Whether you choose to use artichoke or not, spinch dip will make your party dip recipes immediately more versatile. When served in a sour-dough bread bowl, they’re real eye-pleasers, too.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup chopped, cooked spinach (about a ten ounce package)
6 chopped green onions
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 8-ounce can of finely-chopped water chestnuts
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 cup of chopped parsley
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 teaspoons of black pepper
Salt to taste per your preference

PREPARATION
Dry the spinach
Mix ingredients
Cover and refrigerate for about two to three hours.

(Optionally prepare in a food processor a day ahead.)

Serve chilled with sourdough bread and raw vegetables such as turnip slices and red pepper strips. Or serve in a sourdough bread bowl and use the remaining bread for dippers!

Makes about 3 cups.

For Spinach Artichoke Dip simply add 1 cup chopped artichoke hearts!

The Hummus Recipe is a very popular selection. This flavorful chickpea (garbanzo bean) and sesame party dip recipe is a nice departure from cream cheese and sour cream based recipes.

Hummus is the Arab word for chickpea, more commonly known in the United States by its Spanish name, ‘garbanzo’ bean. But ‘Hummus’ has become synonymous with the dip, not just the one ingredient.

One look at the ingredients tells you the origin of the hummus recipe. And in fact, the history of hummus extends across the Mediterranean, as far as India, and reaches back thousands of years. While many families and cultures have worked to perfect the recipe, it remains basically the same: Chickpeas, olive oil, sesame tahini, lemon juice, and garlic. The spices and garnishes often vary, but this is an excellent version, if not the best hummus recipe.

Just be thankful you don’t have to pick the chickpeas, dry them, soak them, peel them, and then grind them with a mortar and pestle any more. You can if you want to, but it’s easier to just pop over to the grocery store, pick up a couple cans of garbanzo beans, and toss them into the food processor. And the recipe does not suffer at all.

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans), liquid reserved
2/3 cup tahini paste*
5 tablespoons olive oil , divided
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

PREPARATION:
*You can make your own tahini paste in a food processor or blender by grinding toasted sesame seeds. Toast the sesame seeds over medium heat until golden brown, about 3 minutes.

In a food processor, puree the chickpeas, tahini, 3 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice and garlic until smooth, adding a little of the reserved liquid if the mixture seems too thick; it will be slightly grainy. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer to a shallow bowl or plate.

Combine the paprika and the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, drizzle the mixture over the top, and garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.

Serve with pita bread triangles. Makes about 3 cups.

Some like it hot!, like the Spicy Guacamole Dip recipe. If not, just cut back on the chilis and you’ve still got the best party dip recipe west of the Pecos.

INGREDIENTS:
4 avocados
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 sweet red onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 red chilies, seeded and finely chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil , divided
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of cayenne, for garnish

PREPARATION:
Cut the avocados in half lengthwise and remove the seeds.

Scoop out the meat into a medium-size bowl and mash with a fork. (Do not process in a food processor or blender.)

Gently stir in the garlic, red onion, jalapeno pepper, red chiles, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, and lime juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer to a serving bowl, if necessary.

Drizzle the remainder of the olive oil over the Guacamole and sprinkle with cayenne for presentation. Serve immediately. Makes 3 cups.

Note: Guacamole Dip does not keep well, but adding a tablespoon of lemon juice helps preserve the color.

INGREDIENTS:
2 large tomatoes, peeled
1 or 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
2 green chiles, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 very small green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/3 cup corn
2 teaspoons chopped cilantro (1 teaspoon dried)
1 heaping tablespoon black bean garlic sauce or
1 tablespoon black beans and 2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION:
Combine all ingredients and microwave on high for 2 minutes.

Chill before serving.

Pairs perfectly with tortilla chips or warm rolled tortillas. Makes about 3 cups.

The versatile Dill Dip Recipe is a classic party dip recipe prepared with fresh dill leaves and a zippy horseradish option. It doubles as a terrific dill sauce recipe for Cold Poached Salmon with Dill Sauce. Yuuuum.

