As much as I enjoy the holiday season and all the wonderful food set before us, I try to limit my indulgence of all the thick creamy dips that seem to be on every table. This proves to be difficult, especially when there is pizza dip, buffalo chicken dip, spinach artichoke dip, taco dip, okay I’ll stop.
How do we maintain a focus on healthy eating when we’re faced with such delicious options?
There was a time I didn’t care, as my son reminded me this weekend. My response, you’re absolutely right, but now I know better and I care.
He loves to give me a hard time, especially since I didn’t tell him he was eating mashed cauliflower and he thought it was potatoes. He no longer has any trust in me, Ha! Ha!
My solution, Humus.
I see you shaking your head but stick with me.
I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how well this has been a hit on my holiday table.
And understand, we have a major “Holiday Table”. We begin with appetizers, sandwich fixings, soups, and end with desserts, we eat and eat some more. Plus we have slow cookers of hot cider going.
Major overload of everything. By the end of the night, we’re stuffed and miserable.
A few years ago, my daughter and I decided we would add some healthy platters to our table. Knowing that no one would eat them, we placed our platters on the table and opened the door to family and friends.
As everyone began filling their plates, my daughter ran into the kitchen exclaiming, “mama, they’re eating our appetizers!!!!”
Great, now we have nothing to eat.
What did I learn from that night of surprises?
That healthy appetizers are acceptable on a table of unhealthy options.
Since that year, we’ve consistently offered healthier appetizers on our holiday table and each year we do not have any leftovers.
Hummus is always a favorite dip with an array of fresh raw veggies and crackers.
We enjoy preparing fresh hummus, which is a quick, easy, and tastes so much better than commercial hummus.
Your basic hummus is made from chickpeas or black beans, tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil.
Once you’ve made your basic hummus, you can get creative with additional seasonings.
Our favorite is black bean hummus, but regular chickpea hummus is just as tasty.
Here are our favorite hummus flavors…