Day 4, Dip of the Day: Thyme-Bacon-White Bean Dip

With America’s Birthday only 1 day away it’s time for a dip that incorporates something that’s truly representative of the USA… BACON! This Dip of the Day is a bit of an indulgence and perfect to offer guests at your 4^th of July party. This dip is high in iron and fiber and as difficult as it may be try not to come back to the appetizer table too often, or you won’t have room for the main course! 

The dip in this picture was mixed only with a spoon and not a food processor, which will result in a smoother texture.  

Thyme- White Bean Dip

1 15 oz. can cannellini beans (aka white kidney beans)

2 pieces of black forest bacon (I prefer Wellshire brand)

2 cloves garlic, sliced

¼ tsp white pepper

Dash of paprika

1 tbsp olive oil

2 heaping tbsp thyme leaves (fresh is best)

Lemon juice to taste

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Fry the two slices of bacon in a large skillet. I usually breakout my cast iron skillet for this, since I love the seasoning the bacon adds to the pan. Feel free to add as much bacon as you’d like to this recipe. Using only two pieces adds just enough flavor and crunch, while still keeping the recipe relatively low in fat, but bacon addicts let your taste buds do the deciding here. Drain crisped bacon on paper towels and remove nearly all of the bacon grease from the pan, leaving a very thin coating.

Rinse and drain cannellini beans thoroughly and pat dry with a paper towel. Over medium heat, add the cannellini beans and sliced garlic cloves to the skillet you used to cook the bacon and cook until beans are golden brown in color (about 4 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool in the pan until room temperature.

In a food processor, combine the beans, garlic, white pepper and paprika. With the food processor running, slowly add the olive oil. Once the mixture is smooth, transfer to a serving bowl and mix in the thyme, lemon, salt and black pepper with a spoon.

Enjoy with any dipping device! I especially like this dip with crudités and whole wheat crostini or pita. 

Hope you all have a very Happy 4th of July!!! We're cooking up a feast tomorrow, so there will be plenty of posts in the next couple weeks with new BBQ ideas!

Day 3, Dip of the Day: Savory Ginger-Soy Dipping Sauce

BBQ’s and cookouts on the 4^th of July will have you heaping your plate with multiple servings of burgers, ribs, potato salad, baked beans, coleslaw, grilled corn and that doesn’t even begin to cover the desserts! Keep your pre-meal munchies satisfied with this Asian inspired dip that will leave plenty of room for the main course.

My soy-ginger sauce takes minutes to prepare and is a great savory dip to serve at any gathering.  This sauce is low in calories and the ginger in the dip offers anti-inflammatory and gastrointestinal benefits. While the amount of ginger in this recipe is too small to have a large health impact it never hurts to add a little more of this root to your diet. Ginger is also extremely versatile in the flavor it brings to a dish. It offsets the saltiness of the soy sauce with its crisp flavors and spiciness.

Soy-Ginger Dipping Sauce

½ cup low-sodium soy sauce

1½ inches of ginger root, peeled and sliced into very thing strips

1 clove garlic crushed

¼ heaping tsp cardamom

¾ tsp brown sugar

In a small saucepan bring soy sauce to a gentle simmer and cook for 1 minute. Add ginger, garlic, cardamom and brown sugar and reduce heat to low. Let cook for 5 minutes, or until mixture begins to thicken and lightly coats the back of a metal spoon.

Remove from heat and let cool before transferring to a serving bowl. Enjoy with kale chips or freshly sliced radishes for a low-fat and low-calorie dipping device! Now you’ll have plenty of room for that second helping of ribs or that extra cupcake J

Quick tip: double this recipe and save half to use as a marinade for chicken skewers. Just add a little lime juice, let chicken marinate for about 40 minutes, grill the skewers and enjoy the double duty this recipe serves!

Kale Chips

1 bunch red or lacinato kale, destemmed and cut into almost bite-size pieces

2 tbsp olive oil

sea salt to taste and a few cracks of fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 300°F. Thoroughly wash and dry kale (I use a salad spinner to dry).  In a re-sealable plastic bag, mix kale, olive oil and salt together with the ever so fun shake method… put on some fun music while you’re at it! Spread the kale leaves onto two cookie sheets and bake for 20 minutes. Make sure to check the kale periodically, as it will sometimes bake more quickly depending on how small the pieces are. 

Day 2, Dip of the Day: Spicy Mango Salsa

Being a southern California native, there is seldom an occasion where salsa or guacamole is not out on the table for some snacking before the main course.  With summer in full swing it’s the perfect time to deviate from the traditional tomato salsa base and try some sweet 

mangos. Continuing my Dip a Day countdown to the 4^th of July, I’m making mango salsa to satisfy my snacking needs and brighten up the cloudy San Fran day!

Mangos are high in vitamins C and A, low in calories and provide a healthy does of fiber so there’s no need to curb your snacking when indulging in this spicy and tropical recipe!

Mango Salsa

4 mangos, diced

1/3 cup red onion, finely diced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 jalapeno, finely diced

½ tsp red pepper flakes

¼ tsp cumin

½ cup cilantro, chopped

Zest and juice of 1 lime

Kosher salt to taste

Mangos can be a bit tricky when it comes to slicing, but with this easy technique all mango-cutting fears will be gone! With the narrow end facing up, slice mangos parallel to and on both sides of the pit. Score the mango flesh vertically and horizontally to create small squares. Using your thumbs push the skin of the mango out to invert the scored flesh, then use a spoon or paring knife to scrape out the cut mango pieces. If you need a little extra help, check out this video to get a full tutorial.  

In a large bowl, mix together diced mangos, red onion, crushed garlic, jalapeno, red pepper flakes and cumin. When cutting the jalapeno be careful to remove the seeds and wash your hands after cutting and touching the jalapeno to avoid any uncomfortable skin/eye irritations. If spice is a prime enemy of yours try using an Anaheim pepper and cut back on the red pepper flakes.

After thoroughly combining the first 6 ingredients, add the cilantro, lime juice and zest. Season with kosher salt to taste. Chill the salsa for about 20 minutes. Try pairing this salsa with Pretzel Crisps, which are lower in fat than most tortilla chips, or large, wide slices of jicama.  To make things a little more interesting toss about a ¼ cup fresh cut corn in the salsa for some extra crunch! 

Pretzel Crisps did not sponsor or provide Katie with any compensation for this post.