I have a confession. I really like dips. I think they are fun to make, you can make a ton of different kinds for a ton of different things. The possibilities are
endless...truthfully. Have you searched "dips" on pinterest? My latest search turned up a red velvet cake batter dip, a Butterfinger fruit dip, a mint chocolate chip cookie dough dip and a pickle wrap dip (what!?) without even scrolling half way down the page. I stumbled upon my latest dip without a specific search. I was poking around in the 'food and drink' category and happened upon a peanut butter greek yogurt fruit dip. Check it out
here... It is a fit-sugar recipe so I knew it would be on the healthy side.
When I made my grocery list this weekend, the only item I didn't have that was listed was the vanilla greek yogurt. I had maple syrup (not organic, but since I wasn't sure I would even like the dip, I didn't want to waste money that I don't have) and I had cinnamon on hand (although I kinda really don't like cinnamon but...) and I had peanut butter (not natural but again with the spending unnecessary money thing...). However, while I was playing around in the kitchen today and busting out a bunch of different things, I started thinking about the dip and how I could switch it up with other stuff I had around the house.
Here's what I did.
Ingredients:
6 oz. non fat vanilla greek yogurt (I used one that was on sale 10 for $10... can't pass up a good deal!)
~ 1 tbsp local honey (I really like honey and don't use sugar in my tea anymore. I always have local honey on hand b/c it's tasty and the local kind is supposed to be good for people with allergies)
~ 2 tbsp. homemade almond butter
few dashes of cinnamon
(I used a regular kitchen teaspoon so when I say about a tbsp, I really eyeballed it)
I decided to use almond butter for a few reasons: the first is that I had some on hand that I made myself. I roasted off some raw almonds for 5-7 minutes with a TOUCH of salt, then threw them into the food processor for what felt like FOREVER with a little bit of coconut oil to get them going. If you decide to try making your own almond butter, know going into it that it literally takes a gazillion hours (ok, not quite but for someone who is impatient like me, it seemed that long!) The second reason I decided to use almond butter is because I have a co-worker who I wanted to share my dip with and she has a peanut allergy (although she is in denial about it). Plus, since I am going to bring it to school w/ lunch, it can't hurt to have it peanut free just in case. I have no kids w/ allergies in my classroom (thank god b/c they eat peanut butter like it's going out of style) but it never hurts to be safe!
Anyway...
I took the yogurt, honey and almond butter and stuck it in my magic bullet. In hindsight, I probably should have used the food processor but it was already being used for something else (I cooked/prepared/made about 15 different things today so I used a lot of my gadgets). So I threw it all in there and let it go, stopping to open it up and scrape everything off the sides a few times. When I was happy that everything was mixed together, I threw in a few dashes of cinnamon, screwed the top back on and gave it a few shakes to incorporate the cinnamon. I poured it in one of my cute mini mason jars (I'm a
little addicted to them) and stuck it in the fridge. I really liked the almond flavor it has and since I'm not HUGE on peanut butter, I think it was the right choice. I'm going to pair it with some apple slices and maybe even some banana.
The true test will be to give my students a little bit and see what they think. Anything I think they will hate, they usually love (quinoa chips were a huge hit the week before vacation), but then again, boys will usually eat anything... unless it's healthy...
Have you tried any new dips lately?
Happy Fooding!
