Dip, Baby, Dip

My friends know I love a good potato or corn chip. The crunchy, salty snack hits any time, day or night. And we’ve chatted about low salt snacks.

As a kid, I didn’t really like anything with my chips, except maybe melted cheese or queso. Today, I’ve gotta have a chip ride along, usually hummus or salsa. Not all dips are made equal, so let’s take a look.

Salsa Dance

I’ve never been a huge fan of raw tomatoes, but that’s changed over time. Salsa was my breakthrough and when I adopted a low sodium diet, I knew this was an opportunity.

Most salsas, while low in calories and packed with vitamins, are also loaded with sodium. And let’s be real, who has just two tablespoons? That’s like two chips. And there’s also not much difference between jarred and freshly prepared in store for sodium.

Thankfully, a great salsa is easy to make at home with a few simple ingredients, and may even cost less. You can #makeityours by changing the peppers – maybe poblano or serrano for added heat – or use a mix of green tomatillos. Explore and experiment.

Hmmmmmm

Hummus was an adult food discovery for me. We didn’t eat it growing up. Now hummus is everywhere, even snack packs.

Like its salsa cousin, hummus is a healthy snack with protein, fiber, and good oils – but can be salty per serving. Again, who has only two tablespoons?

With a little time, you can whip up your own hummus giving you complete control of the sodium. This recipe easily doubles (or triples) and is truly a blank canvas.

Swap out chickpeas for white beans, black eyed peas, even black beans. Really whatever you have on hand. Add heat with diced jalapeños, or sweetness with oil packed sun dried tomatoes. Did I mention it’ll be half the price of store bought?

Gooey, Cheesy, Goodness

Queso dip isn’t for the faint and with most store brands are loaded with salt and can be the worst of the three dips.

Thankfully, low sodium cheesy deliciousness is a small slow cooker away. This simple recipe comes together with a few ingredients and a key #saltswap of no salt hot sauce. What’s better is you can omit the chicken or the hot sauce and customize all the way. Add some low sodium shredded cheese if looking for less buffalo and more queso style.