Month-of-Mediterranean: A Trio of Dips

Who doesn’t love a party? But some of those party foods can be calorie bombs. The nutritional value might take second (third?) place to the deliciousness of fat or sugar. But when you are eating the Mediterranean Way, you have lots of alternatives that are delicious and nutritious.

Only one of these dips is actually Mediterranean. But Guacamole and Pico de Gallo fulfill the requirements to allow them into a Mediterranean foods lifestyle, so I have them here. They make a pretty look on your appetizer table, don’t they?

To up the Med value even more, put out an assortment of veggies to dip into the dips along with a few homemade baked pita chips. Skip the corn chips for the pico de gallo and use baked pita chips there, too, but focus on the dipping veggies like carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, jicama, steamed green beans, well, you get the idea.

Make your own low-fat baked pita chips with this recipe from Aggie’s Kitchen:

https://aggieskitchen.com/homemade-baked-pita-chips/

And you could made a quad of dips if you wanted to use an authentic Lebanese recipe for hummus. Both easy and delicious!

https://www.themediterraneandish.com/how-to-make-hummus/

My Guacamole

Guac is another one of those recipes that is highly individual. Here’s mine, but adjust the flavor profile to make it your own by using hotter chilies, more onion, etc.

3 avocados, ripe

½ small onion, diced

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

1 small can chilies, drained

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 lime, juiced + zest

½ cup Greek yogurt

Salt to taste

Remove pits from avocados and mashed the meat. We like it chunky. Some like it smooth.

Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Tightly seal to keep out air and refrigerate until ready to use.

My Pico de Gallo

This one really doesn’t need a recipe. Everyone adjusts the ingredient proportions to their own taste. All you need is lime juice, tomatoes, cilantro, chilies, and onions. It’s easy, but the dicing takes some time. You want tiny pieces. Here’ what I do.

8 small (or 4 large) really ripe Roma tomatoes, diced

1 small white onion, diced

1 small can chilies, drained

½ cup lime juice

½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped fine

Salt to taste

Combine diced onion with lime juice and chilies. Let sit while you dice the tomatoes and cilantro.

Add tomatoes and cilantro to the chilies mixture and combine thoroughly. Add salt if needed.

Let sit for at least 15 minutes (longer is better) in the refrigerator.

My Tzatziki

1 large cucumber, grated and squeezed dry (some take off the peel-not me!)

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons dried dill

1 teaspoon dried mint

4 tablespoons minced garlic

Salt to taste

Grate the cucumber and wrap in layers of paper towels to get most of the liquid out.

Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Let stand at room temperature for about a half hour, stirring a couple of times as it sits. Put in a pretty dish and serve.

DH’s Rating: 4 Tongues Up

Darn! I could have gotten 5 Tongues Up if I didn’t include tzatziki. He really, really, really doesn’t like cucumbers. Oh, well. He loved the others, and he does like hummus, so he’s not hopeless!