What makes a good dip? Creaminess? Savoury? Rich? All of those are what I like, but also I need something healthy and low in fat. I am not a fan of store bought dips. There are a couple good ones out there, but for the most part I find homemade dips more flavourful and you can use fat free products to make them a little easier on the waistline.

I make a vegetable pack to bring for lunch every day – an assortment of carrots, celery, bell peppers, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes – and I love a good homemade dip to go with my vegetables! I strive to get 7 – 8 servings of fruits and vegetables a day and my vegetable pack counts as two servings! (I follow Eating well with Canada’s Food Guide) But it is much easier for me to get my veggies down when I have a healthy dip with it!

One week I made two choices for the weeks vegetable packs: an avocado dip and caramelized onion dip! Both were very creamy and tasty and were perfect with my vegetables, so naturally I have to share on the food blog!

Caramelized Onion Dip

This dip is really easy to make but takes a bit of time because you need caramelized onions. To caramelize onions you need to be patient…or at least I do. Onions don’t caramelize in a few minutes; rather they need to be left for about 40 minutes on low heat and stirred as they cook. 

I put a pot on the stove, added butter and olive oil and let the butter melt. I added diced onions to the pot, some salt and pepper, and let it be for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once the onions are done caramelizing, they will be soft and a rich, golden brown. At this point I added in chopped garlic and continued to caramelize for another 20 minutes. I added in some brown sugar, mixed well and let it continue on low and slow for another 10 minutes. I now added in thyme and Worcestershire sauce, removed from the heat and set aside to let cool. 

Now onto the creamy ingredients. I put the cream cheese and Greek yogurt in a bowl and mixed well together until smooth and velvety and once the onion mixture is cooled, I folded it into the cream cheese and Greek yogurt. Serve chilled with fresh veggies!

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Caramelized Onion Dip

Creamy, rich and savoury caramelized onion dip - a healthy dip for vegetables

Author Chews and Brews

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion diced
• Salt and pepper
• 4 garlic cloves chopped
• 1.5 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/8 tsp dried thyme
• 4 oz. 1/2 brick non-fat cream cheese
• 1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt

Instructions

1. Put a pot on the stove and add the butter and olive oil and heat until the butter melts.
2. Add in the diced onions, some salt and pepper, and let it be for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add in chopped garlic and continue to caramelize for another 20 minutes.
4. Add brown sugar, mix well and continue on low and slow for another 10 minutes.
5. Add in thyme and Worcestershire sauce, remove from heat and set aside to let cool.
6. While the onion mix is cooling, mix together the cream cheese and Greek yogurt in a bowl and stir well until smooth.
7. Once the onion mixture is cooled, folded it into the cream cheese and Greek yogurt until mixed well.
8. Serve chilled with fresh veggies!

Avocado Dip

This dip is easy and quick. As long as you have a nice, ripe avocado, you can make this dip in minutes! Oh and if you have never cut an avocado before, I wrote a small post on how to do it! 

I put all of the ingredients into a food processor, pureed until smooth and creamy, and serve chilled! That’s all! Simple!

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Avocado Dip

Creamy, avocado dip - healthy dip for vegetables!

Author Chews and Brews

Ingredients

• 1 avocado diced
• Salt and pepper
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp lime juice

Instructions

1. Put all ingredients into a food processor and pureed until smooth.
2. Serve chilled with fresh cut vegetables.

How many servings of vegetables do you eat daily!?