Riverview Camp Ground

Now that the football season has kicked off, it’s party time!  Time for entertaining friends while cheering on  your favorite team and who can watch a football game without chips and dips, chips and crackers, or dips and fresh veggies?  Following are some dip recipes that may add some variety to the dips you serve.

Let’s start with a Bacon and Tomato Dip.  The combination of bacon and tomato is almost always a crowd pleaser.  This dip is good with chips, crackers, fresh veggies, or mini party breads.

LAND O’ LAKES BACON TOMATO DIP

2 cups low-fat sour cream

1 cup finely chopped tomato

8 slices crisply cooked bacon, crumbled

1 tbsp dried basil leaves

In a medium bowl, stir all ingredients together until well mixed.  Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours, allowing flavors to blend.  Serve with crackers, chips, or fresh veggies.

Our second dip features dry Italian Salad Dressing Mix and is perfect served with a tray of fresh vegetables:

ITALIAN VEGGIE DIP

16-oz low-fat sour cream

6-oz pkt Italian salad dressing seasoning mix

2 tbsp Parmesan cheese

In a medium bowl, combine sour cream, seasoning mix, and cheese.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  Serve with a selection of fresh vegetables.

For the health conscience in your group, here is the perfect dip recipe:

HEALTHY PARTY DIP

2 cups low-fat unflavored yogurt

2 cups fat-free cottage cheese

1/4 toasted sesame seeds

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/2 tsp celery salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

In a medium bowl, blend yogurt and cottage cheese thoroughly.  Sprinkle in sesame seeds, wheat germ, celery salt and garlic powder.  Blend together well.  Cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate and chill until serving time.  Serve as a dip with fresh vegetables or assorted whole-wheat crackers.

This final dip recipe is one I found in a magazine and it is the unique recipe of a great cook who loves to cook and share his expertise with others for charity:

HOWARD ALT’S BLACK BEAN DIP WITH TORTILLA CHIPS

1 red bell pepper

3/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

3 tbsp finely chopped green onions

2 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp balsmic vinegar

2 tbsp hot sauce

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp salt

2 cans (15-oz each) cans black beans, drained

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

1 garlic clove, minced

Chopped red bell pepper, optional

6 (10-inch) flour tortillas, each cut into 8 wedges

Cooking spray

Preheat broiler

Cut the bell pepper in half lengthwise, discarding seeds and membranes.  Place the halves, skin side up, on a foil-lined sheet and flatten with your hand.  Broil 5 minutes or until blackened.  Place pepper halves in a zip-top plastic bag and seal.  Let stand for 5 minutes, then peel.  Place the pepper, cilantro, green onions, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, hot sauce, ground allspice, ground cumin, salt, pepper, beans, jalapeno pepper, and garlic in a food processor and process until smooth.  Spoon into a bowl and garnish with chopped red bell pepper, if desired.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Arrange the tortilla wedges in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.  Bake for 5 minutes or until golden.  Serve with the dip.

 Yield:  12 servings of 1/4 cup dip and 4 tortilla wedges each

Note:  Howard Alt is a Chicago psychiatrist who loves to cook.

Enjoy!  And good luck to your team!!

Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day. And in countries like India, breakfast is another opportunity to showcase their colorful and flavorful cuisine. In India, there are various breakfast meals that are favored by people and are at the same time healthy and delectable. In some regions of India, these dishes are served in other meals besides breakfast. If you want deviations from your usual morning munchies, try out some of the Indian breakfast foods listed below.

Chapati – It is unleavened flat bread made of durum wheat. The dough is flattened into a large circle, and dry cooked on a tava or hot pan. Chapati is often served with soups, lentils, chutney, and curries.

Idli – This Indian breakfast is prepared from rice and black lentils baked together to form a savory cake. The white puffed cakes are served with chutney and other spices.

Sambhar – As a breakfast dish, sambhar is a soup or stew that is rich in vegetables and spices. The base of the broth is pigeon peas, or toovar dal, and other ingredients added are potatoes, pumpkin, tomatoes, okra, carrots, as well as spices like fenugreek, coriander, turmeric, mustard seeds, and more.

Stuffed Parathas – This Indian breakfast is not only nutritious but delicious, according to many sources. Commonly, the stuffing is made up of potatoes, carrots, moong, paneer and at some times cheese and radish.

Upma – Upma is an Indian breakfast that could be prepared differently depending on the person making it. It could be made from semolina or rava. Peas, onions, cabbage, carrots, eggplant, potatoes, cumin, and other Indian spices are added. The mixture is cooked in a pan and mixed together as a fried batter.

Tosai or Dosa – This is India’s version of a breakfast crepe, but it may also be served during other meals of the day. The batter is made of rice and lentils ground together and mixed with water. Once the crepe is cooked over a hot pan, it may be served with pickles, curry, chicken, chutney, and other spices or vegetables.

Puttu – Another staple and popular Indian breakfast delicacy, it is made up of rice paste. The rice is kneaded and moistened with just the right amount of water to achieve the ideal consistency. The dough is molded into rolls and steamed in a special contained known as the Puttu Kutti. Puttu may be served with curry, lentils, chickpeas, and also chutney.

Indian breakfasts are not hard to make. They are simple, yet healthy and delicious. Indian breakfasts are considered specialties in most parts of the world, particularly because of their versatility. So don’t skip on your breakfasts, and try something new for a change. Not only will you be getting the needed energy to sustain your day, but you will also enjoy savory meals that are distinctly Indian.

Eggs are high-protein foods which makes them a good choice for diabetics. But too often we worry about the fat, cholesterol, or fatty cooking method of eggs. Here are three egg recipes that are low-fat, healthy and tasty. Got a craving for an egg? Try one of these recipes. The mini ham & cheese frittatas are quick and easy. You bake them in muffin cups for a different egg dish. With mexican-style cheese and a garnish of picante sauce the 3-egg omelet has a mexican flare. Last but not least, our third recipe is for a baked omelet roll.

MINI HAM & CHEESE FRITTATAS

1/4 lb cubed fully cooked lean ham

1 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups egg substitute (or 6 eggs)

4 egg whites

3 tbsp minced chives

2 tbsp skim milk

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat 8 muffins cups with nonstick cooking spray.

Divide ham evenly among the 8 muffin cups. Top ham with cheese. In a large mixing bowl beat eggs or egg substitute with egg whites. Beat in the chives, milk, salt and pepper. Pour this mixture over the cheese in muffin cups. Each cup should be about 3/4 full. Bake 22-25 minutes or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Carefully run a knife around edges to loosen. Remove from pan and serve warm.

3 EGG MEXICAN-FLAVORED OMELETTE

3 large eggs

1 tbsp milk

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 chopped green bell pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped ham

2 tbsp shredded mexican-style (or your choice) cheese

salt to taste

black pepper to taste

dash of garlic powder

picante sauce for garnish

Blend eggs and milk in a mixing bowl. Add garlic powder, salt and pepper. Set aside. Spray a large skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Over medium heat, saute onion, bell pepper and ham until heated and onion is tender. Pour egg mixture into skillet over the vegetables and ham. Cook until eggs are semi-soft, flip to finish cooking. Sprinkle cheese over top. Remove to serving plate and garnish with picante sauce.

BAKED OMELET ROLL

6 eggs or 1 1/2 cups egg substitute

1 cup low-fat milk

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Place eggs and milk in blender. Add flour, salt and pepper. Cover and process until smooth. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes or until eggs are set. Sprinkle with cheese. Roll up omelet in pan starting with a short side. Place seam down on a warm serving platter. Cut into slices. Garnish plate with some fresh parsley or cilantro.

Enjoy!