Appetizer Recipes
Santa Fe Sunset Dip
This Southwestern-style Santa Fe Sunset Dip is virtually fat-free. It uses a small amount of reduced-fat cream cheese, which has a more satisfying flavor than fat-free cream cheese.
Yield: 2 1/3 cups
Ingredients
- 3 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, not packed in oil (1 package, or about 30)
- 2 (7 ounce) jars roasted red bell peppers, drained
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/4 cup chopped green onion
- 4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Tabasco sauce, to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Soak dried tomatoes in hot water for 5 minutes.
- Drain well, reserving 3 tablespoons of the soaking liquid.
- In a food processor, puree red peppers, tomatoes, garlic, cumin, lemon juice, cilantro and green onion until smooth and well-blended.
- Add cream cheese; puree mixture, adding enough of the reserved tomato-soaking liquid to thin the dip to the desired consistency, and scraping down the side of the bowl occasionally. Blend until smooth.
- Add salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste.
- Adjust seasoning, adding more garlic, cumin or lemon juice if needed.
- Transfer to a container with a cover. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours before serving. Bring dip to room temperature before serving.
- When ready to serve, transfer dip to an attractive bowl and place in center of a large serving platter. Surround with assorted cut-up vegetables and, if desired, baked tortilla chips.
Nutrition
Per serving (2 tablespoons): calories: 42; protein: 2g; total fat: 2g; saturated fat: 1g; sodium: 117mg; carbohydrate: 5g; dietary fiber: less than 1g