Dips: add crackers and vegetable crudites and you magically have a great plate to take to a get together with friends, or a picnic.
But, you can go one step further and use dips to enhance the lunch boxes you pack. They add extra variety, flavours and various health benefits and give you a mighty fine reason to add carrot sticks, celery wands, broccoli trees etc.
We often have dips in the centre of our dinner table with a platter of raw vegetables too. You could also use these dips as spreads on sandwiches, wraps or rice cakes in place of butter.
So here are 3 Ridiculously Easy Lunch Box Dips (or dinner dips, or picnic / entertaining dips). These dips are so simple that you don’t need any fancy equipment but if you have a Thermomix or a food processor, they are even more easy. Even if your kids aren’t up to having vegetables in their lunch box yet, just start with introducing the dips to the lunch box with crackers and may be a couple of sticks of vegetables they usually eat at home. Remember to pack an ice brick in with your lunch box.
Natural Greek Yoghurt Dip
Start off using these quantities of spices, then increase them up to suit your families taste buds. We like quite a stronger taste now so more than double the spices I’ve listed below – it’s all about gradual transitioning.
Ingredients
- 250g Natural Greek Yoghurt
- 1/2 teaspoon of mixed italian herbs (or just parsley or chives flakes if you prefer)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- salt & pepper to taste
How to
- Mix it all together – it’s that easy. Taste and if you want the flavours stronger, increase them to suit. In your TM, add all the ingredients and blend for 15 seconds, speed 3.
Avocado Dip
Are you ready for this one – so simple it really is Mad Food Science – lol!
Ingredients
- 1 avocado
- Squeeze of lemon juice
How to
- Mash avocado with a fork or in your TM, just throw it in and mash for 30 seconds, speed 3
- Squeeze a little bit of lemon juice over the top (push a piece of parchment paper down on top of the dip, then put in an airtight container – the paper helps stops the avo going brown from the air.
Hommus
Ok, so you do have to work a little harder with this dip, but it’s so worth it. You can even add beetroot to this hommus to make a pink hommus too. My kids don’t particularly like the earthy flavour the beetroot gives it so most times, I just make it like this.
Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed til water runs clear
- 1 -2 cloves of fresh garlic, crushed
- 40g lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons tahini (if your school doesn’t allow sesame anymore, you can omit this but it’s not quite as yummy)
- 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon water
How to
- Put all ingredients in your food processor and whizz until its the consistency you like (chunky or smooth). In your TM, throw all ingredients in, 1 minute, speed 4.