Party Dips 3 Ways - The Good, Not so Good, and Bad for you!

It's Football party season, so why not have a few new appetizer dip recipes in your arsenal? I'm calling these 3 recipes the Good (not too bad for you), the Bad (ok, we're a little bit naughty), and the Ugly (yep, who cares about calories anymore?).

Artichoke and Oven Roasted Tomato Dip

We'll start out with the healthier recipe. With barely any cheese, there's no guilt here.​​ I first heard about this idea while listening to Splendid Table. There are numerous other ingredients that would lend well to this recipe - for example, capers and orange zest -- but I kept it simple knowing what I like.

1 lb. roma tomatoes
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil
1 15 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
1/2 a jar roasted red peppers, chopped (equal to roughly one full pepper)
1/4 C. parmesean cheese
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. lemon zest
2 Tbsp. olive oil
​Pita chips for serving

First, roast the tomatoes. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Slice the tomatoes into rounds and place on a tinfoil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the over for roughly 20 minutes until tomatoes start to blister and brown. Remove from heat and let cool.
In a medium bowl, add the tomatoes and the remaining ingredients - artichokes, red peppers, parmesan, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Using a stick blender (or a regular blender), pulse until the mixture has a rough chop. I like mine a little chunky, but feel free to pulse for a more smooth consistency. Serve at room temperature with pita chips. Leftover dip is great with pasta and grilled chicken!

Cajun Shrimp Dip

All things are OK in moderation, right? I have a really hard time walking away from this dip - call me partial, but this is my favorite of the 3. The trick to making this shrimp dip stand out from other similar recipes is to use raw shrimp and cook it yourself. Some recipes call for canned shrimp -- and that just makes me shudder -- yuck! You could try cooked shrimp too, but I just don't think it tastes as good.

1/2 lb. raw peeled and deveined shrimp, tails removed (20-30ct. per pound)
1/4 C. onion, minced
1/2 C. celery, diced
1 oz. package cream cheese (feel free to use the 1/3 less fat kind), room temperature
6 Tbsp. mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. ketchup
1 tsp. cajun seasoning
​Pita chips for serving

Begin by cooking the shrimp. Fill a deep skillet or saucepan with a 3-4 inches of water. Bring to a boil and add the shrimp. Boil for 2 minutes then immediately place shrimp in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Once shrimp is cool, drain, and chop into small bits.
In a large bowl combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, ketchup, and cajun seasoning. I prefer to use a stick blender to ensure a smooth consistency. Once smooth, stir in the shrimp, onion, and celery. Taste and add more cajun seasoning if desired. Chill until ready to serve. 

Chili Cream Cheese Dip

There's nothing fancy about this last recipe. It's a tried and true staple that my mom used to make for parties when we were growing up. Best of all it's super easy and will appease the most picky of eaters. We all love the classic Velveeta dip, but try this next time instead.

The recipe below is the classic version, but feel free to mix things up by using homemade chili, or in my opinion, double the diced green chilis!

1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 4 oz. can diced green chilis, drained
1 15 oz. Hormel Chili No Beans
1 1/2 C. cheddar cheese, shredded
Tortilla chips for serving

Using a microwave safe dish, (I recommend a glass pie pan but anything similar with do), spread the softened cream cheese into an even layer across the bottom. Layer on the green chilis, then Hormel chili. Top with the shredded cheddar cheese. When ready to serve, cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 5.-8 minutes or until cheese is melted and ingredients are bubbly. You can also bake this in the oven at roughly 350 degrees for 30 minutes (do not cover in the oven).