Lemony Chickpea Dip

Last weekend I had some friends over to chat, make a Valentine and eat yummy food. I wanted to offer some healthy choices alongside the not-so-nutritious options, but my challenge was that I wanted everything to fit within my chosen color palette of red, pink and white. I knew I wanted to offer fresh veggies (red bell peppers, radishes, jicama and grape tomatoes) and some kind of dip, so I turned to a recipe I made quite a while ago and had marked as "yummy + healthy!" It was just as good as I remembered--maybe even better--and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a pinkish-red, so it fit in with my color scheme! The things that make my little OCD self happy. ;)

It's a bit like hummus, but without the tahini. The lemon juice gives it a nice bright flavor and the sour cream smooths out the texture. Even Porter likes it!

Lemony Chickpea Dip 
from Cooking Light magazine

1/3 cup fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp hot paprika (I used regular)
1/2 tsp hot sauce (this doesn't make it spice, I promise)
1/4 tsp salt
1 19-oz can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1. Combine all ingredients except cilantro in a food processor; process until smooth. Pour into a bowl. Stir in cilantro. Yield: 1 1/2 cups (serving size: 2 Tbsp)

Each serving only has 40 calories and 1.7g of fat, which is so low that you can have several and not feel too guilty. I promise you're not going to be able to limit yourself to just 2 Tablespoons! It's excellent as a dip for fresh veggies or with pitas or pita chips.