsp serving): 50 cal, 3 g pro, 3 g carb, 1 g fiber, 3.5 g fat, 1.5 g sat fat, 119 mg sodium
Tips
Recommended to be served with seeded tortilla chips or sesame pita chips.
Serving Size
Makes 1 1/4 cups, 10 servings
* * * * *
Wasabi Pea Dip
Ingredients
- 1 pound frozen green peas, thawed
- 1 cup silken tofu
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
- 3 scallions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon wasabi paste
Preparation
Combine all ingredients in food processor. Pulse until smooth. Transfer to serving bowl and season to taste.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 5 minutes
NUTRITION (per ¼ cup serving): 45 cal, 3 g pro, 6 g carb, 2 g fiber, 0.5 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 52 mg sodium
Serving Size
Makes 3 cups, 12 servings
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