Go Mini for the Big Game, Menu #3: Diminutive Dips

Chips and dips are a game-day staple…partly because they are easy to make and also because they are easily enjoyed. But a major party foul is a messy plate of double-dipped chips and dip. Why not ditch the messiness and make individual chips and dips all in one bite?!?

1. Pita Cups with Hummus

Ingredients:

– 4 whole wheat pitas

– 4 teaspoons olive oil (for brushing)

– Sea salt to taste

– 2 (14.5 ounce) cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

– Juice from 2 lemons

– 1/4 tablespoon olive oil

– 1/4 cup tahini paste

– 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

– pinch of cayenne pepper

– crumbled feta

– chopped Kalamata olives

– chopped parsley

– paprika

Preheat oven to 375°F. Using an empty can or round cookie cutter, cut pitas into rounds. Using a pastry brush, brush each pita with 1 teaspoon of olive oil.

Microwave rounds for 10-15 seconds until pliable. Press into muffin pan and season with sea salt. Bake 10-15 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Drain the garbanzo beans and reserve 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the liquid. Place the beans in a food processor and puree until smooth.

Add the remaining ingredients and blend until the mixture is creamy. If necessary, add the liquid reserved from the canned garbanzo beans to create desired creaminess. (If needed, hummus can be made a day or two ahead of time…just store in a sealed container in the refrigerator with a light layer of olive oil on top).

Spoon hummus into pita cups and sprinkle with paprika, crumbled feta, chopped olives, and chopped parsley.

2. Mini Tostadas with 7 Layer Dip

Ingredients:

– 1 package corn tortillas

– 1 tablespoon olive oil or safflower oil

– 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans (I used refried black beans)

– hot sauce (to taste)

– 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream (or one cup)

– 1-2 tablespoons taco seasoning

– 1 cup guacamole (or you can just use mashed avocados mixed with a little salt and lime juice)

– 1 cup salsa

– 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

– 1/2 cup diced roma tomatoes

– 1 small can sliced black olives

– 1/2 cup sliced green onions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray the cavities of a muffin pan with cooking spray. Using a cookie cutter, egg fry ring, or empty can, cut tortillas into rounds. Microwave for 15-20 seconds until pliable.

Brush with a little olive or safflower oil. Press into muffin pan and bake for 15 minutes until crispy. Remove and cool.

While tortillas are baking, heat refried beans in small saucepan on stove and season with hot sauce. Mix sour cream with taco seasoning (I use 1-2 tablespoons of seasoning per cup of sour cream).

Once tortillas are cool, “layer” in this order:

Layer 1: beans & hot sauce

Layer 2: guacamole

Layer 3: seasoned sour cream

Layer 4: salsa

Layer 5: cheese

Layer 6: diced tomatoes

Layer 7: olives & green onions

You can leave out the olives if you must, as I know not everyone loves them like I do. (those people are crazy). If you don’t have time to make your own tortilla cups, you can substitute with the “scoops”, brand of tortilla chips, but trust me, the homemade ones are soooo much better. They are like mini tostadas, and they are fabulous!

3. Petite Potato Skins loaded with French Onion Dip

Ingredients:

– 1 1/2 cups yellow onions, diced

– 1 tablespoon olive oil

– 1 tablespoon butter

– 2 cloves garlic, minced

– 3 green onions, sliced and green parts separated from white/pale green

– pinch Kosher salt

– 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (a couple dashes)

– 1 1/2 cups light sour cream

– 2 ounces light cream cheese, room temperature

– 2 tablespoons Lemonaise Light (or regular light mayo)

– pinch white pepper

– pinch of seasoning salt (or Kosher salt if you don’t have any)

– 12 small potatoes (a mixture of baby yukon golds, new red potatoes and small purple potatoes)

– 1-2 tablespoons olive oil

– salt & pepper, to taste

– any potato garnishes you like!

The night before your party, heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat until butter melts. Add yellow onions, garlic, white/pale green portions of the green onions, and a pinch of Kosher salt. Cook three minutes until everything is softened. Add a couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Reduce heat to medium and cook until onions are browned and caramelized, about 20-25 minutes. Stir in half of the green onion tops and cook one minute more. Remove from heat and cool.

While onions are cooking, combine sour cream, cream cheese, Lemonaise, white pepper, and seasoning salt in a medium bowl. (If you want a smoother dip, use an immersion blender to whip everything together).

Add onion mixture and stir well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (overnight at a minimum to allow flavors to develop). Taste test and add additional seasoning if needed.

To make the potato skins, preheat oven to 450°F. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.

Wash potatoes and boil in water for 5 minutes. (We don’t want to completely cook them…just enough to get them soft. We’ll finish them off in the oven). Remove from water and cool.

When cool enough to handle, cut each potato in half. To help make them sit flush on the plate, shave off a little piece on the bottom with a paring knife. Using a melon baller (or small spoon), scoop out a little of the middle flesh. (This will serve as a mini bowl for the dip later).

Toss in olive oil and place on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove and cool. Spoon French Onion dip into potato skins and garnish with your favorite potato topping or a combination. (I used cheese, bacon bits, green onions, sun dried tomatoes, even the little pepperonis from the deep dish pizzas.) Get creative!!

And that concludes our series on how to go mini for the big game. Hope you’ve enjoyed it, and stay tuned for more mouthwatering posts from Jaymee! And if you cook up any of these mini munchies this weekend, be sure to share photos with us over at Brit HQ via the comments below or on Twitter.

Jaymee Sire is an Emmy-award winning sports reporter and anchor at Comcast SportsNet Bay Area in San Francisco. During baseball season, she covers the San Francisco Giants for CSN, and often anchors the network’s flagship show, SportsNet Central in the offseason. When she isn’t covering a sporting event, her true passion is food…whether it’s eating out or cooking at home. She writes a blog called E is for Eat, posting alphabet-themed recipes and restaurant reviews several times per week. She also contributes a weekly tailgate blog on csnbayarea.com called Authentic Eats.