Looking for a "lighter" dip? This has all the flavor, but lacks the mayo/cream cheese/sour cream calories. I felt so bad for stripping out the good stuff I made sure this recipe still had some bacon and gorgonzola cheese to make up for it. 

1 large onion, diced
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Sugar
1/2 lb. bacon, diced
2 cans cannellini beans, drained
2 ounces Gorgonzola cheese
Honey
Salt and Pepper

The first step is the longest, but so worth it. We're going to caramelize some onions. In a medium skillet, add the onion, butter, and olive oil. Saute over medium-high heat until the onions start to become translucent - about 5 minutes. Be sure to stir frequently to prevent the onions from charring. At this point I like to sprinkle a little bit of sugar (1/8 - 1/4 tsp.) over the onions to help bring out the sweetness. Turn the heat to low, cover, and set the timer for 40 minutes. Stir the onions every 5 minutes to ensure they are not browning. At the end of the 40 minutes, the onions should be nicely caramelized. Remove the onions from the pan and add in the bacon. Cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain/dry the bacon. 
Next comes the easy part. In a food processor, add the onion mixture, bacon, beans, Gorgonzola cheese, and 1 tablespoon honey. Process until the beans are no longer visible. Taste, and add more honey as desired as well as salt and pepper. Keep chilled until ready to eat. Serve with crackers, pita chips, or better yet - veggies!

1 large zucchini (or 2 average size)
1 medium sweet potato
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Ground chipotle pepper (or paprika or any other spice of your choice)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice the zucchini and sweet potato with a mandolin. Don't go too thin, otherwise the zucchini will disintegrate in the oven. You could try cutting the vegetables with a knife, but my skills aren't that great. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper and lay out the veggie chips. Drizzle with a very small amount of olive oil and sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and chipotle pepper. Less is better because the veggie chips get a little salty when they dry out from cooking. In total, I used probably less than 1/2 tsp. total of the seasoning. Make sure all the chips are flat and not touching. Bake for 15 minutes, check/rotate the chips as needed and then bake for another 15 minutes. The sweet potato chips may need a little extra time. Allow to cool on the baking sheet so they stay crispy. I had mine for dinner with a tuna melt. So good! Makes 1-2 servings (really, I ate them all so I'd say one serving)

A co-worker brought in leftovers of this pasta dish and highly recommended it. So of course I pinned it and promised to give it a try. The result? I liked it. I didn't love it. But I still managed to go back for seconds. I wish it had a little more zing. Not sure what could add that component...Maybe a splash of vinegar next time? Some tomatoes? I don't mean to downplay this recipe, you really should try it. The best part? It's all made in one pot! Love that type of easy clean up!

Recipe courtesy of Host the Toast

I have to give my sister credit for this one. She made this for our cousin's baby shower a long time ago and it was awesome. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) it's the type of pasta dish that you can't stop eating. For example, I just finished making the salad and was waiting for the oven to pre-heat for the rest of the meal to go with it, but I had this issue with continuously coming back for a bite or two. Well, let's just say I probably ate more the of salad in passing than I had with dinner.

My favorite way to eat this is right away while the ingredients are still lukewarm. But it's also great refrigerated. Just be warned, the longer you refrigerate this, the more likely the sun-dried tomatoes are going to bleed onto the pasta giving it dark spots (it still tastes the same - it just looks a little less appealing).

1 cup orzo pasta
1/2 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 C. re-hydrated sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 small can black olives, chopped
3 Tbsp. finely chopped red onion
1/4 C. chopped fresh basil
2 oz. feta cheese

Dressing:
1/4 C. olive oil
2 Tbsp. lemon juice (1 whole lemon, juiced)
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. sugar

Cook 1 cup orzo, drain, and set aside. Whisk together dressing ingredients and then add it to the pasta while it's still warm. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Enjoy.