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1 1/2 cups sour cream
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill leaves (or 2 tablespoons dill weed)
1/4 cup minced onion or shallots
1/2 teaspoon white pepper

PREPARATION:
Mix the mayonnaise and sour cream.

Stir in the lemon juice, dill, onion and white pepper.

Refrigerate and chill several hours before serving. Keeps well for up to a week. Makes about 3 cups.

Variation: Substitute 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish for the white pepper. Zippy!

The Smoked Salmon Dip recipe is the one you’ll be famous for. There is always that one recipe that your guests hope you’ll prepare and your host insists you bring.

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated onion
1 teaspoon horseradish
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups smoked salmon, flaked or chopped
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

PREPARATION
Combine cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, onion, horseradish, and salt. Stir in salmon and mix thoroughly. Transfer to a serving bowl. Combine the pecans and parsley and sprinkle on top of the smoked salmon mixture. This recipe can be prepared up to 3 days ahead. It is best served at room temperature.

Smoked Salmon Spread
Increase smoked salmon to 2 cups and eliminate the sour cream. Chill the mixture for several hours. The spread can then be formed into a log shape and rolled in the parsley-pecan mixture.

Serve with assorted crackers and endive spears. Makes 3 cups.

Dive right into the Skinny Dip recipe and don’t worry about the calories or the taste! This great cottage cheese dip recipe is prepared with an herb and spice combo that doesn’t taste skinny.

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups low-fat cottage cheese
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dill weed or dried cilantro
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Salt to taste

PREPARATION:
In a blender or food processor, blend all ingredients, except the salt, until smooth.

Taste, adding salt only if necessary.

Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with extra paprika and dill weed, if desired. Chill before serving.

Serve with assorted fruit, vegetable dippers, and bagel bites or crackers.

Makes about 3 cups.

INGREDIENTS:
8 ounces cooked crab meat
8 ounces cooked shrimp meat
1/4 cup onion
1 8-ounce can water chestnuts
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 heaping teaspoon prepared horseradish
Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION:
Mince the crab, shrimp, onion, and water chestnuts or process them in a food processor.

Transfer the mixture to a small bowl.

Stir in the mayonnaise and horseradish. Salt and pepper the mixture to taste. Chill.

Serve with water crackers, celery sticks, and cooked artichoke leaves.

Makes 3 cups.

Open wide and say ‘aaaaah!’ Do your party a favor by serving one or more of the Shrimp Dip Recipes, but not before the delicate flavors have had a chance to marry. Then, open wide…

INGREDIENTS:
8 ounces cooked shrimp, chopped, or whole tiny salad shrimp
2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 cup chopped black olives
1 tablespoon dill weed or 2 tablespoons fresh dill leaves,

PREPARATION:
Combine all ingredients; cover and refrigerate for a few hours to let the flavors marry.
Serve with assorted crackers, toasts and vegetable dippers. Makes @ 3 cups.

You could call the Pumpkin Dip recipe a seasonal recipe, but any season will do. Like any self-respecting pumpkin recipe, it embraces cream cheese, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Dip it or spread it.

INGREDIENTS:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (1-pound) can pumpkin puree or 2 cups fresh
1 cup brown sugar or confectioner’s sugar (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon orange or lemon zest

PREPARATION:
Cream the cream cheese and pumpkin together in a large bowl.

Stir in the remaining ingredients.

Taste and adjust the sugar, if necessary. Chill.

Serve in (what else?) a small hollowed-out pumpkin, if desired.

Serve with your choices of:

Apple wedges, banana rounds, cherries, or other fruit

Sugar cookies, vanilla wafers, ginger snaps

Crackers, toast points

Or serve as a spread on:

Crackers, toast points, mini-bagels, gingerbread, graham crackers or pound cake.

Spread on/between slices of crustless white or brown bread and cut into quarters, tea sandwich style, or into cookie cutter shapes.