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SPA CAFÉ
Skinny Dipping
The "warming" tissue-building foods of winter, like meat,
eggs, nuts, and cheese should be eaten in moderation during the
summertime. Your eating plan should now be rich with the bountiful
fruits and vegetables of the season like peaches, nectarines, apricots,
berries, cherries and figs, along with celery, eggplant, cucumber,
lettuces and zucchini.
One great way to incorporate these types of foods into your diet
over summer is to consider a skinny dip. Whilst many of you are
pondering the absolute unlikelihood of that happening, I have put
together a couple of recipes that will hopefully impress your next,
fully clothed, party guests. .
Until about 60 years ago, refreshing dips for snacking were made
from all-natural ingredients, usually homegrown or store bought.
But with the advent and availability of mass-produced foods, those
once-healthy dips gradually morphed into vats of bland, fat-laden
goo, often brimming with potentially harmful chemicals and preservatives
designed to increase shelf life. Health-conscious people everywhere
are recreating those wholesome dips of yesteryear and adding new
twists to them.
To ensure your dips are as healthy as possible, here are a few simple
pointers to follow:
| Keep
It Fresh:
No matter how convenient they may seem, store bought dips
pale when compared to dips made fresh. If you must buy your
dip, try to choose dips that are low in fat and hydrogenated
oils. Often the freshest store-bought dips are those that
must be refrigerated, have an expiration date, and are made
locally. |
| Make
It Colorful: When
making a dip that calls for vegetables or when simply using
vegetables or fruit for dipping, the more colour involved
the better. All vegetables and fruits offer unique flavours,
vitamins and health-boosting properties. |
| What
to Dip:
Don’t forget that what you dip is almost as important
as the dip itself. Vegetables are ideal but crackers are also
fine if chosen wisely. When choosing crackers, make sure the
first ingredient is 100 percent wheat flour and avoid hydrogenated
oils. |
| Cut
the Fat:
A popular ingredient that gives many creamy dips their flavour
and texture is high-fat mayonnaise. Most recipes could be
significantly improved by reducing the amount of mayonnaise
in a recipe and adding silken tofu and/or low-fat sour cream.
For example, if the recipe calls for a cup of mayonnaise,
use instead 1/4 cup of mayonnaise, 1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
and 1/4 cup silken tofu. |
| Like
Water and Oil: If
you are making a dip that calls for olive oil and canned beans
(such as garbanzo beans for hummus), replace some of the oil
with the liquid (water) the beans are packed in. Olive oil
is healthy, but also high in calories. Besides, the liquid
the beans are packed in often adds flavour. |
Here’s one to try next time you have that pool party!
Baba Ganoush (eggplant dip)
1 eggplant
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 whole garlic
Salt
Natural unsweetened low fat yoghurt
Keep the eggplant whole. Prick the skin all over with a knife and
place in a baking dish. Drizzle with a little oil, as this will
speed up the cooking process. Cook in a moderate oven from 40 minutes
to two hours. How long you cook it for depends on your preference
for degree of smoke-flavour. It should have collapsed and halved
in size. Allow to cool enough to handle, then carefully cut it open
and scoop out the flesh, discarding the burnt skin.
Add the following to taste:
- Garlic (I use roasted garlic, tossed in with the eggplant and
oil - but flakes, fresh or powdered are also OK) .
- A little salt
- Low-fat version: Natural Unsweetened Low Fat Yoghurt
- Low-carb version: Double Cream, Lemon Juice, Olive Oil and Sesame
Oil
- Traditional: Tahini (Sesame Paste), Olive Oil, Lemon Juice
If your eggplant is well cooked, you can just mash it all together
with a fork. If you prefer a smoother texture, you can use a food
processor. Garnish with a drizzle of sesame oil and a sprinkle of
paprika.
This fabulous eggplant puree is great as a dip or spread.
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