Saturday, January 1, 2011

Happy New Year!

We had a "stay at home" New Year's Eve this year. My husband, kids and I hung out at home and had a little party.  We played some board games and watched a movie until it was time to watch the ball drop. We have done this since my kids were little and we really enjoy our annual tradition. Sometimes my kids invite friends over, sometimes it is just family. My kids love our annual party because I let them choose some foods that they don't get to eat very often. We had an assortment of dips this year with raw vegetable sticks and chips(!) ~they rarely get to eat chips so this is a real treat for them. I made my homemade onion dip as usual (I prefer to make my own and avoid all of the extra sodium in the onion soup mix variety). We also had guacamole and I tried a new hummus recipe too.  I have several hummus recipes that I love, but I wanted to try this new recipe because it included the addition of healthy walnuts. (Walnuts are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, potassium, magnesium and folate).   I am glad to report that the dip was a success, quite tasty!  Here is the recipe:

Zesty Walnut Hummus (from http://www.walnuts.org/)
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
1 can (19oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup Italian dressing
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

In a blender or food processor; puree walnuts, chickpeas, salad dressing and cayenne pepper together until smooth.

Crediting information: Makes 19 servings.  Each serving is creditable for 1 meat/meat alternate at snack for 1-5 year old children.  Serve with carrot sticks, celery sticks and/or whole grain crackers for a complete snack.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for adding the email sign up to your website. I got my first email today with this column in it :)

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