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Dips are one of my most favorite party servings. I usually make a per person serving in a bowl and place it in a plate along with a single serving of crackers, chips, nachos, fruits, etc. They are easy to make, eat and serve and when served individually, people don’t even have to worry about hygiene (I am always weary about the previous dipper, double dipping their cracker in the dip, thus contaminating it with their saliva! Eww!) Okay, so now we know why single serve dips are important, but what about the health benefits? Often, dips are loaded with cheese, mayonnaise, oil, sugar etc, neither of which is much beneficial for our health. But don’t worry, if you and your friends are health freaks, I am sharing a few protein-rich dip recipes that will not only amaze your friends they would also indulge and enjoy without actually feeling guilty.

1. Roasted Tomato Hummus

Ingredients

1 cup dry chickpeas

1/3 cup tomatoes

2 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoon tahini

1 large clove garlic

2 teaspoon cumin seeds powder

1 green chilli

salt to taste

2 Tablespoon basil

Recipe

Soak the chickpeas in water overnight. In the morning, boil the chickpeas for a few minutes to soften them.

Preheat your oven at 200-degree centigrade for 10 minutes. Dice your tomatoes and place them in a baking tray in a single layer. Bake these in the oven for around 20 minutes or until the upper layer looks roasted.

Add chickpeas to a food processor along with the roasted tomatoes, oil, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, powder, and salt.

Pulse for 1 minute then scrape down sides and bottom of the jar and pulse one minute longer.

Add 2 tablespoons of water and then pulse 2 - 3 minutes longer, stopping and scraping down sides and bottom of processor once halfway through (add more water to thin if desired).

Add basil, chilli and cumin powder and pulse until just minced into hummus.

Serve it in a box and add a dash of oil, chopped tomatoes, and green chilli slices.

Tastes best with pita bread.

2. Roasted Garlic Hummus

Ingredients

2 heads garlic

4 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup chickpeas

3 Tablespoons plus 1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 Tablespoons tahini

salt to taste

Recipe

Soak the chickpeas in water overnight. In the morning, boil the chickpeas for a few minutes to soften them.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees for 10 minutes.

Peel the first papery skin off the garlic cloves (make sure that the individual cloves are wrapped in the paper thin skin) and put them on a baking tray and coat the cut ends of the garlic with oil.

Roast until the garlic cloves are soft and fragrant. It usually takes 45 minutes to 1-hour maximum.

Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their papery skin.

Put these garlic cloves in a food processor and add all the other ingredients and blend them together till it forms a smooth paste.

Serve sprinkled with cayenne pepper, parsley and drizzled with more olive oil if desired.

Taste best on an autumn evening with a bowl of nachos.

3. Roasted Bell Peppers

Ingredients

1 1/2 medium red bell peppers

1 cup dried chickpeas

3 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3 Tablespoon tahini

2 cloves garlic

salt to taste

1/4 teaspoon cumin

2 Tablespoon olive oil

Recipe

Soak the chickpeas in water overnight. In the morning, boil the chickpeas for a few minutes to soften them.

Preheat your oven at 200-degree centigrade for 10 minutes. Cut the peppers in half and place them in a baking try with the uncut part facing upwards. Bake these in the oven for around 20 minutes or until the upper layer looks roasted.

Peel peppers, cool completely then dice the peppers.

Add chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, salt and cumin in a food processor and pulse it for 2 minutes, then scrape down sides and bottom of the processor.

Add olive oil and chopped peppers. Pulse 1 minute, then add 1 tbsp water to thin and pulse 1 minute longer.

Top with a dash of olive oil if desired and top with some small diced red bell peppers.

Tastes best with chips.

Tip: Tahini Recipe

Put one cup sesame seeds. 4 tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt in a mixer. Blend until smooth.