Two Healthy Dip Recipes: Spinach Hummus & Lemon, Thyme and Carrot with Seed Crackers

Store-bought dips and crackers can be high in salt and full of hidden 'nasties'. These healthy and delicious dips are a perfect low-calorie snack to show off your talents when entertaining guests.

Spinach Hummus

Ingredients

1/2 cup canned chickpeas

80g baby spinach leaves

1 clove garlic

2 tblsp tahini

2 tblsp lemon juice

1 tblsp water

Pinch cayenne pepper

Method

Blend all ingredients in food processor/blender until smooth, season to taste then serve.

Lemon and Thyme Carrot Dip

Ingredients

3 medium carrots, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic

4 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 5cm strip of lemon rind

1 tblsp lemon juice

Method

Cook carrot, garlic, thyme and lemon rind in saucepan of boiling water for 15minutes or until carrot is tender, drain and discard thyme and rind. Blend carrot and garlic with lemon juice until smooth, season to taste, then serve with chopped walnuts sprinkled on top.

Seed Crackers

Ingredients

2 tblsp black chia seeds

2 tblsp linseeds

1/2 cup warm water

1 1/4 cups wholemeal flour

1/3 cup pepitas

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

2 tblsp sesame seeds

1 free range egg

1/3 cup coconut oil

pinch salt

Method

Preheat oven to 200deg Celsius. Combine chia, linseeds and water in a bowl, leave uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add all other ingredients, mix well with hands.

Divide dough in half. Roll each portion of dough between 2 sheets of baking paper until its 5mm thick and 20cm x 30cm.

Place each paper onto an oven tray and remove the top papers.

Bake crackers for around 25 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool on trays before breaking into pieces.

Nutritional information

Spinach Hummus- per 1/4- cup 7.1g protein, 2.6 carbohydrate, 7.5g total fat, 4.3g fibre

Lemon and Thyme carrot- per 1/4 cup- 0.5g protein, 2.8g carbohydrate, 0.1g total fat, 2.2 fibre

Seed crackers- per piece- 1.6g protein, 2.5g carbohydrate, 3.3g total fat, 0.3g fibre.